The day to...
Today, after more than a year was the day. I took the courage that it takes, and decided to watch the special. I cried a lot. There was a moment when the screen was all blur because my eyes were full of tears. It's more or less what I expected it to be. But I think I liked the closure, I mean, after finishing it, I can breath in and out and be thankful for being alive.
So, if you don't mind some rambling about my experience both watching this and living something similar, then go ahead and continue through this review, I won't say anything further than his clear death, that's clear since the beginning, so no spoiler, hence the title.
24hs SP, so, who's dying today?
Based on the novel "Oozora e no Tabidachi Gan to Tatakainagaramo Yumemite Ita Mirai" by Kazuya Miyuki, this SP portrays in front of us the journey of someone, in this case, Kouta, towards death. He's the average young guy waiting for the transition towards becoming a full independent adult. He has parents and an older sister, also a girlfriend. What's unusual about him, but really normal in these types of SPs is his disease, malignant lymphoma. Since the moment we read the title we know this character is going to die, so, be emotionally prepared.
Title
: 今日の日はさようなら
Title (romaji)
: Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara
Format
: Tanpatsu
Genre
: Human drama
Viewership rating
: 23.4%
Broadcast network
: NTV
Broadcast date
: 2013-Aug-24
Air time
: 21:00
Did I mention that he dies?
So, this SP has the usual questions such as why him? and I'm sure you'll be fine from the beloved ones, right? So, I want to type down a couple of things that sets this special appart and in a way made it different or a perfected version of what Japanese people have been trying to portray for ages with these type of tearjerker. So, I'll try to organize my toughts, but I won't promise wonders lol.
As usual a happy start. Did you see the previous picture? Ohno's eyes always make me sad...
Why should I see this?
This goes beyond something like the typical phrase, because I like the actor. Ohno Satoshi is a very strong actor, he may look like the guy next door *in Japan* who does everything effortless even to the point of looking half-hearted. I've read before about his acting here and there were comments as if it was just like that. So, if you are in the search of a more active type of acting, please refrain yourself. This is not about fighting but about accepting, this is not about action but facing death, so if you're not willing to put up with some subtle yet deep interpretation, then go ahead and search for something else.
When should I see this?
I would say when you are not over emotional and when you have a couple of minutes to spare thinking and reflecting over life. This may not be a very good idea while you're down or living a similar situation.
Why do Japanese people keep doing this kind of specials?
This is an answer that I'm still seeking for, but as time passes I think I became more able to understand some of their stands. Why do they do this? Why exposing death in front of us? I still don't know but it is something that they are getting better at, I would say that the closure for this one was much better done than the one in Nino's case, Sukoshi Wa, Ongaeshi Ga Dekitakana, I think the disease was similar, right? *I checked and it was a malignant sarcoma, the malignant part it's no joke* Or maybe is that I'm more used to this, that in the end, the patient will die, instead of in a Hollywood production that something miraculous happens. Maybe it's like watching Yamada Taro Monogatari after watching a dozen of other doramas and being more involved with Japanese culture and this time, being able to enjoy the subtle jokes of humorous sceneries such as admiring some member on member interaction in one dorama...
Ok, I'm rambling... let's get back to this.
I wonder if I'm going to be able to rate this
Well, I can only state my own point of view, and this is the point where reviews are totally personal. I mean, like I said here and there before, I had experienced something similar to Kouta's parents and family's case. So, let me tell you something about the plot. It is a nice portrayal of what really happens, setting the difference between both countries aside, of course.
This part...
So, this type of disease is so horrible mainly because of the treatment, you can see the poor soul suffering because there is no other treatment that this one, which is also killing the person as well as the enemy, since the enemy is inside the own cells. I know nothing about medicine, but while experiencing something similar, you get some concepts and you never forget others.
Like the moments when you are expecting the doctor news, and they turn to be bad. And you can see how malignant this disease is, and how the percentage goes down so easily. I liked the idea of portraying the worse case, 'cause it happens, sometimes things just don't work out, and sometimes the malignant part is just really bad.
So, I think what we get to see is accurate and I liked that they showed the doctor's limits, and how you feel so unable to help them, the sick person. And the isolation they have to put up in order to get the transplant in this case.
About Ohno, I mean the acting
Ohno's part is really common at the beginning, I mean, he is the usual guy, maybe just Satoshi. But I really like his transition and how he became aware of his situation and was able to rise to the occasion. I think if I were to compare his acting with Nino's dying one, then this one would be a more mature one and more believable. He may not have a very strong presence in front of the camera, but it is his weakness and the subtle changes what he is perfectly able to portray and make you forget about Ohno Satoshi, and you just think about his charater: Kouta.
Why is it that in Japan hospital always have a rooftop where patients hang out. There's no such thing here.
His parents are really nice too, even his sister. Just normal parents who do whatever they can in this situation. I specially love how, at the end, we get to see a little bit of the weakness from his father. How they show us how human nature goes against death until the very end. Mum's character made me think about the horrible pain it surely is to lost someone you have treasured for so long. The girlfriend was also OK. Harada, played by HSJ!'s Ryosuke Yamada was also interesting to watch, I mean he is a little bit creepy, but let's face it, that's totally understandable because of his circumstances, I think he was ok, even that for me, it was a little hard to identify his age. And I loved, Kyoko Fukada's emotional scars, and how they made a beautiful contrast with the patients. How she could use her experience and really help those who came for help, she is not just a pretty face, and even though it is one of her usual characters, I like the background of her story; that makes you think.
His parents and the hospital
The special place
I've just realised that there aren't much characters, but I think that that's a side effect of death, by the end there are just few people who stick till the end. And this doesn't fail to portray a nice family picture, and how important family bonds are, even though you are not a kid anymore.
Ryoko, she's really cute, and with a funny voice
Harada, I mean HSJ! guy
About the rest
The sceneries were beautiful, this sort of has some feel of the countryside, like in Jun's Hajimari no uta. The house is so beautiful and the peach fields. The four of them sitting around the table, just takes so much significance as the story progresses. I also loved the landscapes when they made the trip. There were a couple of flashbacks and they were very cute. The hospital is neat, I mean it's a hospital, but it looked like really white.
The contrast is good, some camera angles were really interesting and beautiful
The music was ok, there are a couple of really weird tones for Yamada's parts specially, but the rest just contributes to the atmosphere in a really nice way.
The lighting is beautiful and the final impression is that it also made a transition, the colours are softer at the end and the rays of light were a nice effect when he gets back home.
The food is also a very important element and a symbol of healthiness. At the end, you realise how important is just to be able to seat at the table with your beloved ones and enjoy a meal. That's the real deal about life.
This was really meaningful, babies means life so many times
About the stars
I think this is getting a little less harder as I take courage and push myself into watching them. I really enjoyed Ohkura's one this year, and I still have blond Nino's to watch, but I think I'm more and more able to appreciate the good at the end of these SPs.
If I were to evaluate the acting plus the sceneries plus the plot in general terms I think this will be a strong 3 and a half. It's not boring and Ohno success into involving yourself into his journey from being plain and unaware of the importance of life, till the point when he becomes this strong person ready to face life and death with courage. It's like when Harada tells Kouta
There is nothing that I want.
If I'd get told "I'll give you anything you want"
I would reply that life
I want to try saying it.
There is nothing else that I want but life.
There is nothing I fear but dying.
In short, it's the most powerful thing.
It's the strongest.
Harada to Kouta
Subtitles by Bunny and clover.
And at the end, my fears went away, because we are not watching Ohno dying, but we are watching Kouta's dead, and that is something only a good actor can do. I'm really impressed by his acting and his stars are probably more. I cried and wept and I'm happy that this thing happened to someone else, because maybe that's selfish, but I think it's nice not to be the only one. Life keeps going on.
So sad!
And I do believe that there's life after dead, which is the last message in this SP; but for all of us, keep on living it's not the same, it will never be. That's why we cry.
A little too personal
In my case we didn't went through the transplant, he didn't make it. But the doctor said that the percentage of surviving was really low, and that it was valid to go home and wait for death. He didn't take that chance and passed out right after the transplant. It was really frustrating, but I don't know if I could take the burden of seeing him dying home.
I also get Etsuko's point of view. She is the girlfriend. And I can totally get the feeling of wanting to escape. I knew this wasn't going to end good, and I also wanted to escape. But I think, I would never forgive myself if I had run away. I didn't do it, but it's totally real, and you feel like you have to do it, in order to protect yourself.
I also felt really identified with the moment when you are facing death, those moments are the ones in which everything is clear. You can really tell and set appart which are the things that are important from those which aren't. So, I think this is like a good memory trip to remember that we should focus on the important things. Yet, I'm really waiting for that day when I get to see him again. That will be the most important day of all.
All in all a very sad story that will enlighten us, at least with a positive idea. And this is some sort of related to his next work as a Shinigami. I think it's valid that he played this before ha, like a sort of black humor joke.
He was almost as helpeless here, that was something sort of annoying actually
So, if you don't mind some rambling about my experience both watching this and living something similar, then go ahead and continue through this review, I won't say anything further than his clear death, that's clear since the beginning, so no spoiler, hence the title.
24hs SP, so, who's dying today?
Based on the novel "Oozora e no Tabidachi Gan to Tatakainagaramo Yumemite Ita Mirai" by Kazuya Miyuki, this SP portrays in front of us the journey of someone, in this case, Kouta, towards death. He's the average young guy waiting for the transition towards becoming a full independent adult. He has parents and an older sister, also a girlfriend. What's unusual about him, but really normal in these types of SPs is his disease, malignant lymphoma. Since the moment we read the title we know this character is going to die, so, be emotionally prepared.
Title
: 今日の日はさようなら
Title (romaji)
: Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara
Format
: Tanpatsu
Genre
: Human drama
Viewership rating
: 23.4%
Broadcast network
: NTV
Broadcast date
: 2013-Aug-24
Air time
: 21:00
Did I mention that he dies?
So, this SP has the usual questions such as why him? and I'm sure you'll be fine from the beloved ones, right? So, I want to type down a couple of things that sets this special appart and in a way made it different or a perfected version of what Japanese people have been trying to portray for ages with these type of tearjerker. So, I'll try to organize my toughts, but I won't promise wonders lol.
As usual a happy start. Did you see the previous picture? Ohno's eyes always make me sad...
Why should I see this?
This goes beyond something like the typical phrase, because I like the actor. Ohno Satoshi is a very strong actor, he may look like the guy next door *in Japan* who does everything effortless even to the point of looking half-hearted. I've read before about his acting here and there were comments as if it was just like that. So, if you are in the search of a more active type of acting, please refrain yourself. This is not about fighting but about accepting, this is not about action but facing death, so if you're not willing to put up with some subtle yet deep interpretation, then go ahead and search for something else.
When should I see this?
I would say when you are not over emotional and when you have a couple of minutes to spare thinking and reflecting over life. This may not be a very good idea while you're down or living a similar situation.
Why do Japanese people keep doing this kind of specials?
This is an answer that I'm still seeking for, but as time passes I think I became more able to understand some of their stands. Why do they do this? Why exposing death in front of us? I still don't know but it is something that they are getting better at, I would say that the closure for this one was much better done than the one in Nino's case, Sukoshi Wa, Ongaeshi Ga Dekitakana, I think the disease was similar, right? *I checked and it was a malignant sarcoma, the malignant part it's no joke* Or maybe is that I'm more used to this, that in the end, the patient will die, instead of in a Hollywood production that something miraculous happens. Maybe it's like watching Yamada Taro Monogatari after watching a dozen of other doramas and being more involved with Japanese culture and this time, being able to enjoy the subtle jokes of humorous sceneries such as admiring some member on member interaction in one dorama...
Ok, I'm rambling... let's get back to this.
I wonder if I'm going to be able to rate this
Well, I can only state my own point of view, and this is the point where reviews are totally personal. I mean, like I said here and there before, I had experienced something similar to Kouta's parents and family's case. So, let me tell you something about the plot. It is a nice portrayal of what really happens, setting the difference between both countries aside, of course.
This part...
So, this type of disease is so horrible mainly because of the treatment, you can see the poor soul suffering because there is no other treatment that this one, which is also killing the person as well as the enemy, since the enemy is inside the own cells. I know nothing about medicine, but while experiencing something similar, you get some concepts and you never forget others.
Like the moments when you are expecting the doctor news, and they turn to be bad. And you can see how malignant this disease is, and how the percentage goes down so easily. I liked the idea of portraying the worse case, 'cause it happens, sometimes things just don't work out, and sometimes the malignant part is just really bad.
So, I think what we get to see is accurate and I liked that they showed the doctor's limits, and how you feel so unable to help them, the sick person. And the isolation they have to put up in order to get the transplant in this case.
About Ohno, I mean the acting
Ohno's part is really common at the beginning, I mean, he is the usual guy, maybe just Satoshi. But I really like his transition and how he became aware of his situation and was able to rise to the occasion. I think if I were to compare his acting with Nino's dying one, then this one would be a more mature one and more believable. He may not have a very strong presence in front of the camera, but it is his weakness and the subtle changes what he is perfectly able to portray and make you forget about Ohno Satoshi, and you just think about his charater: Kouta.
Why is it that in Japan hospital always have a rooftop where patients hang out. There's no such thing here.
His parents are really nice too, even his sister. Just normal parents who do whatever they can in this situation. I specially love how, at the end, we get to see a little bit of the weakness from his father. How they show us how human nature goes against death until the very end. Mum's character made me think about the horrible pain it surely is to lost someone you have treasured for so long. The girlfriend was also OK. Harada, played by HSJ!'s Ryosuke Yamada was also interesting to watch, I mean he is a little bit creepy, but let's face it, that's totally understandable because of his circumstances, I think he was ok, even that for me, it was a little hard to identify his age. And I loved, Kyoko Fukada's emotional scars, and how they made a beautiful contrast with the patients. How she could use her experience and really help those who came for help, she is not just a pretty face, and even though it is one of her usual characters, I like the background of her story; that makes you think.
His parents and the hospital
The special place
I've just realised that there aren't much characters, but I think that that's a side effect of death, by the end there are just few people who stick till the end. And this doesn't fail to portray a nice family picture, and how important family bonds are, even though you are not a kid anymore.
Ryoko, she's really cute, and with a funny voice
Harada, I mean HSJ! guy
About the rest
The sceneries were beautiful, this sort of has some feel of the countryside, like in Jun's Hajimari no uta. The house is so beautiful and the peach fields. The four of them sitting around the table, just takes so much significance as the story progresses. I also loved the landscapes when they made the trip. There were a couple of flashbacks and they were very cute. The hospital is neat, I mean it's a hospital, but it looked like really white.
The contrast is good, some camera angles were really interesting and beautiful
The music was ok, there are a couple of really weird tones for Yamada's parts specially, but the rest just contributes to the atmosphere in a really nice way.
The lighting is beautiful and the final impression is that it also made a transition, the colours are softer at the end and the rays of light were a nice effect when he gets back home.
The food is also a very important element and a symbol of healthiness. At the end, you realise how important is just to be able to seat at the table with your beloved ones and enjoy a meal. That's the real deal about life.
This was really meaningful, babies means life so many times
About the stars
I think this is getting a little less harder as I take courage and push myself into watching them. I really enjoyed Ohkura's one this year, and I still have blond Nino's to watch, but I think I'm more and more able to appreciate the good at the end of these SPs.
If I were to evaluate the acting plus the sceneries plus the plot in general terms I think this will be a strong 3 and a half. It's not boring and Ohno success into involving yourself into his journey from being plain and unaware of the importance of life, till the point when he becomes this strong person ready to face life and death with courage. It's like when Harada tells Kouta
There is nothing that I want.
If I'd get told "I'll give you anything you want"
I would reply that life
I want to try saying it.
There is nothing else that I want but life.
There is nothing I fear but dying.
In short, it's the most powerful thing.
It's the strongest.
Harada to Kouta
Subtitles by Bunny and clover.
And at the end, my fears went away, because we are not watching Ohno dying, but we are watching Kouta's dead, and that is something only a good actor can do. I'm really impressed by his acting and his stars are probably more. I cried and wept and I'm happy that this thing happened to someone else, because maybe that's selfish, but I think it's nice not to be the only one. Life keeps going on.
So sad!
And I do believe that there's life after dead, which is the last message in this SP; but for all of us, keep on living it's not the same, it will never be. That's why we cry.
A little too personal
In my case we didn't went through the transplant, he didn't make it. But the doctor said that the percentage of surviving was really low, and that it was valid to go home and wait for death. He didn't take that chance and passed out right after the transplant. It was really frustrating, but I don't know if I could take the burden of seeing him dying home.
I also get Etsuko's point of view. She is the girlfriend. And I can totally get the feeling of wanting to escape. I knew this wasn't going to end good, and I also wanted to escape. But I think, I would never forgive myself if I had run away. I didn't do it, but it's totally real, and you feel like you have to do it, in order to protect yourself.
I also felt really identified with the moment when you are facing death, those moments are the ones in which everything is clear. You can really tell and set appart which are the things that are important from those which aren't. So, I think this is like a good memory trip to remember that we should focus on the important things. Yet, I'm really waiting for that day when I get to see him again. That will be the most important day of all.
All in all a very sad story that will enlighten us, at least with a positive idea. And this is some sort of related to his next work as a Shinigami. I think it's valid that he played this before ha, like a sort of black humor joke.
He was almost as helpeless here, that was something sort of annoying actually