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Ladymercury Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Total posts: 543 Gender: Unknown |
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kuo87Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Total posts: 39 Location: Loveland Age: 19 Gender: Male |
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masapJoined: 28 Jan 2008 Total posts: 8 Location: Ayers Rock Gender: Female |
 Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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| Quote: | | I noticed a lot of the hate also stemmed from her being in Proposal Daisakusen |
because a lot of people don't like seeing masami with yamap~ i think
| Quote: | | or wait... i think she's 22 now. oops. add another year. |
nah, she's 21, just turned 21 on june 3rd~ juri's one year and a bit older than her
she's the youngest out of all LF members
| Quote: | | i think the influx of juri fans increased due to the nature of her role |
definitely! ruka has been a very successful character, and has captivated a lot of people and motivated them to watch juri's other works as well~
| Quote: | | and i'll get back to y'all on why i think PoL is a direct tie in to the drama. though, i think a good amount of people know why. |
Hmm... my understanding is Hikki wrote PoL without really knowing the story, because when she wrote the lyrics, the script was far from being completed (producer interview in a magazine around when ep 8 was shown mentioned that the script for final eps weren't out yet)... however, some japanese fans have been saying that you can hear "Ruka" being whispered at the very end of the PoL track, I've listened - if you turn up your volume high enough, you can certainly hear something along that line... which makes me wonder, exactly HOW did Hikki come up with the lyrics?? It seems to speak from the point of view of all the main characters.
Unless, the script was completed originally, and Hikki wrote her lyrics based on the rough outline, and then the script was modified because of the ratings... god knows LOL
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toma_sisJoined: 17 Jul 2007 Total posts: 145 Location: Malaysia Gender: Female |
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LadymercuryJoined: 27 Mar 2005 Total posts: 543 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:13 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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| Quote: | | Amidst all these... the casts did what they can based on what I consider a dodgy script (of which the later half was written in a way that appealed to higher ratings during on-air period, everything going all over the place), and I think all of them deserve applause for their hard work. |
I so agree with this, now that I reread your comment (I was watching Maou and replying during a commericial break  ). I noticed the shift in direction of the story around episode 5, when Ruka's character began to get more focus and how Eri's character was becoming more of Ogurin's drunk body/not-so-extra-marital affair. Takeru, who had an issue with his sexuality (in terms of being intimate with women) all of a sudden began to show affection for Ruka, yet, wasn't he supposed to have a problem?
Another thing that caught me off was around episodes 7 - 9, in which the writing just shifted in a direction that maybe, JUST MAYBE, Takeru was having an interest in Michiru. It was like the writers didn't know where to go but to go somewhere that kept the ratings rising.
I think after that dip around episodes 4 and 5 the writers just decided to go the route of " Fanservice and pleasing the audience ". More DV scenes, a confusing love triangle, and an episode villian with no development other than cause fear in the members of the share house. Though I fell for the gimmick, I always, after the episode settled in, wondered was some of the writing really necessary. The boy Sousuke saved, he was listed as a key person on the relationship chart, but did he really do anything for Sousuke's character? In those two episodes that he was in, it proved more like he was Sousuke's new comfort zone to fill the void that Michiru left him while SLIGHTLY eluding to the fact that Sousuke saw hiimself in this kid.
Because, in episode 10, they clearly showed that he was merely a comfort zone to Sousuke, thus his expression when he finally lost it.
I think the one thing that finally set in stone that Last Friends became more of a runaway hit train gimmick than a solid drama was episode 11. Was that Thelma and Luise adventure that Takeru and Ruka decided to take on really needed? Was that car accident truly needed? Was the obvious fanservice scenes of Ruka and Takeru getting chummy with each other absolutely crucial to the storyline? What about Michiru -- had she not ran away because she did not want to burden them? Did she not want to raise her child on her own? What about taking into consideration the consequences of what that child must go through later in life? Eventually that child will ask about her father, eventually that child will find out what type of man he was, and yet there was just this unreal ending that everyone just lives happily ever after.
Had the story gone in the route that it originally was to go in, I honestly doubt Sousuke would have been the one to commit suicide, probably someone else in the house that he would have taken his frustration out on. But that's just a wild guess on my half.
Last Friends started off great, it really was a great drama, but at the end it lost itself and became a commercial franchise losing its footing. Even shadowing the Kimutaku drama, Last Friends was like a child that was given the key to the toy store and couldn't keep itself focused. Now there's a future movie, cups, dvd boxsets, music -- Everyone is making money and everyone is successful...
... but at the cost of well written story line? Its a sad reality.
As for Ryo Nishikido, despite his frustrations playing a wife beater, I do enjoy the fact that he can take his character and mock him at Kanjani8's concerts.  _________________ 
sbk fansubs | yume wa mugendai no musekinin hero ~ oira densetsu no musekinin hero |
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^YuukiJoined: 13 Apr 2008 Total posts: 352 Location: Malaysia Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:58 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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masap: I really agree with most of what you posted. Regardless of what people think of Masami's acting(for me it's a tad inconsistent but it can be due to the character itself), people have been probably projecting their frustrations with Michiru onto Masami a little. But I wouldn't be writing a fic from Michiru's POV if I disliked her. Heheh. Because you care for a character, you can't help but feel strongly when they do something stupid. Or cheer when they finally speak up. The thing I love and hate sometimes about the show is it made us really care about the characters. I think Masami and the other actors are perfect for their roles. Also probably because the writer got inspired and added in their personalities into the mix. I don't think it's really their fault if the characters are weak or not expanded enough or not give what they deserve. Er...blame the brains or the people controlling from behind the curtains. But I think despite its flaws, its still a pretty awesome drama. I've been having withdrawal symptoms and all the 'nuts'(aka Juri related vids) I've saved up for the winter is running out. >_<
And yeah, Juri should have been named the other leading actress as well since the idea of the story did came up with just these two characters. Well...again, it's the creators' loss but I think for everyone watching, they can't really say Juri is just the supporting actress. If Ruka was a guy, the person playing would definitely be the leading actor already...I'm glad that's not the case tho since it wouldn't have been as interesting and most importantly we wouldn't have discovered Juri as Ruka. I don't think Juri would care whether she's the main actress or not as long as it's an interesting role. It's just labels and doesn't let you know who's better. But, heh, as fans(whether for Juri or Masami), we still want to see our idols getting proper acknowledgment I guess. 
| masap wrote: | | In terms of appearance, Ueno Juri is starting to look better and better ever since her major hit movie "Swing Girls ('04)"... I quite like her short hairstyle now after seeing her Chibi Maruchan hairstyle for so long, though always looking forward to see new changes. Apparently she dyed her hair black just recently, after coming back from a short break in Okinawa. Her latest movie "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu" will be out in September I think. |
Definitely looking better and better. 
Heard about the Okinawa trip(went diving~) but didn't know about the hair dye part. She did say that she likes how changing hairstyle, playing with the colours and all that changes the feel of the characters/roles. Makes me wonder if she got a new role...? Gu gu datte neko ga aru was out 2 months ago so September is probably the DVD. Her latest one would be the narration for Wanko the Movie 2 and a small role in Kodomo no Kodomo. What's really interesting is apparently she did a guest directing for the final scene of a movie recently(from the blog of her Rainbow Song co-star which is the main actress in this particular movie). Behind the scene work is something Juri wanted to try so this is a nice start. ^^
| Quote: | On the other hand, Nagasawa Masami chooses to stay close to the original script. Her forte is in playing very innocent sort of characters, like Aki, Kaoru and Rei as mentioned before. In fact, she rose to fame because of her role as Aki in Crying out love in the centre of the world. However, she has also attempted a range of other types of roles, a high school girl as part of a team in a Robot Contest (Robokon '03), assistant to a fugitive (Runaway '04, in which her hair is very very short, same length as Ueno Juri's hairdo now), a high school girl turned leader of a gangster (Sailor Fuku to Kikanju '06), a naive girl who goes to explore India by herself (Swim Butterfly Strokes in Ganges River '07) and a princess dressed up as a guy in a period movie (The Last Fortress, '0 . |
Sad to say, I've only seen Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu and Proposal Daisakusen...I've seen some images of The Last Fortress I think and I'm kinda intrigued~ Any er, sources for it and for the radio with Asami? *wink**nudge* =3 There's also the role for next Taiga drama. Tsumabuki Satoshi is the main actor right? Some other big name actresses as well. Should be something to look forward to. ^^
| Quote: | Hmm... my understanding is Hikki wrote PoL without really knowing the story, because when she wrote the lyrics, the script was far from being completed (producer interview in a magazine around when ep 8 was shown mentioned that the script for final eps weren't out yet)... however, some japanese fans have been saying that you can hear "Ruka" being whispered at the very end of the PoL track, I've listened - if you turn up your volume high enough, you can certainly hear something along that line... which makes me wonder, exactly HOW did Hikki come up with the lyrics?? It seems to speak from the point of view of all the main characters.
Unless, the script was completed originally, and Hikki wrote her lyrics based on the rough outline, and then the script was modified because of the ratings... god knows LOL |
Ehh? I think I've gotta relisten...even though I've been looping it to death the last few months...Btw, Hikki mentioned in an interview for POL that she didn't even know what the drama is about when she wrote it. So she wrote something that would be suitable for both love and friendship. Was originally in English too. She had a hard time converting it to Japanese. Haha. My guess...clever editing and the writer/producers were 'inspired' from the lyrics.
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:53 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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@Ladymercury:
Looks like you beat me to the punch! And a well-written review, at that. I'll be posting mine once I'm done with my school stuff (or if I can manage to find a break).
.............
LOL @ your signature, though. Is there a clip of that somewhere?!
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pazJoined: 06 Jul 2008 Total posts: 9 Location: Indonesia Age: 26 Gender: Male |
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lichter002Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Total posts: 164 Gender: Male |
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RoriJoined: 06 Jan 2007 Total posts: 893 Age: 19 Gender: Female |
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rokugatsu29Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Total posts: 18 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:00 am Post subject: Last Friends GIFs and Avatars Post Rating: 0 |
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Um.. hello.. this is kind of off topic but i saw some really good GIF or avatars of last friends in this forum, i'd like to know what program you guys used to make them? thanks.. i'm really interested.
| ^Yuuki wrote: | masap: I really agree with most of what you posted. Regardless of what people think of Masami's acting(for me it's a tad inconsistent but it can be due to the character itself), people have been probably projecting their frustrations with Michiru onto Masami a little. But I wouldn't be writing a fic from Michiru's POV if I disliked her. Heheh. Because you care for a character, you can't help but feel strongly when they do something stupid. Or cheer when they finally speak up. The thing I love and hate sometimes about the show is it made us really care about the characters. I think Masami and the other actors are perfect for their roles. Also probably because the writer got inspired and added in their personalities into the mix. I don't think it's really their fault if the characters are weak or not expanded enough or not give what they deserve. Er...blame the brains or the people controlling from behind the curtains. But I think despite its flaws, its still a pretty awesome drama. I've been having withdrawal symptoms and all the 'nuts'(aka Juri related vids) I've saved up for the winter is running out. >_<
And yeah, Juri should have been named the other leading actress as well since the idea of the story did came up with just these two characters. Well...again, it's the creators' loss but I think for everyone watching, they can't really say Juri is just the supporting actress. If Ruka was a guy, the person playing would definitely be the leading actor already...I'm glad that's not the case tho since it wouldn't have been as interesting and most importantly we wouldn't have discovered Juri as Ruka. I don't think Juri would care whether she's the main actress or not as long as it's an interesting role. It's just labels and doesn't let you know who's better. But, heh, as fans(whether for Juri or Masami), we still want to see our idols getting proper acknowledgment I guess.
| masap wrote: | | In terms of appearance, Ueno Juri is starting to look better and better ever since her major hit movie "Swing Girls ('04)"... I quite like her short hairstyle now after seeing her Chibi Maruchan hairstyle for so long, though always looking forward to see new changes. Apparently she dyed her hair black just recently, after coming back from a short break in Okinawa. Her latest movie "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu" will be out in September I think. |
Definitely looking better and better.
Heard about the Okinawa trip(went diving~) but didn't know about the hair dye part. She did say that she likes how changing hairstyle, playing with the colours and all that changes the feel of the characters/roles. Makes me wonder if she got a new role...? Gu gu datte neko ga aru was out 2 months ago so September is probably the DVD. Her latest one would be the narration for Wanko the Movie 2 and a small role in Kodomo no Kodomo. What's really interesting is apparently she did a guest directing for the final scene of a movie recently(from the blog of her Rainbow Song co-star which is the main actress in this particular movie). Behind the scene work is something Juri wanted to try so this is a nice start. ^^
| Quote: | | On the other hand, Nagasawa Masami chooses to stay close to the original script. Her forte is in playing very innocent sort of characters, like Aki, Kaoru and Rei as mentioned before. In fact, she rose to fame because of her role as Aki in Crying out love in the centre of the world. However, she has also attempted a range of other types of roles, a high school girl as part of a team in a Robot Contest (Robokon '03), assistant to a fugitive (Runaway '04, in which her hair is very very short, same length as Ueno Juri's hairdo now), a high school girl turned leader of a gangster (Sailor Fuku to Kikanju '06), a naive girl who goes to explore India by herself (Swim Butterfly Strokes in Ganges River '07) and a princess dressed up as a guy in a period movie (The Last Fortress, '0. |
Sad to say, I've only seen Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu and Proposal Daisakusen...I've seen some images of The Last Fortress I think and I'm kinda intrigued~ Any er, sources for it and for the radio with Asami? *wink**nudge* =3 There's also the role for next Taiga drama. Tsumabuki Satoshi is the main actor right? Some other big name actresses as well. Should be something to look forward to. ^^
| Quote: | Hmm... my understanding is Hikki wrote PoL without really knowing the story, because when she wrote the lyrics, the script was far from being completed (producer interview in a magazine around when ep 8 was shown mentioned that the script for final eps weren't out yet)... however, some japanese fans have been saying that you can hear "Ruka" being whispered at the very end of the PoL track, I've listened - if you turn up your volume high enough, you can certainly hear something along that line... which makes me wonder, exactly HOW did Hikki come up with the lyrics?? It seems to speak from the point of view of all the main characters.
Unless, the script was completed originally, and Hikki wrote her lyrics based on the rough outline, and then the script was modified because of the ratings... god knows LOL |
Ehh? I think I've gotta relisten...even though I've been looping it to death the last few months...Btw, Hikki mentioned in an interview for POL that she didn't even know what the drama is about when she wrote it. So she wrote something that would be suitable for both love and friendship. Was originally in English too. She had a hard time converting it to Japanese. Haha. My guess...clever editing and the writer/producers were 'inspired' from the lyrics. |
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RoriJoined: 06 Jan 2007 Total posts: 893 Age: 19 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:06 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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There are a lot of programs which you can use to make gifs or avatas, just googling should find you tons of tutorials.
I use Photoshop myself.
_________________
watching: East of Eden | Ryusei no Kizuna | Innocent Love |
waiting: Korean hana yori dango |
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kuo87Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Total posts: 39 Location: Loveland Age: 19 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:44 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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you mean she's the lead human in last friends. give ruka that much credit ;)
anyways, with the review. i'll agree with like... sixty percent of what you said. not for the sake of disagreeing, but i truly think you can logically explain the change in each character/story.
you really have to think about in a sense of story lines, you have five (six possibly, counting ogurin) who are pretty much stand-alone characters who could have their own show. of course, i'd have to say that three or four characters would have made very good stand-alone story lines.
keep that in mind. i'm going to shift else where.
| Quote: | | I so agree with this, now that I reread your comment (I was watching Maou and replying during a commericial break ). I noticed the shift in direction of the story around episode 5, when Ruka's character began to get more focus and how Eri's character was becoming more of Ogurin's drunk body/not-so-extra-marital affair. Takeru, who had an issue with his sexuality (in terms of being intimate with women) all of a sudden began to show affection for Ruka, yet, wasn't he supposed to have a problem? |
if you're not noticing a change in direction in the story... then the storyline wouldn't be dynamic. i mean, logically thinking, something has got to change in your pace/flow in some sort of story line. things will never go back to normal either. so you have to make amends to what happen. now, onwards to the comment. eri really was a good role, she took whatever she could get, literally. nobody was nice to her until takeru and ogurin came along. and the whole time she was trying to contemplate how to deal with this affection. takeru and his fear for sex, it's not the fear of love. he's afraid of the product of love, which is sex (at least, for most people). sometime or another, he had to change. and since it was his first time (i would assume) since he started loving in such an intimate way... of course he's going to be experimenting with it. it was only a problem because he didn't want (as explained) to have people not like him. he shut off his relationship with his sister because in the end he hurt both his parents and his sister, therefore, reasoning that this thing he did with his sister damaged relationships.
| Quote: | | I think after that dip around episodes 4 and 5 the writers just decided to go the route of " Fanservice and pleasing the audience ". |
the dip (if anyone noticed) was caused mainly by the debut of CHANGE. i don't really think that the story line really changed at all from its original plot line. if you had to ask me for my personal opinion, the plot line only changed with the addition of Sosuke being alive. whether or not he was dead or alive, it really didn't matter. it was how each person dealt with their own problems. the only person that would have been literally affected by this death emotionally and physically would have been michiru. everyone else still had their own problems to fix... and everyone had the same resolution: to help michiru.
the whole thelma and louise thing... i think it was necessary. to be totally honest, but then again, i might be biased towards the whole rukaxtakeru pairing. really, if they never had an intimate moment, the things that takeru would have shared wouldn't have been possible. he had been meaning to tell her what has happened in his life. and he did. intimate setting, best friend (possible lover?), camp fire... you're asking for the perfect confession scene. and it was a great way to tie up loose ends (quickly).
i keep saying this, but last friends really was a huge under taking of a show. had it gone on for two continuous seasons, things probably would have turned out differently during the two seasons, but ended with the same outcome. you just become so involved with these character's lives that if there really was a bad ending, it would have just pissed people off left and right. each character had their own individual lives that could have been possibly focused on, and in the end... producers had to decide, with only one season eleven shows and possible SPs, what are you going to do about it? i'd milk the story of the best selling characters... and it obviously turned out to be eita, masami, and juri. i'm not saying ryo was a bad character... but i really think his popularity died out about halfway through the show. you would also see that his presence on variety shows and magazines... was also lacking in content. ryo just stayed because his part was of importance for michiru's dilemma.
i don't know what else to say. but i think that's about it.
oh, and i'm buying last friends cups and t-shirts. i don't care if i fall for the gimmick, i'm gonna support a brilliantly produced show and thank them for their efforts with my american dollars. lol.
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rokugatsu29Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Total posts: 18 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:46 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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| Rori wrote: | There are a lot of programs which you can use to make gifs or avatas, just googling should find you tons of tutorials.
I use Photoshop myself. |
oh photoshop.. i tried that last night. but photoshop won't read the AVI video. it's just a blank white canvas and plays without a sound. haha and when i try to convert the AVI to other formats, it pixelates too much. huhu i got frustrated. And watched the last episode of last friends to feel better haha thanks!
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LadymercuryJoined: 27 Mar 2005 Total posts: 543 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:02 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
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| roon wrote: | @Ladymercury:
Looks like you beat me to the punch! And a well-written review, at that. I'll be posting mine once I'm done with my school stuff (or if I can manage to find a break).
.............
LOL @ your signature, though. Is there a clip of that somewhere?! |
Hahaha, I'll be waiting. It'll be interesting to read an opinion that wasn't in favor for the last four episodes of this series
LOL! Someone showed me some idol shop photos and I made my sig based off of them, but it was all over the morning news the day after Tanabata, since it was during their Tanabata live. Its really funny in a " Oh my god that's so wrong its hilarious ". Reading fan journals its really funny to see " Ohkura becomes Masami! "
D
| kuo87 wrote: | | you really have to think about in a sense of story lines, you have five (six possibly, counting ogurin) who are pretty much stand-alone characters who could have their own show. of course, i'd have to say that three or four characters would have made very good stand-alone story lines. |
Which this is true -- But I have watched shows that took five main characters and developed them all the same, giving them the exposure and balance. But you can't exclude the fact that Eri became, basically, a filler. You can't exclude the fact that Takeru's character became more of a " I wonder who's he gonna hook up with " character rather than the one that needs to overcome his sexual issues.
Seriously, saying that he has a family and forgiving his sister for molesting him in episode 11.5 is the weakest resolve I've ever heard for a victim of sexual abuse that has been suffering with those demons for more than ten years in his life.
| Quote: | if you're not noticing a change in direction in the story... then the storyline wouldn't be dynamic. i mean, logically thinking, something has got to change in your pace/flow in some sort of story line. things will never go back to normal either. so you have to make amends to what happen.
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I find that a weak excuse. Since we don't know what's going to happen in the story there is no REASON to amend the story for a better dynamic. Had this drama been based off of existing material such as manga or a book, yeah, I could understand that to keep viewership and another taste and twist in the story but there was no need to make such a story line and make it more complex than it already was. Why change a story and twist it around at the cost of shoving characters in "filler" roles (Eri) turning characters into Renai harem situations (Takeru) and putting nearly 51% of the shows focus on a supporting character (Ruka).
| Quote: | | now, onwards to the comment. eri really was a good role, she took whatever she could get, literally. nobody was nice to her until takeru and ogurin came along. and the whole time she was trying to contemplate how to deal with this affection. |
In one episode we get this out of Eri's character. There was eleven episodes in the series and we only get this development, mostly, out of one episode. After that they just slightly dip their feet in the water -- turning Eri's story and weaving it around Ogurin and pushing her farther and farther in the background, her character becoming no more important than Ogurin's supporting character and comedy ploy. Eri got top billing along with Michiru, Takeru, Ruka, and Sousuke. She should have gotten a better story than what she did have.
So what did we learn about Eri? She's a loud, a drunk, she wants a guy and she clings on to Ogurin like a baby with a bottle.
Was there anything else? A softer side? What?
| Quote: | | takeru and his fear for sex, it's not the fear of love. he's afraid of the product of love, which is sex (at least, for most people). sometime or another, he had to change. and since it was his first time (i would assume) since he started loving in such an intimate way... of course he's going to be experimenting with it. it was only a problem because he didn't want (as explained) to have people not like him. he shut off his relationship with his sister because in the end he hurt both his parents and his sister, therefore, reasoning that this thing he did with his sister damaged relationships. |
Like I said, his story was not a man pining for Ruka but having to deal with Michiru's feelings for him. His story was sexual frustration and a scarred past. Instead we get a wonky love story between Takeru/Michiru/Ruka and really nothing explaining HIM. I was waiting for something, ANYTHING to explain why the hell Takeru got uneasy with sexual situations and scenes and 80% of the drama focused more on him declaring his undying love for Ruka and less on his obviously screwed up childhood with an equally screwed up sister...
... who, as well, got barely any development at all. (I call her the doctor of the Nissin U.F.O noodles with Kanjani8 and Don Frye)
| Quote: | | the dip (if anyone noticed) was caused mainly by the debut of CHANGE. i don't really think that the story line really changed at all from its original plot line. if you had to ask me for my personal opinion, the plot line only changed with the addition of Sosuke being alive. whether or not he was dead or alive, it really didn't matter. it was how each person dealt with their own problems. the only person that would have been literally affected by this death emotionally and physically would have been michiru. everyone else still had their own problems to fix... and everyone had the same resolution: to help michiru. |
CHANGE has nothing to do with the drop in ratings. Had CHANGE been aired on a different station on the same night as Last Friends, then I could understand (IE: Osen ran against Zettai Kareshi on Tuesdays (literally against each other)) but CHANGE was on Monday's at 9 and Last Friends was on Thursday's at 10.... on the same network, so Last Friends was getting promotion as well. FujiTV wasn't going to be stupid and put a Kimura Takuya drama against Last Friends, stopping a potential hit of a series.
In fact, they could have easily put CHANGE in the 9 o'clock spot and that probably would have boosted ratings due to everyone watching change and then staying for Last Friends.
Sousuke being alive was intentional. I do not believe that Sousuke dying then, so early in the show, would explain the reason why Michiru was pregnant, alone, in a fisherman's town. Sorry, I don't believe that at all.
The ratings dipped, the writers and producers saw it, and realized what kept people watching and added more of that and less of story. Less of the base, less of the things that make a story good - Detail and a coherent plotline.
| Quote: | the whole thelma and louise thing... i think it was necessary. to be totally honest, but then again, i might be biased towards the whole rukaxtakeru pairing. really, if they never had an intimate moment, the things that takeru would have shared wouldn't have been possible. he had been meaning to tell her what has happened in his life. and he did. intimate setting, best friend (possible lover?), camp fire... you're asking for the perfect confession scene. and it was a great way to tie up loose ends (quickly).
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I think you are looking at it with a bias because of your ship. Personally, I do not like TakeruxRuka or RukaxMichiru or MichiruxTakeru.... I thought that love triangle was a pain in my ass. It made no sense, and was frustrating to watch at times and deterred itself from the story several times (also took from what development Eri could have received). Ruka is a lesbian with an excuse of having gender disorder but yet , YET , she has these scenes with Takeru that could be mistaken as an interest in the man, that she may SLIGHTLY be attracted to him. Why? For what? Why go that far -- So you can appeal that growing Ruka/Takeru fanbase? Ratings?
| Quote: | | i keep saying this, but last friends really was a huge under taking of a show. had it gone on for two continuous seasons, things probably would have turned out differently during the two seasons, but ended with the same outcome. |
I doubt it, when the writers were presented with the idea they knew they were working with a ten episode show. They already had an ending, they just had to weave a story from that ending....
But I think they failed.
| Quote: | | you just become so involved with these character's lives that if there really was a bad ending, it would have just pissed people off left and right. each character had their own individual lives that could have been possibly focused on, and in the end... producers had to decide, with only one season eleven shows and possible SPs, what are you going to do about it? |
But I was attracted to everyone. I wanted to know about Sousuke's past, I wanted to know about how Michiru met him, what she saw in him (beyond that three minute mashup of flashbacks), I wanted to know MORE about Eri -- I wanted to know about why she is the way she is, what HAPPENED to her and yet I got NONE of that. I learned more about Ruka then I had of Michiru. Ruka this, Ruka that.... Wasn't the show about Michiru?
You stick to the story and you don't change it so much that you leave people beyond and shove others up front.
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i'd milk the story of the best selling characters... and it obviously turned out to be eita, masami, and juri. i'm not saying ryo was a bad character... but i really think his popularity died out about halfway through the show. you would also see that his presence on variety shows and magazines... was also lacking in content. ryo just stayed because his part was of importance for michiru's dilemma. |
Ryo Nishikido was also on tour with Kanjani8 during a large half of the filming for Last Friends, so it would have been impossible for him to be doing Last Friends promotions on top of touring for Kanjani8 (For the filming of episodes 5 and 6, they had to fly Ryo literally to Osaka so he could perform for the shows after filming his scenes, then fly him back. He performed those concerts with his scruffy beard too). Also, he was missing from Kanjani8's show, Janiben, for nearly two months due to Last Friends filming.
Ryo Nishikido's character had as much as a following as everyone else, I doubt his lack of appearance in interviews and photoshoots was the result of his declining popularity.
Yes, they threw popular characters up front. This is why I wondered was it really necissary to put Eri's character up as a top billing supporting character? Why did they not remove her? Were they just riding on the hit popularity of having three members of the Nodame cast in a controversial drama?
Who knows. But that's my take on Last Friends._________________
sbk fansubs | yume wa mugendai no musekinin hero ~ oira densetsu no musekinin hero |
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Can see where you're coming from there. 