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and yes, that's him in my icon. Isn't he pretty? He can act well, too.
I'm really going to need to see this: a live action version of Tezuka's MW, starring my adored, the talented and charismatic Hiroshi Tamaki (aka, the swoonworthy Chiaki from the live-action Nodame Cantabile. Hiroshi charmed equally with sex appeal and by his willingness to make the most ridiculous and undignified faces known to man when his character goofed around with the titular Nodame, played by the equally charming Ueno Juri). I think it very likely that Hiroshi will be just as deliciously watchable as a charming, murderous sociopath as he was as a grumpy conducting student haunted by an uncouth piano student. And he'll be wearing sexy glasses and a nice suit! It's Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow all over again, folks--I'm a lost cause.
Which reminds me, one of these days, I need to get my hands on the Nodame Cantabile live action DVDs, preferably with English subtitles and in a format my DVD player can handle. That series was incomparably fun, and good enough to rewatch.
Which reminds me, one of these days, I need to get my hands on the Nodame Cantabile live action DVDs, preferably with English subtitles and in a format my DVD player can handle. That series was incomparably fun, and good enough to rewatch.
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I'm...morbidly interested.
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I have crushed madly on him for a couple of years now, so I was just excited to see his name pop up in conjunction with an adaptation that will definitely draw interest in certain crowds here in the States--the Vertical translated edition of MW made a big splash among the American comics literati. It's very likely I'll have a chance to see this movie, in some format or another.
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You know, I've never traditionally gone for the undignified schtick, but I enjoyed it so much with Nodame that I should try other things in that vein. The yakuza thing does sound entertaining.
TOKIO! A friend of mine in my library program--a Japanese American woman who's spent quite a lot of time in Japan--is an unrepentant fangirl of TOKIO. Many's the cataloging assignment study session we worked on together that was punctuated by her giggling over something crazy her favorite--Tatsu, I think?--said on his radio show. I barely know what TOKIO is, but it all entertained me immensely.
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The way I see it, now I can read Japanese I'd rather not look at the English translations, since something will almost inevitably be frustrating. It's a shame when a series you love gets altered beyond limits you consider acceptable, but that doesn't mean those alterations have ruined it, or removed any potential enjoyment for the people who are reading it. I won't be checking out the translation of 20th Century Boys, for example, but I'll assume when I talk to people who have become fans through the English language version that their enthusiasm exists on a level unaffected by the translation, in the characters' actions and story rather than a particular voice of a character. It's that old complaint about characters in live action adaptations not looking the same as the novel characters in your head.
The yakuza thing is thoroughly entertaining! It has some touching moments, when Makio has to struggle to stay polite while people are laughing at him for being unable to answer questions in class or trying to start fights with him, and later on in the series when he starts realising that he's actually benefiting from high school and starts to question his life so far and his priorities from now, but mostly it's an out-and-out comedy, and I love it for that. Like I said, if it's unapologetic goofiness you're after then My Boss, My Hero is a great example.
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(I don't mean to say I have no interest in the original material, or the nature of changes made, by the way, or to say that there's something wrong with people caring about how good the translation is--I just object to the puritanical proselytizing that's so common in the US manga fandom, and the negative influence they've had on the industry. I don't think it's healthy.)
If I had good Japanese language reading/speaking skills, I might also eschew the translations, because I'd be in a position to opt for a different relationship with Japanese cultural products, and it can be hard to adjust yourself to compromises and mistakes in translation, both major and minor. I might not, though--I find the process of adaptation absolutely fascinating, and a translation is, by necessity, a process of adaptation, so it might interest me more than it would irritate me.
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You like Tezuka! You must see my friend Ada's website if by some chance you aren't already familiar with it.
/drive-by librarian
Okay, actually I'm still a library student, but "drive-by librarian" sounds cooler.
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Assuming library school doesn't drive me (any more) insane, I'll be at Anime Boston this year.
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"You're exceedingly polite,
and I think it only right
to return the compliment."
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I also suspect My Boss, My Hero might actually be a bit too slapsticky for you now I've seen how far Nodame Cantabile goes in the goofy stakes, but it's still a series I like so watch a few episodes when you have nothing else to do and see how you like it. : )
Totally fell in love with Chiaki/Nodame, which I was NOT expecting! It took a little while; they did such a good job painting her as off-putting, all the way through the drama, plus I was put off by the fact that she seemed to be going down a path that wasn't enjoyable at all for her, all for Chiaki's sake. Then the series started to show some of her subtler good points, and she learned that study could make playing more fun while Chiaki learned that having fun with the music could make his study more meaningful. That they both somehow seemed to find a middle level where they understood each other but kept challenging each other, equals but still on really, REALLY different planes - I wasn't expecting that.
But what really made the relationship work for me was Nodame pushing Chiaki away when he came back from his tour for a day. The moment he realised he not only wanted her around but actually had to work for it (I loved that scene in the taxi in Fukuoka where he's frustrated that Nodame didn't realise how much courage it took for him to ask her to study abroad with him, and reflects on the fact that he'd been so sure she'd say yes if he just asked), I started to really believe that they could have a relationship, and by the end I was a complete supporter. (I kind of wish I was Nodame though, despite the dodgy personal hygiene and occasional social skills issues...)
I also want to name my first-born child Chiaki. I'm actually serious about this, I really wanted to incorporate the aki kanji into one of my kids' names without resorting to Akiko, a really common name now, but didn't want to create a brand new weird foreigner version of a Japanese name, and needed something that wouldn't be mispronounced too badly in English. Chiaki is perfect!
Just one more reason to love the drama. Thank you for the rec! I think I'm checking out Honey and Clover next, I'm sure you recommended that to me a million years ago.
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I'd rant about all the things I love about Nodame Cantabile, and My Thoughts on Chiaki and Nodame, but you've pretty much hit them all. Oh, they are such fun, ridiculous people, both of them, gradually becoming parts of each others lives in ways that are not just amusing, but important, vital, positive. I swear to you, I never expected this thing to make my heart thump--I was always in it for the humor, and the fact that the romance became sincere and appealing took me by surprise. Which, I think, made it better.
For me, the surprise side benefit of Nodame Cantabile was falling in love with classical music again. I grew up listening to it, but I'd sort of stopped, until I watched the drama--it helped me to appreciate the music on an adult level, and is the reason I developed a serious love for Russian Romantic composers. My parents have a cat named Rachmaninoff because of this drama, although they don't know that that's why.
There's a sequel drama for the part where they're in Europe, but I haven't seen it--even if I could download it, my shitty computer can't handle files like that smoothly. Someday, arrgh...
I hope you like Honey and Clover! (I recommend either the manga or the anime, both of which have the same plot, and are very good. The movie was only okay, and I've heard very mixed things about the live action series; in either case, both change stuff around a lot.) I love it a lot, but there's also things about it that annoy the hell out of me--they only seem to bother me, though; other people do not seem to share my peeves. It's humor with a lot more wistfulness and melancholy and soap than Nodame Cantabile. But it's got some of the same cracky "artists and students are crazy" dynamic going on, and I really like that.