[Discussion] Iguana no musume

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » May 26th, '06, 10:19

Hi everyone!

I created this thread in case anyone wants to discuss spoilers or anything about the series in here. Towards the later eps in the series, things get a little crazy / confusing.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!!

If you've not seen all released eps, you might not want to venture farther into this thread!!

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » May 27th, '06, 08:29

So has anyone watched eps 8 & 9 yet? What'd you think?

Yukimura · Post by **Yukimura** » May 27th, '06, 09:13

Great call on releasing both 8 & 9 at the same time!

That would have been one killer cliff hanger otherwise! ummm, no pun intended. Too bad Nobuko had to die just so Rika could finally change.

Karo · Post by **Karo** » May 27th, '06, 09:32

I really liked Nobuko... T-T I liked her a lot because she was a lot like me... Just as she was as a child I am afriad of talking in public too... So when she died... I cried soooo much!!! T-T
It's evil taking away this character... but somehow I think, Rika wouldn't have changed for real. She was talking about changing for some time.. and never really changed a lot. Always going back to her gloomy self whenever something bad happened. Now I think she really changed... because she wants to show Nobuko a happy Rika... not a sad one. ^^ I think... ^^

I absolutely love episode 9 because it has a great end...^^ Because Rika is finally really ready to change herself... ^^

It's so hard to wait for the next episodes... waaaahhh!!!! I'm sooo curious... ^^

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » May 27th, '06, 10:04

I was really really shocked the first time I watched episodes 8 & 9, with Nobuko's death. My favorite scene, though, is when Nobuko's mom gets mad at Rika at her house. I think the actress who plays Nobuko's mom was really great when she says to Rika, "Are you trying to tell me that my daughter DIED because of YOU?" A really powerful scene.

I thought the way Nobuko died was just sooo dumb though. It's almost funny because it carried the undertone of "Never cross the street until the sign says it's okay!!" I'm sure Nobuko had never done that before in her life, and the first time she does, she gets hit by a truck.

And how much of a **** is Kaori? "I don't want to lose by default to Rika just because her friend died!" Selfish much? Damn, if you have to work that hard at convincing someone to hang out with you or like you, it's obviously not worth it.

SnWa · Post by **SnWa** » May 27th, '06, 16:02

awrittensin wrote:I was really really shocked the first time I watched episodes 8 & 9, with Nobuko's death.

If I hadn't glanced at the episode summaries beforehand, I probably would have been stunned by Nobuko's death too.

awrittensin wrote:My favorite scene, though, is when Nobuko's mom gets mad at Rika at her house. I think the actress who plays Nobuko's mom was really great when she says to Rika, "Are you trying to tell me that my daughter DIED because of YOU?" A really powerful scene.

That scene left an impresson on me too. I was expecting some standard "It was not your fault" response, but it felt much more real the way Nobuko's mom said it. It made me (let alone Rika) realize how much pain Nobuko's mom was suffering.

awrittensin wrote:And how much of a **** is Kaori? "I don't want to lose by default to Rika just because her friend died!" Selfish much? Damn, if you have to work that hard at convincing someone to hang out with you or like you, it's obviously not worth it.

Kaori selfish? Definitely. But we are getting some insights into Kaori's past that help us understand how she became the way she is. It's not an excuse for her behaviour, but it helps us understand.

In some respects, this show is exploring challenges to self-esteem and the different responses one can take. Rika, Nobuko, and Kaori are different examples of these challenges and responses.

Thanks so much for sharing this series with us awrittensin.

Karo · Post by **Karo** » May 28th, '06, 00:27

awrittensin wrote: I thought the way Nobuko died was just sooo dumb though. It's almost funny because it carried the undertone of "Never cross the street until the sign says it's okay!!" I'm sure Nobuko had never done that before in her life, and the first time she does, she gets hit by a truck.

And you actually knew it would happen... the scene she got when she was at home... and the call from her boyfriend... From that scene on... you really knew it... >.>

I alkso thought... it was kind of stupoid... Accidents happen, that's true... but this is just too much bad luck... Kind of... ^^
I mean... I crossed the street when the sign was red quite often too... (yeah, I'm one of those evil kids... ^^) and this girl just crossed it once in her lifetime and got hit... O.o
Guess this really has to tell me to stop crossing streets when the sign tells me not to... >.> hehehe...

Kaori is just sooo stupid. I don't like her at all. Even the thing with her brother... it couldn't help me a lot to change it. I just thought: So now she has some bad luck too. She is bad to others and hurt them, she deserves it (yeah, I really hate her... ^^)

I started to dislike Nobru too a bit... Cause he always fell for Kaori and he aslo never really said or did something to stop her... Although I think he could have... Also, when he doesn't like her so much to be his girlfriend... and he should have stopped to send her signs that nake her think she can... Like going on a trip with her, on going to that amusement park... It's not really something I would do with someone who obviously likes me a lot... >.>
Then I was happy that he ran after Rika to help her, although Kaori tried to stop him... So now he's up again on the I-Like List... hehehe... ^^

Have to go to bed now... ^^
Have a good night!!! ^________^

MeIrUo · Post by **MeIrUo** » May 28th, '06, 13:50

Hello everyone,
just thinking to post my view here. I started to watch this series after I read the storyline in wiki-addicts. At first I thought it was just like another jdorama I watch. I don't know if someone notices, jdoramas recently become too slow either in the storyline, movements or conversation. Makes me half slept to watch them.

But when I watch the first episode of this dorama, I think it kinda move fast and made me wondering 'what is going to happen next'. I read that this dorama is out in 1996. Well, during 80's to 90's there are lots of good jdorama produces. Good 'ol days huh!

Back to the dorama, this is a must watch dorama for me. Eventhough the casts are not so good looking but they really act well. And I fall for Rika character in this drama. The actress really did a good job.

A big thanks to awrittensin for bringing up this drama for everyone. You sure rock!!!

SnWa · Post by **SnWa** » May 29th, '06, 06:13

So, I couldn't help myself and watched ep 10 as soon as it finished downloading.

I knew what was going to happen from the spoilers, but that last scene was still heart-wrenching.

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » May 31st, '06, 04:20

The way Kanno Miho's voice slightly trembles when she says "If that's what you want, Mom... then it's okay with me" gets me every time.

I was bawling when I was making the subs for that episode!

Yukimura · Post by **Yukimura** » Jun 3rd, '06, 04:10

Why is Rika not able to love her daughter? From what is shown, she doesn't look like an iguana in her eyes, so then why? Just wondering.

goygakgoy · Post by **goygakgoy** » Jun 3rd, '06, 06:29

I just finished the drama and it's a great drama. I'm also confused why the mother hates the daughter so much...yet u see moments where she loves her child. The last episode was freaking confusing...kinda left me empty...wanted to see more...should make a sequel...hehe.

When ya think about it, ppl hate each other cuz of how we look all of the tim and for the little things...and Iguana is a big thing..so I guess I can somewhat understand.

This is the first drama I'd ever wrote about...I usually just watch and that's it. I was searching for a j-drama info and I found that there's a guide on Amazon and Iguana is on the cover...WOW. I think it deserves to be cuz Jdrama is very unique.

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » Jun 3rd, '06, 06:35

Why is Rika not able to love her daughter? From what is shown, she doesn't look like an iguana in her eyes, so then why? Just wondering.

I'm not sure, either. I thought it was a strange statement for Rika to make, because she's always been a caring person towards anyone, no matter what they did to her. She easily forgave her mother time and time again. So why wouldn't she love a child she had between her and Noboru? It doesn't make sense to me, but that's definitely what she said. That line bothered me a lot because it really seems out of place.

So did anyone else think it was ridiculous that 2 people in the show died from walking out into the road and getting hit by cars?

Yukimura · Post by **Yukimura** » Jun 3rd, '06, 07:18

oh, I believed the line the way you translated it, it just bothered me that the writers of the show put that in there when it didn't make any sense and no explanation was given as to why she would hate her daughter. As you said, Rika was such a loving and forgiving person.

and yes, I guess that was a bit overkill, two people dying from stepping out onto the road. At least we get to see Rika's mom finally showing her some love at the end, even though it wasn't actually Rika.

btw, does anyone know who plays the younger Rika? She's not listed in any of the cast, even on the japanese website. Just wondering because she looks familiar as though i've seen her in another drama or movie before.

musouka · Post by **musouka** » Jun 3rd, '06, 07:31

I haven't seen the last episode yet, but from what I remember of the manga, Rika had a reaction slightly similar to her mother's when her baby was born. This was mainly because she saw her baby as a human child (she was expecting a cross between an iguana and a bull...long story) and was really afraid that she wouldn't be able to relate to her.

Of course, things eventually worked out...

(After I get done with ep 11, I'll probably have much much more to say, as I've been kinda saving it all until I'm done)

vis · Post by **vis** » Jun 3rd, '06, 18:14

I must say that I'm perplexed like everyone else when it comes to Rika saying that she cannot love her child no matter how much she tries... o____0 So all the affection she's been bestowing her daughter is fake? And Rika's indeed usually so loving and forgivable... plus she doesn't seem to be seeing the daugher as an iguana so what's the big deal? I thought Rika had learnt to love herself, but if she can't love her own daughter since the child is a quater iguana (something like that, right? Rika ought to be half-iguana, since her father was human) then the it's rather contradicting... also the daugher ought to be more "human" than Rika if you wanna analyze it like that.

Anyway, I think it was touching that Rika named her daughter after her mother

And the ending was kinda bittersweet

*when the scene switched to Rika being hugged by her mom*

Thank you again awrittensin for sharing this great drama with us ^^

doink-chan · Post by **doink-chan** » Jun 3rd, '06, 18:49

musouka wrote:I haven't seen the last episode yet, but from what I remember of the manga, Rika had a reaction slightly similar to her mother's when her baby was born. This was mainly because she saw her baby as a human child (she was expecting a cross between an iguana and a bull...long story) and was really afraid that she wouldn't be able to relate to her.

Of course, things eventually worked out...

(After I get done with ep 11, I'll probably have much much more to say, as I've been kinda saving it all until I'm done)

Ah, I see. I wonder why they left that out of the drama, it would have made more sense...

musouka · Post by **musouka** » Jun 3rd, '06, 19:15

doink-chan wrote: Ah, I see. I wonder why they left that out of the drama, it would have made more sense...

I finished with the last ep, and that line kind of confuses me as well. I wonder if they were going for that same feeling of alienation that Rika felt in the manga. But because of her experience with her mother, she didn't blame her child for what she was feeling, and felt guilty and upset over it.

So I can kinda see where the drama got the idea from, but the end of the manga makes it pretty clear (to me) that once Rika achieved some closure over her conflicted feelings for her mother, she was able to love her baby like any normal person. Rika will always be an iguana, but she doesn't have to pass her suffering on to her child. (Which was also the message of the drama, I suppose.)

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » Jun 3rd, '06, 21:47

To anyone who read or remembers the manga, can you let us in on any differences between the manga and drama version? I've never read the manga, but now I'm a bit curious to see what happened.

musouka · Post by **musouka** » Jun 3rd, '06, 23:19

Well, the drama is a bit more melodramatic, and it has more characters. In the manga, there is no Nobuko or Kaori. Rika's mother isn't as malevolent towards Rika. It's more like there is nothing Rika can do to ever please her, and she's too hard on her. (Basically, it's like her mom just finds her really irritating)

Oh, and there was no romantic subplot with Noboru; he was just a childhood friend Rika played baseball with. She loved baseball, but was forced to stop because Rika's mother was upset when Mami got hit in the face when she tried to pick up a rolling baseball. In other words, Mami was the cute, sweet one, and Rika was the tomboy.

Mami didn't grow to respect Rika because of Rika standing up for her, it was because she realized that she looked down upon Rika because her mother had set her that example. Once she learned how smart Rika really was, she changed her outlook on ehr older sister.

Perhaps the biggest change is that since this is told from Rika's perspective, we only see her "human" form two or three times (once, when the perspective changes to Mami's view). The rest of the time, she is in iguana form, even when she grows up.

Another big change is that Rika accepts that she is an iguana, and while this causes her some pain (such as thinking about how coldblooded she must be not to be crying over her mother's death) and distance from other people, there isn't a "Oh, I have to change myself so people will love me and I'll be happy!" attitude. She's been told so many times how ugly she is that she just accepts that she is ugly, even though she's quite pretty. (As a semi-humorous aside, she chooses her boyfriend because he's too big for her to eat, as she had a nightmare about eating the last boy who expressed interest in her.)

At the end of the manga, Rika still can't bring herself to love her mother (actually, the line is almost exactly the same as the one in the drama about her daughter...weird), but she's accepted her conflicted feelings, and I believe, will live a happy life with her husband and her child (both of whom she loves very much).

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » Jun 3rd, '06, 23:37

Wow, musouka, that is quite a difference from the drama! It's interesting that she and Noboru weren't together in the manga - I guess they just had to think up things that were dramatic. I guess RIka never really did cry after she found out her mom died in the drama, now that I think about it. Or if she did, it was only a tear or two. I can't remember. (even though I just subbed the episodes like, last week :alcoholic:

)

Thanks a lot for filling us in!

SnWa · Post by **SnWa** » Jun 5th, '06, 04:36

Thanks musouka for filling us in on the differences with the manga.

@awrittensin: Rika definitely did cry for her mom. (I went back to check.) I guess the problem with subbing is that you have to focus on what's being spoken and some of the non-verbal stuff may become less distinct.

I was puzzling over the same line as everyone else. I kept trying to tie in Rika's father's explanation of how Rika's mom loved Rika too much. I kept pondering whether it was possible for a parent to love a child so much that the parent feels that he/she is not giving the child the love that the child deserves? And that Rika loved her own child so much that she thought she wasn't loving her child enough.

But working through musouka's comments helped. It helped me to rethink Rika's father's explanation too. I think the explanation was expressing how much Rika's mom dearly wanted to related and feel attached to Rika.

But on the fairy tale level of this story, to acknowledge the relationship would force Rika's mom to face her own nature, which violated the fundamental pact between the iguana princess and the witch. The violation of the pact would forfeit the iguana princess' right to happiness (and it seemed to life). So, it was a choice between loving her daughter and her own happiness. In the end, she chose to sacrifice herself and to love her daughter. On this level, Rika understood how much her mom ultimately loved her.

On a more human level, I think it says that there exists situations and times - sometimes inexplicable - where a parent may feel unable to related to a child or otherwise feels detached. It does not necessarily mean that the connections do not exist, and that by not dwelling on these feelings, it is possible to work beyond it. (I have no idea if this is psychologically valid, but it seemed to be a message of the drama.)

auroragb · Post by **auroragb** » Jun 14th, '06, 15:21

Thanks musouka, for the manga info.

at the boyfriend selection criteria

SnWa wrote:I was puzzling over the same line as everyone else. I kept trying to tie in Rika's father's explanation of how Rika's mom loved Rika too much. I kept pondering whether it was possible for a parent to love a child so much that the parent feels that he/she is not giving the child the love that the child deserves? And that Rika loved her own child so much that she thought she wasn't loving her child enough.

I think that the idea is that when you love a child too much, you want the best for him/her and set expectations high. So when any deficiency occurs, you try to correct it. Hence some parents are more stern to the kids they love the most (kids usually think the parents hate them). I think we definitely had some of that here. Mixed with conflicting emotion of what will happen to Rika when others see her as the mom does, it apparently gave the mom paranoia and it manifested as being cold/cruel to Rika. I notice that the mom constantly notices what Rika is doing even tho she's supposedly ignoring her, showing a form of conflicted affection.

One question tho, it would be interesting to know if Rika sees her child the same as her mom saw her... From musouka's comments it seems like she did, I wish they showed that also in the drama to emphasize the power of Rika's love.

Anyone recommend a similar kind of drama? In a way, glass mask was similar in the triumph against adversity. Basically, I like this kind of drama where the adversity is mixed with a fairy tale theme.

SnWa · Post by **SnWa** » Jun 16th, '06, 03:47

Thanks for responding auroragb. I agree with your point that some parents are more stern the more they love their kids. (One of the themes that struck me with Joou no Kyoushitsu - another drama that I like a lot.) And this definitely plays a part in Rika's relationship with her mom. But as you said, there's really a mix of other things thrown into this relationship. It is a rather complex relationship.

auroragb wrote:One question tho, it would be interesting to know if Rika sees her child the same as her mom saw her... From musouka's comments it seems like she did, I wish they showed that also in the drama to emphasize the power of Rika's love.

From musouka's explanation of the manga, Rika saw her daughter as a human child, but did have a reaction similar to her mom's when her child was born.

auroragb wrote:Anyone recommend a similar kind of drama? In a way, glass mask was similar in the triumph against adversity. Basically, I like this kind of drama where the adversity is mixed with a fairy tale theme.

I'll take that as another recommendation for glass mask.

I don't know of another drama that's quite like this - Iguana seems really unique. But some shows with fantasy-style storylines that I've enjoyed include "Ame to Yume no Ato ni" and "Ima Ai ni Yukimasu". These two are very different from each other and probably do not focus as much on adversity, but both have a certain poetry in their themes.

And if you like a show that juxtaposes hash realities with a fantastical style of cinematography and seemingly Grimm's fairy tale-like wicknesses, may I suggest you consider Joou no Kyoushitsu.

[DISCLAIMER: The preceding sentence reflects a fanatical attempt by the author to work in a recommendation for a favourite show. ]

bakaman · Post by **bakaman** » Jul 6th, '06, 07:06

Hi everyone (spoiler alert for last episode, question, comment to translator, etc)

I wasn't going to post here until watching the last episode, and it seems that everyone is bothered or confused by the same line as I was (Rika not being able to love her daughter). Maybe awrittensin could clarify something -- is it clear that she means herself (Rika) cannot come to love her daughter, or is Rika perhaps just repeating her mother's words about the mom not being able to love her daugther? I don't see how someone can hug their daughter so tight (and the other things she mentioned) without loving her... doesn't that means the hugs and emotions aren't genuine? Rika's mom couldn't love Rika, but she showed it. Everything (even the opening in Ep 1 where they're in the bath together) the viewer sees shows Rika loving her child. That's what I don't get.

Quick comment to awrittensin if I may (I tried to email you about this instead but email to your gmail got bounced back). I noticed you use one phrase a lot in "Ame to Yume" and a few times in "Iguana" as well, and just wanted to point out a minor correction if you don't mind. I think the phrase was something like "all of the sudden" but the correct phrase is actually "all of a sudden" (I think that was it... there was a phrase you kept using where it should've been "a" instead of "the",... sorry, this is by memory now, just thought I'd mention it).

Also want to THANK YOU for all the work you do and bringing out these dramas. I've really, really enjoyed "Ame to Yume" and now have just finished and enjoyed "Iguana" as well.

(spoiler alert for "Ame" below):
Off topic I know, but I just have to say very quickly, for those who watched "Ame", there was only ONE thing I thought was missing... and that's in the final episode, what was missing was a shot of Ame getting out of the ferris wheel car alone. Everyone hugs in the car, and then the happy music starts, but even though she's going to be OK, it really would have been nice to see just a 10 second shot of Ame walking out of the ferris wheel alone before the music starts. Ah well.

Any more comments on this final episode of Iguana, I'd love to read them.
I don't know anything about Glass Mask, will have to check it out and read up about it!

awrittensin · Post by **awrittensin** » Jul 6th, '06, 10:29

I wasn't going to post here until watching the last episode, and it seems that everyone is bothered or confused by the same line as I was (Rika not being able to love her daughter). Maybe awrittensin could clarify something -- is it clear that she means herself (Rika) cannot come to love her daughter, or is Rika perhaps just repeating her mother's words about the mom not being able to love her daugther? I don't see how someone can hug their daughter so tight (and the other things she mentioned) without loving her... doesn't that means the hugs and emotions aren't genuine? Rika's mom couldn't love Rika, but she showed it. Everything (even the opening in Ep 1 where they're in the bath together) the viewer sees shows Rika loving her child. That's what I don't get.

I translated the line literally. She literally says "No matter how hard I try, I cannot love my child." So who knows what she really means. I think a few theories were presented here, but your guess is as good as mine. I guess the real answer lies in the manga.

Quick comment to awrittensin if I may (I tried to email you about this instead but email to your gmail got bounced back). I noticed you use one phrase a lot in "Ame to Yume" and a few times in "Iguana" as well, and just wanted to point out a minor correction if you don't mind. I think the phrase was something like "all of the sudden" but the correct phrase is actually "all of a sudden" (I think that was it... there was a phrase you kept using where it should've been "a" instead of "the",... sorry, this is by memory now, just thought I'd mention it).

Yeah, I always mess up on that one, and usually grammar/spell check doesn't catch it, so it tends to slip through the cracks. I'll be more careful from now on.

bakaman · Post by **bakaman** » Jul 6th, '06, 16:44

Hm... yeah it just doesn't seem to fit with the way Rika is, or make sense. And (at least the way it was presented in the dorama) I don't buy that Rika's mom was "really a good person" or "loved Rika too much." If so then even while being bad towards her directly, she would have done good things to her indirectly. The way it was presented at least, I just don't buy it. Sure she stepped in front of a car to save another child, but she'd still rather die than simply just touch her own daughter.

By the way, from an earlier post:
>>So did anyone else think it was ridiculous that 2 people in the show died from walking out into the road and getting hit by cars?

You'd think by now Jdorama characters should know: it's always safe to cross the street anytime within the first 40 minutes of an episode. But crossing a street in the last 5 minutes of an episode means there's going to be trouble. Nobuko dying was a shock, but I knew from the very first episode that the mom would die before the end, because of the baby in the very beginning having the same name as the mom (Yuriko). Someone ought to publish a list of J-dorama "rules" such as these

So the iguana mark gets transferred from the mom to Rika. Will it then get transferred from Rika to her daugther when Rika dies, and the cycle of not loving their daughters continue generation after generation? The mom may have taken away the sadness, but Rika still can't love her daughter.

Quote:
>>At the end of the manga, Rika still can't bring herself to love her mother (actually, the line is almost exactly the same as the one in the drama about her daughter...weird), but she's accepted her conflicted feelings, and I believe, will live a happy life with her husband and her child (both of whom she loves very much).

See, this makes much more sense. Just curious, but in the manga (and thanks for posting the info about it) is the baby human? Does it seem like the cycle "ends" finally? With the Jdorama, it seems as it if will keep on going, with the Iguana mark being transferred and Rika not being able to love her daughter, maybe the mark will then transfer to her daugther etc through the generations.

Anyway, still a very good show, thanks for bringing it out!

Two quick questions:
What's the name of the (American) pop song that keeps playing throughout the episodes?
How long is the manga (how many volumes), and I was just curious if it was really shojo style (pretty boys etc) or more generic. I might be interested in trying to find it, but am not too big of a fan of shojo style (sorry)

auroragb · Post by **auroragb** » Jul 6th, '06, 21:47

bakaman wrote:By the way, from an earlier post:
>>So did anyone else think it was ridiculous that 2 people in the show died from walking out into the road and getting hit by cars?

You'd think by now Jdorama characters should know: it's always safe to cross the street anytime within the first 40 minutes of an episode. But crossing a street in the last 5 minutes of an episode means there's going to be trouble. Nobuko dying was a shock, but I knew from the very first episode that the mom would die before the end, because of the baby in the very beginning having the same name as the mom (Yuriko). Someone ought to publish a list of J-dorama "rules" such as these

Actually, there is a "things learned from watching doramas" thread, but I can't find it any more...

musouka · Post by **musouka** » Jul 6th, '06, 23:32

bakaman wrote:Just curious, but in the manga (and thanks for posting the info about it) is the baby human? Does it seem like the cycle "ends" finally?

Yes, Rika and her husband's baby is definitely human. (Her husband sometimes shows up in the form of a bull, but is usually human as well) Rika will always be an iguana herself, but that "cycle" ends with her. I believe it's the same way in the drama, though, because even if Rika can't feel the love she should for her daughter, she does a much better job of hiding it than her own mother did. I doubt her daughter will grow up to be an iguana.

bakaman wrote: How long is the manga (how many volumes), and I was just curious if it was really shojo style (pretty boys etc) or more generic. I might be interested in trying to find it, but am not too big of a fan of shojo style (sorry)

The manga is only about fifty pages long, and is contained within a single volume.

If you are curious about the art style, here are a few examples:
Rika and Noboru.
Rika in human form, and Mami.
Rika's dream about her future husband.

bakaman · Post by **bakaman** » Jul 7th, '06, 00:02

Heh, thanks for the reply and samples of the artwork.

Can I ask: in the manga, does Mami ever find out about the Iguana story, or (like the drama) is she totally in the dark about the Iguana thing?

I was curious, and (especially because it's just one volume) decided to order it.
If anyone's interested I'll put the ISBN numbers here, though you may have a hard time, as it's not current. The local Kinokuniya didn't have it, but are shipping it from another one that had one copy left (sorry, I've taken that one, heh). But there are other places to find them, and if anyone's interested, here are the ISBN numbers.
Looks like the original version came out in 1994(?) and that ISBN number is:
4-09-172032-3
Sasuga Books (www.sasugabooks.com) has it listed if you type in "iguana" in the search box, but I don't know if it's in stock. They show this older original version.
Then in 2000 they came out with a smaller reprint of it, it seems.
ISBN is: 4-09-1913814.
I'll have a read of it when mine comes in about a week or so, and compare it to the drama. Thankfully it seems it's not too difficult level of Japanese from the scans you posted so it'll be interesting to compare the two.

The one thing I hated about the drama was the synth score (sounded really cheesy, and they only had a few synth cues that they played over and over -- much less choice than most dramas that have at least a CD's worth of cues to choose from). Acting was pretty good though -- especially the supporting players (Mami, Hashimoto, and Nobuko). The dad (forget his name) is exactly the same character and mannerisms as when he was in the 1994 version of Minami-kun no Koibito.

sukida · Post by **sukida** » Oct 19th, '06, 22:37

that line perplexed me, but only for a second. i didn't read the manga, but here is my interpretation of the drama. western culture might be making us overlook it somewhat.

this is a drama, told *from the perspective of the victim*, about self-esteem. rika was emotionally abused. this is the *central* theme, rather than, as it might seem, a side-effect.

when you see it this way, it makes more sense. rika deserved to be hugged and treated well. but some mothers have issues and take them out on their children.
it doesn't matter whether rika's mother didn't love rika, or saw an iguana, or feared conscious awareness of her own iguana identity. the important thing is that rika deserved to be treated well.

at the end, despite not loving her child, rika treated her child well. this is the most often overlooked point: "so what if you don't love me? at least treat me like a human being". yes, rika probably wanted more, but she deserved that at minimum.

and rika being rika provided it "ippai".

the drama is from *rika's* perspective, not society's. to a victim, being treated like a human being is the most important thing. to society, especially western society, it might matter more whether you "really mean it" and whether you are being "honte". but a good child like rika deserves happiness and she deserves to be treated well regardless of whether "you really mean it".

to see how the drama is from her perspective and not society's, consider the men in the drama. they are clueless and useless. her rival's machinations make a whooshing sound as they go over the heads of the boys. at times, her father, good intentions notwithstanding, should be thrown into prison for failing to protect his daughter from his insane wife. a society perspective would spread the knowledge of what is going on around more. the men are clueless, mami is unjust, and society (except for her friend and friend's mother) is criminally indifferent.

finally, of course, mami learns justice, and noboru gets a clue, and so on.

good drama. well done, awrittensin.

p.s. i didn't understand rika's friend's mother when she yelled at rika. was she saying it was not rika's fault? or encouraging rika? or blaming rika?

6502inside · Post by **6502inside** » Oct 20th, '06, 08:15

that line perplexed me, but only for a second.

It didn't phase me at all, because like much of the RAW DVD, that line went in one ear and out the other

^_^

her rival's machinations make a whooshing sound as they go over the heads of the boys.

Yeah I thought she (Hashimoto was it?) was comically wicked at times. Of course the rest of your explanation fits as well, it really does look like Rika's perspective doesn't it?

i didn't understand rika's friend's mother when she yelled at rika. was she saying it was not rika's fault? or encouraging rika? or blaming rika?

It seemed to me that Rika was all about blaming herself, and the mother told her to grow up.

heat6jones · Post by **heat6jones** » Jan 14th, '13, 23:37

Kanno Miho is adorable in this drama. I agree the show uses being an iguana as a metaphor for self esteem issues. Many people dislike what the see in the mirror and the drama is about accepting yourself so you can move on and find happiness.

This was recently series of the week so it should be seeded. I recommend everyone go and check it out for themselves.

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