so I finally watched the finale
heh. internal alliteration!
I loved it of course even though it, like the 1st series, was totally cheesy. Because I love the whole rich fabric of the hana yori dango story, and each iteration of it (ok, so I didn't LOVE the anime, but I think that's mainly because I got impatient and watched it in chinese with very poor english subtitles ... also, I didn't like the way the anime ended because I knew it was different from the manga, and I didn't have access to the end of the manga yet and I wanted to know what REALLY happened).
I thought the screenwriters did a great job of fitting in all the canonic bits in new and exciting and yet satisfying ways, even though I am still wishing for the onsen scene and the helicopter escape to the romantic island and even the part where Shigeru kidnaps them on the boat set on autopilot (hey maybe they will put all that in the inevitable special).
I also felt the performances were really good. Although I do kind of think that MatsuJun has a somewhat limited range, this was a good role for him--it showcased both his imperious cool side and his totally goofy side. Ah, he's such a Virgo. Inoue Mao rules as Tsukushi--I felt she just SUCH a good job with the part, I can't imagine anyone else playing it (not that I have an encyclopedic knowledge of young j-actors or anything). I really like actors who can do the pretty/plain thing. So much more interesting that someone who's just a cute fashion plate all the time. Kind of like Horita Maki (I think that's her name--from Nobuta?) although from the little I watched of Kusaragi she didn't really shine there. Though she did look cute.
And of course I thought Oguri Shun was sheer genius, because, you know, that's what I think of him. Although he made Rui fun to watch and always brings the subtlety and the double-take moments, I feel like it was kind of a waste for him. But at least we got to ogle him on screen a lot. And his hair is long (yes, I am exactly that shallow).
And I am looking forward to downloading the hardsubs from SARS and watching the whole thing over again all at once. Yes. I do know how to set my goals, don't I? #1 on my to-do list, ahead of "finish my taxes" even!
I loved it of course even though it, like the 1st series, was totally cheesy. Because I love the whole rich fabric of the hana yori dango story, and each iteration of it (ok, so I didn't LOVE the anime, but I think that's mainly because I got impatient and watched it in chinese with very poor english subtitles ... also, I didn't like the way the anime ended because I knew it was different from the manga, and I didn't have access to the end of the manga yet and I wanted to know what REALLY happened).
I thought the screenwriters did a great job of fitting in all the canonic bits in new and exciting and yet satisfying ways, even though I am still wishing for the onsen scene and the helicopter escape to the romantic island and even the part where Shigeru kidnaps them on the boat set on autopilot (hey maybe they will put all that in the inevitable special).
I also felt the performances were really good. Although I do kind of think that MatsuJun has a somewhat limited range, this was a good role for him--it showcased both his imperious cool side and his totally goofy side. Ah, he's such a Virgo. Inoue Mao rules as Tsukushi--I felt she just SUCH a good job with the part, I can't imagine anyone else playing it (not that I have an encyclopedic knowledge of young j-actors or anything). I really like actors who can do the pretty/plain thing. So much more interesting that someone who's just a cute fashion plate all the time. Kind of like Horita Maki (I think that's her name--from Nobuta?) although from the little I watched of Kusaragi she didn't really shine there. Though she did look cute.
And of course I thought Oguri Shun was sheer genius, because, you know, that's what I think of him. Although he made Rui fun to watch and always brings the subtlety and the double-take moments, I feel like it was kind of a waste for him. But at least we got to ogle him on screen a lot. And his hair is long (yes, I am exactly that shallow).
And I am looking forward to downloading the hardsubs from SARS and watching the whole thing over again all at once. Yes. I do know how to set my goals, don't I? #1 on my to-do list, ahead of "finish my taxes" even!