Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge Episode 01 Synopsis & Review
Earlier, I was intending to watch something shorter than a full-length jdorama to while away the time when I discovered the MySoju link to Shiri was broken - they didn't even have Tae Guk Gi. I wandered into DramaCrazy instead, and while I was looking for something remotely 'warlike' to watch, I saw Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge being advertised on the site.
I've heard of it before; honestly, the premise didn't interest me that much. It seemed like another version of F4-meets-Makino except this time, the heroine's a lot less feisty. I was so bored though, that wasting my time on something I wasn't all that interested in didn't seem like such a bad idea. A couple of hours later and I'm typing away a profile: I'm planning to summarize and seriously review this entire series.
Salient Points Synopsis for Ep01 [DramaCrazy]
The show starts in medias res, with Takano Kyouhei plowing through a snowstorm, a woman's voice booming in the background. As he falls in the slush, wondering aloud how he had come to that place, the scene changes, and he is shown working as a dishwasher in a restaurant. Angered by a combination of noisy female customers who want him to serve them (despite his being a dishwasher) and his gay boss' explicit advances, he loses his cool and slams his fist into a restaurant table, halving it. This leads to his being fired. As he stalks out, shaking his hair loose from its ponytail, a woman lurking in a corner shop is shown pointing a camera at him.
In Kyouhei's University, an entire mess hall's worth of females is raving over the latest issue of what appears to be the school magazine. It features The Legendary Handsome Four composed of Takano Kyouhei, resident intellectual Oda Takenaga, lady-killer Morii Ranmaru, and cute and cuddly Toyama Yukinojo, who are all boarding the same mansion. Later that evening, while Kyouhei is still irritated by his job termination, the owner of the house, Nakahara Mine a.k.a. Auntie, declares that she will be selling the house, giving her boarders only one week to move out. That is, unless the four boys can transform her niece, Nakahara Sunako, into a proper lady (Yamato Nadeshiko). If they manage that feat, they will be granted free board and lodging until they graduate - a proposal that greatly appeals to Kyouhei given his unemployed, penniless state. Just as he and the others begin warming up to the idea of free food and shelter in exchange for educating a woman, the house is engulfed in darkness and a figure clad in black pops up on the living room window. As the boys become fully convinced they're seeing a ghost, Takeru, Auntie's son and the mansion's self-declared landlord, walks up to the apparition and declares it to be his cousin Sunako.
Kyouhei and the others, initially eager to turn Auntie's niece into a proper lady, begin to find the task daunting. When they tie her up and force makeup and a haircut on her, she loses herself in a rage that rips through her bonds - it doesn't help that Kyouhei decides to call her "Ugly Sunako" in reference to her "ugly" personality. The more the boys get to know her strange habits - keeping a hood over her head, staying away from the sunlight and "bright" creatures, talking to her anatomy-model mannequin friends Hiroshi-kun, Akira-kun and Josephine - the more difficult they find their task. Sunako, however, despite her weirdness, has redeeming qualities which gradually manifest themselves, such as her exceptional cooking skills, and her genuine concern for Takeru, who is the main reason she moved from her home in Hokkaido to Auntie's house in Tokyo.
One morning, Kyouhei wakes up to what appears to be a pseudo-crime scene: Sunako has gone missing and the other boys seem to be fretting. Kyouhei, accompanied by a concerned Takeru, goes off to find her, ending up in a snow-wrapped Hokkaido, in the house of a woman named Yuki. While Takeru rests in a peaceful slumber, Kyouhei tinkers around the living room and discovers a pile of his photographs. When he confronts Yuki about it, she replies by saying she's going to take advantage of the situation by snapping more photos. Kyouhei tries to stop her, but someone clubs him in the head. It turns out to be Sunako, who is apparently Yuki's childhood friend.
Kyouhei realizes there has been a misunderstanding caused by Takenaga not relaying to him Sunako's message before she left. Far from being kidnapped, Sunako willing left with her friend, who had come to Tokyo in search of employment - hence, the part-time profession of providing high-demand photos of the handsome Kyouhei. After overhearing a phone conversation between Yuki and a man named Masao, Kyouhei concludes she is trying to earn money for her lover - a hypothesis she proves true by saying her boyfriend, who works as a host, needs money to build his dream ramen house. Kyouhei tries to convince Yuki that she's being fooled, citing Masao's asking for money and pushing her to work in the Tokyo 'entertaining' industry as signs that he's using her, but she refuses to believe him. She runs off, leaving Sunako and Kyouhei to search for her separately; thus, Kyouhei's "What am I doing here?!" snow scene.
Later on, the two of them team-up to find Yuki; when they become engaged in a serious conversation, it is revealed that Sunako became insecure and introverted because of a rejection she received four years ago. The guy she had confessed to had said he "doesn't date ugly girls", making a deep impression on the young Sunako. On her way home from the disastrous exchange, she stumbled upon a discarded model of the human body - a mannequin that later became her best friend Hiroshi-kun. Since then, she began shying away from people, keeping to herself and her inanimate friends. After hearing her story, Kyouhei tells her she was stupid to let one little comment affect her so deeply. He also says she should care more about what's inside than what's outside. She answers that he probably doesn't understand what she feels because he was born with a handsome face. To which he replies, "I didn't ask to be born like this."
Fast forward to what seems like a few days later: With Yuki found, the entire party returns to Tokyo and Ranmaru establishes the identity of top host-slash-swindler Ando Masao. Moved by Yuki's feelings, Kyouhei vows to get her money back, so he and his friends (with Takenaga playing the mastermind) hatch a plan to swindle the money back from Masao. The first stage, involving Kyouhei the Undercover Agent getting accepted as Masao's protege, works out fine. The second stage, however, in which Kyouhei the Host begins work, ends in a fiasco, as Yuki comes out of hiding and informs Masao of the covert plan to get the money back. Panicked, Yukinojo, Takenaga and Ranmaru cook up another plot to save their friends, this time assisted by Sunako, who passionately requests them to turn her into a lady so she can assist with the infiltration plan.
That evening, a transformed Sunako, accompanied by three familiar-looking she-males, enters Masao's club and asks to be served by Kyouhei. Under the appearance of enjoying themselves, Kyouhei tells Sunako where Yuki is being held captive. Sunako attempts to save her friend but her disguise is seen through; everyone gets captured. As Masao threatens to kill them, he is suddenly called out of the room, leaving his prisoners free to find a way to escape. Given they are all tightly bound, but thankfully not gagged, Kyouhei thinks up the idea of taunting Sunako by calling her Ugly Sunako, a trick which had previously pushed her to an angry rampage that gave her superhuman strength. The plan works, and Sunako breaks free from her bonds - aside from causing lightning to strike the club, as it had struck their house before when the same taunt was used. As a tandem, Kyouhei and Sunako bring down all of Masao's underlings, leaving the High Chief for Yuki to punish. She, however, refuses to hurt him seriously, merely berating him for hurting her friends. As they leave the club - without Yuki, who had wanted to be left alone - Kyouhei realizes they forget to take the money back. While he is being restrained by Yukinojo and Ranmaru, Takenaga talks to Sunako, telling her Kyouhei doesn't appreciate girls who only like him for his looks. Then he makes a comment about Kyouhei and Sunako being much alike, which leaves Sunako pensive.
The next day, Sunako gives Kyouhei a tiny skull - her version of showing gratitude for his role in saving Yuki. He, for his part, also gives her Koala-shaped chocolate cookies, which she had shown great partiality to when they were in the host club. The ending scene features Kyouhei's former coworker from the restaurant, Mari, putting on his jacket in front of a mirror; he had left it in his favorite hangout, a quaint restaurant owned by Shinichi. As the camera pans the room, her large collection of Kyouhei paraphernalia is showcased.
Review
It's a blessing that I never got round to watching the anime or reading the manga of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge [Perfect Girl Evolution]. If I had, I'd probably be griping about how different it is from what I expected - which is exactly what happened after I tried watching the anime of Kimi ni Todoke, whose first 10 volumes I've just finished reading. Either way, I'm sure that even if I had seen the anime of YNSH I'd appreciate the jdorama as well. I haven't laughed this much since Hana Kimi - or maybe I've never even laughed this much just by watching a dorama?
The most notable thing about this show - based on the first episode - is its acting. Kamenashi Kazuya shines in his role as Kyouhei; I'd seen him in Nobuta wo Produce before, but he never stuck. Even though this show is essentially about Sunako, played by Oomasa Aya, Kamenashi effortlessly magnetizes the audience with his carefree appeal, causing viewers to gravitate their eyes towards him. Uchi Hiroki manages the same feat with his role as Oda Takenaga; although his character requires him to be slightly distant from the heart of the action, he still stands out.
It's too early to say if the music of YNSH is anything noteworthy - although the opening sequence really was out of this world. The main aspect of this show, aside from its acting, that makes it a pleasure to watch is the unembellished way it presents slapstick humor. There are neither distinct background tunes for each character [unlike Hana Kimi] nor do the actors have exaggerated facial expressions [think Nodame Cantabile]. The script isn't even that witty either; the special effects are kept to a necessary minimum. It's the timing of the actors that makes this show click. So I guess, in the end, this show depends heavily on its cast after all.
I've heard of it before; honestly, the premise didn't interest me that much. It seemed like another version of F4-meets-Makino except this time, the heroine's a lot less feisty. I was so bored though, that wasting my time on something I wasn't all that interested in didn't seem like such a bad idea. A couple of hours later and I'm typing away a profile: I'm planning to summarize and seriously review this entire series.
Salient Points Synopsis for Ep01 [DramaCrazy]
The show starts in medias res, with Takano Kyouhei plowing through a snowstorm, a woman's voice booming in the background. As he falls in the slush, wondering aloud how he had come to that place, the scene changes, and he is shown working as a dishwasher in a restaurant. Angered by a combination of noisy female customers who want him to serve them (despite his being a dishwasher) and his gay boss' explicit advances, he loses his cool and slams his fist into a restaurant table, halving it. This leads to his being fired. As he stalks out, shaking his hair loose from its ponytail, a woman lurking in a corner shop is shown pointing a camera at him.
In Kyouhei's University, an entire mess hall's worth of females is raving over the latest issue of what appears to be the school magazine. It features The Legendary Handsome Four composed of Takano Kyouhei, resident intellectual Oda Takenaga, lady-killer Morii Ranmaru, and cute and cuddly Toyama Yukinojo, who are all boarding the same mansion. Later that evening, while Kyouhei is still irritated by his job termination, the owner of the house, Nakahara Mine a.k.a. Auntie, declares that she will be selling the house, giving her boarders only one week to move out. That is, unless the four boys can transform her niece, Nakahara Sunako, into a proper lady (Yamato Nadeshiko). If they manage that feat, they will be granted free board and lodging until they graduate - a proposal that greatly appeals to Kyouhei given his unemployed, penniless state. Just as he and the others begin warming up to the idea of free food and shelter in exchange for educating a woman, the house is engulfed in darkness and a figure clad in black pops up on the living room window. As the boys become fully convinced they're seeing a ghost, Takeru, Auntie's son and the mansion's self-declared landlord, walks up to the apparition and declares it to be his cousin Sunako.
Kyouhei and the others, initially eager to turn Auntie's niece into a proper lady, begin to find the task daunting. When they tie her up and force makeup and a haircut on her, she loses herself in a rage that rips through her bonds - it doesn't help that Kyouhei decides to call her "Ugly Sunako" in reference to her "ugly" personality. The more the boys get to know her strange habits - keeping a hood over her head, staying away from the sunlight and "bright" creatures, talking to her anatomy-model mannequin friends Hiroshi-kun, Akira-kun and Josephine - the more difficult they find their task. Sunako, however, despite her weirdness, has redeeming qualities which gradually manifest themselves, such as her exceptional cooking skills, and her genuine concern for Takeru, who is the main reason she moved from her home in Hokkaido to Auntie's house in Tokyo.
One morning, Kyouhei wakes up to what appears to be a pseudo-crime scene: Sunako has gone missing and the other boys seem to be fretting. Kyouhei, accompanied by a concerned Takeru, goes off to find her, ending up in a snow-wrapped Hokkaido, in the house of a woman named Yuki. While Takeru rests in a peaceful slumber, Kyouhei tinkers around the living room and discovers a pile of his photographs. When he confronts Yuki about it, she replies by saying she's going to take advantage of the situation by snapping more photos. Kyouhei tries to stop her, but someone clubs him in the head. It turns out to be Sunako, who is apparently Yuki's childhood friend.
Kyouhei realizes there has been a misunderstanding caused by Takenaga not relaying to him Sunako's message before she left. Far from being kidnapped, Sunako willing left with her friend, who had come to Tokyo in search of employment - hence, the part-time profession of providing high-demand photos of the handsome Kyouhei. After overhearing a phone conversation between Yuki and a man named Masao, Kyouhei concludes she is trying to earn money for her lover - a hypothesis she proves true by saying her boyfriend, who works as a host, needs money to build his dream ramen house. Kyouhei tries to convince Yuki that she's being fooled, citing Masao's asking for money and pushing her to work in the Tokyo 'entertaining' industry as signs that he's using her, but she refuses to believe him. She runs off, leaving Sunako and Kyouhei to search for her separately; thus, Kyouhei's "What am I doing here?!" snow scene.
Later on, the two of them team-up to find Yuki; when they become engaged in a serious conversation, it is revealed that Sunako became insecure and introverted because of a rejection she received four years ago. The guy she had confessed to had said he "doesn't date ugly girls", making a deep impression on the young Sunako. On her way home from the disastrous exchange, she stumbled upon a discarded model of the human body - a mannequin that later became her best friend Hiroshi-kun. Since then, she began shying away from people, keeping to herself and her inanimate friends. After hearing her story, Kyouhei tells her she was stupid to let one little comment affect her so deeply. He also says she should care more about what's inside than what's outside. She answers that he probably doesn't understand what she feels because he was born with a handsome face. To which he replies, "I didn't ask to be born like this."
Fast forward to what seems like a few days later: With Yuki found, the entire party returns to Tokyo and Ranmaru establishes the identity of top host-slash-swindler Ando Masao. Moved by Yuki's feelings, Kyouhei vows to get her money back, so he and his friends (with Takenaga playing the mastermind) hatch a plan to swindle the money back from Masao. The first stage, involving Kyouhei the Undercover Agent getting accepted as Masao's protege, works out fine. The second stage, however, in which Kyouhei the Host begins work, ends in a fiasco, as Yuki comes out of hiding and informs Masao of the covert plan to get the money back. Panicked, Yukinojo, Takenaga and Ranmaru cook up another plot to save their friends, this time assisted by Sunako, who passionately requests them to turn her into a lady so she can assist with the infiltration plan.
That evening, a transformed Sunako, accompanied by three familiar-looking she-males, enters Masao's club and asks to be served by Kyouhei. Under the appearance of enjoying themselves, Kyouhei tells Sunako where Yuki is being held captive. Sunako attempts to save her friend but her disguise is seen through; everyone gets captured. As Masao threatens to kill them, he is suddenly called out of the room, leaving his prisoners free to find a way to escape. Given they are all tightly bound, but thankfully not gagged, Kyouhei thinks up the idea of taunting Sunako by calling her Ugly Sunako, a trick which had previously pushed her to an angry rampage that gave her superhuman strength. The plan works, and Sunako breaks free from her bonds - aside from causing lightning to strike the club, as it had struck their house before when the same taunt was used. As a tandem, Kyouhei and Sunako bring down all of Masao's underlings, leaving the High Chief for Yuki to punish. She, however, refuses to hurt him seriously, merely berating him for hurting her friends. As they leave the club - without Yuki, who had wanted to be left alone - Kyouhei realizes they forget to take the money back. While he is being restrained by Yukinojo and Ranmaru, Takenaga talks to Sunako, telling her Kyouhei doesn't appreciate girls who only like him for his looks. Then he makes a comment about Kyouhei and Sunako being much alike, which leaves Sunako pensive.
The next day, Sunako gives Kyouhei a tiny skull - her version of showing gratitude for his role in saving Yuki. He, for his part, also gives her Koala-shaped chocolate cookies, which she had shown great partiality to when they were in the host club. The ending scene features Kyouhei's former coworker from the restaurant, Mari, putting on his jacket in front of a mirror; he had left it in his favorite hangout, a quaint restaurant owned by Shinichi. As the camera pans the room, her large collection of Kyouhei paraphernalia is showcased.
Review
It's a blessing that I never got round to watching the anime or reading the manga of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge [Perfect Girl Evolution]. If I had, I'd probably be griping about how different it is from what I expected - which is exactly what happened after I tried watching the anime of Kimi ni Todoke, whose first 10 volumes I've just finished reading. Either way, I'm sure that even if I had seen the anime of YNSH I'd appreciate the jdorama as well. I haven't laughed this much since Hana Kimi - or maybe I've never even laughed this much just by watching a dorama?
The most notable thing about this show - based on the first episode - is its acting. Kamenashi Kazuya shines in his role as Kyouhei; I'd seen him in Nobuta wo Produce before, but he never stuck. Even though this show is essentially about Sunako, played by Oomasa Aya, Kamenashi effortlessly magnetizes the audience with his carefree appeal, causing viewers to gravitate their eyes towards him. Uchi Hiroki manages the same feat with his role as Oda Takenaga; although his character requires him to be slightly distant from the heart of the action, he still stands out.
It's too early to say if the music of YNSH is anything noteworthy - although the opening sequence really was out of this world. The main aspect of this show, aside from its acting, that makes it a pleasure to watch is the unembellished way it presents slapstick humor. There are neither distinct background tunes for each character [unlike Hana Kimi] nor do the actors have exaggerated facial expressions [think Nodame Cantabile]. The script isn't even that witty either; the special effects are kept to a necessary minimum. It's the timing of the actors that makes this show click. So I guess, in the end, this show depends heavily on its cast after all.