I've never laughed harder. Enough of the gags have an alien's "Why?" about aspects of Japanese life. The reality of dorama shooting schedules...ANSHIN shite KUDASAI 7x. The Kaku/Kubota showdown is instant classic. In fact Kubota is the most spectacular villain in a Fukuda yet.
As a superfan of Mr Nietzsche, seeing Mamiya/Sato interact just kept me fed. Sato brings out the best in Mamiya as he's more expressive than in other works. This could be an entry in Tales of the Bizarre hosted by Tamori, ie. keep your expectations low in terms of adaptation.
2 people's extramarital affair impacts their own marriages and children. They don't impact the general public. If they commit murder, rape, financial fraud etc., those are public hazards. Actors play scripted roles, they're not "role models of morality" unless they were packaged as such branding by their agencies/management as a moral authority to sell misc. products or cultural campaigns (in which case their roles as influencers should be scrutinized, because monied interests like to propagandize the public for their own gains/power.)
Wow, I didn't know that Japan ever had (and still maintained, probably) the lowest caste in their society. I mean,…
The novel was first adapted in 1962 by Kon Ichikawa. Japan had a very vibrant documentary scene, where most of the marginalized people and subjects can be found.
In EPS 5, how did Tsugumi/Rena have Nao's phone number in Tokyo in her notebook of favorite things? Was she already given the home number of Nao's mom in Tokyo, while they were still in Hokkaido?
Had to drop it halfway. I don't like the story. This drama seems to "push" the idea of "false memories"…
Do you remember the book title and author? It would be an uncommon point of view, since for decades the McMartin Preschool trials were considered (by "cultural writers") ~false memories borne out of hysteria and fearmongering about LGBT that a school became scapegoat. "Save the children" was often seen as a sanctimonious cover to persecute sexual minorities, according to pundits.
The final shot of Beat Takeshi cutting down the cherry tree was enigmatic.
Imagine if a yakuza group dissolved because almost everyone was fighting dirty, over one hot piece of ass among them. And the leader is disgusted at a specific idea of the country as held together by his mancrazy men.
When have workplace affairs ever turned out well, especially when mixed with office politics? Better yet, Oshima was playing the devil's advocate that what if it all brought down bloodthirsty men as a group -- whose state-sanctioned violence he really abhorred (same as his queering of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence)?