How to lose friends and not influence people
The Kirin is a mythical beast that emerges in times of peace. A symbol of peace then. All Might, but even more mythical.Peace is good. Therefore, summoning the Kirin must be too. But something is never given for nothing. Don't matter if you’re a Naruto or Full Metal Alchemist guy. The Japanese have taught you. Best of all, it's real!
The price of peace is violence and blood. All of them are consequences of the exertion of power. That changes people, and rarely for good. Weighty stuff for a drama to tackle. Kirin ga Kuru tries. That made it enjoyable enough. I’m more hesitant to conclude that it succeeded.
Kirin ga Kuru is a historical drama set during the Warring States era of Japan. Dai Nippon, the Weebs say. Sengoku Jidai to demonstrate your Total War: Shogun chops. Its central characters are Akechi Jubei Mitsuhide and Oda Nobunaga. Brutus and Caesar. They tried to summon the Kirin and died, friendless, for their trouble.
The narrative unfolds in three kinds of scenes. Cabinet scenes where the principals scheme, plan and monologue about their dreams. Truly top-notch and visceral battle scenes. I've come to appreciate the importance of excellently choreographed small-unit combat scenes. Troy is the standard, but the scenes here are the best I've seen since The Last Day in Changan. Finally, there are scenes that demonstrate the consequences of the cabinet scenes on the common folk—those fated to experience but rarely participate in history. I appreciated the touch. We commons rarely get shout-outs.
The battle scenes are its standout. Some of the monologues in the cabinet scenes could drag out, but I didn't mind much. I think the showrunners stuffed too many cameos from historical figures. Focusing on the machinations of the key players would have been preferable.
I also question the role of Doctor Toan, Koma and Kikimaru. They seem to act as the avatars of the audience and the common people. Yes, their presence often helps with plot exposition, but their role as main characters is awkward. I disagree with the director's choice to compress the narrative arc of multiple side characters into those three. Frankly, we spend too much time with characters who are unimportant in the story’s grand scheme.
I cannot fault professionals for their competence. Excellent acting is the baseline for any broadcast show, much like you expect basic spelling competence from me. That said, there are always levels to any craft. Sometani Shota as Oda and Sasaki Kiranosuke as Hideyoshi are particular standouts, immediately elevating all their scenes. The bad guys were cooler!
Kirin ga Kuru's is an artistic moving picture. Its cinematography is screensaver tier, and the musical team from John Graham down brings their orchestral and acoustic A-game! Haven't heard a soundtrack that good since Novoland: Pearl Eclipse.
Kirin ga Kuru doesn't drop the ball like Novoland did. But it, ultimately, isn't spectacular either. It's just there. It's The CW, not HBO, if you catch my drift. Interesting in patches but not something you'll be beating down doors to recommend.
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Man can’t cry; Zen me Shuo?
The jack of all trades masters none!*Married* is a story that has been told multiple times. The overall framework is basically going to bed with an angel and waking up to find the devil next to you. *The Perfect Husband in the Mirror *is an interesting spin on that beaten-to-death subject. The antagonist of that show extracted his good qualities into a clone that could handle dreary husband duties while he lived it up as a playboy. His wife got suspicious, and the clone got clingy, so shenanigans ensued. That show was far from perfect too. It goes to show there are only so many ways to keep the story of Chen Shimei fresh. Time to move on, folks!
*Married* has elements of a refreshing perspective, but it shies away from that path for reasons I’m uncertain about. It could be the showrunners’ rigidity or societal expectations. Regardless, this is an uneven show uncertain whether it wants to be a soap opera or provide social commentary.
A soap opera would have made the antagonists — husband Hu Cheng (Feng Shao Feng) and his mistress Tian Qiu Zi (Cai Nai) unsympathetic. This show does not. In fact, they’re the show’s best couple. If this were a harem drama (*RIP GOAT genre*), Ning Yue (Cai Wen Jing) would be the conniving empress trying to keep true love apart. In this, her devious actions and the hypocrisy of Hu Cheng’s other antagonists are manipulatively portrayed as positive. 怎么哭?
Social commentary would have stuck to its guns — some marriages don’t work out. And it’s best to pull the plug early and lance the sore before either side does permanent damage.
This is an average production by committee. It lacks the vision thing. I likely won’t remember it tomorrow! That said, it isn’t without its positives. First on the list — at least in my books — is a star-making turn for Cai Nai. She was the most memorable part of the show. Her hilarious Douyin might make me a fan. *Give Bricsters a tunnel past the firewall, Bytedance, you cowards!*
Ahem.
The second is a stellar soundtrack. In my headcanon, *Married* is the mediocre music video accompanying superb songs. 怎么笑!
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