Just a premise here: I don’t even like sports stuff - even though I am super into dancing, so rhythmic gymnastic has a certain appeal to me - yet I still loved this dorama. I just loved the story and the characters too much.
Yes, certain things could have been developed better - I am looking at you, Mizusawa, Satoshi, Ryosuke... ok, let’s face it, any character but Wataru. I get that maybe they didn’t have the time to do that, still, you spend a whole episode on a certain character and their secret a/o backstory, and make a big deal out of it, and the next day is basically like NOTHING happened and it never gets mentioned again. It's a bit weird.
Anyway, while the plot feels rushed here and there, I still loved this series for the messages it conveyed. I love how the show it's about second chances. Wataru, Ryosuke, Nippori and Kiyama are "bad boys", each with a very interesting past that makes us understand why they are the way they are. On the other side, Yuta, Mizusawa, Kaneko, Hino and Satoshi are "normal guys" with dreams, disappointments and problems of their own. I love that we get to see inside their brain, pick their lives apart, while uncovering their feelings and motivations little by little. I feel like you can't help but love them all, in the end.
In my opinion, then, even with its rushed plot and its flaws, Tumbling is so good, so genuine: a great series about friendship and hard work that I would recommend to everyone, so grab the episodes and at least ten boxes of tissues and be ready to cry and laugh and let your heart be stolen by this show. You’ll thank me later.
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I though that an artistic gymnastics is for girl and boys prefer sports gymnastics... I was wrong! All scenes on mats are great! Maybe, I will be a fan of these sport soon...
Though... These pink team's costumes are terrific. It's still a strange view for me.
I don't know how they did it, but I was touched in every episode and what is more... there is beautiful OST...
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The story is amazing and touching.
The music is cryable (every dang time that theme tune comes on I wail like whale!).
The interactive between both characters and the actual actors themselves is so amazing and their friendship both on and off screen can be see and is so tight knit!
The tumbling is amazeballs of course!
You just can't not watch this drama and not feel like crying from sadness or from utter joy!
As you can tell; this is the dorama I cry at every 10 minutes!!
It is truelly an amazing and touching story <3
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Story : The story of bonding and working to achieve something together is not new. Many series have it, it's just the sport that differs.
Tumbling is a wonderful sport, I was always a fan of it. Also watching good looking boys do it it's more than entertaining. A bonus to the story is the background of the characters, most of them have problems that they must learn to overcome. My favorite characters are Ryosuke and Ryuichiro but Hino and Mizusawa are really interesting.
Acting/cast : Aside Yamamoto Yusuke who's character I found a little too much to bear(similar to Tamaki from OHSHC), I liked everyone.
Music : It didn't make me frantically look for the OST and I can't really remember one song from it but it was good.
Rewatch : Maybe I'll see it again but it won't be the same as the surprise factor is gone.
Conclusion : Not a bad series, not best either but the sport and the boys are wonderful.
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The acting in this drama is very good I think they made great choices on their casting and it really payed off.
Do watch this drama you won't regret it and will find it is a lovely story of an underdog group of young men trying to achieve their goals, finding passion for something and bonding through sports.
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I JUST LOVE ALL OF THEM SO MUCH
If I could rate this as an 11/10, I would.Don’t be deceived by how gay the poster looks, please. You really need to give it a shot and surely you’re not going to regret watching this.
The character development of each of them is amazing. I know this doesn’t really have that unique concept in terms of storyline but hell they’re all such great actors, that you could get past the negativities of this show (not that there are any, really)
Every episode, every scene, every conflict and every victory was something to look forward to. I literally cried almost every episode, not because it’s a sad story but because it gives me all the feels especially how they face every struggle together and just being there for each other. What a strong bond they have! Their passion, determination, and reslience is absolutely amazing!
Hands down to all of the actors. So glad I found this show.
ARIGATO!!
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To cut to the chase, this drama was an absolute delight to watch.
I went into this expecting a pretty typical light hearted dramedy about tumbling. It had a common setup; a rundown sports club with too few members, new talented rookie comes in and joins for whatever reason, they slowly build up from a rag tag team to underdog champs, etc. But in the end despite those (somewhat low) expectations, what I got was an impressively well written story about friendship.
Although unique, the tumbling part is not what makes this show stand out, it's the characters. I was not prepared for such a genuine exploration of human emotion. I picked up this drama for the gymnastics but I finished it for the characters; with each episode, we get a deeper look into each one, fleshing them out as a human being-- what makes them unique, what hardships they're going through. And each of them were relatable in their own way. I was kind of shocked with how in touch with reality this show was and how many times it hit close to home. I very rarely become emotionally moved by shows/movies but despite myself I found myself tearing up on several occasions for various reasons.
This drama may not be groundbreaking. It may not have an overly unique premise. It may not be high budget and intense. And it may not make your heart race. I definitely don't see it being particularly popular among the masses. But damn if it doesn't have a simple charm that sneaks up on you and does something to your heart. And despite my use of the word "typical", much of the content material is far from it. The writers did not shy away from incorporating controversial and weighty topics, some of which certainly reverberated with me on a personal level. I can tell that the writers really wanted to tell a story that accurately captures some of the things people go through in life. And perhaps I'm biased since I can relate to many things here personally (like being a gymnast for one thing), but I think anyone can appreciate the sincerity of the characters.
Shows centered around sports can be pretty tricky. For more typical contact sports like soccer, basketball, or even martial arts, it can be a bit easier. But for something like gymnastics, it gets dicey. The reason being the actors. These guys have to convincingly come off as skilled athletes in a sport that they likely have zero experience in. All that considered, the actors in this show are amazing for having learned such an extensive set of difficult skills. I know from personal experience how hard they must have all trained; all to bring an extra sense of realism to their characters. That dedication is worthy of respect.
Ultimately, I don't know if I would place this drama in a list of 'best shows ever' but it will definitely stick with me. It made me feel things, made me remember things from my own past, and even made me interested in a new sport. Those sorts of things are impactful. I think I'll always have a special place in my heart for this drama.
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There are a lot of: tears, clenched fists, yells, listening while hidden, fights, overreact. Most of the tears are lame, and in group. The only guy that moved me with his tears was Mizusawa, the gay guy (poor actor, is he fated to play gay roles all his life? First Takumi series, now this...) I liked his story, how he was rejected and how the guys reacted. Not because it was good, but because it was the most real scene I saw in the whole dorama. The guys in the team were scared to be labeled as gays as well, and were a little bit cold towards him. Of course everything ends well, with them accepting Mizusawa and blah, blah, and again, with a predictable scene where all of them are crying and asking Mizusawa to please not quit the team.
The listening behind doors are mostly done by the teachers, more specially the one played by Kuninaka Ryoko. I thought Akira's role was going to be good, but alas, he ended up being the cliched good teacher who touches his student's hearts (why? he didn't spend that much time with them, he wasn't prepared to be their coach. But all of them accepted and liked him enough to shed tears only because he "worked hard" by researching for their performance). It was silly, and he looked even more silly because he looked like Dave Grohl in "Learn to Fly" or any one of his videos where he plays dumb characters.
Overreacts... gawd, these guys liked to throw punches and kicks just because. It was so stupid. Like for example, one of them is walking down the streets, there is a group of yankees, one of them bumps his shoulder and the result? A fight. Most of the chapters ended with some of them with bruises/blood in their faces (the ending involves with ALL of them with bruises).
Yamamoto Yusuke surprised me with this role... in a bad way. He spends most of the time shouting. Most of the time glaring. But so what, he is always the good guy who helps and supports his friends **eye-roll** The villains were so cartoonish, with their "evil" smile and of course, they all redeemed themselves at the end.
Kaku Kento and Sato Jiro... the only two characters who were the comedic relief, so of course that involved A LOT of overacting. Minna, this wasn't an anime. This wasn't a comedy dorama. They looked stupid instead of funny.
Tomiura Satoshi, who played the cute character... yes, he is cute and I wanted to pinch his cheeks a couple of times, but gawd, his voice! Does he really talk like that, like he is 5 years-old? he was like 19 in that time, he couldn't have NOT broken his voice yet.
Seto Koji... I don't have any complains, he (along with Daito Shunsuke) were probably the best. Although he did cry too much for my liking. Gawd, did they have to cry so much??
I am sure that Daito and Kaku Kento were picked for their talent in acting only, since they barely did any tumbling. In general, the tumbling was super amateurish. But overall, since the actors did them all by themselves, it was, if not impressive, at least remarkable.
11 episodes felt too long... I fast-forwarded the last 2 episodes. This wasn't for me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Diamond in the Rough
I added this to my to watch list b/c I recently watched Ouran High School Host Club and fell head over hills for Yusuke Yamamoto. He is even more attractive in this even when all of his screaming and yelling got on my nerves. I genuinely liked this series and cried my eyes out most episodes even when shits got super annoying like Akabane. Totally loved the cast of cute boys. I know that's shallow but that how I pick and watch shows. Now I have a new crush, Miura Shohei. This was a nice, easy sports drama to watch and enjoy.I really loved the relationship between Wataru and Kaachan. This was the best parent/child relationship I have seen in an Asian drama since I started watching. The only thing that annoyed me was the lie she told him about his father. It's something I hate no matter what genre I'm watching or reading. Loved the guys getting to know each other and getting past preconceived notions.
Overall enjoyable series. I would not watch again b/c like I've said before that's not my ja. I really enjoyed the theme song but cannot get on Spotify - so sad!!
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