I really hated how the only LGBT character in this drama was painted in a very stereotypical light and was also…
I also hated all the victim-blaming. Fujimura’s abuse wasn’t reported to spare Naoko’s reputation but she was never blamed for the abuse occurring. Mayu, despite being 14 when her incestuous relationship with her father began, was framed as a willing participant by a jealous Haruma. Of course you can’t just stop having “a sexual relationship” with your abusive father whenever you please? It’s abuse and you have no say in it!?
Hamura romanticizes the affair with Mayu in a very Humbert Humbert-esque way without ever truly considering the repercussions it will have on her. He was infatuated and (at the end) blinded but never truly in love with her. He was extremely unhappy in his relationship with his peers, superiors, lover(s) and family but so are many others who don’t end up causing anybody harm. Personal hardships are never an excuse for taking advantage of someone. Hamura had so many chances to stop. Shinjou pointed out to him every single one of them but Hamura just kept going.
The only precautions that Hamura took, he did to protect himself. It was odd for him to keep leaving Mayu by herself and f-ing off to a business hotel, knowing how deranged her father was and that he knew his home address!?!
I also found Mayu’s father’s last actions to be out of character for him. Why would he get a sudden surge of altruism to help the man he spent the better part of a year trying to keep his daughter from to avoid going to prison? Even if he knew he was going to die from an illness anyway?? It doesn't make any sense for him to have done it for her sake because we saw how he acted in the previous episodes. It’s dramatic for the sake of being dramatic.
I rewatched this as an adult after watching it in my teen years and oh boy oh boy, do I have some problems with…
I really hated how the only LGBT character in this drama was painted in a very stereotypical light and was also burdened with being a mini-antagonist. I get that it was 1993 but I refuse to believe that common sense didn't exist in 1993. I think Saeki saying that men are all pigs and Mayu will inevitably become disappointed in them implies that Saeki has a trauma that made her hate all men and turn her affections towards women. I wish this were explored more in-depth but I also think it'd be pretty narrow-minded to suggest that a woman can only become a lesbian if she is traumatized by a man...
I rewatched this as an adult after watching it in my teen years and oh boy oh boy, do I have some problems with it XD But not in a "this is a horrible drama!11!!" way but more in a "why??" way. See comment thread for details bc spoilers
I was really disappointed with the way the storyline developed. All characters apart from Miho went back to where they started, no real character development took part. I was especially pissed at how they treated Chisho's character and had Kyoko go back to her codependent relationship with a married man.
And why did they have to play Kyoko's mental breakdown off like it was nothing, oh my god!!! All she did was get a prescription for sleep medicine and get hospitalized after she got gas poisoning... Her character needed an intervention, not someone to enable her.
They painted Miho's enabling behavior as her becoming more emotionally mature but she still couldn't set boundaries in a meaningful way by the time the show ended, she just learned how to repress her emotions better. Chisho ended up remaining a huge pushover as well... They both deserved better.
But hey, at least Miho and Shintani didn't end up together! I liked how the main characters didn't end up getting paired with each other.
Side note, I loved the shop owner and Chiyako together.
Another side note, I liked the character development of Miho's dad.
Wish they could have pared down the melodrama in general but I genuinely enjoyed the show despite that.
I tried watching the anime but just couldn't, you can tell it's soooo catered towards men since there's so many…
I was that into Sorimachi that I just hated the remake and dropped it 2 eps in when it came out but seeing that they went more into depth with the characters' stories in that version, I might just as well give it a more ... open-minded try. Sorimachi as Onizuka left pretty big shoes to fill for Akira, so we'll see how he did.
I tried watching the anime but just couldn't, you can tell it's soooo catered towards men since there's so many…
I get why all the fan service put you off. The anime is much more over the top in general, so that's why I enjoyed the drama & movie more as well. I was going off about how they made Fuyutski a conceited b-word in the drama to create more conflict. The first 3-4 eps are where she's at her worst; after that, the screenwriters seem to start humanizing her. The drama had its' fair share of misogyny and seems to objectify women a lot :( But I mean, 1998 was before that was recognized as a problem, so yeah. Still at the top of my best drama list cause of the cast and general quality.
なんじゃそりゃ！ So you're telling me Natsuki left her perfect match for someone she had to force herself to be around? I think her and Souichiro could have ended up apart without Kuga's involvement. I think they should have ended up together because they had great chemistry and compatibility. But hey, sometimes too much of the same thing isn't a good thing. Maybe they were too alike to work out. Still... this show's an 8 to me cause of the ending.
Another thing that bugged me is how they never gave Haruko a personality outside of failing at storywriting contests and being forever alone. They could have made much more out of her character than an overprotective neesan.
Also idk if Sorimachi has been typecast or what but he always seems to do roles that don't showcase his full acting potential. I say that with great respect to him. Maybe I haven't seen enough of his work and that's why I think that way. Anyway... I never get tired of hearing him go 'Eh?' lol
I legitimately laughed my *** off in the earlier episodes.
Apart from Nazuna, Kuga and Shiroyama, I liked the entire cast. (I don't think Shiroyama was supposed to be likeable anyway.) The cast is what saved me from dropping the show after ep 2.
Hamura romanticizes the affair with Mayu in a very Humbert Humbert-esque way without ever truly considering the repercussions it will have on her. He was infatuated and (at the end) blinded but never truly in love with her. He was extremely unhappy in his relationship with his peers, superiors, lover(s) and family but so are many others who don’t end up causing anybody harm. Personal hardships are never an excuse for taking advantage of someone. Hamura had so many chances to stop. Shinjou pointed out to him every single one of them but Hamura just kept going.
The only precautions that Hamura took, he did to protect himself. It was odd for him to keep leaving Mayu by herself and f-ing off to a business hotel, knowing how deranged her father was and that he knew his home address!?!
I also found Mayu’s father’s last actions to be out of character for him. Why would he get a sudden surge of altruism to help the man he spent the better part of a year trying to keep his daughter from to avoid going to prison? Even if he knew he was going to die from an illness anyway?? It doesn't make any sense for him to have done it for her sake because we saw how he acted in the previous episodes. It’s dramatic for the sake of being dramatic.
And why did they have to play Kyoko's mental breakdown off like it was nothing, oh my god!!! All she did was get a prescription for sleep medicine and get hospitalized after she got gas poisoning... Her character needed an intervention, not someone to enable her.
They painted Miho's enabling behavior as her becoming more emotionally mature but she still couldn't set boundaries in a meaningful way by the time the show ended, she just learned how to repress her emotions better. Chisho ended up remaining a huge pushover as well... They both deserved better.
But hey, at least Miho and Shintani didn't end up together! I liked how the main characters didn't end up getting paired with each other.
Side note, I loved the shop owner and Chiyako together.
Another side note, I liked the character development of Miho's dad.
Wish they could have pared down the melodrama in general but I genuinely enjoyed the show despite that.
Another thing that bugged me is how they never gave Haruko a personality outside of failing at storywriting contests and being forever alone. They could have made much more out of her character than an overprotective neesan.
Also idk if Sorimachi has been typecast or what but he always seems to do roles that don't showcase his full acting potential. I say that with great respect to him. Maybe I haven't seen enough of his work and that's why I think that way. Anyway... I never get tired of hearing him go 'Eh?' lol
I legitimately laughed my *** off in the earlier episodes.
Apart from Nazuna, Kuga and Shiroyama, I liked the entire cast. (I don't think Shiroyama was supposed to be likeable anyway.) The cast is what saved me from dropping the show after ep 2.