[Discussion] Wakamonotachi 2014

[totally_0bsessed]

There's no thread for this drama yet, so I figured starting one.



Title: 若者たち2014
Title (romaji): Wakamonotachi 2014
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Family
Episodes: TBA
Viewership ratings: TBD
Broadcast network: Fuji TV
Broadcast period: 2014-Jul-09 start
Air time: Wednesday 22:00
Theme song: Wakamonotachi by Moriyama Naotaro

Synopsis:
Asahi, Hikari, Haru and Tadashi are siblings that all live together in the house they grew up in located in Shitamachi. There is another brother, Satoru, but due to something that had happened in the past, he had moved out. Their parents had died when they were young, and Asahi, being the eldest, is the one who had taken care of them all. Asahi is a conservative, stubborn man, and his favorite phrase to his siblings is, "I am the one who had brought you all up", which irritates them no end.

Asahi works at a construction site and goes to a shop daily to buy lunch, where he meets the shop's cute employee, Sawabe Asuza.
Hikari works as a nurse in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the hospital, together with the family friend who used to live nearby, Dr. Shinjo Masaomi.
Haru doesn't like to study, and prefers to tread the boards instead. As the head of his performing troupe, he is a temperamental man who fusses over the troupe members.
Tadashi is currently under suspension from school, so in order to not fall back on his studies, he is currently attending a prep school daily. At the prep school, he is drawn to another fellow student, Nagihara Kasumi.
As for Satoru, one day, in her workclothes and smoking a cigarette, Yashiro Takako suddenly calls out to him, "you killed your mother, didn't you?"...

Five siblings, each with their own problems, soon find themselves in various situations, living life as a youth of today.

Cast:
Tsumabuki Satoshi as Sato Asahi
Eita as Sato Satoru
Mitsushima Hikari as Sato Hikari
Emoto Tasuku as Sato Haru
Nomura Shuhei as Sato Tadashi
Aoi Yu as Sawabe Asuza
Nagasawa Masami as Yashiro Takako
Hashimoto Ai as Nagahara Kasumi
Yoshioka Hidetaka as Shinjo Masaomi

Correlation Chart:


Production Credits:
Original work (screenplay): Yamanouchi Hisashi (山内 久)
Screenwriter: Muto Shogo
Producer: Ishii Koji
Director: Sugita Shigemichi (杉田成道), Nakae Isamu, Namiki Michiko
Music: Ogino Kiyoko (荻野清子)

Notes:
- Remake of 1966 Fuji TV drama "Wakamono Tachi".
- Made to celebrate Fuji TV's 55th Anniversary.

source: dramawiki

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Interesting pilot episode, imo. Looking forward to seeing it again with subtitles.

ETA: Subtitles can be found here. (not sure if this is allowed, let me know if it isn't.)

[ailahai]

rating for epi 1 was 12.7％
http://newclassic.jp/17007

[superdevilgundam]

hmm is it just me or does this show feel like Hitotsu Yane no Shita?
hopefully it can surpass it. love the all star cast but the writing so far is average.

[mezoomozaa]

I like the 1st episode

9/10 for me

[GaussAlgorithmus]

First episode was ok, but I guess, it'll be a "FF-Dorama" in which I will fast forward through the episodes. I'm really interested in what will happen and in the story, but I'm totally not in the whole "SHOUTING IS DRAMA! SHOUTING GIVES EMOTIONS" stuff. It annoys me too fast...also, dragged out "dramatic" parts are not my thing...and this dramas has both. But because of that, I can simply fast forward through it and still know, what's going on. ;)

[Loki]

I thought the first episode had a slow star, good pick-up in the middle, and a kind of okay ending. That last wrestling scene I felt was trying to be too inspirational but I didn't feel it. But it looks like there is going to be plenty of plot for each character. I hope things can get better.

[totally_0bsessed]

rating for epi 1 was 12.7％
http://newclassic.jp/17007

Thanks!
---

What I found interesting in the first episode was the relationship of the siblings and the chemistry of the cast. The plot was okay and the acting was really good although I feel weird about Satoshi in this type of character. lol Maybe he hasn't quite grasped it yet? Something feels off in scenes where he is shouting and scolding his siblings, his acting in the more subtle scenes were great though.

Anyway, episode 2:

I liked this episode more than episode 1. Eita was fantastic and the build-up & the execution of the mom's story was really touching. I thought Masami might be a weak link here, even though I like her. lol But I thought she did really well in her scenes, maybe because her scenes were done in small doses?

Looking forward to the third episode!

Oh, episode 2 got 7.8%. Quite a massive drop from last week.
http://artv.info/ar1407.html

[magnolialove]

I really want to love this drama because the cast is amazing, but it feels like they're trying way too hard with all of it--plots, characters, script, acting, everything. Especially Tsumabaki, as much as it pains me to say it ^^; I love him, but every scene of his makes me cringe, omg. And yeah, the sudden yelling and flipping out it over the top. I hope it improves.

Fwiw, I think Mitsushima and Eita are phenomenal as always.

[DragonSpikeXIII]

Was really looking forward to this dorama, thanks in good part to its star-studded cast, but this seems like yet another failed remake. Would love it if it got better, maybe it's just a clunky first episode.

[superdevilgundam]

I really want to love this drama because the cast is amazing, but it feels like they're trying way too hard with all of it--plots, characters, script, acting, everything. Especially Tsumabaki, as much as it pains me to say it ^^; I love him, but every scene of his makes me cringe, omg. And yeah, the sudden yelling and flipping out it over the top. I hope it improves.

Fwiw, I think Mitsushima and Eita are phenomenal as always.

Same. The acting is good for them 2 but the plot is too generic. Well I already expected as much since the writer isn't someone known for compelling dramas. Also this really really reminds me of hitotsu yane no shita. Hopefully this show picks up

[GaussAlgorithmus]

I just finished the second episode...oh boy...

I still want to know what will happen in the future episodes, the story itself is still interesting. BUT, the constant yelling and super dramatic acting is really annoying. It is painfully hard for me, to sit through the episodes. Everytime the main character starts going nuts, it'S so cringeworthy. He is like a little child, that always starts crying/yelling when something isn't like he wants it to be. Super annoying...maybe the most annoying character I've seen in a drama for a long time.

I totally cringed, when he made a fool out of himself arguing...no "yelling" at his bigger brother and acting like an ideion in front of his future wife. If I were to see a person act like that, I would be ashamed...marrying someone like this? Oh boy... But she then says, she enjoyed it? She enjoyed seeing her future husband act like a big child (in a bad way)? W T F? I cannot think of any "normal" person, who would like a scene like this.

And then there are the fight scenes. Sorry, but I simply cannot see any family, where the members beat each other up all the time. Especially with all those cheap wrestling moves.

Also, the final of the episode was, at keast for my taste, again way to stretched. Basically the same, as in the first episiode with the wrestling match. Just because the scene is made 10 minutes long, it doesnt mean, it has more of an impact. If it's done well, it only needs a minute or two.

I guess, after giving the second episode a chance, I will fast forward though the rest of the drama´just to see hwere all this is going.

[xploring]

Have just watched episode 2. I agree they failed to find the balance with the family fights and yelling, except for Mitsushima Hikari. At times it felt like the scriptwriter was talking through the characters, the messages regarding apology he was trying to get across was not convincing for me. (Hitotsu yane no shita was so much more convincing). Read about some media reports, and I agree, except for the smartphone and camera, this is like Wakamonotachi 1994 rather than 2014. Still, I like it enough to continue watching.

[xploring]

The second half of episode 3 was great. I was a little disappointed by the first two but it feels like I can look forward to the rest of the series after this episode.

The scene where Asa-ni revealed the truth behind their father's death was really well done and the emotions from the 3 eldest siblings all felt very real. Asa-ni is not the super aniki in Hitotsu yane no shita or Summer Snow, but he felt more real than either of them in this episode. The scene at the end when Satoru pleaded on Asa-ni's behalf was moving, tears were welling in my eyes. Not keen on the subplot of Hikari's relationship with the doctor, wish they came up with something else for her. Satoru's relationship with Takako looks the most interesting at the moment.

[celticmoon]

I just watched the first ep of this last night.

I actually quite enjoyed it, though I have a lot of issues with it. It's sad to see this thing absolutely failing in the ratings department with so many big names in the cast.

Anyway, the biggest issue I have with this is what xploring sort of mentioned, but everything in this drama reeks of the Showa era (definitely feels like a period in time even before 1994). Not that there is anything wrong with the Showa era, of course (I actually love Japanese dramas and movies that look back on that period with a sense of nostalgia), but it seems like they took a bunch of characters from the time period of the original drama (1960s) and plopped them into the present day. If it weren't for the smartphones, the shot of the Sky Tree, and the present day hospital scenes, I would have no trouble believing that this drama is supposed to be taking place some 30 or 40 years ago. The way the characters act and even the way they dress just feel so... "off" for something taking place in the present day. Doesn't help that they have Moriyama Naotaro covering an old 60s song (the theme song to the original 1966 drama)--which isn't a slight on the original song or Moriyama, as I really like the song and his rendition.

I haven't actually seen the original drama/movies, but somehow this has kind of sparked my interest in it. The original Wakamono Tachi is often cited as the precursor or inspiration for Hitotsu Yane no Shita.

Anyway, I'm still interested in sticking with this drama. I like the actors, and I like the characters too, and I do like that Showa feeling, despite it feeling so out of place, lol.