i like your in-depth analysis of [ProDai]. it is really a different drama from the rest - it makes you so angry that Ken can't get what he wants and makes you want to stop watching how he's holding back again and again, yet you cannot NOT watch it ;P
there is this certain attraction in the show. for many people it would be Yamapi, i agree totally, but i am also curious to see how the story actually ends and see how much the characters have grown. i think the writers made an extra effort to emphasize a lot on the friendship portion - about growing apart when growing up, so this is not simply a love drama. i adore these 5 friends together... because their times together are always happy ones, how they make the effort to be connected together... in stark contrast to Ken and Rei's angst moments.
i am not what kind of ending i want for the drama... i think i'd love a happy one, but more importantly, i hope it is one with a good twist ^^ . we have been kept guessing and regretting with Ken/Rei for TOO long! XD
I have a lot of issues with this drama, but a big part of it is because it demands an enormous amount of patience from its viewers - patience that I'm not sure it deserves. If this were being broadcast on ratings-driven U.S. television, it would have been cancelled ages ago because the audience would have grown exasperated with being strung along the way we've been strung along.
What I appreciate are what I perceive as Japanese values of youth and friendship. I have so many misgivings that I'm frankly astonished that I'm still watching and that I still find something to enjoy in it.
i think the writers made an extra effort to emphasize a lot on the friendship portion - about growing apart when growing up, so this is not simply a love drama. i adore these 5 friends together... because their times together are always happy ones, how they make the effort to be connected together... in stark contrast to Ken and Rei's angst moments. You are exactly right - this is not just a love drama, and that is its most redeeming quality. If it had
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I definitely agree with you that the powers that be of ProDai are relying too much on Yamapi's charisma to carry the show, or at least to make us be cheering for Ken. I don't dislike Ken, but I don't think I'd feel much more than apathy if he weren't played by Yamapi. And even with that, I still don't find myself rooting for Rei to wind up with Ken, since she seems happy with Tada-san (and he seems like a nice guy). I'm waiting to pass judgement on the drama as a whole until it ends, because if it does wind up not just being about getting the girl, I think I might still like it, but I'll be annoyed if they pull out some last-minute plot twist to let Ken marry Rei.
And even with that, I still don't find myself rooting for Rei to wind up with Ken, since she seems happy with Tada-san (and he seems like a nice guy). I'm waiting to pass judgement on the drama as a whole until it ends, because if it does wind up not just being about getting the girl, I think I might still like it, but I'll be annoyed if they pull out some last-minute plot twist to let Ken marry Rei.
I agree with all of this - Ken has not proven that he would make Rei happier than Tada makes her. Tada is almost like a more evolved (and happier) version of Ken, just with fewer quirks. ;) If for some reason they do manage to end the drama with Ken & Rei together, they're going to have to come up with something huge and BELIEVABLE (which I really don't think is possible) to explain it.
OH. Wonderful long post ♥ It's always nice to hear what everybody else thinks :D
This is going to be long though;
The drama's actors have done an okay job and so has the director, but I think the manuscript for this drama could have been more - thought through?
I get why he felt like he never had the chance to tell Rei his feelings. But I still can't quite respect Ken. It seems that all he had to do was wait a few more seconds to be alone with her. If Ken didn't find Rei where he thought she was, he should have called her. He should have gone to her house. He should have asked people if they had seen her. He should have tried the next day. He should have made just a little bit more of an effort.
"...I can hardly blame her for choosing the guy who confessed as opposed to the guy she cared for but who never gave her a solid idea that he reciprocated her unspoken feelings (neither gave the other the chance to be accepted, which is a pity)."For me, the only difference between Ken and Rei, is that Ken is more stubborn and won't let
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LOL ♥! Love love love your drama insights as usual *glee*! I am very much anticipating the final episode next week, though I really can't predict how they'll choose to end this. It hasn't been the most consistent drama, but I like how we've very gradually (and painfully *__*) seen the changes come about in Ken. On the other hand, I am pretty so-so with Rei. Don't think they really tried to develop her character much, and Tsuru, Eri and even Mikio seem to outshine her. She's somewhat futsuu and sometimes I find myself questioning just why Ken likes her so much (and vice versa of course, minus the Yamapi factor) ;)
You almost make me want to start watching ProDai again. I loved reading your thoughts on it, and I was really intrigued by this idea that it's not really about Ken getting the girl; it's about something other thing, friendship and 'carpe diem' and all that jazz. Looking at the structure now, I think the idea of a drama whose shape and meaning you can't understand until the very last episode is a really fascinating idea. It's very different from other dramas, I think, where it's about premise, plot and execution--dramas like NwP, Sapuri, 1 litre
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there is this certain attraction in the show. for many people it would be Yamapi, i agree totally, but i am also curious to see how the story actually ends and see how much the characters have grown. i think the writers made an extra effort to emphasize a lot on the friendship portion - about growing apart when growing up, so this is not simply a love drama. i adore these 5 friends together... because their times together are always happy ones, how they make the effort to be connected together... in stark contrast to Ken and Rei's angst moments.
i am not what kind of ending i want for the drama... i think i'd love a happy one, but more importantly, i hope it is one with a good twist ^^ . we have been kept guessing and regretting with Ken/Rei for TOO long! XD
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What I appreciate are what I perceive as Japanese values of youth and friendship. I have so many misgivings that I'm frankly astonished that I'm still watching and that I still find something to enjoy in it.
i think the writers made an extra effort to emphasize a lot on the friendship portion - about growing apart when growing up, so this is not simply a love drama. i adore these 5 friends together... because their times together are always happy ones, how they make the effort to be connected together... in stark contrast to Ken and Rei's angst moments. You are exactly right - this is not just a love drama, and that is its most redeeming quality. If it had ( ... )
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I agree with all of this - Ken has not proven that he would make Rei happier than Tada makes her. Tada is almost like a more evolved (and happier) version of Ken, just with fewer quirks. ;) If for some reason they do manage to end the drama with Ken & Rei together, they're going to have to come up with something huge and BELIEVABLE (which I really don't think is possible) to explain it.
Reply
This is going to be long though;
The drama's actors have done an okay job and so has the director, but I think the manuscript for this drama could have been more - thought through?
I get why he felt like he never had the chance to tell Rei his feelings.
But I still can't quite respect Ken. It seems that all he had to do was wait a few more seconds to be alone with her. If Ken didn't find Rei where he thought she was, he should have called her. He should have gone to her house. He should have asked people if they had seen her. He should have tried the next day. He should have made just a little bit more of an effort.
"...I can hardly blame her for choosing the guy who confessed as opposed to the guy she cared for but who never gave her a solid idea that he reciprocated her unspoken feelings (neither gave the other the chance to be accepted, which is a pity)."For me, the only difference between Ken and Rei, is that Ken is more stubborn and won't let ( ... )
Reply
LOL ♥! Love love love your drama insights as usual *glee*! I am very much anticipating the final episode next week, though I really can't predict how they'll choose to end this. It hasn't been the most consistent drama, but I like how we've very gradually (and painfully *__*) seen the changes come about in Ken. On the other hand, I am pretty so-so with Rei. Don't think they really tried to develop her character much, and Tsuru, Eri and even Mikio seem to outshine her. She's somewhat futsuu and sometimes I find myself questioning just why Ken likes her so much (and vice versa of course, minus the Yamapi factor) ;)
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