Smile - ep 1 thoughts (unspoilery)
Finished first episode of Smile which I loved, but which should have been retitled "Angst."
Seriously, I wanted to give Matsumoto Jun a hug throughout the whole episode.
Also, it's so funny - objectively he is very much not my type and in "real life" I don't find him attractive either. But he has something incredibly charismatic on screen, IMO - I always fall madly in love with his characters, and crush on them. This is no exception. Also, I do love that his characters are pretty distinct - I can't really see Bito as Domyouji who I couldn't see as Momo who I couldn't see as Shin etc etc.
OK, before I become even more fangirly, let me be fangirly on a different topic - Aragaki Yui. I love her in this so far - she is beyond cute and adorable. They have a lovely lovely chemistry together, too.
Also, Oguri Shun! I didn't even recognize him at first and then my brain caught up with my eyes and I went "is that psychotic violent gang leader played by Oguri Shun?" OMG. I am amused to note, however, that in the preview for ep 2, he says Bito's name the way he used to say Makino's: a sort of separating the syllables sing-song way that made me swoon in Hanadan. Not making me swoon here though :P
They are being a bit too blatant and not in the least suble about the theme of discrimination but I don't mind because their heart is in the right place. I am willing to cut them a lot of slack because the topic of being discriminated against was something I had to deal with throughout my childhood (not in Japan, clearly, but still...) but thankfully not since we moved to the US.
And a last comment. Pssssst, police officer! Maybe he would be more willing to come to the police station quietly if you didn't call him various racist epithets and accuse him even before there was any evidence, you know?
ETA: Funny, the last jdrama I was following as it aired was Hanadan2. Heh.
Seriously, I wanted to give Matsumoto Jun a hug throughout the whole episode.
Also, it's so funny - objectively he is very much not my type and in "real life" I don't find him attractive either. But he has something incredibly charismatic on screen, IMO - I always fall madly in love with his characters, and crush on them. This is no exception. Also, I do love that his characters are pretty distinct - I can't really see Bito as Domyouji who I couldn't see as Momo who I couldn't see as Shin etc etc.
OK, before I become even more fangirly, let me be fangirly on a different topic - Aragaki Yui. I love her in this so far - she is beyond cute and adorable. They have a lovely lovely chemistry together, too.
Also, Oguri Shun! I didn't even recognize him at first and then my brain caught up with my eyes and I went "is that psychotic violent gang leader played by Oguri Shun?" OMG. I am amused to note, however, that in the preview for ep 2, he says Bito's name the way he used to say Makino's: a sort of separating the syllables sing-song way that made me swoon in Hanadan. Not making me swoon here though :P
They are being a bit too blatant and not in the least suble about the theme of discrimination but I don't mind because their heart is in the right place. I am willing to cut them a lot of slack because the topic of being discriminated against was something I had to deal with throughout my childhood (not in Japan, clearly, but still...) but thankfully not since we moved to the US.
And a last comment. Pssssst, police officer! Maybe he would be more willing to come to the police station quietly if you didn't call him various racist epithets and accuse him even before there was any evidence, you know?
ETA: Funny, the last jdrama I was following as it aired was Hanadan2. Heh.