Olive_Fontaine

I didn't really start getting into it until Episode 2, but it really picked up from there. It was a pretty great series. Additional plot elements are introduced along the way that seem minor at first but they end up being much more interesting than the story you would initially expect. There is a certain level of subtlety in the writing that I appreciate. Issues aren't overly belabored, you can understand why characters choose to conceal certain things, and the story doesn't shy away from some pretty shocking turns. It's tragic but well done. I think the main cast all give strong performances, too. I have mixed feeling about Kimura Takuya in this era, but he really worked in this show. Fukatsu Eri absolutely stole the show. She has great charisma on screeen - almost from the first moment we meet her she is magnetic. She really delivers in this role. Akashiya Sanma has certain quirks about his acting, but he fits as Kanzo. He's maybe a bit too raspy and quiet at times here, but no one else could better play such a shameless yet likable character. The silliness covers up some heavy trauma this time. He ends up sort of being the moral core of the story. He is both wounded by and responsible for most of the bad things that happen in the story.

I thought the ending scene with the Ryu Sakamoto song was legendary. It gives you just enough time to mourn about everything that happened, and its crushing. You can't help but wonder the whole time if Kanzo is really going to survive this affair, and we don't get a definitive answer.

This was a fun and exciting series. The dialogue is surprisingly advanced at times, and the show was full of vivid shots, sometimes beautiful ones. Most of the main cast put in good performances too, apart from Jin. Miki is spookily cold and Keiko is such a fighter. It was worth a watch for me just because of the different genre. It's like a shounen but as a girl's drama.

The opening minutes of this left me more confused than any other piece of media I think. I wanted to love it but the performance of Joey Wong is so far out there that it's hard to watch.

I really disliked Shima, and I was even a bit bothered by how much they tried to redeem his character. It's sad to hear you didn't like Yoshimoto, though. He really grew on me. I've seen a few other shows with him and I liked him there as well. He's sorta typecast as a strong hot-headed kind of guy, but with a good heart. I think that holds up here.

For your questions.
a) Naoko is depicted as being a bit crass and overly straightforward about those things. It's a character moment for her to not care that her father overhears her. She would say it just to try and shock him. They make a point to show the father being embarrassed about some of the things she says. And Tsukasa is unrelated to him and living under her own power in the city, she doesn't have a reason to be bashful. I liked the way that they balanced the father being nosy about the girl's lives, while also trying to let them figure it out themselves, without interfering too much.

b) I thought the creepy elevator guy was a good idea actually. It added a touch of the bizarreness that comes from working such an exposed, front-facing position. It very much felt like the kind of thing that might happen to a pretty young girl in that environment for enough time. I do think the show would have benefitted from another scene to convert those scenes into meaning, but for me it was enough to connect the dots myself.

This is a real gem. I feel that it's a show that's largely about longing and reminiscing. The sophisticated and emotional soundtrack fits that mood perfectly The narrative is hard-hitting, dealing with adult themes and being full of confrontations where true feelings come to light. I felt that the story evolved in a natural, yet surprising way that left me wanting more. The main romance is truly warming and special. You really want things to work out for them, and their worries become your own. Tsukasa (Rie Miyazawa) is very beautiful here.