Oh boy..[Nobuta wo Produce picspam]

[winterspel]

It has been about a month since I first watched Japanese drama Nobuta wo Produce, but I've been rewatching it in snippets during the intervening time because I loved it so much. It follows three high school students who secretly unite in common cause and discover the power of friendship

Comments

[paker_potpot]

though i didn't like Nobuta Wo Produce that much and i'm partial to Kame (since i've been hearing a lot of bad things about him..hehe), i'll have to agree with you on the last episode. the bittersweet goodbye's enough to make a coldhearted person say, "Awwww.." hahaha.

and oh, belated happy birthday! ;p i hope you had a blast on your day!

[winterspel]

Thanks very much for the birthday wishes! I'll write more about NwP later to explain why I loved it so much. :) The last episode just kills me with how moving it is. And I'm rather partial to Kame, too. :)

[emi_akachan]

Hi there ^^ Hope I don't come across as completely random, I linked here from kattunlove. I read your JE posts a few days ago and came back to comment, but saw this and couldn't help but comment on this first XD

I only finished NwP a week or so ago (yes I was slow to catch on ^^") but I loved it so much. At first I was reluctant to watch it coz I thought it would just be another typical highschool makeover type series... but now I've realised it's so much more than that! Heh I'm rewatching the last episode as I type this comment... ahhhhhh it completely kills me. At first I was so certain that something would happen and Shuji would end up staying, so I was really surprised that he actually moved. Then with Akira moving as well, and Nobuta finding herself... I love the ending so much ♥~ Their friendship just makes me warm and fuzzy inside XD Plus I completely and utterly fell in love with Shuji. Not that it was Kame (I actually came to like Kame more because of Shuji), but just his personality and the way he changed throughout the

[winterspel]

It's so nice when people rave. :)

I also love the character development in this dorama, especially for Shuji. I plan to do a write-up on NwP and that is probably the thing that stood out the most for me - in the beginning you think it's about making Nobuta over and transforming her - very cliche, no?, but the reality is that it's Shuji whose transformation is most dramatic and is really the emotional center of the drama.

I know I shouldn't compare them, but I can't help myself....I loved Anego, warts and all. But Nobuta wo Produce has a classic feel to it, and partly I feel that it is because Kame proved himself as an actor - he's really, really good! As compared to Jin who isn't bad at all, and has some terrific moments in Anego, but overall there's a maturity and a depth in Kame's acting that I don't see in Jin's acting (yet). I hope that I do not offend by saying so, because I don't know where you fall on any of these guys, but I don't have favorites between these two at least - they both have their strengths and weaknesses and

[emi_akachan]

No offense taken at all! ^^ Although I love Jin to bits and pieces and everything beyond that, I think it's pretty evident that Kame proves to be a far more mature and well developed actor. I hadn't really seen Kame acting in anything before Nobuta wo Produce (I'm yet to get past episode 2 of Gokusen 2, the similarities to the first Gokusen are just too obvious for comfort XP), so I was completely surprised by how well he carried the character of Shuji. I can't help but draw comparisons between Shuji and Kame, which makes me adore Kame even more XD As for Pi... despite my love for him, I was only so-so with Akira - though he did grow onto me towards the end of the dorama.

I'm really looking forward to Kame's new drama. Hopefully he will be able to prove his acting abilities and follow the footsteps of Kimura? I know no one will ever compare, but it's a nice thought ^^

[catdecember]

i'm a sucker for friendship stories. i thought it was going to be a love story, but it wasnt and i'm glad it didn't. but its also weird coz in a way, i really shipped akira/shuji's friendship....

i wonder if kame and pi didn't freeze themselves in that beach scene! ;)

[winterspel]

I'm glad that it wasn't a love story either - I had no idea what to expect, except that I remember reading someone commenting that they loved NwP and it made them appreciate their friends more. That intrigued me, so that is part of the reason I decided to watch it. I wasn't disappointed in the least - even though there were moments when I wondered where this was all going - but I seem to have those moments in EVERY dorama.

Ahh, good point about freezing on that beach - it would have been January! And while I didn't actively ship Akira/Shuji through the dorama, I do think that Akira absolutely felt something stronger perhaps than simple friendship for Shuji. I mean, he left the love his life for Shuji! Who does that? I know, I know, it was out of compassion because Shuji was the loneliest of them all, and because Nobuta told him to, but STILL. I've never seen such a slashable (albeit one-sided) relationship written outside of Xena: Warrior Princess.

[catdecember]

yeah there were some weird parts, kinda like making you think on which direction it was heading. like when that girl who hated nobuta (i cant even remember her name, i loathe her).....lol....

i think my Akira/Shuji ship began AFTER i watched the drama. i kinda liked Akira/Nobuta there. Pi was just too cute, with his silly expressions! and Shuji/Mariko was cute too. :D

AND my shippy heart totally skipped a beat when you said this: I do think that Akira absolutely felt something stronger perhaps than simple friendship for Shuji. I mean, he left the love his life for Shuji! Who does that? I know, I know, it was out of compassion because Shuji was the loneliest of them all, and because Nobuta told him to, but STILL.

[winterspel]

It was very strange for me when I first started watching NwP and seeing Akira following Shuji around like a demented puppy. And then Akira kept grabbing Shuji or trying to lean on him or put his arms around him. Those did not seem to me the actions of someone who merely wants to be friends. There were SO MANY attempts at physical contact, always initiated by Akira and rejected by Shuji, so I know that Shuji probably didn't have the same exact feelings for Akira, otherwise he wouldn't have pushed him away all the time. I realize that Shuji was also coming to terms with being genuine friends with anyone, so that is partly why he was uncomfortable, but really! Did Akira have to be grabbing Shuji all the time? I understand that it is a different culture, but I haven't seen anything even remotely similar elsewhere.

These two pics just make me smile though, because for the first time, Shuji reaches out to Akira:

[xo_kannie]

LOL you just love the SHUJI&AKIRA water part that much ne? :D! yes it's very lovable. i always laugh when i see shuji's hand land on akira's butt when akira jumped on him xp

NwP ending was disappointing a little cus they just left the girl there -_- but it made me cry when Shuji had to move :[ .... o~ SHUJI SMILE<3; ISN'T THAT JUST LOVE? AND YOU'RE JUST LOVE TOO COS YOU'RE MY SCREENCAP MASTER LOL =D

[winterspel]

I'm glad you liked this!

[winterspel]

There's no doubt Shuji feels for Akira and cares about him. Just that he doesn't declare it in a touchy-feely way, like Akira does to him.

As the series develops, yes, I agree. As I said elsewhere, Shuji doesn't know how to care about anyone, so he's coming to terms with that alone, much less admitting it to anyone. He's so stunted emotionally, and he has a lot to learn through the dorama.

Kame impresses me so much as Shuji, a totally different character from Ryu, the first Kame role I've come across. He's a chameleon!! There's great chemistry between Kame and Yamapi, whose body language is superb:) I just love the interaction between these two!

I completely agree.