Yukan Club - Episode 09
Only one more episode after this! How will I cope without my weekly dose of Miroku and the gang?
Yukan Club 09
Plot: Yuri doesn't think much of everyone else's plans for the winter holidays - she's off to Alaska! But no, because she's a lousy student and evil Midorikawa-sensei is adamant that those who fail their exams will lose their holidays and take supplementary classes instead. Yuri's grudge against Midorikawa attracts the attention of a ghost, Hiraizumi, who takes over her body and gives her perfect exam scores. Yukan Club investigate to discover that in life, he was an excellent student. In death, he's a vengeful ghost who committed suicide because Midorikawa traded his acceptance to St. President Academy for much-needed cash to pay off his gambling debts. Hiraizumi wants revenge on Midorikawa, and won't let Yuri eat until he gets it! Can Yukan Club satisfy his desires before Yuri wastes away? (Or someone remembers that they could feed her intravenously?) Who knew Karen was so good at darts? Will we see Miroku watching the first sunrise of the New Year with Otokoyama?
In other news: Even the tragic tale of Hiraizumi's throwing himself off the roof of his middle school is not enough to move Miroku to tears. Yuri gets in some crying, though - or Hiraizumi, however you want to look at it.
Yukan Club has another crack at ghostbusting! How Yuri thinks Seishiro is going to exorcise Hiraizumi's ghost, I'm not quite sure (he's the son of a doctor, not a witchdoctor!), but I think they did quite a good job of it this time round too. Sure, there was a lot of Yuri, and that is not always a good thing, but I think Minami played possessed very well - a sort of dead stare and cold seriousness that Yuri definitely doesn't exhibit under normal circumstances!
Electrocution as a study method? Oh, Seishiro. Never be my study partner. It shouldn't have surprised me that Yuri's parents encouraged him.
Karen and Bido are the worst spies ever. They look horribly suspicious...and really, Bido, noting down when Midorikawa yawns? Not relevant. Really not relevant. Miroku does a much better job of it, courtesy of the You Can Cleaning van, a cunning disguise and some electronic gadgetry. I have to wonder where he picked all this stuff up, though, because it definitely wasn't from his father! Tokimune and his two sidekicks are on their way back from yet another wedding (do they just keep hanging out at social functions because the kids are solving all the crime in Japan for them?) when they see Miroku trying to stop Yuri from stabbing Midorikawa and completely misinterpret it as a love-love situation. While I think Miroku and Yuri have quite a cute relationship, I don't really want to see it go in that direction! (And where the heck did Yuri get the knife anyway?)
That scene also gave me a good opportunity to admire Miroku's gorgeous boots. My mother owns a pair just like them, but in brown. I guess we both have a liking for clothes popular with young Japanese guys!
Yuri's such an idiot. If you're going to break into your school in the middle of the night, don't talk to yourself. It's a dead giveaway. And speaking of dead, I thought Hiraizumi's first appearance was quite effective, what with the trickle of blood and all. I could almost believe I was watching a horror movie, for a second there.
Miroku knows all the school uniforms, doesn't he? And when he needs people investigating, he knows just who to call. Clearly, when he graduates he can just open a one-man detective agency (well, one man and his dog - can't forget Otokoyama!) and develop a reputation for omniscience. (Is this like how Aragorn knows every elf in Middle Earth?)
I hate characters like Midorikawa. You know the type - there's always one teacher who tells you you're trash, you're a waste of flesh etc. In dramas, I mean. (Unless you're watching Gokusen, in which case there's a whole bunch of them.) You don't generally expect him to be selling out good students to feed his gambling addiction, though! I'm not saying characters can't be bad people *and* hypocrites, but there is one guy who deserves everything he got.
And what he got was...awesome. I'm waiting for Yukan Club to go to Vegas and clean up. Everyone looked fabulous when they went off to gamble at the underground casino, but special mentions go to the elegant, formidable-looking Seishiro and Noriko, who pulled it all off with so much dignity they seemed better than human. Can't really say much about Karen and Bido - they looked good, in the 'we belong on a luxury liner' kind of way. And of course Miroku looked gorgeous, as I have a great weakness for him in a) hats and b) sunglasses. (KAT-TUN as a whole do great in hats, actually. Nakamaru looks fabulous in them. Ueda and Taguchi are not so good, but the rest are brilliant.)
Karen was so cute playing darts! That's how I play, with the jumping up and down and squealing, but from a lesser height. Needless to say, I don't do very well! (Of course, having terrible hand-eye coordination might have something to do with that...) Seishiro was extremely intimidating when he gambled - I think out of all the members, he's the one I'd least want to meet on a dark night. (And not just because he tried to take over the world - sort of - before.) I can't get over how well Yoko does with the role.
And aww...Miroku playing poker. I've been looking forward to this since last week! I don't know how Midorikawa managed not to notice the little camera Karen attached to his tie, though. It was big enough! Mind you, it was pretty dark in the casino, which makes me wonder how the manager spotted the wire by Miroku's ear. (Speaking of the manager, she looks familiar. What have I seen her in before, I wonder?)
Obligatory Jin commentary: What can I say? He did very well on the outfit front this week, sporting a lovely red-and-black plaid jacket and some gorgeous boots, plus his Popeye photoshoot outfit and another beautiful top that looks like it was stolen from my mother's wardrobe. Shame the school uniform doesn't do any of them any favours.
Best scene: I loved the whole casino stuff, but there was something else I liked a lot too. In Yuri's house after she aces the short maths test, when Miroku points out that if the ghost continues to possess her, she'd do well on her exams and she'd be able to go to Alaska. But he does this by imitating her reaction, which I find adorable. I like the m/f friendship pairs very much in this series, and while Miroku is obviously smarter than Yuri, they complement each other very well in this brashy, dorky sort of way. It's like Pin if one of them was female. (Hang on a sec...I've read that one...)
Conclusion: The plot's nothing new - teacher betrays student, student commits suicide, student's ghost possesses someone else in order to exact revenge on him - but I enjoyed it all the same. Daft comedy moments, some scenes of sadness and horror, and a showdown in a casino that comes down to chance. Simple, but it works.
Next week: I can't wait! (Well, except for the bit about Miroku wearing a silly reindeer hat - I'm in no hurry to get to that. Seishiro looks cute in the Santa hat, though.) Guns? Surveillance equipment? Setup? Digging for victory? Yukan Club all beaten up and bruised? Miroku in tears? Real tears, not just overcome with emotion at someone else's story? Looks like the last episode's going to be pretty impressive!
Yukan Club 09
Plot: Yuri doesn't think much of everyone else's plans for the winter holidays - she's off to Alaska! But no, because she's a lousy student and evil Midorikawa-sensei is adamant that those who fail their exams will lose their holidays and take supplementary classes instead. Yuri's grudge against Midorikawa attracts the attention of a ghost, Hiraizumi, who takes over her body and gives her perfect exam scores. Yukan Club investigate to discover that in life, he was an excellent student. In death, he's a vengeful ghost who committed suicide because Midorikawa traded his acceptance to St. President Academy for much-needed cash to pay off his gambling debts. Hiraizumi wants revenge on Midorikawa, and won't let Yuri eat until he gets it! Can Yukan Club satisfy his desires before Yuri wastes away? (Or someone remembers that they could feed her intravenously?) Who knew Karen was so good at darts? Will we see Miroku watching the first sunrise of the New Year with Otokoyama?
In other news: Even the tragic tale of Hiraizumi's throwing himself off the roof of his middle school is not enough to move Miroku to tears. Yuri gets in some crying, though - or Hiraizumi, however you want to look at it.
Yukan Club has another crack at ghostbusting! How Yuri thinks Seishiro is going to exorcise Hiraizumi's ghost, I'm not quite sure (he's the son of a doctor, not a witchdoctor!), but I think they did quite a good job of it this time round too. Sure, there was a lot of Yuri, and that is not always a good thing, but I think Minami played possessed very well - a sort of dead stare and cold seriousness that Yuri definitely doesn't exhibit under normal circumstances!
Electrocution as a study method? Oh, Seishiro. Never be my study partner. It shouldn't have surprised me that Yuri's parents encouraged him.
Karen and Bido are the worst spies ever. They look horribly suspicious...and really, Bido, noting down when Midorikawa yawns? Not relevant. Really not relevant. Miroku does a much better job of it, courtesy of the You Can Cleaning van, a cunning disguise and some electronic gadgetry. I have to wonder where he picked all this stuff up, though, because it definitely wasn't from his father! Tokimune and his two sidekicks are on their way back from yet another wedding (do they just keep hanging out at social functions because the kids are solving all the crime in Japan for them?) when they see Miroku trying to stop Yuri from stabbing Midorikawa and completely misinterpret it as a love-love situation. While I think Miroku and Yuri have quite a cute relationship, I don't really want to see it go in that direction! (And where the heck did Yuri get the knife anyway?)
That scene also gave me a good opportunity to admire Miroku's gorgeous boots. My mother owns a pair just like them, but in brown. I guess we both have a liking for clothes popular with young Japanese guys!
Yuri's such an idiot. If you're going to break into your school in the middle of the night, don't talk to yourself. It's a dead giveaway. And speaking of dead, I thought Hiraizumi's first appearance was quite effective, what with the trickle of blood and all. I could almost believe I was watching a horror movie, for a second there.
Miroku knows all the school uniforms, doesn't he? And when he needs people investigating, he knows just who to call. Clearly, when he graduates he can just open a one-man detective agency (well, one man and his dog - can't forget Otokoyama!) and develop a reputation for omniscience. (Is this like how Aragorn knows every elf in Middle Earth?)
I hate characters like Midorikawa. You know the type - there's always one teacher who tells you you're trash, you're a waste of flesh etc. In dramas, I mean. (Unless you're watching Gokusen, in which case there's a whole bunch of them.) You don't generally expect him to be selling out good students to feed his gambling addiction, though! I'm not saying characters can't be bad people *and* hypocrites, but there is one guy who deserves everything he got.
And what he got was...awesome. I'm waiting for Yukan Club to go to Vegas and clean up. Everyone looked fabulous when they went off to gamble at the underground casino, but special mentions go to the elegant, formidable-looking Seishiro and Noriko, who pulled it all off with so much dignity they seemed better than human. Can't really say much about Karen and Bido - they looked good, in the 'we belong on a luxury liner' kind of way. And of course Miroku looked gorgeous, as I have a great weakness for him in a) hats and b) sunglasses. (KAT-TUN as a whole do great in hats, actually. Nakamaru looks fabulous in them. Ueda and Taguchi are not so good, but the rest are brilliant.)
Karen was so cute playing darts! That's how I play, with the jumping up and down and squealing, but from a lesser height. Needless to say, I don't do very well! (Of course, having terrible hand-eye coordination might have something to do with that...) Seishiro was extremely intimidating when he gambled - I think out of all the members, he's the one I'd least want to meet on a dark night. (And not just because he tried to take over the world - sort of - before.) I can't get over how well Yoko does with the role.
And aww...Miroku playing poker. I've been looking forward to this since last week! I don't know how Midorikawa managed not to notice the little camera Karen attached to his tie, though. It was big enough! Mind you, it was pretty dark in the casino, which makes me wonder how the manager spotted the wire by Miroku's ear. (Speaking of the manager, she looks familiar. What have I seen her in before, I wonder?)
Obligatory Jin commentary: What can I say? He did very well on the outfit front this week, sporting a lovely red-and-black plaid jacket and some gorgeous boots, plus his Popeye photoshoot outfit and another beautiful top that looks like it was stolen from my mother's wardrobe. Shame the school uniform doesn't do any of them any favours.
Best scene: I loved the whole casino stuff, but there was something else I liked a lot too. In Yuri's house after she aces the short maths test, when Miroku points out that if the ghost continues to possess her, she'd do well on her exams and she'd be able to go to Alaska. But he does this by imitating her reaction, which I find adorable. I like the m/f friendship pairs very much in this series, and while Miroku is obviously smarter than Yuri, they complement each other very well in this brashy, dorky sort of way. It's like Pin if one of them was female. (Hang on a sec...I've read that one...)
Conclusion: The plot's nothing new - teacher betrays student, student commits suicide, student's ghost possesses someone else in order to exact revenge on him - but I enjoyed it all the same. Daft comedy moments, some scenes of sadness and horror, and a showdown in a casino that comes down to chance. Simple, but it works.
Next week: I can't wait! (Well, except for the bit about Miroku wearing a silly reindeer hat - I'm in no hurry to get to that. Seishiro looks cute in the Santa hat, though.) Guns? Surveillance equipment? Setup? Digging for victory? Yukan Club all beaten up and bruised? Miroku in tears? Real tears, not just overcome with emotion at someone else's story? Looks like the last episode's going to be pretty impressive!