Hisashiburi no Picspam!
Ningen Shikkaku is obviously trying hard to be as awesome as Koukou Kyoushi. It has the same writer and was made a year after Koukou Kyoushi's resounding success. It kind of copies it a lot, and has two of the same actors. It was *supremely disorienting* at first to see the girl student from Koukou Kyoushi as a young teacher here. I don't think this drama measures up to Koukou Kyoushi, but it does do some things well (especially manipulating my emotions!), and has a Kinki Kids love story on the side.
That's right! A love story starring Koichi and Tsuyoshi! I *know*. ^_^
They both do a really good job acting! Eeeee I love their little teenage selves!
Koichi plays Ruka
(short for *iruka*, because his mother likes dolphins omg) and he's such an *adorable* psycho.
I love him and his mother issues.
He kills bunnies and drains their blood!
And uses the bunny blood to pretend to be dead to test his mother's reaction!
And breaks a kid's arm when he casually mentions that the naked pictures of Ruka's mom reminded him that she was pretty.
And uses a listening device, listens to his mother having sex, takes out a knife and cuts himself!
He cuts himself when he angsts! He is an *angsty cutter*. Hahaha he's so great!
And it's kind of deep too, because the knife is one that his mother's patron just gave him, and he's listening to his mother getting penetrated by the patron while he's penetrating himself with the patron's knife and omg I took too many English classes. He keeps making efforts to both confirm that he is indeed connected to his mother, and push her away at the same time. I think a lot of his mother problem comes from the fact that he was separated from her until grade school and first met her as a sexual creature--maybe one he was attracted to--instead of a nurturing one. And now he totally cannot handle women as sexual creatures at all. (I am kind of annoyed at the implied connection between this and his crush on Makoto--that homosexuality is associated with psychosis.) That's why he STALKS his pure lady teacher so assiduously at first, as "rehabilitation" he calls it--she is the opposite of sexual and very nurturing, so she's safe for him to place his romantic affections on. Yeah, he's fucked up. In a cute way!
His only friend is a small white mouse, and the volume of its squeaking is a meter for the eruptions of his psychosis. How convenient!
Tsuyoshi plays Makoto, and he has his own dead mother issues and stepmother issues and father issues, but really, just like his name implies, he is the BEST human being possible. ::hugs him::
Model student. Our Jesus figure.
He gets bullied by both students and teachers. There are a number of factors involved, but basically he's too good and has bad luck.
He and Ruka become friends.
Ruka turns out to be his only friend in the whole school. (And vice versa, but for Makoto it's more extreme, because anyone who's not his friend--read, the rest of the school--is actively trying to make his life a living hell. Ruka just gets left alone.)
And they fall in love. At least, Ruka falls in love with Makoto.
They hold hands in the middle of all the students walking home as this big gesture of friendship and Ruka's commitment to it (at the risk of being bullied himself).
Ruka: "I promised Ms. Morita I'd protect you."
When Ruka takes out his mother issues by scratching up his mother's patron's car, he asks Makoto his attendence number, and wants him to help scratch too, because "We're friends, right? My pain is your pain."
Makoto refuses and runs away (he's so good!), but Ruka--wait for it--ADDS THEIR ATTENDENCE NUMBERS TOGETHER and scratches that number on the patron's car.
It's like his little psychotic version of a cupid heart with their names. GOD I LOVE HIM.
The PE teacher beats Makoto up a lot (because Makoto was falsely implicated in a prank against him). And then Ruka gets to kiss it better. Too bad he only macks on unconscious!Makoto.
In one episode (entitled "Forbidden Boys' Love"), Ruka and Makoto are ice-skating while holding hands when they get picked up by some older girls.
They go to karaoke, and the girls divide and conquer.
"I have big breasts, don't I."
Makoto gets tackled and has to be pinned down to be kissed, all the while shouting "RUKA, SAVE ME!" (Obviously the actions of a straight teenage boy.)
Meanwhile Ruka's in the bathroom with the other girl, being very very still while she rubs against him and kisses him.
Then he breaks and starts strangling her. Yay, I love his issues!
Oh by the way, this is a *middle school* drama. Japan is so precocious.
Ruka never confesses his love to Makoto, but when Makoto's in the hospital he completely breaks down out of grief and guilt and confesses to their teacher, "I like Makoto." Teacher: "Of course, that's why you're such good friends--" Ruka: "That's not what I mean."
Makoto is really hot being victimized and angsty.
Tsuyoshi does a great job--no wonder he got the newcomer's award for this.
Such a woobie when no one believes in him. (Can't they tell by his name that he's pure-hearted?!)
And Ruka is really hot being all "OMG you did not just hurt my boyfriend!!11!"
Gratuitous hair stroking.
"...Ruka"
"Mou ii."
*Such* yaoi manga hurt/comfort. God, the love.
Ruka's so possessive and vengeful.
"Don't touch him!"
And of course it's Ruka's betrayal that finally pushes Makoto over the edge (literally).
The morning of that day, Makoto was completely ready to go to school and do his best to overcome the bullying. But when it's Ruka doing the bullying he loses all will to fight, and indeed, all will to live.
THEIRLOVEISSOTRAGIC!