Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:10 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
becky_49 wrote:
First Kiss is only my second jdrama to date so I can't say for certain if it's up to 'standards'. In my opinion though, I didn't find it a boring series. True the script was a bit weak, but I think the acting made up for it. I think the problem with a lot of jdramas is that they air only once a week, so it's easier for people to forget the storyline and generally lose interest in it altogether. Since there were no major cliffhangers or new story development, I think if it aired 5 days a week it might have done better.
Well still, I found myself quite enjoying the drama. I think the cast did a great job in their roles. Especially loved the chemistry between Onii-chan and Mio. Not to mention Yuki sensei!! I think I might experience some Yuki sensei withdrawal symptoms soon!
Speaking of which, how did everyone find the last episode?
Hidden:
The scene at the airport was awesome! I was thinking how horrible it would be if there was no great 'kiss' scene, especially since the drama is called First Kiss! Totally didn't disappoint, it was kawaii!
I think it's safe to assume that everybody's favourite part of this drama was the acting from all the actors? I agree though because without the acting, I probably would not have continued this drama.
Gosh, I can't believe this drama actually did worse than Sapuri, which was pretty bad already. Yikes. Think we can blame on the lack of promotion?
Hidden:
I really liked the kiss scene too! I love how hesitant they were at first. AHAHA. I wonder how many takes it took to perfect it.
I'm also REALLY GLAD that Yuta finally gets the girl. Ahahaha.
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:51 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
yamapinku-rabu wrote:
episode 8
Hidden:
i just can't help but be blown away by mao's acting here!
yuuta and she are such a sweet couple!
mio thinking of the perfect date is just so cute! and imagining those things with yuuta
kawaii~~~
but yeah, hard times are ahead.
oniichan wants yuuki and mio to stop seeing each other.
i love how yuuki doesn't crack under pressure he still wants to be with mio.... awww...
mio buying firecrackers? she and haruna have become close friends ne!
oniichan has decided to tell mio to stop seeing yuuki! coz he'll be kicked out of the hospital...
mio senses something is wrong when they go outside. oniichan taking her pictures!
why would oniichan do that? mio was so happy and then she falls flat on her face...
she knows what she's doing and she just wants to love someone with all her heart!
before everything's too late!! waaaaaaah!!!
it would affect her surgery... her being so sad and alone again...
(sorry i got affected LOL)
i got blown away also at the part she's talking to masaru, ichiru and oniichan at the house.
she was trying so hard not to cry....
she's already loving living with them!
she tells yuuki sensei! waaaaaaaahhh!
and saying those harsh words!
but she really likes him..
and oniichan giving up paris! his chance to finally realize his dream!
but luckily banba-san has found his pictures!
and they're of mio... crying... it's the most real feeling ne...
and yuuki sensei won't resign but he also won't leave mio! waaahhh (he's gotten so hoti! )
but i didn't understand the whole preview. only oniichan fainting... waaaaaaaahh!
i hope it's a good ending
i'm okay now
i swear... mao should win best actress for this...
Quote:
can anyone share their picture together???dont they do any promotion???
thanks for the pics...at least they have mags pic together eventhough only two^^i hope they will act together in other drama...i totally adore this couple...they just so cute together
also can someone post the screencaps for the last ep especially the kissing scene between Yuuki and Mio...i havent watch last ep
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:40 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0
Quote:
Think we can blame on the lack of promotion?
I have a bad feeling that FK was probably a troubled production a la Tokyo Wankei. Can't really make this sound nice -- for the expectations of a G9 drama, even considering that the summer season has been really poor, the show is a huge bomb. The show finale drew the 2nd lowest ratings of its run, and the 2nd half of the show's run only passed a 14 rating once. Meaning, the audience tuned out the show.
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:27 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
omg! it did worse? *dead*
but mao and the casts were brilliant.
sigh... it's really too bad for them...
but i still like it
i don't know what happened to inoue yumiko-san
haven't watched the finale just yet.
and i agree with the promotions... it's as if they didn't treat it like a getsu9 drama...
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:54 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
The biggest problem with First Kiss is the writing. There is lots going on, but nothing important enough to be the center. There is the brother sister thing, the patient doctor love, the brother doctor relations, the tenants, the brother's lover, the brother's career. These were all themes fighting for attention.
In every successful drama, the key premise was established in the first ep and each ep, the main character does something towards that goal. For example, Iryu was successful because it built everything around the batista. Prodai around the proposal, etc. But in FK, the main char is Mao, but it's her brother doing all the work. It's never that clear what Mao was after, partially because Mao was not that clear herself. But, if so, it was a poor choice to make her the main character (Mio character, no the actress). If the character is unclear, then the audience is unclear and bored.
There was a decent amount of material to cover in 11 eps. However, they should have picked one main theme that the main character should have done. My choice would have been Mio and her forbidden relationship with the doctor. Her relationship with her brother should have served as character building exercises in her relationship. The first ep should have focused on the relationship buildup and the conflict. mao's interloping in her brother's career would have served for second to fifth eps. First doctor patient crisis should happen and resolve in six to seven. A rival should be introduced in four to five but only mature in conflict in eight to nine. Drawing up to her final operation and resolution in ten eleven.
This is more of a formulaic pacing, but this is the formula because it is a natural dramatic flow and presents a clear story to the audience. By mixing all the elements without focus, it led to a weak story structure and boring drama despite the powerful cast
_________________ Jdrama Chinese fansub index2006 | 2007
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:27 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
auroragb wrote:
The biggest problem with First Kiss is the writing. There is lots going on, but nothing important enough to be the center. There is the brother sister thing, the patient doctor love, the brother doctor relations, the tenants, the brother's lover, the brother's career. These were all themes fighting for attention.
In every successful drama, the key premise was established in the first ep and each ep, the main character does something towards that goal. For example, Iryu was successful because it built everything around the batista. Prodai around the proposal, etc. But in FK, the main char is Mao, but it's her brother doing all the work. It's never that clear what Mao was after, partially because Mao was not that clear herself. But, if so, it was a poor choice to make her the main character (Mio character, no the actress). If the character is unclear, then the audience is unclear and bored.
There was a decent amount of material to cover in 11 eps. However, they should have picked one main theme that the main character should have done. My choice would have been Mio and her forbidden relationship with the doctor. Her relationship with her brother should have served as character building exercises in her relationship. The first ep should have focused on the relationship buildup and the conflict. mao's interloping in her brother's career would have served for second to fifth eps. First doctor patient crisis should happen and resolve in six to seven. A rival should be introduced in four to five but only mature in conflict in eight to nine. Drawing up to her final operation and resolution in ten eleven.
This is more of a formulaic pacing, but this is the formula because it is a natural dramatic flow and presents a clear story to the audience. By mixing all the elements without focus, it led to a weak story structure and boring drama despite the powerful cast
I totally agree with you. What makes this drama different from most others is that it presents a more realistic take on things - you can watch this and believe that the events are actually happening right now whereas usual dramas follow only one plot line tend to be a bit more fast paced with things happening bam bam bam and finally concluding with everything nicely wrapped up. (True that there are a few too many things happening at once but then real life is like that, ne?) IIt would be nice if the side characters were filled out a bit more but considering the length of jdramas, it just wouldn't be possible. But all in all, I think this show is quite refreshing, a good break from some of the more unbelievable ones out there (don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching Hana Kimi but some parts were just too over the top for me).
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:45 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
Billion wrote:
I totally agree with you. What makes this drama different from most others is that it presents a more realistic take on things - you can watch this and believe that the events are actually happening right now whereas usual dramas follow only one plot line tend to be a bit more fast paced with things happening bam bam bam and finally concluding with everything nicely wrapped up. (True that there are a few too many things happening at once but then real life is like that, ne?) IIt would be nice if the side characters were filled out a bit more but considering the length of jdramas, it just wouldn't be possible. But all in all, I think this show is quite refreshing, a good break from some of the more unbelievable ones out there (don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching Hana Kimi but some parts were just too over the top for me).
Actually, Hana Kimi also had poor writing, but for different reasons. Hana Kimi only performed to the expectation given the cast and source material. Also, it stuck with the formula, so it didn't turn people off
The only dorama that performed well this season was LIFE. It had no star power. It was a newish timeslot. But it outperformed LIAR GAME, which had big names. Tho I really dislike bully dramas, I have to respect it's accomplishments. It was a well done drama, hence it got a 17 rating nearly a 50% inc over the start.
edit: everyone probably knew, but I just found out that the theme song was done by the same artist that did Tokyo Love Story's theme. I knew it sounded like it but wasn't sure. It's definitely my fave theme of the season
_________________ Jdrama Chinese fansub index2006 | 2007
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:46 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0
Quote:
But it outperformed LIAR GAME, which had big names.
Yeah, but Liar Game was airing on Saturdays really late at night. Basically a slot for experimental shows and anime.
Quote:
Actually, Hana Kimi also had poor writing, but for different reasons. Hana Kimi only performed to the expectation given the cast and source material. Also, it stuck with the formula, so it didn't turn people off
I like Hana Kimi, but one basic problem with the show was that the director didn't know how to translate the manga idioms of the original material onto the screen. Bad, bad match of director and material -- it's as if he's never done slapstick comedy ever. Many of the jokes -- and there are too many slapstick sequences here -- just fall flat. It made me appreciate how bad Nodame Cantabile could have been, even with mostly the same cast, had they used a different director and writing crew.
The way First Kiss is directed, from its really smart tracking shots, patient editing and pacing, and how the director gives the actors a lot of environment space and much longer continuous takes . . . THAT is what Hana Kimi badly, badly needed in order for the principal three characters to really cohere. (Nobuta wo Produce really benefited from longer takes as well, which properly spaced out the wacky chaos from the intimate, more casual scenes.) It would have made the show both much funnier and more emotionally involving.
In fact, I actually think the First Kiss direction is better than its material. Having the director of Nodame Cantabile and Densha work with this cast should have been a homerun.
Quote:
What makes this drama different from most others is that it presents a more realistic take on things - you can watch this and believe that the events are actually happening right now whereas usual dramas follow only one plot line tend to be a bit more fast paced with things happening bam bam bam and finally concluding with everything nicely wrapped up. (
Honestly, even as a human drama, the writing on First Kiss just misses. I watch a lot of shorter dramas, especially the lesser known Korean dramas, and the one constant of a good human-interest drama is dialogue, many, many scenes of people talking about important and casual things that reveal character, that enables the actors to really act. And this is one of Inoue yumiko-san's strengths.
I think for me, what bothers me most is that the cast isn't being used correctly. Matsuyuki Yasuko is a great actress; Takenaka Naoto is a great comic actor. When they're giving material, they take your attention, the former (mostly known as a dramatic actress) showing her talent with subtle, comic timing while keeping her character serious and realistic; the latter with using broad, scene-stealing panache. Can't emphasize enough how underused Yasuko is here.
Ito Hideaki is solid here too, but he doesn't have some internal method actor style to contextualize his own conflicted attitudes toward family or his lifestyle. He needs words to say them. He needs something to contextualize this task for Mio, beyond wanting to be a good brother. Why does he want to be a good brother?
Above all, the way Yuuta is used here is just . . . argh!!! It's like I have to take back all I said about Mao and Yuuta having this great chemistry and Yuuta being a severely undderrated actor waiting for that big role. Even here, you can see the potential of a full performance here ; in his eyes for this role, he conveys mix of childlike sincerity and melancholy, like he too is seeking some sense of affirmation he's never gotten his whole life. BUT, then the writing doesn't really go anywhere with him and Yuuta's asked to mostly stand there, look melancholy, and be merely an an object of affection. I want to cry!
That all said, there's a lot of things I like about First Kiss. Inoue Mao does something approaching a star turn here and confirms that she may very well be the most talented under-23 actress working in J-drama TV today. The nuance and command of her line deliveries, the attention to detail and awareness in her body language, and above all, her ability to convey the psychology of her character to the audience. (You literally see Mio, not Mao, thinking about how to piss off her next victim and protect herself.) (And she's a gorgeous weeper, very underrated in this respect) Her best scenes so far have been with Yasuko -- it's very easy to see how the two actresses are in tune with each other, and of course Hideaki. Sweet without being cloying.
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0
I agree that concentrating the story around one central theme/plot could've helped. But there were other areas that would've sufficed to fix a multitude of sins.
The "forbidden" doctor/patient relationship annoyed me as it was presented, so concentrating on that for the whole drama would have been enough to make me turn off the show permanently unless the conflict got completely overhauled. Most of the complaints made by the hospital are ridiculous and off the target of real doctor/patient concerns. It's not like Akio could only have forgotten his cellphone on the front seat because he's dating a patient. Cripes, that could happen with any girl he might date! Doctors are not eunichs, so it really needed to be put in a more realistic context.
It's also not like any other girl he might choose to date couldn't have later become a patient at the hospital. For doctors the world is filled with prospective patients. Even doctors and nurses become patients in real life, so a short-term temporary patient who is visiting from another country getting involved with a secondary resident doctor in her case during her stay doesn't rank particularly high on the list of forbidden doctor/patient relationships, particularly when she doesn't have a major emergency under his care and we don't really get a sense of him being responsible for her treatment. Interfering with a personal relationship to put stress on a patient who is supposed to be avoiding stress before a major surgery was sheer stupidity on the part of the doctors/persons involved in the meddling. The whole forbidden love plot struck me as way too forced and off target with poorly developed character motivation.
The biggest problems in the series came from inconsistent and sloppy writing. Characters are constantly flipping flopping on their opinions just to draw out conflicts that never needed to be conflicts, and potential for real conflicts gets ignored completely. Issues like whether his feelings for Mio might cause Akio to second guess himself in her treatment or freeze up during an emergency would be far more natural concerns. Concerns about his reputation being affected could have been developed far more realistically and with actual substance. Better parallels to Tagaki sensei's experience and more questions about whether losing Mio might jade Akio as a doctor would've contributed to that plot much better. They could've developed Takagi's backstory beautifully to illustrate the potential heartbreak of the situation, and it would've benefitted both the main story and a very underdeveloped character. Her lover dying under her care would've made more sense for doctor/patient relationship problems than the suicide did. That's an outcome that nobody could realistically blame her for.
Instead they gave us surface dressing with an overly annoying "bad guy" and teamed it with the ridiculous idea that if Akio couldn't stay at this one particular hospital he was a failure. Guess, that makes Takagi a double failure for being sent away twice, but for some reason Mio still trusts her despite her lectures to Akio. Go figure. At least Mio becoming afraid of the surgery made sense in the drama, but most of the other "conflicts" for her relationship were too stupid for words.
All that aside, I loved the dynamics between many of the characters. I tend to really enjoy ensemble casts and stories that develop along multiple storylines. When not suffering from over the top vacillations, the brother sister dynamic was my favorite in the series. I like the approach of concentrating the story there, since it's a less common choice than the romance and letting all the developments fan out from those two showing how this summer reunion helped them to live their lives fully. The housemates were also fabulous and interesting to watch. Mio and Akio were cute together once the story finally started to let their relationship develop. (It really needed to start building from the first episode.) I thought the actors gave solid to great performances, but the material let them down.
I think for me a better choice of conflicts and tying the storylines together more closely would have really helped this drama to unfold better for the audience. The writing wasn't tight enough. Too many characters remained passive. Why didn't we get any rivalry between Haruna and Takagi? Could've butted heads it over both Akio/Mio and Kazu, which would help justify Haruna's character tremendously. How are we supposed to believe that Kazu helped Takagi come to terms with her past when he really didn't do anything, except backdown within a matter of minutes when confronted with a glibly handled backstory. The multiple storylines could have been restructured to work together to drive the story far more engagingly and convincingly. Better pacing would've led to less back and forth development in the characters and plot too.
Anyhow, despite all the complaints, I did enjoy this drama. It just wasn't as a result of the writing. The cast was fabulous.
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:49 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0
belleza wrote:
auroragb wrote:
But it outperformed LIAR GAME, which had big names.
Yeah, but Liar Game was airing on Saturdays really late at night. Basically a slot for experimental shows and anime.
Actually, this was why I brought up LIAR GAME, because LIFE took over the same timeslot
belleza wrote:
Quote:
Actually, Hana Kimi also had poor writing, but for different reasons. Hana Kimi only performed to the expectation given the cast and source material. Also, it stuck with the formula, so it didn't turn people off
I like Hana Kimi, but one basic problem with the show was that the director didn't know how to translate the manga idioms of the original material onto the screen. Bad, bad match of director and material -- it's as if he's never done slapstick comedy ever. Many of the jokes -- and there are too many slapstick sequences here -- just fall flat. It made me appreciate how bad Nodame Cantabile could have been, even with mostly the same cast, had they used a different director and writing crew.
The way First Kiss is directed, from its really smart tracking shots, patient editing and pacing, and how the director gives the actors a lot of environment space and much longer continuous takes . . . THAT is what Hana Kimi badly, badly needed in order for the principal three characters to really cohere. (Nobuta wo Produce really benefited from longer takes as well, which properly spaced out the wacky chaos from the intimate, more casual scenes.) It would have made the show both much funnier and more emotionally involving.
FK had virtually all the elements for the success, strong cast, decent director, classic theme song, but was missing a decent writer. Instead, we were left with unfulfilled potential. I don't have that high opinion of the director because I felt that he was weak at the comedy scenes, quite a few comedy scenes had poor pacing. I do feel that he was fine at the romance (for the reasons you mentioned).
belleza wrote:
Billion wrote:
What makes this drama different from most others is that it presents a more realistic take on things - you can watch this and believe that the events are actually happening right now whereas usual dramas follow only one plot line tend to be a bit more fast paced with things happening bam bam bam and finally concluding with everything nicely wrapped up. (
Honestly, even as a human drama, the writing on First Kiss just misses. I watch a lot of shorter dramas, especially the lesser known Korean dramas, and the one constant of a good human-interest drama is dialogue, many, many scenes of people talking about important and casual things that reveal character, that enables the actors to really act. And this is one of Inoue yumiko-san's strengths.
I think for me, what bothers me most is that the cast isn't being used correctly.<snip>
There are many ways to present parallel tracks in human interest dramas, but it requires STRONG skills to properly highlight the motivations and the action. J-Dramas tend not to have the length to properly present this, so, it would require phenomenal writing skills to pull it off. This writer was simply not up to snuff. I don't know what his/her background was, but it feels like that person came from a theatrical background. The scenes tend to have long lines and verbal sparring of a dramatic variety. This is more seen and effective in theatre, doesn't work well in drama because the theatre audience is a captive audience and only needs to sit thru one show, but you have to have reasons for renzoku audience to come back next week. There was just no reason to come back week after week
ryoko11 wrote:
I agree that concentrating the story around one central theme/plot could've helped. But there were other areas that would've sufficed to fix a multitude of sins.
The "forbidden" doctor/patient relationship annoyed me as it was presented, so concentrating on that for the whole drama would have been enough to make me turn off the show permanently unless the conflict got completely overhauled.
There is no argument that there the entire conflict would have to be overhauled, but as a Mao fan, it was my way of keeping her in the center, none of the other themes had her in the center.
_________________ Jdrama Chinese fansub index2006 | 2007
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0
i think the storyline don't really attract that much people ne...
but the acting was superb. i have no complaints in that department and the cast mesh well together too! episode 9 and 10 made me cry
i agree you really see mio and not mao in here.
episode 9
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mio starts packing. she's leaving right away without even telling yuuki sensei
it's so cute how oniichan and mio always fights
and then mio learns about how oniichan threw away his chance for paris.
so they go to banba-san! and tries to convince him! (funny scene outside banba-san's apartment with masaru and mio )
mio shows him oniichan's photos he took when they were kids but banba-san isn't convinced
ichiru convinces oniichan to tell yuuki sensei about mio leaving...
but takagi sensei doesn't want to... it could jeopardize his career...
she finally gives them 5 mins!
but yuuki sensei will not break up with mio even if she goes back to LA awww...
the scene where mio thanks oniichan while they're standing back-to-back is just so sweet ^____________^ makes me tear up! so touching!
mio gets ready to leave. and we see haruna pulling her big luggage for her
this scene just made me mio coming back and thanking ichiru and masaru for taking care of her. waaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! and her telling oniichan he should do his best and she will too!
yuuki is still calling her. she doesn't answer and turns off her phone saying this is the way she likes him... awwwww...
no paris for oniichan. he suddenly realizes he needs to tell mio what yuuki told him. and runs for the airport.
mio and the phone scene
haruna saying mio should pretend she's yuuki sensei and hug her awwww...
oniichan finally find mio and tells her what yuuki sensei told him!
but then he suddenly collapses.
and what he said here... that it would be better for him to die in place of mio because mio has finally found her happiness
episode 10
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oniichan got heatstroke.
outside haruna tells mio to call yuuki.
and mio does and then she says that her oniichan tells her he doesn't want to leave her and she says she doesn't want to leave him too.
mio and yuuki moment funny how ichiru and masaru harasses him and then tells him to go to mio
they're outside and we see mio for the first time really worrying about her operation.
yuuki tells her he believes it will be successful and she must come back to japan.
and they hold hands so cute!
takagi visits oniichan and he becomes all baka. haruna's pissed
takagi sensei is gonna be transferred
oniichan goes home from the hospital funny scene where mio holds out his boxers and he jumps to snatch it away
they have a party waiting for him. and also his "graduation" from banba-san. he was fired (?)
i think banba-san believes he can do it. (btw, love the pictures he took of mio crying)
mio's heart acts up again and she goes into the room. now she's more afraid than ever. coz she finally has something to live for.
even happiness is scary sometimes...
oniichan goes to the hospital after he finds out takagi sensei is being transferred.
mio goes to yuuki sensei and asks if it's okay if she doesn't go through the operation. she still wants to fight with oniichan and also to horse around with ichiru and masaru. and yuuki sensei hugs her. awwwww! i don't think anyone can really know what she's going through.
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0
Rikayla wrote:
becky_49 wrote:
First Kiss is only my second jdrama to date so I can't say for certain if it's up to 'standards'. In my opinion though, I didn't find it a boring series. True the script was a bit weak, but I think the acting made up for it. I think the problem with a lot of jdramas is that they air only once a week, so it's easier for people to forget the storyline and generally lose interest in it altogether. Since there were no major cliffhangers or new story development, I think if it aired 5 days a week it might have done better.
Well still, I found myself quite enjoying the drama. I think the cast did a great job in their roles. Especially loved the chemistry between Onii-chan and Mio. Not to mention Yuki sensei!! I think I might experience some Yuki sensei withdrawal symptoms soon!
Speaking of which, how did everyone find the last episode?
Hidden:
The scene at the airport was awesome! I was thinking how horrible it would be if there was no great 'kiss' scene, especially since the drama is called First Kiss! Totally didn't disappoint, it was kawaii!
I think it's safe to assume that everybody's favourite part of this drama was the acting from all the actors? I agree though because without the acting, I probably would not have continued this drama.
Gosh, I can't believe this drama actually did worse than Sapuri, which was pretty bad already. Yikes. Think we can blame on the lack of promotion?
Hidden:
I really liked the kiss scene too! I love how hesitant they were at first. AHAHA. I wonder how many takes it took to perfect it.
I'm also REALLY GLAD that Yuta finally gets the girl. Ahahaha.
Hidden:
the kiss was great!! i didn't expect it though i thought it would be like just a peck and that was it! but in the end, when yuuki put his arm around mio's neck it was not... haha! it looked weird kinda
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