Saitou finally becomes a policeman (or, the amazing skills of actor

This might be a bit off-topic, but I've been totally in actor fan-mode lately.

For the last 8 weeks, I've been completely absorbed in a drama called "Jikou keisatsu," about a section of the police that deals with limitations cases (cases that are no longer prosecutable, but still need to be solved). The main character, Kiriyama, is one of the investigators and is played by Jo Odagiri --- Saitou in NHK's "Shinsengumi!". Now, it might sound like a dull, serious drama, but it's not. It's wonderfully comedic and Jo is an absolute scream... nothing like our Saitou. Don't believe me? Take a look at him at http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/jikou/index.html (and he's actually looking pretty normal in that pic).

As I've watched the show, I've been constantly reminded of his portrayal of Saitou... probably my very favorite version of him (even over RK Saitou, which was my first love)... because it's so different from Kiriyama. I know a lot of it is how a character is written, but it takes the actor to bring it to life with their own unique physical quirks in facial expressions and body movements. I'm continually struck by how HUMAN Odagiri made Saitou, showing a man who lived in shades of gray rather than the black & white most others have portrayed him. In my humble attempts at writing RK Saitou in fanfics, I've insisted that there WAS a softer side to the man, a part of him that doubts or at least thinks about what he's being asked to do, who does care about people, and Odagiri brought that out while not taking away from his warrior's spirit. It's really amazing to rediscover such a fine performance when I'm given something completely different and equally fine.

I've discovered the same thing with Shosuke Tanihara and Itou. Honestly, I can't imagine the image of Itou Kashitarou bearing anyone's face but Tanihara's for the rest of my life. It was because of that performance that I began watching Tanihara's other work, both historicals and modern dramas, and it made his Itou even stronger for me.

LOL! Even with voice actors... I became accustomed to Sparky Thornton's voice as Saitou in the English dubbed version of RK. He's doing voice work in so many other anime series currently airing in the US and every time I hear it, you KNOW who comes immediately to mind. ^_^

I'm really curious if anyone else has pursued other work done by actors who've portrayed (or VA-ed) members of the Shinsengumi or stumbled upon them in other things. Did other performances change your perception of their Shinsengumi role or is that performance so burned into your head that it colors how you react to other roles? Anyone who will forever BE that person in your head?

phil (procrastinating, as usual)


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Yajima Norito NHK Takeda...will always be Takeda!!! I love how he uses
that fan and his snooty expresions and how he always doesn't
understand why people don't like him. I think he was a misunderstood
character in NHK, all he wanted to do was make suggestions and do this
and that...and no one "understood" ::LOL::
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/takeda_bio.htm (by Sanada)

Shosuke Tanihara NHK Itou...forever because I think he even fits the
historical description of Itou very well. Something about his eyes
really does remind me of the painting of Itou. Ofcourse I know the art
wasn't meant to be "realistic" it is in fact in the traditional style
but something about his soft features emphasize his scholarly-ness and
Tanihara has that "high class" air but he was believable as a former
dojo owner because he has such a great body (that's why I was so upset
NHK didn't have him put up a better fight before he was killed). My
favorite part with Itou was when he was able to revert from calm cool
calculating to threatening his own life in that scene with Saitou and
Nagakura---this really demonstrates Tanihara's skill and I belive that
he really carried the "drama" very well for the series.
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/itou_profile.htm

Sato Koichi NHK Serizawa Kamo...I really liked his Mibugishiden Saitou
but I think he did an even much better job as the "wild duck". He has
a rugged sexiness and loose canon attitude down perfect. I also liked
how he -handled- Oume (^_^) and I cannot imagine him as a businessman,
politician or salaryman he will ALWAYS be that sake swigging Kamo.

I think JO was a fascinating Saitou and frankly I would have liked to
see him as Meiji Era Fujita Goro (even for a few seconds) in an
epilogue (but I know this was not part of the special). I found his
performance in Tanuki Goten (Racoon Princess) opposite Zhang Zhiyi to
be awkward and stiff and I'm not sure if it was because I had a hard
time seeing "Saitou" as a pretty dancing prince or not.

[off-topic] "Saitou" with cute hair (from a screencap of Japan's
Academy Awards ceremony)
http://1happyturtle.com/JO/857711.jpg

[This is from Tama and I didn't ask her permission if I can share this
with you all but I hope it is ok with her (^_^;;)]

This is Fujita Goro in the TV Series I once mentioned on the list a
long time ago "Karakuri Jikencho" (he is the guy on the right)
http://1happyturtle.com/makoto/1040552.jpg

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, spiritus saitou wrote:

> I've discovered the same thing with Shosuke Tanihara and Itou.
Honestly, I can't imagine the image of Itou Kashitarou bearing
anyone's face but Tanihara's for the rest of my life.

>
> I'm really curious if anyone else has pursued other work done by

actors who've portrayed (or VA-ed) members of the Shinsengumi or
stumbled upon them in other things. Did other performances change
your perception of their Shinsengumi role or is that performance so
burned into your head that it colors how you react to other roles?
Anyone who will forever BE that person in your head?

>
>

Taro Yamamoto (NHK Harada): Can't watch him in Battle Royale without
seeing Sano - and I saw BR before NHK. Taro just came in and made the
role of Sano *his*. He is the only Sano that stands out in my mind
(other than Peacemaker Sano, but PMK is in a class of it's own!)


Masato Sakai (NHK Yamanami): Another case of the only actor who
really stands out to me in his role. He brought in an elegant, quiet
intesity. For me, he is Yamanami.


Tatsuya Fujiwara (NHK Okita): Had already seen him in BR. Then NHK
made me a fan. He didn't impress me at the beginning of the series,
but his performance improved as the series went on and he grew into
his role. Then I saw him in BRII and Sabu. Still a fan. I can
watch Tatsuya in other roles and not see him as Souji. [As an aside,
if anyone's interested, Tatsuya is the lead in Death Note coming out
in Japan in June. The manga is great if anyone's into that. The
movie trailer is here www.death-note-movie.com Once you're in the
room, click on the computer on the right. There's also a movie
poster on the wall to click on and enlarge.]


I also agree with what has been said about Jo Odagiri and Shosuke
Tanihara.


If anyone could make some viewing suggestions for any of these actors
I'd like to hear them. Thanks!

zhusanna wrote:
Shosuke

> Tanihara.
>
>
> If anyone could make some viewing suggestions for any of these actors
> I'd like to hear them. Thanks!

If it's Tanihara you wish to admire and/or drool over you MUST get one
of his early films---Fudoh. Sky High is also quite good with freaky cool
paranormal elements. he was also very good in a small part in Sleepless
Town and I'm sure Ms. Phil and Sec & Tama will agree that if you can get
hold of Deborah the Rival you'll be thrilled and amazed. ^_^

He's also done quite a few J-Dramas.

And any film or drama you come across with Koichi Sato (Serizawa)is also
a good bet.
--
Barbara Sheridan
http://www.barbarasheridan.net
http://www.dragonsdisciple.com

Sakai Masato, to me, did his best job in the recent mini-series about Izumo
no Okuni. Unlike NHK and Mibugishiden, he was NOT eternally smiling in this
role.

Kikukawa Rei (Ikumatsu in NHK Shinsengumi) was also great as Izumo no Okuni.

Tabata Tomoko (Kondo Tsune in NHK Shinsengumi) was SO incredibly cute and
adorable in the film "Daiteiden no Yoru Ni" (Before the Lights Come On).

My favorite depictions of Kondo (and the ones that I feel are most
realistic) are Shinsengumi Keppuroku and "Byakkotai." I can't remember the
name of the actor in Byakkotai, but I'm looking for him in other depictions.
As for the one in Shinsengumi Keppuroku, that was none other than the
talented Watari Tetsuya. In last year's Yoshitsune taiga, he was Taira no
Kiyomori...and I gotta say, both as Isami and as Kiyomori, for Watari
Tetsuya the voice makes the role!

-M.

If historicals interest you, Tanihara was in another last season
with yet another impressive performance (though I *still* can't get
used to him in traditional shaved head/topknot after Itou...
LOL!)... "Ooku - Hana no ran". Takes place in the court of one of
the early Tokugawa shoguns (he plays the shogun). Unfortunately, I
don't think anyone has undertaken doing subtitles for it, but so
many Jdramas can be enjoyed without them. The drama is available
over on D-Addicts ( http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/torrents.php?
search=ooku+hana+no+ran&type=&sub=View+all&sort= ).

If no one has pointed you in these directions, a couple of places to
find out more about other things our Shinsengumi alumni have been in
are Drama-Wiki ( http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Main_Page ) and JDorama (
http://www.jdorama.com ). The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) can
also provide information, but it's not as thorough on Japanese
actors (http://www.imdb.com).

And, yes, "Deborah the Rival" is not to be missed for anyone who
likes Tanihara-san and/or needs to laugh. LOL! It's still my No.
1 "feel good" movie.

phil

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, BarbaraSheridan wrote:
>
> zhusanna wrote:
> Shosuke
> > Tanihara.
> >
> >
> > If anyone could make some viewing suggestions for any of these
actors
> > I'd like to hear them. Thanks!
>
> If it's Tanihara you wish to admire and/or drool over you MUST get
one
> of his early films---Fudoh. Sky High is also quite good with
freaky cool
> paranormal elements. he was also very good in a small part in
Sleepless
> Town and I'm sure Ms. Phil and Sec & Tama will agree that if you
can get
> hold of Deborah the Rival you'll be thrilled and amazed. ^_^
>
> He's also done quite a few J-Dramas.
>
> And any film or drama you come across with Koichi Sato (Serizawa)
is also
> a good bet.
> --
> Barbara Sheridan
> http://www.barbarasheridan.net
> http://www.dragonsdisciple.com
>

As I was randomly browsing the internet today, I came
across a link for an old manga that I was interested
in over a decade ago, when I wasn't even a teenager,
and after some nostalgic reminiscing, I was heartened
to hear there was a sequel. What I was completely
unprepared for was the appearance of the Shinsengumi
in this universe. After all, it's a fighting/gag
comedy with cross-dressing giant fish with legs,
sexually ambiguous octopus men, horny giant snails and
various other weird creatures, and the main
character's catchphrase is "N'baba!"

Did you know about this already? Am I the only one who
is delighted/disgusted?

(For those of you who might point out that the kanji
is different, yes it is, but the pronunciation is the
same.)

The series is PAPUWA!, sequel to Nangoku Shonen
Papuwa; here's the link, and scroll about halfway down
the page for this universe's incarnations of our
favourite boys in blue.

http://gangan.square-enix.co.jp/papuwa/toumin/toumin_b.html


I almost died when I saw Saitou, in a hilariously bad
way.

Best wishes, and hope everyone's well,

Mio.



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Hello, I joined this group today.

> My favorite depictions of Kondo (and the ones that I feel are most
> realistic) are Shinsengumi Keppuroku and "Byakkotai." I can't

remember the

> name of the actor in Byakkotai,

Is the Byakkotai the one aired in 80's on NihonTV?
(Satomi Kotaro played Saigo Tanomo.)
If so, the actor's name is Natsuyagi Isao.

He played Hijikata on "Mibu no Koiuta" p生の恋唄


Shikisoku

Ohayo gozaimasu!

First, thank you for the pointer to "Jikou Keisatsu", which I have been
enjoying (at least the soft-subs... my Japanese isn't nearly up to the
task of understanding a show like that).

I enjoyed another Jo Odagiri starring role this weekend that some on the
list might enjoy, even if it was not Shinsengumi-related. I watched the
movie "Shinobi: Heart Under Blade", which is supposedly a live-action
version of the anime/manga "Basilisk". I'm not familiar with
"Basilisk", so I can't comment on how well the movie follows its source
material, but I can heartily recommend the movie on its own.


[Possible spoilers follow]


The movie is something of a take on Romeo and Juliet, if the Montagues
and Capulets were ninja clans. Tokugawa Ieyasu sets the Iga and Hoga
clans at each other, leaving two young lovers, each the grandchild of
their respective village's leader, stuck in the middle.

Production values were very high, with beautiful scenery and a haunting
soundtrack. The fight scenes were very good; each of the main ninja
characters had their own specialty, including the best live-action
version of Kenshin's fighting style that one is likely to see.
Unfortunately, it was a bit rushed; the story revolves around a series
of duels between ten ninja, five to a side. Two hours is just too short
of a time to develop much empathy for that many characters. Instead,
you only get to know the two lovers fairly well, and only two of the
other ninja really get to explain themselves. They were all potentially
interesting characters, and I would have preferred a longer format to
get to know them better.

I've read a number of complaints about the ending in online forums.
Being both a fan of Asian cinema and a student of Japanese history, the
ending was not terribly surprising to me, and I believe it fit the story
well. I can, however, see how someone who either doesn't know the
history of the time period or is more used to Hollywood movie endings
might not like this (my mother was the same way when she saw "Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon"... she loved the movie up until the end, but
couldn't understand why it had such a sad ending).

In short, it's not the kind of movie that's going to change the world,
but it was a worthwhile use of two hours. It had an interesting story,
decent acting, good fight scenes, and more ninja than you can shake a
stick at... what more can you ask for?

kuruma deshita