This past weekend and other adventures.
Soooooo, it's been a while and for the sake of recording crap that happens to me, here's an account of the weekend I just had. It was pretty fun. Kinda random, but fun.
Friday ~ So basically, I was doing nothing at home until about 7pm and then Rob calls me up and is like: "Hey, wanna go to the Darts Bar in Mineyama with me?" And having heard about this before, and having nothing better to do at the time, I agreed to go. Turns out the place (aside from being smokey like any bar EVER) was really cool and fun. As we walked in I was like OH! This is cool-looking! One wall is all dartboards and the other is the bar, with tables between the two. Of course we walked in and EVERYONE IN THE PLACE turns to the door and looks and immediately is on GAIJIN-DEFCON-4 alert. It's like being a celeb or something, srsly. But the bartender recognizes Rob and rushes over and says hi, takes our drink order, etc. Then Rob drinks a lot (I couldn't because I was driving! ::responsible pose:: ) And I SOMEHOW whup his ass in game after game of darts even though I fail so hard core. But people were watching us and laughing because every time I had a good round I'd start dancing to the hilarious American rap/R&B music they were playing and taunting Rob. It was great. When I went to ask for the check, I talked to the bartender guy again and asked him his name and he was like SHOCKED at the level of my japanese, once again, nihongo jouzu. His name is Akira and I THINK he might be involved with the yakuza because his entire right arm and the right side of his neck was covered with giant bandages....to hide tattoos maybe? Anyway I don't care if he IS yakuza, that effin' rules and he's nice, haha! Now to get on their good side, marry into the family and become the next Oujou! ::watched too much Gokusen::
Saturday ~ Sushi-turned-nabe party at Kowada-sensei's apt. His apt is NICE, I'm so jealous, haha. So he and Nimbari came to get me because it was snowing and they were convinced it was too dangerous for me to drive alone. (Lulz, I'm from MICHIGAN, but whatevs.) It ended up being us three English teachers, Kowada's wife (I forget her name already, FAIL), another English teacher from the school Kowada used to teach at last year (also forget her name, DOUBLE FAIL) and Tasaki-sensei, the young and dorkily cute science teacher from my school. Basically we had us some Kim-chi Nabe, talked about hairstyles we've had in the past (actually a hilarious convo, Nimbari and Tasaki almost died laughing), I agreed to try snowboarding sometime (I REALLY hope they don't hold me to this), and saw hilarious pictures of Kowada-sensei's trip to Bali where he and his wife were in full traditional Balinese dance costume, complete with makeup and headdress. Awesome. Also we kept having people tell things about themselves....it wasn't a game per se, but everybody kept asking for like "Nimbari-Densetsu (Legend)" or like "Tasaki-Densetsu"....and then hilarious stories kept being told. It was great. Then we all ended up drinking too much and I stayed overnight at the female sensei's apt which was right next door. I slept under a kotatsu.....not my fav experience ever, haha.
Sunday ~ Started out tired as hell and with a headache, but at 9am Kowada sensei came to take me home....and on the way we went and had "Morning Makku" at McDonald's. I swear those people there must think I eat nothing else. Then I went back to sleep, got up in time to make cookies, take Rob the money I promised to loan him and get on my way to Ine for Rachel's nabe party that had been planned since about sometime last week. Rachel, Kate, Natanya and Ian, our PA, were there and they were all KINDA drunk by the time I got there? Since I wanted to drive home and sleep in a real bed, I didn't drink anything, and as some of you might know, hanging out with drunk people when you're not drunk isn't always the most fun. However, it was still a good time and we made up a whole bunch of tracks to what will eventually be Ian's double-platinum Emo album: "Is there something under your foot, or is that my heart?" Including such tracks as "Empurpled," "Shh," and "Nabe Remains." I'm CERTAIN it was funnier if you were there. XD So then I left after we were done and they all decided to go on a walk, but on the way home I got called by Matt and he demanded I stop by to meet his boyfriend Mario on my way. So I did, even though I was initially scared of the kid.....and he's actually pretty nice and hilarious. They told me about their Thailand trip and then at like 2am I was like dudes, I gotta bail, I'mma fall asleep if I don't.
Monday ~ 成人の日 Coming-of-Age Day. Another holiday, thx vry mch Jpn. Ended up doing nothing but going out to kappa-zushi with Rob, Matt and Mario and poking fun at Japanese people, lol. We're so intolerant. Not really, but you know, helps to relieve the stress? I dunno.
And that's pretty much it. I managed not to talk to Amy or Jen like....AT ALL this weekend and I felt bad about that 'cause normally we at least exchange retarded words, lol. Gomen ne, minna. The part of my weekend that wasn't spent "partying heartily" was consumed by watching my new obsession, the Hana Yori Dango j-drama. I love this drama so much, I'm going to write a little about it. Since this post is so long already,
Ohhhhh HYD, where to begin with you? I suppose I should start with a really BASIC plot outine for those of you who know nothing about it (like me, before I started, lol)
BASICALLY, it's about the heroine Makino Tsukushi, and how her defense of her friend from the school's pretty-boy bullies makes her previously low-key life into....well, a DRAMA (pun intended).
She is a working-class girl who attends Eitoku academy, one of the richest schools in Tokyo, where every kid gets dropped off in a limo, carries a Gucci purse and wears cartier diamonds on a regular basis. The richest and most spoiled of these brats are a group of four hot guys (of course), Hana no Yoningumi, the Flower Four or F4 for short. They are all heirs to huge companies and their accompanying ridiculous fortunes. Because of their money and how out of touch they are with reality, they've become the biggest bullies in school and anyone incurring their wrath receives an "akafuda" (red flag or red notice) in their locker. The victim is then usually gang beaten by the entire school, although in the case of girls, they usually get eggs or garbage thrown on them instead of a beatin'. Yeah, it's terrible. And the school can't do anything because they're all too rich. Way to go bullying in Japanese schools.
F4's leader, Doumyouji Tsukasa, is particularly violent, cruel, ruthless and unpredictable. Tsukushi, whose only desire was to graduate high school largely unnoticed, can no longer stand by when the new doe-eyed transfer student, Sakurako, accidentally spills her tray on Doumyouji himself in the school cafe. Fearing Sakurako will get the red notice for sure, Tsukushi steps in front of her and tells Doumyouji bluntly that he should forgive her since it was clearly an accident. For her bravery, Tsukushi gets issued the red notice in her place. And from there she kisses her nondescript high school life goodbye...
NOW, CHARACTERS!!! 登場人物
Makino Tsukushi - Played by Inoue Mao. Also known as "Zassou no Tsukushi" or Tsukushi the Weed, because she is able to bloom in places where it's hard to grow and she's hard to get rid of, lol. From a working-class family with many financial problems. Though loving, her family is extremely irresponsible with the little money they have, her father often betting on races and ending up owing tons to loan sharks. In spite of this her mother, father and little brother are all ridiculously proud of her for making it into Eitoku and sacrifice many things so she can live comfortably. Though all she wants to do is pass her high school life in as unnoticed a fashion as possible, she is actually a brave and outspoken girl outside of school. When the new transfer student shows up with no friends, Tsukushi thinks she may have found a glimmer of happiness among the everyday maddness that is Eitoku, but when her new friend gets into a scuffle with F4, she steps in and sacrifices her anonymity to protect her. Despite the terrible things F4 does to her, she remains unafraid and even issues a declaration of war against them, standing up to them all by herself.
Thoughts: I love Tsukushi's character, she's not your typical shoujo manga heroine. She displays the full range of teenage girl emotions, not just the lovestruck and/or depressed parts. Later on when all the love triangles start getting SERIOUSLY crazy (fer real), she has reactions that make sense and reactions that I myself would probably have. She's a romantic, but a realist too and that's rare. Plus the way she says "Arienai-TSUUUUUU-noooo!!!!" (UNBELIEVABLE! Or That can't be, this can't be happening, etc.) cracks me up. She's so cute. Love the actress too. Oh, and she punches MatsuJun IN TEH FACE. How can you not respect that? You go gurl.
Doumyouji Tsukasa - Played by MATSUJUN!!!! F4's leader and resident hot-tempered, cold-hearted asshole. The heir to the Doumyouji World Finance Group, he is spoiled, vain, bad-tempered and extremely self-centered. He considers everyone beneath him with the exception of the rest of F4, who are his only friends. He is at first enraged at Tsukushi's defiance of him, but soon becomes intrigued by her as she is the first girl (besides his older sister) who has ever stood up to him. Though he is accomplished in many areas (piano, sports, tea ceremony) his true weakness is Japanese. He OFTEN makes mistakes in pronouncing kanji and also often screws up very common sayings that anyone (Japanese) would know. When this is pointed out to him, he either continues to think he's right and accuses the other party of being an idiot, or insists that since Japanese is his native tongue, there's no such thing as being "good or bad" at it.
Thoughts: One of the most simultaneously infuriating and endearing characters I've ever encountered. While usually I do have a thing for the good-hearted tough guys, Doumyouji is a bit different in that he honestly doesn't start out as a good human being. Because of the circumstances in his family life, he's grown up with WAY more flaws than perks. At one point in the drama, he is described as "wasting away for want of love" and it's one of the best descriptions ever, because he is, only he's the type of character that doesn't realize it. With few exceptions, he'd rather just lash out at people than get to know them. The casting of MatsuJun in this role was BRILLIANT. At first I was like....lulz this is just Jun being Jun normally, but I was SO wrong. He adds a softness and a sense of lovable idiocy to Doumyouji. Otherwise I think he would be a lot harder to love, especially after he starts his relationship with Tsukushi (a.k.a. jerking her around mercilessly). Also, JUN IN HILARIOUS OUTFITS INCLUDING FURS AND BLING AND GIANT CROSS-SHAPED CELL PHONE CHARMS AND HIGH-END SHIT WITH A CURLY PERM. (Actually I hated the hair at first, but it totally grows on you and they make it better by the second season. Promise.)
Hanazawa Rui - Played by the magically delicious, Oguri Shun. Also the heir to a large corporation (we don't know what kind, I don't think), Rui is by far the most introverted member of F4. He prefers to spend a lot of his time reading books or playing the violin. For some reason in the drama he wears white a lot, probably both as a counterpoint to Doumyouji's penchant for black and also to present him as the more the white knight character. Rui is Doumyouji's best friend and has been since childhood, and though he often doesn't approve of Tsukasa's violent methods, he usually goes along without complaint. Enter Makino Tsukushi. He too is intrigued at Tsukushi's defiance of his friend, and begins to watch over her from the sidelines. Once Tsukushi declares war on Doumyouji, she begins going to one of the abandoned stairwells of the school to vent her frustrations, usually in the form of screaming off the balcony. As it turns out, that is one of Rui's favorite reading places and he overhears many of her monologues without her knowledge. Much to Doumyouji's chagrin, Rui takes a liking to her, ends up saving her from his twisted plots numerous times, and eventually becomes the object of her affections, further pissing him off. Rui doesn't return her feelings however, being fixated on one of Eitoku's recently graduated senpai, Toudo Shizuka, supermodel and future international lawyer (I know, lol).
Thoughts: I am SO torn between who I like more in this drama, Doumyouji or Rui. I think in real life a guy like Rui wouldn't be good for me because he seems to have this like....distant and slightly sad quality about him that I wouldn't know how to read/break through. However he's ridiculously devoted and straight-forward with his feelings and has that gentle voice that just makes you want to melt. Not to mention that Oguri Shun is a genius at acting. Like....man. He's not even NEAR as good-looking as Jun in the clinical sense, but there's something about him that makes him sexy. Plus I always think about how he and Jun really are BFFs in real life and how Jun-Jun said he wouldn't take the part of Doumyouji if they didn't give the Rui part to Shun. B'AWWWWW!!! BOYS' FRIENDSHIPS FTW!!!
Nishikado Soujirou - Played by Matsuda Shota. Soujirou is the heir to one of the most famous tea ceremony schools in all of Japan. He has also been friends with the rest of F4 since childhood. He is a ridiculous playboy and never stays with the same girl for longer than an evening, it seems. However this has something to do with the loss of his first love, as we find out. Soujirou is usually even-tempered, but is probably the next most likely to get into a fight, after Doumyouji. (Actually, usually WITH Doumyouji, lol) He is best friends with Akira (the remaining F4 member) and loves both tea ceremony and riding motorcycles. (Weird combo, I know.) Enjoys mercilessly teasing Tsukasa about being a hopeless idiot.
Thoughts: Soujirou took the longest to grow on me, probably because he and Akira have like next to NO individual screen time in the first season. He at first seems to be the most shallow, but at least has good manners, in stark contrast to Doumyouji. After the last ep I watched (which was almost entirely Soujirou-centric) I've come to understand him a lot more, but the characterization for him came way late, in my humble opinion. The guy that plays him is also pretty hot. He wears fairly large hoop earrings though and that puts me off a bit.
Mimasaka Akira - Played by Abe Tsuyoshi. The source of Akira's fortune is a "mystery," and by that I mean that it's hinted strongly (and suggested outright by Soujirou) that Akira's family is fairly high up in the Japanese mafia (yakuza). Akira is also referred to as a "madame-killer" because he is attracted to/only dates older women. (Usually a lot older, like 10 years or more!) We find out later that this is because his mother acts and dresses like a lacey-lolita twelve-year-old and makes his younger twin sisters do the same. They're nice girls, but all three very silly. Hence Akira's preference for maturity. He's at least as big of a playboy as Soujirou, if more polite about it, and usually dates women for a longer period of time than his best friend. He is the peacemaker of F4 and is able to talk any of its other members in to being more reasonable with relative ease. Tsukushi has remarked that if Akira ever left, F4 would fall apart for sure.
Thoughts: I like Akira. I would totally hang out with him all the time. Not only does he have shady mafia ties, but he is a snappy dresser and knows all the good drinks to order, lol. Also, being somewhat of a peacekeeper type myself, I can relate to him easily. The dating 40-year-old women can stop anytime, esp since he's like 18, MAYBE 19, lol. (Says the girl who prefers older men....>.<) But he's a good guy. Abe Tsuyoshi, the guy that plays him is half Japanese half Chinese and has a really unique look. He's not stunningly beautiful like I tend to think most halfs are, but he's like manly and pretty at the same time. It's hard to explain. Anyway, I like him too. I hope they put him in more stuff. (from the promo art I've seen for the HYD movie, they BUTCHER his hair....DO NOT WANT.)
So, those are the main characters....and the hot ones to boot, so I can stop there. I thoroughly reccommend watching this series. I cannot reccommend it enough in fact. It's great and frustrating as hell like the manga Hot Gimmick, but the characters are a little better I think. I dunno. It's close. Harumi's way more of a puss than Tsukushi. Anyway, WATCH IT! Your Aneki commands you! ::dramatic pose:: XD
Friday ~ So basically, I was doing nothing at home until about 7pm and then Rob calls me up and is like: "Hey, wanna go to the Darts Bar in Mineyama with me?" And having heard about this before, and having nothing better to do at the time, I agreed to go. Turns out the place (aside from being smokey like any bar EVER) was really cool and fun. As we walked in I was like OH! This is cool-looking! One wall is all dartboards and the other is the bar, with tables between the two. Of course we walked in and EVERYONE IN THE PLACE turns to the door and looks and immediately is on GAIJIN-DEFCON-4 alert. It's like being a celeb or something, srsly. But the bartender recognizes Rob and rushes over and says hi, takes our drink order, etc. Then Rob drinks a lot (I couldn't because I was driving! ::responsible pose:: ) And I SOMEHOW whup his ass in game after game of darts even though I fail so hard core. But people were watching us and laughing because every time I had a good round I'd start dancing to the hilarious American rap/R&B music they were playing and taunting Rob. It was great. When I went to ask for the check, I talked to the bartender guy again and asked him his name and he was like SHOCKED at the level of my japanese, once again, nihongo jouzu. His name is Akira and I THINK he might be involved with the yakuza because his entire right arm and the right side of his neck was covered with giant bandages....to hide tattoos maybe? Anyway I don't care if he IS yakuza, that effin' rules and he's nice, haha! Now to get on their good side, marry into the family and become the next Oujou! ::watched too much Gokusen::
Saturday ~ Sushi-turned-nabe party at Kowada-sensei's apt. His apt is NICE, I'm so jealous, haha. So he and Nimbari came to get me because it was snowing and they were convinced it was too dangerous for me to drive alone. (Lulz, I'm from MICHIGAN, but whatevs.) It ended up being us three English teachers, Kowada's wife (I forget her name already, FAIL), another English teacher from the school Kowada used to teach at last year (also forget her name, DOUBLE FAIL) and Tasaki-sensei, the young and dorkily cute science teacher from my school. Basically we had us some Kim-chi Nabe, talked about hairstyles we've had in the past (actually a hilarious convo, Nimbari and Tasaki almost died laughing), I agreed to try snowboarding sometime (I REALLY hope they don't hold me to this), and saw hilarious pictures of Kowada-sensei's trip to Bali where he and his wife were in full traditional Balinese dance costume, complete with makeup and headdress. Awesome. Also we kept having people tell things about themselves....it wasn't a game per se, but everybody kept asking for like "Nimbari-Densetsu (Legend)" or like "Tasaki-Densetsu"....and then hilarious stories kept being told. It was great. Then we all ended up drinking too much and I stayed overnight at the female sensei's apt which was right next door. I slept under a kotatsu.....not my fav experience ever, haha.
Sunday ~ Started out tired as hell and with a headache, but at 9am Kowada sensei came to take me home....and on the way we went and had "Morning Makku" at McDonald's. I swear those people there must think I eat nothing else. Then I went back to sleep, got up in time to make cookies, take Rob the money I promised to loan him and get on my way to Ine for Rachel's nabe party that had been planned since about sometime last week. Rachel, Kate, Natanya and Ian, our PA, were there and they were all KINDA drunk by the time I got there? Since I wanted to drive home and sleep in a real bed, I didn't drink anything, and as some of you might know, hanging out with drunk people when you're not drunk isn't always the most fun. However, it was still a good time and we made up a whole bunch of tracks to what will eventually be Ian's double-platinum Emo album: "Is there something under your foot, or is that my heart?" Including such tracks as "Empurpled," "Shh," and "Nabe Remains." I'm CERTAIN it was funnier if you were there. XD So then I left after we were done and they all decided to go on a walk, but on the way home I got called by Matt and he demanded I stop by to meet his boyfriend Mario on my way. So I did, even though I was initially scared of the kid.....and he's actually pretty nice and hilarious. They told me about their Thailand trip and then at like 2am I was like dudes, I gotta bail, I'mma fall asleep if I don't.
Monday ~ 成人の日 Coming-of-Age Day. Another holiday, thx vry mch Jpn. Ended up doing nothing but going out to kappa-zushi with Rob, Matt and Mario and poking fun at Japanese people, lol. We're so intolerant. Not really, but you know, helps to relieve the stress? I dunno.
And that's pretty much it. I managed not to talk to Amy or Jen like....AT ALL this weekend and I felt bad about that 'cause normally we at least exchange retarded words, lol. Gomen ne, minna. The part of my weekend that wasn't spent "partying heartily" was consumed by watching my new obsession, the Hana Yori Dango j-drama. I love this drama so much, I'm going to write a little about it. Since this post is so long already,
Ohhhhh HYD, where to begin with you? I suppose I should start with a really BASIC plot outine for those of you who know nothing about it (like me, before I started, lol)
BASICALLY, it's about the heroine Makino Tsukushi, and how her defense of her friend from the school's pretty-boy bullies makes her previously low-key life into....well, a DRAMA (pun intended).
She is a working-class girl who attends Eitoku academy, one of the richest schools in Tokyo, where every kid gets dropped off in a limo, carries a Gucci purse and wears cartier diamonds on a regular basis. The richest and most spoiled of these brats are a group of four hot guys (of course), Hana no Yoningumi, the Flower Four or F4 for short. They are all heirs to huge companies and their accompanying ridiculous fortunes. Because of their money and how out of touch they are with reality, they've become the biggest bullies in school and anyone incurring their wrath receives an "akafuda" (red flag or red notice) in their locker. The victim is then usually gang beaten by the entire school, although in the case of girls, they usually get eggs or garbage thrown on them instead of a beatin'. Yeah, it's terrible. And the school can't do anything because they're all too rich. Way to go bullying in Japanese schools.
F4's leader, Doumyouji Tsukasa, is particularly violent, cruel, ruthless and unpredictable. Tsukushi, whose only desire was to graduate high school largely unnoticed, can no longer stand by when the new doe-eyed transfer student, Sakurako, accidentally spills her tray on Doumyouji himself in the school cafe. Fearing Sakurako will get the red notice for sure, Tsukushi steps in front of her and tells Doumyouji bluntly that he should forgive her since it was clearly an accident. For her bravery, Tsukushi gets issued the red notice in her place. And from there she kisses her nondescript high school life goodbye...
NOW, CHARACTERS!!! 登場人物
Makino Tsukushi - Played by Inoue Mao. Also known as "Zassou no Tsukushi" or Tsukushi the Weed, because she is able to bloom in places where it's hard to grow and she's hard to get rid of, lol. From a working-class family with many financial problems. Though loving, her family is extremely irresponsible with the little money they have, her father often betting on races and ending up owing tons to loan sharks. In spite of this her mother, father and little brother are all ridiculously proud of her for making it into Eitoku and sacrifice many things so she can live comfortably. Though all she wants to do is pass her high school life in as unnoticed a fashion as possible, she is actually a brave and outspoken girl outside of school. When the new transfer student shows up with no friends, Tsukushi thinks she may have found a glimmer of happiness among the everyday maddness that is Eitoku, but when her new friend gets into a scuffle with F4, she steps in and sacrifices her anonymity to protect her. Despite the terrible things F4 does to her, she remains unafraid and even issues a declaration of war against them, standing up to them all by herself.
Thoughts: I love Tsukushi's character, she's not your typical shoujo manga heroine. She displays the full range of teenage girl emotions, not just the lovestruck and/or depressed parts. Later on when all the love triangles start getting SERIOUSLY crazy (fer real), she has reactions that make sense and reactions that I myself would probably have. She's a romantic, but a realist too and that's rare. Plus the way she says "Arienai-TSUUUUUU-noooo!!!!" (UNBELIEVABLE! Or That can't be, this can't be happening, etc.) cracks me up. She's so cute. Love the actress too. Oh, and she punches MatsuJun IN TEH FACE. How can you not respect that? You go gurl.
Doumyouji Tsukasa - Played by MATSUJUN!!!! F4's leader and resident hot-tempered, cold-hearted asshole. The heir to the Doumyouji World Finance Group, he is spoiled, vain, bad-tempered and extremely self-centered. He considers everyone beneath him with the exception of the rest of F4, who are his only friends. He is at first enraged at Tsukushi's defiance of him, but soon becomes intrigued by her as she is the first girl (besides his older sister) who has ever stood up to him. Though he is accomplished in many areas (piano, sports, tea ceremony) his true weakness is Japanese. He OFTEN makes mistakes in pronouncing kanji and also often screws up very common sayings that anyone (Japanese) would know. When this is pointed out to him, he either continues to think he's right and accuses the other party of being an idiot, or insists that since Japanese is his native tongue, there's no such thing as being "good or bad" at it.
Thoughts: One of the most simultaneously infuriating and endearing characters I've ever encountered. While usually I do have a thing for the good-hearted tough guys, Doumyouji is a bit different in that he honestly doesn't start out as a good human being. Because of the circumstances in his family life, he's grown up with WAY more flaws than perks. At one point in the drama, he is described as "wasting away for want of love" and it's one of the best descriptions ever, because he is, only he's the type of character that doesn't realize it. With few exceptions, he'd rather just lash out at people than get to know them. The casting of MatsuJun in this role was BRILLIANT. At first I was like....lulz this is just Jun being Jun normally, but I was SO wrong. He adds a softness and a sense of lovable idiocy to Doumyouji. Otherwise I think he would be a lot harder to love, especially after he starts his relationship with Tsukushi (a.k.a. jerking her around mercilessly). Also, JUN IN HILARIOUS OUTFITS INCLUDING FURS AND BLING AND GIANT CROSS-SHAPED CELL PHONE CHARMS AND HIGH-END SHIT WITH A CURLY PERM. (Actually I hated the hair at first, but it totally grows on you and they make it better by the second season. Promise.)
Hanazawa Rui - Played by the magically delicious, Oguri Shun. Also the heir to a large corporation (we don't know what kind, I don't think), Rui is by far the most introverted member of F4. He prefers to spend a lot of his time reading books or playing the violin. For some reason in the drama he wears white a lot, probably both as a counterpoint to Doumyouji's penchant for black and also to present him as the more the white knight character. Rui is Doumyouji's best friend and has been since childhood, and though he often doesn't approve of Tsukasa's violent methods, he usually goes along without complaint. Enter Makino Tsukushi. He too is intrigued at Tsukushi's defiance of his friend, and begins to watch over her from the sidelines. Once Tsukushi declares war on Doumyouji, she begins going to one of the abandoned stairwells of the school to vent her frustrations, usually in the form of screaming off the balcony. As it turns out, that is one of Rui's favorite reading places and he overhears many of her monologues without her knowledge. Much to Doumyouji's chagrin, Rui takes a liking to her, ends up saving her from his twisted plots numerous times, and eventually becomes the object of her affections, further pissing him off. Rui doesn't return her feelings however, being fixated on one of Eitoku's recently graduated senpai, Toudo Shizuka, supermodel and future international lawyer (I know, lol).
Thoughts: I am SO torn between who I like more in this drama, Doumyouji or Rui. I think in real life a guy like Rui wouldn't be good for me because he seems to have this like....distant and slightly sad quality about him that I wouldn't know how to read/break through. However he's ridiculously devoted and straight-forward with his feelings and has that gentle voice that just makes you want to melt. Not to mention that Oguri Shun is a genius at acting. Like....man. He's not even NEAR as good-looking as Jun in the clinical sense, but there's something about him that makes him sexy. Plus I always think about how he and Jun really are BFFs in real life and how Jun-Jun said he wouldn't take the part of Doumyouji if they didn't give the Rui part to Shun. B'AWWWWW!!! BOYS' FRIENDSHIPS FTW!!!
Nishikado Soujirou - Played by Matsuda Shota. Soujirou is the heir to one of the most famous tea ceremony schools in all of Japan. He has also been friends with the rest of F4 since childhood. He is a ridiculous playboy and never stays with the same girl for longer than an evening, it seems. However this has something to do with the loss of his first love, as we find out. Soujirou is usually even-tempered, but is probably the next most likely to get into a fight, after Doumyouji. (Actually, usually WITH Doumyouji, lol) He is best friends with Akira (the remaining F4 member) and loves both tea ceremony and riding motorcycles. (Weird combo, I know.) Enjoys mercilessly teasing Tsukasa about being a hopeless idiot.
Thoughts: Soujirou took the longest to grow on me, probably because he and Akira have like next to NO individual screen time in the first season. He at first seems to be the most shallow, but at least has good manners, in stark contrast to Doumyouji. After the last ep I watched (which was almost entirely Soujirou-centric) I've come to understand him a lot more, but the characterization for him came way late, in my humble opinion. The guy that plays him is also pretty hot. He wears fairly large hoop earrings though and that puts me off a bit.
Mimasaka Akira - Played by Abe Tsuyoshi. The source of Akira's fortune is a "mystery," and by that I mean that it's hinted strongly (and suggested outright by Soujirou) that Akira's family is fairly high up in the Japanese mafia (yakuza). Akira is also referred to as a "madame-killer" because he is attracted to/only dates older women. (Usually a lot older, like 10 years or more!) We find out later that this is because his mother acts and dresses like a lacey-lolita twelve-year-old and makes his younger twin sisters do the same. They're nice girls, but all three very silly. Hence Akira's preference for maturity. He's at least as big of a playboy as Soujirou, if more polite about it, and usually dates women for a longer period of time than his best friend. He is the peacemaker of F4 and is able to talk any of its other members in to being more reasonable with relative ease. Tsukushi has remarked that if Akira ever left, F4 would fall apart for sure.
Thoughts: I like Akira. I would totally hang out with him all the time. Not only does he have shady mafia ties, but he is a snappy dresser and knows all the good drinks to order, lol. Also, being somewhat of a peacekeeper type myself, I can relate to him easily. The dating 40-year-old women can stop anytime, esp since he's like 18, MAYBE 19, lol. (Says the girl who prefers older men....>.<) But he's a good guy. Abe Tsuyoshi, the guy that plays him is half Japanese half Chinese and has a really unique look. He's not stunningly beautiful like I tend to think most halfs are, but he's like manly and pretty at the same time. It's hard to explain. Anyway, I like him too. I hope they put him in more stuff. (from the promo art I've seen for the HYD movie, they BUTCHER his hair....DO NOT WANT.)
So, those are the main characters....and the hot ones to boot, so I can stop there. I thoroughly reccommend watching this series. I cannot reccommend it enough in fact. It's great and frustrating as hell like the manga Hot Gimmick, but the characters are a little better I think. I dunno. It's close. Harumi's way more of a puss than Tsukushi. Anyway, WATCH IT! Your Aneki commands you! ::dramatic pose:: XD