Hana Yori Dango rewatch, eps 1-3
I just watched 3 (the ep I finished ends with the Ebisu date) of Hana Yori Dango in a row.
Gosh, I always forget what effortless, soul-sucking fun this is!
The best part? Mr. Mousie told me I should watch it on the big screen TV in the living room and we had way too much fun commenting on the outfits. Also, I saw him be drawn in and get more and more amused by Domyouji. Yay!
Anyways, quick thoughts on this umpteenth rewatch:
* It's weird to rewatch it now after Inoue Mao and most of the F4 went on to different things (and are what, 4 years older?). It's sort of amusing to juxtpose Makino and sheltered rich girl from First Kiss, Rui and the serious cop from Tokyo Dogs, or Sojiro and the screwed-up photographer in Love Shuffle or Domyouji and the abused Japanese-Philippino from Smile. Hanadan was my first drama for all the actors involved (it was my first jdrama, period) and it's really fun to see how my perceptions of characters and actors have changed and stayed the same.
* Makino is such an amazing darling - the drama really works because in all the craziness of Hanadan world, she is real - her reactions are real and her warmth is real and her stubborn toughness is real.
* I always forget (because by the end I adore him beyond words, even if I still would never date him) how much I loathe Domyouji in the beginning. I spent the first ep and half of the second wanting someone to stab him in the face with rusty scissors. By the end of the third? I am amused and rather fond. It's funny, I still stand by my original assessment (one which put me off from watching the jdrama for months, actually, back way when) that Matsumoto Jun is in another universe from good-looking (especially with that hair) and physically he is nothing like Domyouji of the manga. But the funny thing is, as always, I end up sucked in and not caring because he nails the role and somehow he becomes so magnetic that even though objectively I know he is hideous, subjectively, I am in a permanent swoon. (I think Matsumoto Jun is actually the best of all the younger jdrama actors I've seen - there is nothing in common between Domyouji and Shin from Gokusen or Momo from KwP or poor mistreated Bito from Smile. The latter is my favorite role of his, actually).
* Makino seems to girl-crush a lot. She pauses in her leaving the House of Evil to comment on how pretty Tsubaki is. And she totally worships Shizuka. Makino Tsukushi, closet lesbian?
* I actually love that they changed the manga and introduce Kaede early on. It explains so much about everything - the scene when she fires the chef during dinner explains everything about why Domyouji is the way he is, really. Also, I continue to believe a lot of it is his acting out to get attention, any attention, to prove he matters.
* Love love love love Rui! But still do not ship him with Makino. He'd be an awesome BFF though.
* It also occurs to me that if Kaede could think outside preconceived notions, she'd be buying Makino presents and writing her thank-you cards. Because those first episodes bring out most forcefully that if Domyouji didn't come across Makino and glom onto her like a limpet and thus was forced to grow up and live for someone else, he'd just eventually end up in jail or dead or under some heavy medication, with no amount of money being able to fix it. Forget managing a company, I don't think he'd be functional, even. (One of the things I hated in the kdrama was how they took that one defining characteristic of his - him being totally screwed-up and off the rails and got rid of it. Oh wait, he had one other driving characteristic - really really strong will and Makino monomania. They got rid of that too! No, I am not bitter, why do you ask?)
Gosh, I always forget what effortless, soul-sucking fun this is!
The best part? Mr. Mousie told me I should watch it on the big screen TV in the living room and we had way too much fun commenting on the outfits. Also, I saw him be drawn in and get more and more amused by Domyouji. Yay!
Anyways, quick thoughts on this umpteenth rewatch:
* It's weird to rewatch it now after Inoue Mao and most of the F4 went on to different things (and are what, 4 years older?). It's sort of amusing to juxtpose Makino and sheltered rich girl from First Kiss, Rui and the serious cop from Tokyo Dogs, or Sojiro and the screwed-up photographer in Love Shuffle or Domyouji and the abused Japanese-Philippino from Smile. Hanadan was my first drama for all the actors involved (it was my first jdrama, period) and it's really fun to see how my perceptions of characters and actors have changed and stayed the same.
* Makino is such an amazing darling - the drama really works because in all the craziness of Hanadan world, she is real - her reactions are real and her warmth is real and her stubborn toughness is real.
* I always forget (because by the end I adore him beyond words, even if I still would never date him) how much I loathe Domyouji in the beginning. I spent the first ep and half of the second wanting someone to stab him in the face with rusty scissors. By the end of the third? I am amused and rather fond. It's funny, I still stand by my original assessment (one which put me off from watching the jdrama for months, actually, back way when) that Matsumoto Jun is in another universe from good-looking (especially with that hair) and physically he is nothing like Domyouji of the manga. But the funny thing is, as always, I end up sucked in and not caring because he nails the role and somehow he becomes so magnetic that even though objectively I know he is hideous, subjectively, I am in a permanent swoon. (I think Matsumoto Jun is actually the best of all the younger jdrama actors I've seen - there is nothing in common between Domyouji and Shin from Gokusen or Momo from KwP or poor mistreated Bito from Smile. The latter is my favorite role of his, actually).
* Makino seems to girl-crush a lot. She pauses in her leaving the House of Evil to comment on how pretty Tsubaki is. And she totally worships Shizuka. Makino Tsukushi, closet lesbian?
* I actually love that they changed the manga and introduce Kaede early on. It explains so much about everything - the scene when she fires the chef during dinner explains everything about why Domyouji is the way he is, really. Also, I continue to believe a lot of it is his acting out to get attention, any attention, to prove he matters.
* Love love love love Rui! But still do not ship him with Makino. He'd be an awesome BFF though.
* It also occurs to me that if Kaede could think outside preconceived notions, she'd be buying Makino presents and writing her thank-you cards. Because those first episodes bring out most forcefully that if Domyouji didn't come across Makino and glom onto her like a limpet and thus was forced to grow up and live for someone else, he'd just eventually end up in jail or dead or under some heavy medication, with no amount of money being able to fix it. Forget managing a company, I don't think he'd be functional, even. (One of the things I hated in the kdrama was how they took that one defining characteristic of his - him being totally screwed-up and off the rails and got rid of it. Oh wait, he had one other driving characteristic - really really strong will and Makino monomania. They got rid of that too! No, I am not bitter, why do you ask?)