Nobuta Power, Enter!
Sep. 16th, 2007 08:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orange_smaugOkay so I lied, finding out that someone on my flist knows what Nobuta wo Produce is has just shattered my resolve not to gush about it in to little bitty pieces. COMMENCE NOBUTA WO PRODUCE LOVE POST OF DOOM ♥ ♥ ♥ etc etc etc
I tried not to put spoilers in this time because I wanted people to actually be able to read this and want to watch the series so that I'd have people to squee about it with :D. Which reminds me, don’t read the Wikipedia entry about it because it spoils the ending.
So, Nobuta wo Produce (all ten episodes available here, registration is free, see how easy I make this for you?) is a series about a popular kid, a free spirit, and the bullied girl they decide to "produce" or makeover. Except it's so much more than that summary makes it seem, and I hope it doesn’t spoil too much to say that it is, ultimately, a series about friendship and being true to yourself. God that sounds so cheesy but it is, and really nowhere as ham-fisted as that sort of message would usually be.
First, the writing. It isn’t perfect, and I can immediately recall a few inconsistencies that particularly bug me. The series is also somewhat episodic, which sometimes results in emotional epiphanies that are unnervingly convenient for the sake of ending things on time, especially in the earlier episodes (not that they don’t have their fair share of brilliant moments). At the same time, plotlines often take very different paths than you’d expect them to, and it can’t be overstated how wonderfully the characters develop. Some characters are stronger than they might first appear, others more vulnerable, and even minor characters are allowed to grow and change for the better. It’s really just so earnest and thoughtful in a way so few stories try to be, and the last few episodes in particular are amazingly well done, tense and emotional because the situation warrants it and not merely for the sake of melodrama; they’re really what cemented the series for me as an all time favorite.
Asian dramas tend not to be my thing, and one of the biggest reasons for that is the unimpressive acting. It’s very easy for me to get put off by the acting, and even in ones I like it’s usually still slightly exaggerated in a way that pulls me right out of the story. The acting in Nobuta on the other hand, is actually good. Really good. Like, good enough that they actually won awards for it, and not just People’s Choice type awards either. There is some public participation, but the final decision is also decided on by the magazine editors and professional judges and I've been told that it's about the equivalent of winning an Emmy. Kamenashi Kazuya/Shuuji won Best Actor (in all three categories) for the 47th Television Academy Awards in Japan, Yamashita Tomohisa/Akira was third overall (but was voted second by the professional judges), and Horikita Maki/Nobuta won Best Supporting Actress (I don’t know why she’s considered Supporting, but whatever) (obsessed with Nobuta, whut).
I don’t want to get in to too many details about how the main characters develop because as I said, it often doesn’t happen the way you’d expect it to and is something you should see for yourself (…though I apparently can’t restrain myself). But Horikita’s Nobuta is the most adorable character ever, and she does it without conforming to the usual notions of what ‘cute’ and ‘popular’ should be. Akira was apparently a much flatter character in the script than the one that finally made it on to the screen, free as a jaybird and responsible for a lot of the humor but also surprisingly together, and Yamashita’s decision to take the character in that direction is the reason for that. Finally, you have Kamenashi’s Shuuji, and it isn’t hard to see why he won the Best Actor award. The character is one of many faces who goes through a lot of growth throughout the series, and the actor nails the performance. They all do really, you don’t get generic “happy” or “sad” faces when the scene calls for it, instead every expression and action is so much the character’s you can’t see tell where they end and the actor begins. Looking back, the drama could have fallen so horribly flat if they hadn’t found the right actors even if the writing had been exactly the same...but at the same time the superb character development was what also allowed the actors to give such amazing performances, and the combination is really something else.
As a side note, I was especially surprised by Shuuji and Akira’s actors because Kamenashi and Yamashita both belong to the same agency, Johnny’s Entertainment, which is something like a boy-band mill. I was expecting a situation like Orlando Bloom (pretty as hell but can’t act worth shit) or Liv Tyler (model turned actor, adequate but not award-winning by any stretch of the imagination), but got something excellent instead. They’re much better actors than they are singers/dancers, really XD.
And finally, if none of that was enough to entice you (not being able to talk about spoilers just hamstrings me so much because there is so much wonderfulness you have to experience for yourself jas;ldkfj;alskj), would gay schoolboys do the trick :D? Because Shuuji and Akira are perhaps the slashiest characters ever in something that isn't out and out gay/BL, and the amount of chemistry they have together is quite frankly amazing. The best thing, however, is that even if you ignore every piece of subtext between them (and there’s a lot, believe me), their relationship with each other (and with Nobuta too, people who forget Nobuta are stupid :() purely as friends is still silly and amusing but wonderfully touching.And I know I mentioned that they weren’t great singers/dancers before but here’s a PV of Seishun Amigo anyway (Akira’s on the left, Shuuji’s on the right), subbed so that you can see how gay the lyrics are.
In conclusion? Great writing, great characters, great acting, there are few things I can recommend as wholeheartedly as Nobuta wo Produce ♥.
On a sillier note, I eventually gathered from poking around past discussions about it that the ending song--Seishun Amigo, sung by the actors who played Shuuji and Akira--was pretty popular in Japan. However, I didn't realize exactly how popular it was until I found this clip. I guess you can legitimately be called a national craze if literally everyone and their mom and their dog and people in giant mascot suits know how to dance yourgay theme song :D.
I tried not to put spoilers in this time because I wanted people to actually be able to read this and want to watch the series so that I'd have people to squee about it with :D. Which reminds me, don’t read the Wikipedia entry about it because it spoils the ending.
So, Nobuta wo Produce (all ten episodes available here, registration is free, see how easy I make this for you?) is a series about a popular kid, a free spirit, and the bullied girl they decide to "produce" or makeover. Except it's so much more than that summary makes it seem, and I hope it doesn’t spoil too much to say that it is, ultimately, a series about friendship and being true to yourself. God that sounds so cheesy but it is, and really nowhere as ham-fisted as that sort of message would usually be.
First, the writing. It isn’t perfect, and I can immediately recall a few inconsistencies that particularly bug me. The series is also somewhat episodic, which sometimes results in emotional epiphanies that are unnervingly convenient for the sake of ending things on time, especially in the earlier episodes (not that they don’t have their fair share of brilliant moments). At the same time, plotlines often take very different paths than you’d expect them to, and it can’t be overstated how wonderfully the characters develop. Some characters are stronger than they might first appear, others more vulnerable, and even minor characters are allowed to grow and change for the better. It’s really just so earnest and thoughtful in a way so few stories try to be, and the last few episodes in particular are amazingly well done, tense and emotional because the situation warrants it and not merely for the sake of melodrama; they’re really what cemented the series for me as an all time favorite.
Asian dramas tend not to be my thing, and one of the biggest reasons for that is the unimpressive acting. It’s very easy for me to get put off by the acting, and even in ones I like it’s usually still slightly exaggerated in a way that pulls me right out of the story. The acting in Nobuta on the other hand, is actually good. Really good. Like, good enough that they actually won awards for it, and not just People’s Choice type awards either. There is some public participation, but the final decision is also decided on by the magazine editors and professional judges and I've been told that it's about the equivalent of winning an Emmy. Kamenashi Kazuya/Shuuji won Best Actor (in all three categories) for the 47th Television Academy Awards in Japan, Yamashita Tomohisa/Akira was third overall (but was voted second by the professional judges), and Horikita Maki/Nobuta won Best Supporting Actress (I don’t know why she’s considered Supporting, but whatever) (obsessed with Nobuta, whut).
I don’t want to get in to too many details about how the main characters develop because as I said, it often doesn’t happen the way you’d expect it to and is something you should see for yourself (…though I apparently can’t restrain myself). But Horikita’s Nobuta is the most adorable character ever, and she does it without conforming to the usual notions of what ‘cute’ and ‘popular’ should be. Akira was apparently a much flatter character in the script than the one that finally made it on to the screen, free as a jaybird and responsible for a lot of the humor but also surprisingly together, and Yamashita’s decision to take the character in that direction is the reason for that. Finally, you have Kamenashi’s Shuuji, and it isn’t hard to see why he won the Best Actor award. The character is one of many faces who goes through a lot of growth throughout the series, and the actor nails the performance. They all do really, you don’t get generic “happy” or “sad” faces when the scene calls for it, instead every expression and action is so much the character’s you can’t see tell where they end and the actor begins. Looking back, the drama could have fallen so horribly flat if they hadn’t found the right actors even if the writing had been exactly the same...but at the same time the superb character development was what also allowed the actors to give such amazing performances, and the combination is really something else.
As a side note, I was especially surprised by Shuuji and Akira’s actors because Kamenashi and Yamashita both belong to the same agency, Johnny’s Entertainment, which is something like a boy-band mill. I was expecting a situation like Orlando Bloom (pretty as hell but can’t act worth shit) or Liv Tyler (model turned actor, adequate but not award-winning by any stretch of the imagination), but got something excellent instead. They’re much better actors than they are singers/dancers, really XD.
And finally, if none of that was enough to entice you (not being able to talk about spoilers just hamstrings me so much because there is so much wonderfulness you have to experience for yourself jas;ldkfj;alskj), would gay schoolboys do the trick :D? Because Shuuji and Akira are perhaps the slashiest characters ever in something that isn't out and out gay/BL, and the amount of chemistry they have together is quite frankly amazing. The best thing, however, is that even if you ignore every piece of subtext between them (and there’s a lot, believe me), their relationship with each other (and with Nobuta too, people who forget Nobuta are stupid :() purely as friends is still silly and amusing but wonderfully touching.
In conclusion? Great writing, great characters, great acting, there are few things I can recommend as wholeheartedly as Nobuta wo Produce ♥.
On a sillier note, I eventually gathered from poking around past discussions about it that the ending song--Seishun Amigo, sung by the actors who played Shuuji and Akira--was pretty popular in Japan. However, I didn't realize exactly how popular it was until I found this clip. I guess you can legitimately be called a national craze if literally everyone and their mom and their dog and people in giant mascot suits know how to dance your
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-17 05:58 am (UTC)SQUEEEE.
Don't I just write the best comments? Seriously, we need to e-mail each other or something about this show so we can gush without spoiling others.
But to everyone reading this...I like to describe this show as a My Fair Lady in which the Eliza Dolittle character forges her own path and doesn't pull the "one outfit and a haircut and everyone loves me" routine. There are some superficial changes made, but it's her spirit that really gets the high polish, and it's not manga insta-perfection overnight, and that's what makes it awesome.
Ack. I'm sorry for rambling. GO WATCH THIS SHOW Y'ALL.
NOBUTA POWER, ENTER!no subject
Date: 2007-09-17 08:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-17 06:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-17 08:56 am (UTC)And I included a link in the post to a place where you can watch it online if you don't want to download gigs of episodes.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-14 11:26 pm (UTC)So i am kind of stalking your journal 'cause you wright real good sanjixzoro stuff....well~ and when i was checking it out i stumbled over this post...
i watched it.
well im into the fifth episode now and i am laughing my head off 'cause it's so funny even if i shouldn't 'cause i am a bit ill and nearly dieing every time i am laughing but it's so fucking hilarious and i should probably go to bed now 'cause i've got a lecture in few hours but it's so good and i am rambling aren't i?
sorry 'bout that.
so yeah, just wanted to tell you that your advertising worked. with me.
i am weak.
so...well...i'll be going now.
sorry to disturb.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-15 07:59 am (UTC)And thanks for reading my stuff! Though it may not seem like it I still love One Piece, I just haven't had the time to write lately.