[Discussion] Last Friends - Nagasawa Masami/Ueno Juri/Eita

Darianasi · Post by **Darianasi** » Jun 13th, '08, 14:24

EPISODE 10 IS NOT THE LAST EPISODE! -.-

crisdrag · Post by **crisdrag** » Jun 13th, '08, 15:19

Darianasi wrote:EPISODE 10 IS NOT THE LAST EPISODE! -.-

You are right! There are 2 more episodes.

sleepyzzz · Post by **sleepyzzz** » Jun 13th, '08, 15:49

RATINGS OVER 20%!!!! WOOOHOOO!!

Sorry if someone has posted this but I need to do a "quick reply" otherwise I'm going to read thru every single spoiler!!

"Last Friends" breaks 20%
Fri, June 13, 2008 (11:02am EDT)
Thursday's episode of the Fuji TV drama series "Last Friends" registered a 20.7% audience rating, placing it not far behind this season's leader, "Gokusen 3." Boasting a cast of popular young stars, "Last Friends" has steadily been gaining steam since the 13.9% ratings of its premiere episode in April.

Despite its heavy themes such as domestic violence and sexual identity issues, the show has proven to be very successful, and is one of the few series this season to show a trend of improvement in the ratings. It is now less than a point behind "Gokusen," which has fallen about five percentage points since its strong 26.4% start. "Last Friends" also surpassed this week's episode of "CHANGE," which has scored less than 20% for two consecutive weeks despite starring the super-popular Takuya Kimura.

76xhxh · Post by **76xhxh** » Jun 13th, '08, 16:03

Hi! Anyone know where to get ep 10 sub? I cant wait to see the show with subs!
Thanks a lot!

GomiMomi · Post by **GomiMomi** » Jun 13th, '08, 16:07

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jun 13th, '08, 17:09

76xhxh wrote:Hi! Anyone know where to get ep 10 sub? I cant wait to see the show with subs!
Thanks a lot!

There's no sub yet. Keep an eye on this thread for em' though.

If you can just do with an English translation, then, like I've mentioned, a link was posted to one a while back:

http://jdrama.cc/node/112

sleepyzzz · Post by **sleepyzzz** » Jun 13th, '08, 17:15

Just watched Episode 10 - some thoughts and that was another emotional ride!!

Overall it was still an AMAZING episode!!

Get the tissues ready though!!!

Yumi Yan · Post by **Yumi Yan** » Jun 13th, '08, 17:19

Darianasi wrote:Michiru gave him many chances if you ask me... -.- anyway please tell me if ruka told her she loves her? i so admire ruka when she told sousuke she is the one who trully loves michiru!

I actually got the same idea... why none of them called the police...

rokugatsu29 · Post by **rokugatsu29** » Jun 13th, '08, 17:49

are there really 12 episodes for Last Friends? is it final? coz it is.. i'll watch episode 10 now. i was supposed to be waiting for 11 (if it's the last) before i watch 10. thanks... =)

sarah117 · Post by **sarah117** » Jun 13th, '08, 18:07

rokugatsu29 wrote:are there really 12 episodes for Last Friends? is it final? coz it is.. i'll watch episode 10 now. i was supposed to be waiting for 11 (if it's the last) before i watch 10. thanks... =)

actually there are only 11 episodes. but after that there will be one SPECIAL episode. so, that makes 12. but we don't really know either the Special one is just a playback or the continuation of the actual story..
*correct me if i'm wrong..*

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 13th, '08, 18:11

But did anyone notice the differences in the homes? Sousuke had such a cold, up tight, devoid of life apartment. Everything was flat, no color, cold....

... Yet the share house was full of color, comfort, happiness. It was slightly messy, but had a bit of everything from everyone. There was a sense of security.

Did anyone notice that? Whoever was in charge of continuity and set design, my hat goes off to you.

zaq · Post by **zaq** » Jun 13th, '08, 18:17

sleepyzzz wrote:RATINGS OVER 20%!!!! WOOOHOOO!!

Sorry if someone has posted this but I need to do a "quick reply" otherwise I'm going to read thru every single spoiler!!

"Last Friends" breaks 20%
Fri, June 13, 2008 (11:02am EDT)
Thursday's episode of the Fuji TV drama series "Last Friends" registered a 20.7% audience rating, placing it not far behind this season's leader, "Gokusen 3." Boasting a cast of popular young stars, "Last Friends" has steadily been gaining steam since the 13.9% ratings of its premiere episode in April.

Despite its heavy themes such as domestic violence and sexual identity issues, the show has proven to be very successful, and is one of the few series this season to show a trend of improvement in the ratings. It is now less than a point behind "Gokusen," which has fallen about five percentage points since its strong 26.4% start. "Last Friends" also surpassed this week's episode of "CHANGE," which has scored less than 20% for two consecutive weeks despite starring the super-popular Takuya Kimura.

I'm really happy that the rating is this good.. it was a good move on the side of the production to leave the cliffhanger of ep 9 like that and not show the previews for ep 10...

and I also blame Nishikido Ryo for his mobile blog entry for that day...

just a quick observation with regards on the ratings... it seems that the ratings goes up when ever the cliffhanger involves Sousuke doing something psychotic and when the preview shows that he is beating up somebody... but when the episode is mostly all talk and drama with the rest of the characters the ratings goes down.... hummm...

siutou_amy · Post by **siutou_amy** » Jun 13th, '08, 18:25

docipain wrote:
if sousuke is alive or not..it didn't change anything when it comes to ruka and michiru because there is more than just letting someone die to make others happy. it was a unnessarry death if you only want michiru and ruka be happy together. people don't have to die so that others can be happy.
He might be a psycho but if we look at the reasons how he became like that it's only logical. I am sure everyone can become like that if you never had people who loves you around yourself and you are simply a lonely being who does not trust anyone. But when there is one you know that he/she loves you it's something so special you don't want to lose it again.
Actually Sousuke was normal guy..he just didn't want to share is one and only love with anyone

I loved his last sentenxe..."I will set you free." :/
.

I agree and disagree with that. Yes, Sousuke probably had people around who kept on coming and leaving, and he seemed to have the same luck as a young man.

LOL, okay.... long rant.

rokugatsu29 · Post by **rokugatsu29** » Jun 13th, '08, 18:38

sarah117 wrote:
rokugatsu29 wrote:are there really 12 episodes for Last Friends? is it final? coz it is.. i'll watch episode 10 now. i was supposed to be waiting for 11 (if it's the last) before i watch 10. thanks... =)
actually there are only 11 episodes. but after that there will be one SPECIAL episode. so, that makes 12. but we don't really know either the Special one is just a playback or the continuation of the actual story..
*correct me if i'm wrong..*

oh okay... =) then i won't watch 10 for now. even though the suspense is killing me =D thanks! must.... have... self.. control!!!

sarah117 · Post by **sarah117** » Jun 13th, '08, 19:01

Ladymercury wrote:But did anyone notice the differences in the homes? Sousuke had such a cold, up tight, devoid of life apartment. Everything was flat, no color, cold....

... Yet the share house was full of color, comfort, happiness. It was slightly messy, but had a bit of everything from everyone. There was a sense of security.

Did anyone notice that? Whoever was in charge of continuity and set design, my hat goes off to you.

yes, nice spot. i noticed that too. this also contributes to the growth of our feelings towards this great drama..

namie · Post by **namie** » Jun 13th, '08, 19:32

Hi!!! Someone knows where is the last friends OST? I'm searching for it!

I want the instrumental piano version of Prisoner of love

Please,help me!!

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 13th, '08, 20:00

You know, people, there's a " search this topic " feature on this boards when you can't find something.

namie · Post by **namie** » Jun 13th, '08, 20:10

Ladymercury wrote:You know, people, there's a " search this topic " feature on this boards when you can't find something.

Sorry but I can't find it yet.

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 13th, '08, 20:18

http://tokyotosho.com ?

anons · Post by **anons** » Jun 14th, '08, 02:54

@ avieamber: Hi, thanks for going through my loonnng post and putting the points down. From what I read on wiki (it's not the Holy Grail), but I reckon in Ruka's case her condition may be salvaged and she may or may not be properly diagnosed with GID:

1. There must be evidence of a strong and persistent cross-gender identification.
2. This cross-gender identification must not merely be a desire for any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex.
3. There must also be evidence of persistent discomfort about one's assigned sex or a sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex.
4. The individual must not have a concurrent physical intersex condition (e.g., androgen insensitivity syndrome or congenital adrenal hyperplasia).
5. There must be evidence of clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

At the moment I don't quite think number 5 on this list is satisfied. I know this is just one of the few standards of diagnosing GID, but I'll just go by this one for a guide anyway. Until recently I didn't think she sought to identify herself as a man. But given the fact that she lives in Japan and would face social ostracism if she identify herself as a man, I suppose she could only persist on not being seen as a person but not identifying with any gender (which is more culturally acceptable). I'm not a psychologist so I can't properly diagnose her, but if the show makes it more CLEAR, then I can properly accept she has GID and whether or not she wants to go through with surgical procedures.

@ LukiaWhitney:

Ruka - To be honest, I think Ruka is just as weak as Michiru in facing her own emotions. Also, I don't understand why she likes Michiru. Oh, well. However, I think the drama has been doing good job in the last few episodes of showing Ruka's development in being able to open up to others, such as Takeru. For the transgender thing, I think it was more of an issue in earlier episodes, but I think of Ruka as female and I can't think of any instances of why she would want to be a male (although she doesn't show any "female" traits, she doesn't really show any "male" traits, either.)

I apologise that my rant seem rather disorganised and aimless to you. I was actually more or less complaining about the way the show has been executed and what the writers write out rather than complaining about the characters themselves (except for Michiru). I don't agree with you that Ruka is as weak as Michiru in "facing her own emotions". She has already faced emotions - the problem is she is afraid of being accepted and not really in denial of her own feelings. She knows them quite well - she may be weak in that aspect (ie. wanting acceptance yet not daring to make a move), but that is nothing like Michiru who was in constant denial of the Sousuke problem until the last few episodes. And her fake laugh totally annoys me (so that makes things worse

)

@ Darianasi: Yes I know Ruka is in a hard position as a female liking another female, but I was actually ranting the fact that her GID issue should not be mixed up with her sexual orientation. The writers are treating both as concurrent and the same issues, which should not really be the case. They sometimes pay more attention to GID (the earlier episodes) and the later ones paying attention to her sexual orientation. They should be given equal attention throughout the show, I reckon. The reason I go on about this part is because I'm not convinced that a person who is baring their soul to his/her father about his one problem tells him "I can never like a man" if the central problem relates to gender identity. This would be more of a resolution to sexual orientation problems.

sleepyzzz · Post by **sleepyzzz** » Jun 14th, '08, 04:21

Hi all!!

My OST just arrived! I'm still going thru all the tracks but I am definitely glad I bought it!!

I'm a strong believer that if you like the drama that much, then we should be supportive and buy the OST. One of the main reasons why I like j-dramas so much is the effort they put into the music. I've uploaded the instrumental version of Prisoner of Love onto imeem but I strongly urge people to buy the OST! If everyone just downloads, then they will lose all incentive to produce great soundtracks and original music. Sorry for the rant but definitely check the track out! That itself is a good enough reason to buy the CD! (I know it is a tad expensive...)

http://www.imeem.com/people/kZ56mwF/mus ... l_version/

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jun 14th, '08, 04:26

Thanks for posting a link to the instrumental version of PoL, sleepyzzz! It's definitely a great track.

Thanks for sharing it with us~

sleepyzzz · Post by **sleepyzzz** » Jun 14th, '08, 04:57

Hey all - I've created a playlist just for Last Friends - I've only uploaded a few tracks - I think they are the key ones that remind us of Takeru/Ruka/Michiru. As I go thru the OST, I might add some more!! Enjoy~

http://www.imeem.com/people/kZ56mwF/pla ... _playlist/

Meecha · Post by **Meecha** » Jun 14th, '08, 06:09

^ thank you!!
ep 10

m-ayu · Post by **m-ayu** » Jun 14th, '08, 06:26

For those like me, who want something to distracted from clicking the spoilers until the sub of ep 10 is out. lol

here is the English subtitles for Mentore G - Last Friends Casts.

http://www.d-addicts.com/forums/viewtop ... 55#1049055

siutou_amy · Post by **siutou_amy** » Jun 14th, '08, 06:36

sleepyzzz wrote:Hi all!!

My OST just arrived! I'm still going thru all the tracks but I am definitely glad I bought it!!

I'm a strong believer that if you like the drama that much, then we should be supportive and buy the OST. One of the main reasons why I like j-dramas so much is the effort they put into the music. I've uploaded the instrumental version of Prisoner of Love onto imeem but I strongly urge people to buy the OST! If everyone just downloads, then they will lose all incentive to produce great soundtracks and original music. Sorry for the rant but definitely check the track out! That itself is a good enough reason to buy the CD! (I know it is a tad expensive...)

http://www.imeem.com/people/kZ56mwF/mus ... l_version/

Thank you for that! Yeah, I agree. If ya like it, support it!
Will buy it when I get enough items to qualify for free shipping though xD

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 14th, '08, 06:41

m-ayu wrote:For those like me, who want something to distracted from clicking the spoilers until the sub of ep 10 is out. lol

here is the English subtitles for Mentore G - Last Friends Casts.
http://www.d-addicts.com/forums/viewtop ... 55#1049055

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!! THANKYOU!!!!!

wintergal · Post by **wintergal** » Jun 14th, '08, 06:56

sleepyzzz wrote:Hey all - I've created a playlist just for Last Friends - I've only uploaded a few tracks - I think they are the key ones that remind us of Takeru/Ruka/Michiru. As I go thru the OST, I might add some more!! Enjoy~

http://www.imeem.com/people/kZ56mwF/pla ... _playlist/

Thanks so much for sharing!

This is one of the OSTs I'd definitely buy~

SithSylar · Post by **SithSylar** » Jun 14th, '08, 07:03

m-ayu wrote:For those like me, who want something to distracted from clicking the spoilers until the sub of ep 10 is out. lol

here is the English subtitles for Mentore G - Last Friends Casts.
http://www.d-addicts.com/forums/viewtop ... 55#1049055

Thank you so very very very much

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jun 14th, '08, 07:46

m-ayu wrote:For those like me, who want something to distracted from clicking the spoilers until the sub of ep 10 is out. lol

here is the English subtitles for Mentore G - Last Friends Casts.
http://www.d-addicts.com/forums/viewtop ... 55#1049055

omg that was awesome. sooo funnie. thanks for posting it and a really BIG thanks to the subbers. Honto Arigatou.

^Yuuki · Post by **^Yuuki** » Jun 14th, '08, 08:44

I just finished episode 10~ Kinda late because I accidentally re-downloaded ep9 instead. ORZ. The ending was a little '"Eh..." but on a whole I thought the episode was pretty awesome. I'll post my comments later. But heh, looks like the wedding thing is true? I posted the spoilers for episode 11 and some filming sightings in a previous post. I thought it was just a joke...

Here's a 'spoiler' pic for the wedding I found...

*runs away while laughing madly*

@anons: About the GID thing, the impression I got from the interview with Asano Taeko(the show's writer) was they needed a term that can appeal to the average viewers as an issue while at the same time able to explore more on the character. So the producers decided on GID because it had a good track record. Lol. And I don't think they 'paid more attention to her sexual orientation' per see in the last few episodes. More like her feelings towards Michiru. She didn't use it as an excuse for her GID issue during the counseling scenes, citing most of the reasons you quoted from wiki. The reason she said "I can never like a man" among things like "Not able to get married and have children" when talking with her father is because she knows her dad hopes that she can find a good guy and settle down. She knows she can't be happy in the way her dad wants her to be. We must remember that to her dad, GID and being gay or what not...he probably doesn't know much about the differences. So Ruka was talking to him in a way that he can understand it. It's only their first conversation on this so getting too technical and start talking about surgery and stuff would be too much. Still, like the writer says, for her, Ruka is in the 'grey zone' between 2 extremes of being gay and FtM(female to male, a transgender term). In the end is it like what Sosuke said in ep10? That she wants to be a guy in order to protect Michiru? Well, I think that could be just one of the reasons since if she could, she would want to be neither...But we'll see in episode 11.

I summarized and translated part of the interview here:
http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopi ... tm#1047644
http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopi ... tm#1047707
I find the character conception part pretty interesting and I think this is the only interview they addressed about the GID/Lesbian thing.

namie · Post by **namie** » Jun 14th, '08, 09:01

sleepyzzz wrote:Hey all - I've created a playlist just for Last Friends - I've only uploaded a few tracks - I think they are the key ones that remind us of Takeru/Ruka/Michiru. As I go thru the OST, I might add some more!! Enjoy~

http://www.imeem.com/people/kZ56mwF/pla ... _playlist/

Thank you sooo much!!!! I

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 14th, '08, 09:08

^^yuuki , the pic of the wedding....is kinda disturbing for me.

I'm lost for words now.

argh i want the last episode now!

sarah117 · Post by **sarah117** » Jun 14th, '08, 09:44

^Yuuki wrote:Here's a 'spoiler' pic for the wedding I found...

...Sorry, as much as I want Ruka to be happy, that's stretching it. LOL.
*note: for those who can't see clearly, it's obviously fanmade. not by me though.
*runs away while laughing madly*

hehehe, i kind of hoping that it's gonna happen.

Masami's hair, is it from the Proposal Daisakusen?

chrry370 · Post by **chrry370** » Jun 14th, '08, 10:01

just finished episode 11~ Kinda late because I accidentally re-downloaded ep9 instead

^Yuuki are you saying you watched ep 11? or is that just a typo???

Isn't next week episode 11?

anons · Post by **anons** » Jun 14th, '08, 12:50

@Yuuki: Ahh, when you put it that way about why Ruka didn't tell her father properly, I think that is a good explanation. Still, from the interview you have provided (Thankyou very very much for that btw

- it confirms that my confusions are not unfounded and not without reason) - the writer herself admits there was no real technical distinction (or a more realistic portrayal) of people with GID. Once again, it's all a matter of popularity and whatever works with the audience. tsk tsk (but I understand...) In any case, producers still get big thumbs up for doing a mainstream drama with as many issues as this one.

nterviewer: Even from the start, Ruka doesn't refer to herself as 'ore' or 'boku', so we thought she's just a boyish lesbian. Why does she use 'atashi' and 'watashi' instead?

Asano: That's right. If she uses 'ore' it'll be problematic wouldn't it? The average television viewer would probably wonder if Ruka is uncomfortable being herself and we wanted to avoid that probably. There's no real thought about that. Right now, Ruka is extremely popular. Viewers that don't have the same issue as her can also understand her feelings and feel her emotions. That, I believe has nothing to do with her simply calling herself 'watashi'. (Yes, it has everything to do with Ueno Juri~)

That I have always thought about and now I get an answer

("uncomfortable being herself" - yes, a person with GID probably would ..... )

Yes, Ueno Juri is a fantastic actress who did a great job with this role. Props to her~

fayenatic · Post by **fayenatic** » Jun 14th, '08, 13:50

sleepyzzz wrote:RATINGS OVER 20%!!!! WOOOHOOO!!

Sorry if someone has posted this but I need to do a "quick reply" otherwise I'm going to read thru every single spoiler!!

"Last Friends" breaks 20%
Fri, June 13, 2008 (11:02am EDT)
Thursday's episode of the Fuji TV drama series "Last Friends" registered a 20.7% audience rating, placing it not far behind this season's leader, "Gokusen 3." Boasting a cast of popular young stars, "Last Friends" has steadily been gaining steam since the 13.9% ratings of its premiere episode in April.

Despite its heavy themes such as domestic violence and sexual identity issues, the show has proven to be very successful, and is one of the few series this season to show a trend of improvement in the ratings. It is now less than a point behind "Gokusen," which has fallen about five percentage points since its strong 26.4% start. "Last Friends" also surpassed this week's episode of "CHANGE," which has scored less than 20% for two consecutive weeks despite starring the super-popular Takuya Kimura.

Good job to the writer, director, and the actors/actresses!! My hat goes off to all of them! Considering the controversial issues in this dorama, ratings are still on the rise! That's a good sign!

vege-okonomiyaki · Post by **vege-okonomiyaki** » Jun 14th, '08, 14:57

[quote="sleepyzzz"]Just watched Episode 10 - some thoughts and that was another emotional ride!!

Soooo cool about the 20+ ratings!!!

Juri-chan and Eita should take most of the credit for this

I agree with most of what you said, but

About the ep 11 preview and the series as a whole - I think

that it is Ruka and Michuru getting married. For real - not a dream. The things we saw in ep 1 didn't have to be the end of the story. All we learned in that was that Ruka is somewhere else, under same sky. Could be the US for a race or for surgery. For them to get married, Ruka's gender has to change on her birth certificate. I'm not sure whether she would have to have surgery or not to qualify for such a change. Or she might just have to prove she has GID and be taking hormones.

The bride in the shot isn't visibly pregnant, so it's either before or after Michuru has the baby - presumably Souske's. So somewhere in ep 11 I think R & M make up, and decide to get hitched. (Ogurin and Eri can't get married because he's married already, and besides, Eri is over him. And it doesn't even look like him from the back.)

I thought that a couple of episodes back that Michuru was starting to have feelings for Ruka, but she was confused because Ruka is female (and M isn't a lesbian). Like when she saw T & R talking outside - a feeling of jealousy. And then she denied to Ruka that she had feelings for Takeru, later in the bedroom. But (amazingly) Michuru still doesn't know that Ruka thinks of herself as a man, so discovering that might make her think twice about her growing feelings toward Ruka. All those flashbacks she had at Souske's house just confirmed my thoughts on this - she's finally realising how much she is loved. Who wouldn't fall in love with Ruka? (But I never quite understood what Ruka saw in Michuru either.)

About Takeru and Eri's storylines - it really is a shame they weren't explored more - I totally agree that the DV thing took up far too much screentime with Michuru's indecision. I hope they at least give Takeru some closure. (He'd make a great uncle!) But Eri I fear is doomed to lonliness - unless she meets someone at the wedding, or gets together with Takeru. We know they've been friends for a while, and that she likes him... if she could just take it slowly they might have a chance?

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 14th, '08, 15:05

I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 14th, '08, 15:11

about the trailer and vege-okonomiyaki

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 14th, '08, 15:23

ilovereg · Post by **ilovereg** » Jun 14th, '08, 15:55

Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol

thank you so much ladymercury for blurting this out. i absolutely agree with everything that you said. no need to write any of my own thoughts, you said it in the most perfect way possible.

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jun 14th, '08, 18:59

Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol

geez talk about emotional outburst. maybe they went overseas to get married. whatever it is please refrain from yelling at us since we're all here to just discuss and enjoy the serie and not to take in your tantrums.

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jun 14th, '08, 19:02

Ladymercury wrote:
Besides, having a sex change doesn't mean you miraculously become a man. You still have a feminine body, regardless.

you obviously never did any research or study this subject. so i'm not even going to bother explaining to you.

^yuuki: that's a funny wedding picture. sadly the person's photoshop skills need to improve with the most noticeable being ruka's arm next to michiru's. also the lighting on both their faces is different. though it would be nice if it was true.

ruka_michiru · Post by **ruka_michiru** » Jun 14th, '08, 19:39

All I can say is, thanks Yuuki for providing us some "Ruka/Michiru goodness" I like the picture,

except for Ruka's dreadful pants

ritas · Post by **ritas** » Jun 14th, '08, 20:28

Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol

While your outburst is certainly valid from an emotional stand point, it is not accurate. If you get a sex change operation from female to male, you are now legally a male and can legally marry a female. It happens here in the USA and gay marriage is not legal in the US, with 2 state exceptions.

Here's something I found about Japanese law, fyi

In 2003, following growing social awareness of GID,[28] a draft of the Exceptional Treatment Act for People with GID (hereafter GID Act) was brought up for discussion. The Act provided five legal conditions that needed to be satisfied to change an individual's legal sex: an applicant should be (1) over 20 years old, (2) not be married at the time, (3) have no children, (4) be deprived of their gonad or gonad function, and (5) have external genital organs similar to other members of the sex to which they were being reassigned. When the applicant has fulfilled these conditions and has been adjudged to have altered their legal sex by a Family Court, the applicant can then be treated as a member of his/her new legal sex with respect to the application of the Civil Code and other laws and ordinances. For instance, FtM (female-to-male) transsexuals who change their legal sex can get married to female partners. One year after the Act came into force in July 2004, the Division of Family Affairs in the Japanese Supreme Court announced that 208 of 218 petitions to change sex were accepted during this period

Here's the google cache of the article.

vege-okonomiyaki · Post by **vege-okonomiyaki** » Jun 14th, '08, 20:47

avieamber wrote:about the trailer and vege-okonomiyaki

i would really love to see Ruka and Michiru make up but somehow i just don't see them getting hitched together. It's abit too far-fetched to me. And i sure don't really want it to end that way, not that i have anything against sex change or anything, i just can't imagine lovely Ruka having a sex change and turned into a MAN. and we know Michiru is straight. HOWEVER, let's say that your opinions about Michiru being confused over her feelings towards Ruka, that she might actually be jealous seeing Takeru and Ruka being so close together and sub-consciously developing love towards Ruka, well...i can say that, NINE MONTHS might be enough to build up her courage to turn from straight to that. But we'll see in episode 10. less than a week now.

Still i don't want Ruka to have a sex change even though that's what she wanted and only then, she'll finally get her liberation. Argh...this series makes my head ache so much, thinking about all these possibilities. Seriously, i've never cracked my head so much for a drama before! it's such a torture!

Oh, but my opinion isn't so different -

>>EDIT>> Thanks for the info ritas

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 14th, '08, 21:16

ritas wrote:
Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol
While your outburst is certainly valid from an emotional stand point, it is not accurate. If you get a sex change operation from female to male, you are now legally a male and can legally marry a female. It happens here in the USA and gay marriage is not legal in the US, with 2 state exceptions.

Here's something I found about Japanese law, fyi

In 2003, following growing social awareness of GID,[28] a draft of the Exceptional Treatment Act for People with GID (hereafter GID Act) was brought up for discussion. The Act provided five legal conditions that needed to be satisfied to change an individual's legal sex: an applicant should be (1) over 20 years old, (2) not be married at the time, (3) have no children, (4) be deprived of their gonad or gonad function, and (5) have external genital organs similar to other members of the sex to which they were being reassigned. When the applicant has fulfilled these conditions and has been adjudged to have altered their legal sex by a Family Court, the applicant can then be treated as a member of his/her new legal sex with respect to the application of the Civil Code and other laws and ordinances. For instance, FtM (female-to-male) transsexuals who change their legal sex can get married to female partners. One year after the Act came into force in July 2004, the Division of Family Affairs in the Japanese Supreme Court announced that 208 of 218 petitions to change sex were accepted during this period

Here's the google cache of the article.

Though true, Ruka has not went under the knife yet. So my argument still stands as it is that they can't get married unless Ruka goes through the surgey, but case in point to your argument:

sarah117 · Post by **sarah117** » Jun 14th, '08, 21:59

although we know that Ruka's marrying to Michiru is nearly impossible, we just want to dream it, can't we? lol..

anons · Post by **anons** » Jun 14th, '08, 22:00

I agree with everything LadyMercury said about transgender operations. The fact you do have sex reassignment surgery does not make you have a body which is in all ways like that of a man. I reckon this is a fantasy picture of Sousuke and Michiru. Even the atmosphere looks like a dream - all glowy and stuff.

My question is what Ruka wants to do with herself to make her feel better. Last I heard she was pretty dead set on going to the US for surgery, but I don't quite think it's all attributed to Michiru. If that is so, that is not a valid reason to get surgery and I heavily doubt they would let her go through with it after counselling.

bmwracer · Post by **bmwracer** » Jun 14th, '08, 22:25

Ladymercury wrote:
2) Make Sousuke's death more of a copout then it was already

With a capital "C."

kaperj · Post by **kaperj** » Jun 14th, '08, 22:43

Now, my wildest theory is that sosuke didn't die, michru was so moved, that she decides to marry him.
then Ruka tries to overturn the wedding on the day....

^Yuuki · Post by **^Yuuki** » Jun 14th, '08, 23:02

My long rant for Episode 10...

First scene, phew~

Sosuke and the boy.

Eri, finding yet another clue about Ruka. I think Ruka telling her would be a matter of time and she'll be able to accept it easier than the rest. As for Takeru, his role is pretty much 'the mediator' in this episode(and series). Both of their issues though, haven't been developed as much. From the impression the OP gave us from the start, we just assumed that all 5 of their issues carry the same weight and would get equal screentime. Apparently not...but understandable given the time restriction and the main DV issue they have to work the storyline around. Since the initial conception of the series had just two main characters(Michiru and Ruka) I guess they would give more focused on that. While I think in Ruka's case, it was fleshed out superbly, everything from the writing, acting and how they handled the issue, Michiru's issue could have been the same had they pulled back a little on the shock value and thriller elements. I guess it worked to pull in viewers judging from the rating spike for the episodes where someone is about to be beaten/stabbed/raped/die. Geh...Well, it's good that ep10 manage to get 20.9% but it'll be funny if the ratings for the finale is lower than that...

Back to the episode, we have another overhearing scene. Sharehouse is not a good place to stay if you have secrets to keep eh?

But I really like how Ruka expressed her feelings. (Interesting that they focused on her back instead when she described about their friendship and how Michiru dissappeared. But just listening to her voice was enough.) If Takeru wasn't there, I dunno if those feelings would ever get out in the open. She fears that the precious memories that Michiru has of their friendship would get tainted and that she'll lose Michiru for good once she knows the truth. Her ultimate concern isn't the fact that Michiru won't love her back. She knows that it's impossible from the start and have reiterated that from her speech and actions. Her selfless-ness is both her good and bad parts. There needs to be a moderation. Ruka and Sosuke should really learn from Takeru. He expresses his feelings but still fully supports the other person even if they don't feel the same.

That said, I have no complains with how Michiru reacted to the shocking and unexpected truth. She ran to the park and to her usual sanctuary but with what Ruka just said reverbrating in her mind, she can't see that place with the same eye anymore. And lol, nice touch with the two schoolgirls there, prompting Michiru and the viewers to wonder "is it an innocent as it looks?". That's how she started to recall about their previous interactions and starts to wonder about them. About the motives behind Ruka's kindness. Like Ruka said, her pure memories are now tainted. Add in Sosuke's previous comment about Ruka to her confused mind...I don't blame her for leaving. But Ruka knowing that Michiru knows, should have talked with her properly and not just always let Takeru be the 'red string'. He even went as far as asking if Michiru can't ACCEPT Ruka's feelings...while she listens in on their conversation. ORZ. I think we probably won't get a heart-to-heart talk out of these two until the last episode... Michiru's answer to Takeru's question seems hopeful. "It's not that. I just don't know what I should do now. What kind of face I should show when looking at Ruka. No matter in what way, I can't respond to Ruka's feelings." So, I think she can eventually accept it and the friendship is still there, just that she won't be able to return the same feelings. "That gap will always be there, it's painful." Takeru understands...But at this point, she doesn't know about Ruka's real problem and the true understanding about the depth of Ruka's feelings would come later in the episode.

Next is my favourite part in this episode.

At last, the final part which I have a lot of conflicting emotions about...

On a whole, what I mostly felt was relief tinge with sadness with this episode. Now that it's over with, it's time for a proper 2nd season...A wishful thinking from my part. But I feel they do have lots of materials and stuff to work on if they really want to. We'll just have to settle with 1 hour to wrap things up...plus an extra 1.5 hour if we're lucky. Let's hope it's worth it. About the preview,

hanapyupyu · Post by **hanapyupyu** » Jun 14th, '08, 23:31

Gosh, this show is quite something isn't it? Until the very last epi, it manages to draw us viewers into heated debates!

^^Yuuki, that PS wedding photo is very sweet. Really. LOL. Hey, don't lose heart, Michiru/Ruka devotees. They may still be able to ride off into the sunset together on Ruka's bike as the preview cap is teasing us with the possibilities. hee.

I'm too tired to read all the posts right now but here's a link to read the translated excerpts from Article 5 - Q & A with Taeko Asano, (^Yuuki translated a few other parts already and posted it a few pages back). This excerpt would interest the fans of Takeru/Ruka (trust me, you don't want to miss reading this

). Taeko Asano gives her compliments to Eita and Juri as the cream of the crop. (But we've been saying that here all along, haven't we? Juri and Eita stole the show, handsdown!

)

http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/Eita/p ... +wrestling

ainhoa · Post by **ainhoa** » Jun 14th, '08, 23:54

^Yuuki wrote:My long rant for Episode 10...

Sosuke and the boy.
I still don't really get the significance of this plotline other than to display Sosuke's contradictory nature and to get pity points from the viewers(and to use him to send letters)...If they don't properly explain why he's like this in the first place, the time used for this could have been put into other characters...I'm glad that the kid had a good ending at least.

fayenatic · Post by **fayenatic** » Jun 15th, '08, 01:11

Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol

well im glad you felt better now that you're done ranting. so are you calling all the viewers who think differently not 'sensible'? whats up with the haterade? Just 'cause your opinion differs from other viewers, it doesnt give you a right to be obnoxious. So what if they think that it's Ruka in the wedding? How does that effect YOU in any way?

fayenatic · Post by **fayenatic** » Jun 15th, '08, 01:16

^Yuuki wrote:
Back to the episode, we have another overhearing scene. Sharehouse is not a good place to stay if you have secrets to keep eh?
]

haha i thought the same thing. the danger of paper thin walls hahah

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jun 15th, '08, 01:18

fayenatic wrote:
Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol
well im glad you felt better now that you're done ranting. so are you calling all the viewers who think differently not 'sensible'? whats up with the haterade? Just 'cause your opinion differs from other viewers, it doesnt give you a right to be obnoxious. So what if they think that it's Ruka in the wedding? How does that effect YOU in any way?

I think I have the right to express my opinion that is different from the majority.

It's not haterade dear, its called an opinion.

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jun 15th, '08, 02:09

anons wrote:I agree with everything LadyMercury said about transgender operations. The fact you do have sex reassignment surgery does not make you have a body which is in all ways like that of a man. I reckon this is a fantasy picture of Sousuke and Michiru. Even the atmosphere looks like a dream - all glowy and stuff.

My question is what Ruka wants to do with herself to make her feel better. Last I heard she was pretty dead set on going to the US for surgery, but I don't quite think it's all attributed to Michiru. If that is so, that is not a valid reason to get surgery and I heavily doubt they would let her go through with it after counselling.

ok seriously...i agree that females are built differently but it does NOT mean that someone who's female can't have a male body. plus what is a male body anyway? lots of guys are so large that they have breast while others look extremely girly that they can be mistaken for a girl. So unless your idea of a male body is someone from Abercrombie (which is stupid since the majority of the population doesn't look like that) then seeing ruka with a male body is believable. I've seen many girls that have had a sex change and I wouldn't have never known they used to be a girl until I saw the scar under their breast.

Basically a transgender can either choose to have: a sex change meaning they get surgical removal or implants of certain body parts, or they can just choose to undergo hormone treatments. For females with testosterone's injections the person can grow their genitals similar to those of a male. It might not be as large as a guy depending on what age they undergo the treatment but it does make a difference. It will also help them to grow facial hair and increase muscle mass. Though to have a built body a person would have to exercise and work out no matter if they are a girl, guy, or transgendered.

Ladymercury wrote: I think I have the right to express my opinion that is different from the majority. It's not haterade dear, its called an opinion.

it's not even haterade it's hatred and an opinion should be given in a civil manner. since they is an online forum we can't see you so we can only determine your emotions from the way you write your words. nothing is impossible and nothing is forever. unless you plan on living in a ball, while your life inside the ball won't change the people outside the ball still will. so let's refrain from saying never.

ashton · Post by **ashton** » Jun 15th, '08, 02:11

rulan wrote:
Ladymercury wrote:
Besides, having a sex change doesn't mean you miraculously become a man. You still have a feminine body, regardless.
you obviously never did any research or study this subject. so i'm not even going to bother explaining to you.

That's okay. I'll explain it. I'll focus on female-to-male (FTM) transitions since that's what's most relevant to the show.

In short, having a sex change is just that- a change of sex. To begin with, undergoing a transition requires years of mental and physical therapy. After being diagnosed with GID, an FTM person will usually begin a regimen of testosterone injections, which invoke a series of physiological changes that include the redistribution of muscle and decrease in body fat (leading to a masculine build as opposed to a curvier feminine shape) and the growth of body and facial hair. Most will then go on to have a double mastectomy- and sometimes chest reconstruction surgery- in order to have a male chest. And about as many have surgery to remove their reproductive innards.

The extent to which someone who is FTM will undergo a sex change differs from person to person, largely due to factors like personal levels of discomfort and money. Most will only take testosterone and basic surgery as there haven't really been any cases of successful, affordable phalloplasty surgeries.

Anyway, the point is that aside from the fact that someone like Ruka would, after all those surgeries, be a man. The only difference is that a trans person does not have the reproductive capacities of their newly assigned sex.

And if you still think that someone who is FTM will always have a feminine body, just take a look at some of these people:
(note: these pictures range from G to PG- none of them are "dirty" or "inappropriate")

Those guys were born female and now live as men.

As for one major "concern" about Michiru...

Sorry. I just had to clear up some of that mess.

^Yuuki wrote:
Ruka and her dad's heart-to-heart talk. With Takeru's presence as moral support. My heart was in my throat when Ruka starts to tell him the truth. All I can say is I'm proud of Ruka when she tells him to not worry and promises that she'll find happiness in her own way. Being able to say that straight up to her dad without wavering was awesome. Then the apology for dissappointing him. I think I can hug Papa-san for his great reply. You can see how important they are to each other and feel how much the truth and acceptance means to both of them. Like Ruka, elder Kishimoto doesn't want to show how much the news affected him in front of her. Having him breaking down in front of Takeru adds to the real-ness of how they're treating this issue and the way he nostalgically reminisce about Ruka being his precocious but cute daughter, it was beautiful. Well done Asano Taeko~

Sorry, everyone. I know i'm long-winded. I get the urge to pipe up now and again. It feels like a lot of people don't understand what's going on and i'm just trying to help clear anything that might seem confusing or that people simply don't know anything about. And, of course, i just have to comment on casual stuff once in a while.

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jun 15th, '08, 02:18

ashton: damn that first picture is hot. hehe thanks for showing proofs with images. i gotta prepare dinner so i can't search now.

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 15th, '08, 02:52

yeah, i wouldn't have known if they didn't reveal that they were born female. wow...

fayenatic · Post by **fayenatic** » Jun 15th, '08, 03:43

Ladymercury wrote:
fayenatic wrote:
Ladymercury wrote:
WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK ITS RUKA. JAPAN DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN THE KOSEKI. GOD. And I doubt that a Christian church would even allow that Union in their halls.

Come on people, THINK. Michiru could not properly come to terms with the knowledge that Ruka likes her in a romantic way. In episode one she is writing Ruka a letter saying that she is alone and will always be alone.

PEOPLE. Ruka/Michiru is not going to happen! This isn't anime this isn't Sailormoon. There is no star crossed lovers here. My god people, my god.
I feel better getting that off of my shoulders. lol
well im glad you felt better now that you're done ranting. so are you calling all the viewers who think differently not 'sensible'? whats up with the haterade? Just 'cause your opinion differs from other viewers, it doesnt give you a right to be obnoxious. So what if they think that it's Ruka in the wedding? How does that effect YOU in any way?
I think I have the right to express my opinion that is different from the majority. It's not haterade dear, its called an opinion.

you mean your condescending opinion?

Rukafan · Post by **Rukafan** » Jun 15th, '08, 03:51

Hi, I'm new to this thread. I could not retain myself from joining this discussion.

I somehow still hope that Ruka can end up with Takeru. Its just that to me, Michiru never really loves Ruka the way Ruka loves her. I think it would be awkward for her to suddenly accept Ruka's love. I think someone had said this before and i am just agreeing with them.

m-ayu · Post by **m-ayu** » Jun 15th, '08, 04:07

^ Well same thing goes with Ruka's feeling toward Takeru, she couldn't love Takeru the way he loves her.
Imo Ruka is in the same situation with Michiru, if we're talking about feeling at least. (not GID and DV part)
Only Ruka already 'make peace' with Takeru's feeling (in ep. 8 ), while till now, Michiru toward Ruka's feeling hasn't.

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jun 15th, '08, 04:09

siutou_amy · Post by **siutou_amy** » Jun 15th, '08, 05:41

Rori wrote:
Ruka said herself in the latest episode, to her dad, that she'll never be able to love a man, too. Whether Michiru does or doesn't answer her feelings, Ruka still won't end up with Takeru.

That's true.

vege-okonomiyaki · Post by **vege-okonomiyaki** » Jun 15th, '08, 06:08

Ladymercury wrote:

That is the hand of a man. I don't care how many times you guys are going to say that it's Ruka till your face turns blue, it is NOT Ruka and they are NOT getting married. Sex change operations don't magically transform your body into a man. You get get your penis inverted or you get a penis attatched, nothing else to your body changes. You can body build, take steroids, cut your hair, gain weight -- But your body would never fully be a man. Fairy tale endings don't happen that way and it would be such a lame pull on the writers [... ] [EDIT]

magicmusic · Post by **magicmusic** » Jun 15th, '08, 06:24

Wow, I don't even know what to say in regards to this latest discussion.

First off:

And secondly:

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 15th, '08, 06:28

oh wow....a very interesting read.

thanks for the link.

^Yuuki · Post by **^Yuuki** » Jun 15th, '08, 06:41

ashton: Thanks for enlightening us. Haha. And the pic, I must say, wow! o.o

hanapyupyu wrote: ^^Yuuki, that PS wedding photo is very sweet. Really. LOL. Hey, don't lose heart, Michiru/Ruka devotees. They may still be able to ride off into the sunset together on Ruka's bike as the preview cap is teasing us with the possibilities. hee.

Haha, the bike, from what I gather...I think it should be Takeru and Ruka. Doesn't mean they're riding off to the sunset together. ^^

Here's a new interview with Ueno Juri:
Fuji TV minute 12/6/08
(savannah t-shirt~ what she wore during the episode ^^)
It's short so I translated what she said:
There's a lot of hardships and various obstacles to overcome...in order to aim towards acheiving liberation at the end. Currently these kind of things does happen(GID), but those people can't show themselves at the forefront. So those people that are facing the same obstacles, I really hope that like Ruka, they can slowly start to move towards their own liberation and able to obtain the strength to continue living.

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 15th, '08, 06:50

^^yuuki thanks for the link. great advice. kudos again to her for taking the challenging role. I'm sure a lot of people will be inspired by her, especially those who have GID.

anyway soft subs ep 10 is out!
http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_60626.htm

^Yuuki · Post by **^Yuuki** » Jun 15th, '08, 07:06

Well, I don't think it's just people with GID, all the sexual minorities in Japan(or outside) in particular. I think what have been portrayed so far would echo within them as well. It's really great and rare for a prime time drama to portray a storyline like this in a positive light. This drama have really broken barriers. Hopefully it will prompt the other dramas in the future to tackle more controversial issues.

And of course for Ueno Juri to challenge a role that would have been very hard to portray convincingly if it were any other actress. Seriously, I can't imagine anyone else in that role now.

mahirghari · Post by **mahirghari** » Jun 15th, '08, 07:24

OMG EP 10, the perfect resolution to the psychopath scenario:

Cause of that, Last Friends is now, without a doubt, the best drama ever! And its not even over!

avieamber · Post by **avieamber** » Jun 15th, '08, 08:03

mahirghari wrote:OMG EP 10, the perfect resolution to the psychopath scenario:

HE KILLS HIMSELF! OMG, WHEN I SAW THAT IT FELT SO DAMN SATISFYING!!!
Cause of that, Last Friends is now, without a doubt, the best drama ever! And its not even over!

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