Humingyay

[eliyes]

It seems to me that it's usually quite rare for a comic book to be better as a live-action tv show. And the live-action is also better than the cartoon. But that's what happened with Hana Yori Dango (or 'Boys Over Flowers'). I first saw a little of the anime in 2000, and then found that the books had begun being translated. The further I got into the books, the less I could stand the characters, and I gave up. So, when my friend Amy gave me the complete live-action series (9 roughly 1-hour episodes), it was a while before I convinced myself try watching them.

I was hooked immediately! Everyone is so much more likeable! There's actually some humour in Rui! Doumyouji is a reasonably sympathetic character, and becomes moreso as the show progresses! Everyone is easier to understand! Nobody gets gratuitously raped (although there are two near-misses)! It's just better all 'round. It follows the books reasonably closely until the party Makino goes to in jeans, which then hybridizes with later story elements as it turns out to be Shizuka's homecoming party, and she gives Makino shoes.

Bawled my way through the 3rd episode. Bawled all over the end. (Also, the guy they got to play Rui is frikkin' hot! The art style of the original manga just wasn't made for indicating whether someone was good looking, because they all kind of looked like aliens.)

So, the live-action won my heart. THANK YOU AMY, THAT WAS AWESOME, YOU WERE RIGHT!

Another thing which I'm really loving is the manga series Swan. I had bought the first volume translated a while ago and wanted more. It's a classic shoujo manga, orginally published 1976 to 1981. You can tell. It's an obvious development of the kind of art style prominent in shoujo in the 60s and 70s, although taichara thinks they looks even more attenuated. Well, they're ballerinas.

Yes, they're ballerinas. It's a manga about ballet. It's incredibly earnest - as is the main character - and it's all about the nobility of sacrificing for art and the purity of spirit required to be truly expressive with dance, and all the hard work needed to tap inner potential. It's also about love, of course. The very first volume begins establishing the main love tangle that's just officially revealed at the end of the 6th. Namely, Hijiri Masumi develops a crush on Kusakabe Hishio, who thinks she's cute and generally really likes her and takes her on a couple of very sweet dates... but he's ultimately in love with Kyogoku Sayoko (who, of course, Masumi very much admires and respects and becomes friends with). Yanigisawa Aoi is Kusakabe's main dance rival and best friend... and he falls for Masumi. Near the end of volume 6, Masumi suddenly realises Kusakabe's feelings for Sayoko through his actions, and runs away in tears. Aoi follows her, and confesses his love.

"I... love you. I love you! And I know you love him, but... why can't it be me?"

I can't wait to June to see how she'll react! I really like Aoi, actually. He brash and individualistic and generally acts the clown to hide his feelings, but he's very tenderhearted. He cares about all his friends. There's also a lot of mystery surrounding the motivations of Alexei Sergeiev, who becomes Masumi's mentor.

Not everyone likes the kind of overblown, dramatic emotional etc. this story is, but I'm really loving it, and recommend taking a look at it if you think it seems interesting.

Also, everyone's sweaters are very beautiful. :D

Comments

[elusivebard.livejournal.com]

I just started downloading eps 1-3 of Hana Yori Dango it will be the first live action That I watch in Japanese.

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

I recommend it highly. Makino sort of reminds me of how I saw myself in junior high and some of high school. And 1-3 is a good arc. Like I said, I BAWLED at episode 3.