Nobuta Wo Produce (2005)

L'adolescence se termine, il faut faire des choix, heureusement qu'il y a les amis...

Au premier abord, c’est un school drama basique, mais en fait c’est beaucoup plus fin que ça ! A travers le personnage de Shuji, son rapport avec les autres, l'image qu’il s’est créée délibérément, c’est toute la problématique de l’acceptation de soi qui est en jeu. Pourquoi se sent-il obligé de se cacher derrière ce garçon qui ne lui ressemble pas ? On dirait qu’il n’y a pas de choix entre être populaire à tout prix ou être harcelé ! C’est la tyrannie de l’image que l’on donne !
C’est le contact avec Akira, dont les gestes sont peut-être maladroits, mais dont l’esprit est lucide et qui est un être libre, qui va l’amener à comprendre pourquoi il a fait ce choix. Akira a décidé qu’il était son ami, et il va le soutenir et l’aider à s’affranchir de ce masque. La « production » de Nobuta sera le moyen d’abord inconscient, puis accepté, pour Shuji, de devenir lui-même, qualités et défauts compris.
Les trois personnages se complètent parfaitement au long de ce drama aux dialogues bien écrits, souvent très drôles. Comme souvent chez les Japonais, il y a une pointe de fantastique, un zest de burlesque, et si j’ai aimé la fin par sentimentalité, j’aurais préféré que le drama s’arrête au départ de Shuji, symbole de son nouveau départ dans la vie, sans masque et sans mensonges… Mais, bon, les deux amis jouant dans les vagues à la toute fin, ça fait quand même plaisir ! Les acteurs sont très bons, ainsi que les seconds rôle (la principale bizarre et le libraire qui est aussi prêtre shintô sont deux éléments qui participent à l’ambiance particulière et chaleureuse de ce drama que j’ai revu récemment avec grand plaisir !

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Move over Hana Yori Dango or Hana Kimi. This is definitely the best Jdrama I have seen till date. This is what I call a must-see. Even people who generally don't like Japanese dramas should watch this because they don't know what a marvelous show they are missing out on. I am so thrilled that I watched it because these kinds of shows nowadays are rare.

While the story of the show is nothing out of the ordinary, it turned out to be a lot different from what I expected. I thought it would turn out to be predictable and cliche from start to end, but it left me pleasantly surprised at a lot of places. There were certain twists that I had thought would happen but they were pretty different from what I was anticipating. Also, the ending was also contrary to what was expected. It was not at all obvious. I would have liked to make a lot of changes to it, but the current one makes great sense.

While the characters weren't extraordinary, their traits were very relatable. I only found Nobuka's character to be having very unbelievable and fictional traits. I don't know why there is a trend of certain dark and depressed females in Japanese dramas. These depressed females all have the same of look of the ghost from Ring movie. But I suppose it adds to the fun part. But really, I have neither seen nor heard about people like her so I can't say if it was based on fact or entirely imaginary.

I didn't like Shuji that much for the majority of the show because there seemed to be no character development at all till the last three episodes or so. Even Nobuka's character hardly grew. That was very unsatisfactory. Also, the most ridiculous thing was that while almost all situations were being dealt practically, why couldn't just Nobuka just go to a therapist to cure her mental issues? That part was very absurd. In spite of these shortcomings, Maki Horikita played the role excellently. She was very cute the way she kept nodding in a typical way. And the way she kept walking with her head hung low was very cute. The funniest scenes were the 'Nobuta Power Enter' ones. I can still laugh at that because it was done so well. Maki really proved to be a versatile actress and she has anyway done a lot of great shows.

The second guy, Akira was probably my favorite in it. I was so taken in by his character and loved him entirely till episode 6 or 7 because he seemed to be developing in the best way. Also, the actor Yamapi (who plays Akira) was simply brilliant throughout. During the last few episodes, the character of Akira stopped growing and became a victim of bad writing and inconsistency, hence reducing his charm. But it had nothing to do with the acting. Still, I cared more about him than other characters on the show.

And I was so impressed by Erika Toda. She's stunning and acts really well. I can't wait to watch her in Liar Game! I was so happy to find out she is the lead star of that show! I was worried during this show's progress that she would turn out to be the antagonist and thankfully that didn't happen, so I was happy in that aspect. She played a sweet girl and came off as very likable. Shuji was an idiot for not falling for her.

And I have to mention the character of the vice principle. Her character was pure genius. All the best scenes and dialogues went in her basket. She is the perfect kind of teacher that students can have. I would love to meet such a person in real life. It really was one of the best characters of the show with the best characterization, hands down.

Apart from all this, the sub plots were all excellent. Most of all this show portrays friendship very beautifully. Also subjects like teen depression, bullying and peer pressure are raised splendidly. Most of all, they provide with lessons to be learnt in the end. And the fact that life has to move on in spite of everything, and one should treasure the best memories of youth seem to be the core messages of the show. And of course, it tells us to live life fully and appreciate the life we have and the people we have around us.

The writing deteriorated in the last two episodes but it didn't go beyond a certain level of unreasonable. Plus, nobody overacted in this drama so I am thankful for that. It gets dragged a but but it is well within the limit of bearable. And for the rewatch value- it was enjoyable the first time so I am sure it can be watched again (even if I won't).

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