#201 [2004-05-03 21:07:29]
WARNING Shinsengumi! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by
crouching_tiger_realm
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I asked a friend of mine (currently living in Japan) about the Shinsengumi drama, and well, I thought it would be nice to share her impressions, specially for those who see the drama neither subbed or dubbed... sooo here it goes
Hi!
Hehehe...here it is, again (^-^).
Saitoh is the best, imo, followed closely by Hijikata and Nagakura, though the guy playing Okita does a great job, too. Very close to the idea I had with the history books. Serizawa is great, but that was a given, LOL. Kondo is imo completely miscast, I use to like Shingo, but he is SO not fitting, too girlie and sweet, for now at least. You wonder why Hijikata does so much for that dork (my Japanese friends were LTAO at seeing him crying over the assassinated foreigner...they didn't appreciate at all the PC twist to History). The only good thing with Shingo is that the ratings being bad (14% a few weeks ago -before Saitoh reappeared-, whereas "Toshie to Matsu", two years ago, was regularly getting between 28 and 30) is that his SMAP friend Kimura Takuya might do a cameo later (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi too, but who cares?LOL)...and a Kimu Taku /Odagiri Joe scene is something that I won't miss for an empire.
The Saitoh highlights:
At Kondo's wedding, when he explains his situation, wounded, to Kondo, Dork 1.0 says "Ah, but today it's my wedding", and Saitoh answers "congratulations"...half seriously, but a bit deadpan, too...Top 5 of the best lines in a TV magazine (^-^).
When he comes back, in Kyoto, lurking in the shadows, he overhears Yamanami saying that Kondo wants to save Kiyokawa (when Yamanami tricks Serizawa), and finds Kiyokawa before everybody. When Kiyokawa asks why Saitoh helps him, Saitoh-ish answer number one:"I owe nothing to you, but I owe the man who is trying to save you" (quotes are by memory (^-^))
Then, at the Yagi's, there is an hilarious scene where Yagi's wife shows to her husband the new guys, and complain that *they* grow "subrepticely, like mice", and then Saitoh passes by them, saying "excuse-me". The woman is: "See! This one wasn't there before,THEY grow", and Yagi is "Yes, but isn't this one a otoko-mae?" (otoko-mae: creme de la creme, manly and good looking, in summary, the best specimen of man). The guy playing Yagi, Itoh, is very popular as an actor, and so ironic, a delight.
In the confrontation with the Ishin having insulted the Shogun, Saitoh is once more arriving behind, and asks Hijikata "I kill him?". Cold blood, almost casually, and a bit happy about it, LOL. After Kusaka refuses to answer again, Hijikata says "Yeah, kill him", and only the arrival of Katsura saves the guy, revealing that the offender is Takasugi. Too bad, LOL.
The last episode: Saitoh was completely RK-like, IC, perfect! He went out of the kissaten, at the beginning, because they had just sweets, and he doesn't like sweets(poor future Mrs Harada is all rattled). No softies, hehehe. He catches everything, real spy, and they save O-Yuki, whom Saitoh notices escaping from 5 men, fight scene (thankfully O-Yuki is for Kondo, LOL). Then, there is a Serizawa man insulting Kondo, who has to prevent Saitoh from jumping at the offender's throat. Loyalty, again. But also, Saitoh doesn't forget, and waits for his moment: he follows the Serizawa man outside during the reception with the Aizu counselors at the Yagi's place, later that day. Saitoh attacks him with a great sadistic and ruthless smile, and it seems that Saitoh is going to kill him, with his dagger. But he stops it just at the last moment, and you have the Saitoh-ish sentence number one again: "I owe Serizawa, so I will spare your life now, but not if you ever insult Kondo again". And he
cuts the guy's nose! (The edge, at least).
On a side note, there was a very funny exchange between Yagi Hide, Okita and Todo (Dork 2.0). She speaks using "de gozaru" and "sessha", like another character in a certain manga, and Okita asks her "BTW, why do you use this stinky old-fashioned way to speak?" ("Ojisan kusai"). She is puzzled, and the two men try to explain her, and they finish with "it's not "in" " (wakasa ga nai: there's no youth). LOL. Really wonder if Mitani Yuki read RK. Revenge of the Saitoh fan, LOL.
Next week, me thinks Kusaka is dead meat...and if it isn't him this time, it will be sooner or later. The guy is moronically suicidal and Saitoh obviously doesn't like to be deprived of his fun.
See you, take care, sorry for the rants,
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