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

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 6th, '08, 16:26

Satirical humor

rlia · Post by **rlia** » Jul 6th, '08, 17:08

okay...here i am again...
so this bashing was started from an award thing
all of you must know that awards will not really explain the quality of a drama, or an actor/actress
furthermore if it was a vote...it will never be objective...

i like last friends finally after watching 8 episodes...
i love all of the acting abilities of the actors....
juri, eita, masami, ryo, asami....

i admit i watch it only to see ryochan...firstly...because i don't really like the big theme of it...but after i watch it...well it is good indeed....

if you are sure you can appraise someone's acting...
then you know that we cannot do it only from one drama....

for me ryo's acting is hell good in last friends...of course ...if it wasn't how can everybody who saw him hate him...although it means that they can't differentiate between an actor with a character he/she plays....

if you think ryo just good on making creepy faces...you should watch 1 litre of tears...and you know that you're wrong....
i like eita...and i'm sure eita like ryo since they are good friend now....
his acting is good, and since i'm only watch him in last friends, i don't want to do much talking
but i'm not sure if eita can play antagonist character like this as good as ryo...

about the award...hell i don't care....
in my opinion all of them are good, with or without those awards....

kuo87 · Post by **kuo87** » Jul 7th, '08, 01:41

I have to agree that Ryo's acting was at least convincible. Emotional, Heart-wrenching? Not exactly. But whatever. I'm actually re-watching the series again and I've started to appreciate more of everyone's acting. Not just Juri's (but of course, she hands down stole the show).

Maybe we should have a Last Friends re-watching party every thursday night. That'd be a start... lol.

DeAngel999 · Post by **DeAngel999** » Jul 7th, '08, 01:52

kuo87 wrote:I have to agree that Ryo's acting was at least convincible. Emotional, Heart-wrenching? Not exactly. But whatever. I'm actually re-watching the series again and I've started to appreciate more of everyone's acting. Not just Juri's (but of course, she hands down stole the show).

Maybe we should have a Last Friends re-watching party every thursday night. That'd be a start... lol.

I already rewatched it over again when I was waiting for the next ep (10) to come out. lol. and then rewatched the entire series again.

A re watching party... now how are we gonna do that? How about some Q&As ? I'll join for sure!

zeiroc · Post by **zeiroc** » Jul 7th, '08, 02:44

minigoo wrote:zeiroc:

i said ''nice'' not because i approved of DV.
what i mean with ''nice'' really supposed to mean ''cute drawing''.
as in the cartoon itself how it was drawn!

sorry my english is not that good.

minigoo...no need to apologize. my comment wasn't aimed at your comment, it was just my opinion about the avatar. if you want a cuter and entertaining one check our m-ayu's siggy

Courtesy of AreYoU from DeviantArt

bmwracer · Post by **bmwracer** » Jul 7th, '08, 03:42

zeiroc wrote:Courtesy of AreYoU from DeviantArt

LMFAO...!!

Now is it really nice to insult trees like that...?

atskv9 · Post by **atskv9** » Jul 7th, '08, 04:00

Haha, the tree's hairstyle is spot on!

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 7th, '08, 04:36

Like I said, satirical humor

Though nice in-direct punch at Ryo's acting.

ではでは～

sleepyzzz · Post by **sleepyzzz** » Jul 7th, '08, 06:43

Great post zeiroc!! hahaha That tree and hairstyle cracked me up!! LOL

Btw, I'm planning to check out whether the next Malika is out this weekend. If so I might get - no promises particularly when the last one wasn't very exciting at all. If I do post it up, I'll put up a message here.

I think I will have to start hanging around in the Juri discussion thread soon!! =(

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jul 7th, '08, 06:59

zeiroc wrote:
minigoo wrote:zeiroc:

i said ''nice'' not because i approved of DV.
what i mean with ''nice'' really supposed to mean ''cute drawing''.
as in the cartoon itself how it was drawn!

sorry my english is not that good.

minigoo...no need to apologize. my comment wasn't aimed at your comment, it was just my opinion about the avatar. if you want a cuter and entertaining one check our m-ayu's siggy

Courtesy of AreYoU from DeviantArt

omg kawaiiiiiiii. what does eri's sign say since i don't know japanese and ruka's too. i love ruka's face so devious with the marker. muahaha. anymore of these arts they are just too cute.

ooo i just notice is the dog peeing on the tree? ouch...

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 7th, '08, 08:32

Eri's sign say " baka " aka idiot

m-ayu · Post by **m-ayu** » Jul 7th, '08, 08:35

actually it's not Eri's but Michiru's.
Eri is the filler.

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 7th, '08, 08:51

Oh, I can't tell, they kind of look the same. D:

hanapyupyu · Post by **hanapyupyu** » Jul 7th, '08, 10:42

Haha...the fan-art is too cute!

m-ayu wrote:actually it's not Eri's but Michiru's.
Eri is the filler.

Yeah, I thought so...Eri is the filler...pretty obvious. Michiru=Baka. Bingo!!

Sousuke=Block of wood. Priceless.

Ruka's board is partly hidden, but I think it says HOT.

rlia · Post by **rlia** » Jul 7th, '08, 14:13

m-ayu...
yea...the picture is so kawaii...
even though it would be looked more kawaiii if you don't include your hating in it...

welll...some friends of mine say....
"anjing menggonggong kafilah berlalu"....(sorry i'm too lazy to translate it to english)

so that what i will do....
whatever all of you said, it will not change a single thing in his career...
and thanks for your hating
because the more famous a celebrity, the more enemy or antis he will have...
why don't you just discuss it in another thread....??
i don't think this thread meant for that kind of disgusting bashing....

it will annoy many people IF ALL OF YOU CARE....

son2 · Post by **son2** » Jul 7th, '08, 15:06

zeiroc wrote: Courtesy of AreYoU from DeviantArt

the picture is really cute.
i am glad that someone finally did this.

m-ayu · Post by **m-ayu** » Jul 7th, '08, 15:33

hanapyupyu wrote: Ruka's board is partly hidden, but I think it says HOT.

lol that's the right answer.

rlia wrote:m-ayu...
yea...the picture is so kawaii...
even though it would be looked more kawaiii if you don't include your hating in it...

As I mentioned before, I am not Ryo's hater, even though I'm not his fan also.
And the tree is written "Sousuke's acting", not "Sousuke's actor", not even written as "Ryo".

Even though it wasn't me who drew the fan art, but as an artist myself, I believe every artist has their own right to express whatever they're feeling into their work.
In this case, my gf who drew this, inspired from this series and made it into caricature work. And the Sousuke's tree was inspired from a discussion about Sousuke in another LF thread in other forum.

Now maybe... you should relax a lil bit?

rlia · Post by **rlia** » Jul 7th, '08, 15:45

m-ayu wrote:
rlia wrote:m-ayu...
yea...the picture is so kawaii...
even though it would be looked more kawaiii if you don't include your hating in it...
As I mentioned before, I am not Ryo's hater, even though I'm not his fan also.
And the tree is written "Sousuke's acting", not "Sousuke's actor", not even written as "Ryo".

Even though it wasn't me who drew the fan art, but as an artist myself, I believe every artist has their own right to express whatever they're feeling into their work.
In this case, my gf who drew this, inspired from this series and made it into caricature work. And the Sousuke's tree was inspired from a discussion about Sousuke in another LF thread in other forum.

Now maybe... you should relax a lil bit?

actually i didn't meant only to yourself...but to all of you who with cruelly bashing ryo
i agree with you that everyone can express their feelings into their work, as long as it didn't mean to hurt someone else's feeling...
but that tree thing...why made it a tree, as if ryo was so bad to be drawn instead of a tree with that hairstyle...?? (and i'm soo relieve that now he has changed that hairstyle...he used it for this drama only)
and the board....well, for me that picture could have soo many meanings according everyeone who see it

relax...?? oh, i don't know...
but MOD...pliz if this kind of bashing things allowed in this thread....??? (again, i don't mean to you only m-ayu, but to all of you who bashed ryo)

lichter002 · Post by **lichter002** » Jul 7th, '08, 17:01

This would be a pretty lame board if voicing one's opinion in a non-vulgar, barely offensive (for fan girls), somewhat civil way deserved a message deletion or warning.

minigoo · Post by **minigoo** » Jul 7th, '08, 22:53

that cartoon is REALLY cute too! finally a cartoon of Ruka.

are there any more?

DeAngel999 · Post by **DeAngel999** » Jul 8th, '08, 01:43

Nice sig. Eh... why does it feel like a Ryo's discussion here instead of about the drama. > <;;

kuo87 · Post by **kuo87** » Jul 8th, '08, 02:14

DeAngel999 wrote:Nice sig. Eh... why does it feel like a Ryo's discussion here instead of about the drama. > <;;

because i guess there's really nothing to talk about.

but anyways, i have a theory... could it be that people were watching last friends because of masami...?!

i mean, some potential DV ppl could have been watching the show and be all like "yeah, that's right, be submissive"... lol.

just a theory, from a guy, of course.

[/spoiler]

bmwracer · Post by **bmwracer** » Jul 8th, '08, 03:02

kuo87 wrote:could it be that people were watching last friends because of masami...?!

Not a chance.

If it wasn't for Juri-chan, this drama wouldn't have even been on my radar.

DeAngel999 · Post by **DeAngel999** » Jul 8th, '08, 03:08

kuo87 wrote:
DeAngel999 wrote:Nice sig. Eh... why does it feel like a Ryo's discussion here instead of about the drama. > <;;
because i guess there's really nothing to talk about.

but anyways, i have a theory... could it be that people were watching last friends because of masami...?!

i mean, some potential DV ppl could have been watching the show and be all like "yeah, that's right, be submissive"... lol.

just a theory, from a guy, of course. [/spoiler]

Watching because of Masami? lol sorry not me! Oh, now that make me want to know why u all watch this drama! I started to watch neither because of Ryo nor Juri. I didn't know what this drama is about, didn't know who were in it. All I see was two words "Last Friends" on my VeohTv popular list. lol I was bored so I click on some title. And wow... what a good pick! When i started watching Last Friends I notice Ryo is in it, then Masami (took me a while to recognize her from Proposal Daisakusen) . But Juri... I don't know her. (actually I saw her movie too Tsubasa.. uh something.. story 4 sorry forgot the name but English title could be Fallen Angels it was when she with the little boy) And then when I looked her up in wiki, > > finally i realized that I had seen her acting before. What a great actress... can't tell her from a different drama. lol. And so, that's my story.

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 8th, '08, 03:44

kuo87 wrote:because i guess there's really nothing to talk about.

but anyways, i have a theory... could it be that people were watching last friends because of masami...?!

i mean, some potential DV ppl could have been watching the show and be all like "yeah, that's right, be submissive"... lol.

That is very, very sad. If there is such a person that watched for that very reason, then they have a a serious problem.

Myself, I wanted to see how Ryo would handle Sousuke, I don't know any other JE boy who has ever taken on a role like this, and since Ryo made me hate him at times because of Sosuke, I say he did a pretty good job.

The other reasons being, it was my first type of Jdrama of it's kind. And the last being the combination of decent cast. =)

lichter002 · Post by **lichter002** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:02

I only started watching doramas for Juri-chan after seeing and loving a couple of her movies. Fell in love with her and began hunting down all her shows.

The only really good reason to watch Last Friends, right bmwracer?

DeAngel999 · Post by **DeAngel999** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:02

Rori wrote:And the last being the combination of decent cast. =)

Let's hope it's not the last.

we sure want great cast combination for the drama in the future (with Juri's included of course

)

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:07

DeAngel999 wrote:
Rori wrote:And the last being the combination of decent cast. =)
Let's hope it's not the last.

Eh, it was in no specific order. They were all good enough reasons to watch LF for me. ^^

bewitched1101 · Post by **bewitched1101** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:43

hello

I'm downloading Last Friends EP10 (704x396 Divx6).avi at the moment and I just wanted to know are their subs in this ep? DId anyone else download it??

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:46

bewitched1101 wrote:hello

I'm downloading Last Friends EP10 (704x396 Divx6).avi at the moment and I just wanted to know are their subs in this ep? DId anyone else download it??

Er, yes. Most of us watched that ep quite a while back. xD;

Softsubs can be found here.

bewitched1101 · Post by **bewitched1101** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:50

Rori wrote:
bewitched1101 wrote:hello

I'm downloading Last Friends EP10 (704x396 Divx6).avi at the moment and I just wanted to know are their subs in this ep? DId anyone else download it??
Er, yes. Most of us watched that ep quite a while back. xD;

Softsubs can be found here.

Yeah I know....I quite a while back....school+work= not enough time for my dramas hehe. But how do I connect the softsubs with the video?? I'm using BSplayer do I put both softsubs and video in the same folder or something??? Sorry....I"m still new to this softsub thing, I usually just wait for the hardsubs lol.

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 8th, '08, 04:52

Its been like two weeks since Last Friends ended, its hard to believe that people are still behind~ lol. Then I tend to forget that a lot of people watched Last Friends with the subs... D:

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 8th, '08, 05:04

bewitched1101 wrote:
Rori wrote:
bewitched1101 wrote:hello

I'm downloading Last Friends EP10 (704x396 Divx6).avi at the moment and I just wanted to know are their subs in this ep? DId anyone else download it??
Er, yes. Most of us watched that ep quite a while back. xD;

Softsubs can be found here.
Yeah I know....I quite a while back....school+work= not enough time for my dramas hehe. But how do I connect the softsubs with the video?? I'm using BSplayer do I put both softsubs and video in the same folder or something??? Sorry....I"m still new to this softsub thing, I usually just wait for the hardsubs lol.

Ah, well I'll take the easy way out and point you towards this thread for how to get your softsubs to work. But to explain, just download a program called vobsub (if you don't know where or how to get it, check that thread, It was such a long time ago for me, I can't remember) then as soon as you have it installed on your computer, just leave it. Then you must have the subtitle file the same name as the video file it matches. For e.g. my LF folder:

And then you should be good to go.

m-ayu · Post by **m-ayu** » Jul 8th, '08, 05:19

kuo87 wrote: but anyways, i have a theory... could it be that people were watching last friends because of masami...?!

Definitely a NO for me.

It wasn't for Juri also, since I didn't know her back then. ^^;
Yeah well can't blame people who gave up on J-drama since 2002. ^^;;;;;

Anyway, I watched it first because I wanted to see what's this hype all about this drama, since it's promoted in almost every Hikki's Prisoner of Love performances back then.
So yeah, pretty much watched it for Hikki at first. But it only took me one episode to be prisoner of love for Juri.

son2 · Post by **son2** » Jul 8th, '08, 05:47

m-ayu wrote:
kuo87 wrote: But it only took me one episode to be prisoner of love for Juri.

i agree with you.
last friends is also the first drama that made me interest with juri. and started to look for another drama or movie with her on it.

lichter002 · Post by **lichter002** » Jul 8th, '08, 06:13

son2 wrote: i agree with you.
last friends is also the first drama that made me interest with juri. and started to look for another drama or movie with her on it.

You should check out everything she's done; you won't be disappointed.

rulan · Post by **rulan** » Jul 8th, '08, 06:24

son2 wrote:
m-ayu wrote:
kuo87 wrote: But it only took me one episode to be prisoner of love for Juri.
i agree with you.
last friends is also the first drama that made me interest with juri. and started to look for another drama or movie with her on it.

same here. i watched it cause someone on crunchyroll recommended it for it's new storyline so after the opening video i was interested. after the juri and michiru kiss i was hooked.

roon · Post by **roon** » Jul 8th, '08, 09:45

Oh snap, Ladymercury's avatar is amazing.

I'm still raging about the fact that they left things so open-ended and gave no final conclusion, so I may post a rant sometime soon-ish...

rukaxmichiru · Post by **rukaxmichiru** » Jul 8th, '08, 10:34

rulan wrote:
son2 wrote:
m-ayu wrote:
i agree with you.
last friends is also the first drama that made me interest with juri. and started to look for another drama or movie with her on it.
same here. i watched it cause someone on crunchyroll recommended it for it's new storyline so after the opening video i was interested. after the juri and michiru kiss i was hooked.

LOL! same here. I actually watched last friends because of someone's gif siggy on another forum... kinda weird huh?
It was kinda like... "WOAH, omg! she looks really cool. Wait, that is a girl right!?! *blinkblink* yep it is" @juri and then I saw the jurixmasami kiss gif on the same forum... and kinda got hooked too

I actually didn't know the name of the drama so I searched for some time after getting "juri" from that gif's name. Haha, I finally found it on wiki and got hooked even more after reading the synopsis, cause I like these kind of dramas about life the most~

haha, LF made me into a juri fan!!

I couldn't even tell that it was her even though I watched a lot of her other works~ haha, that's how good she is at acting

prisoner of love for juri

sorry for the long post~

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 8th, '08, 11:08

roon wrote:Oh snap, Ladymercury's avatar is amazing.

I'm still raging about the fact that they left things so open-ended and gave no final conclusion, so I may post a rant sometime soon-ish...

Rant my friend, because I too am pissed off at that ending.

bmwracer · Post by **bmwracer** » Jul 8th, '08, 13:45

lichter002 wrote:I only started watching doramas for Juri-chan after seeing and loving a couple of her movies. Fell in love with her and began hunting down all her shows.

The only really good reason to watch Last Friends, right bmwracer?

As it turns out, the only reason.

spyefox · Post by **spyefox** » Jul 8th, '08, 15:39

Hey guys! Don't bash my Masami (imagine Ruka saying, my Michiru LOL

)

Proud to say I started watching cos of Masami, but later after that first episode, I was looking forward every week because of my Ruka ...opppsss MY Juri

kuo87 · Post by **kuo87** » Jul 9th, '08, 02:21

spyefox wrote:Hey guys! Don't bash my Masami (imagine Ruka saying, my Michiru LOL )

Proud to say I started watching cos of Masami, but later after that first episode, I was looking forward every week because of my Ruka ...opppsss MY Juri

lol. we have a winner here!

personally, i started watching last friends because the topic really interested me... no, not the DV (i'm not a sadistic person... XP). but as i grew into the series, i became more attached to juri's tomboyish charm.

^Yuuki · Post by **^Yuuki** » Jul 9th, '08, 12:40

zeiroc wrote: Courtesy of AreYoU from DeviantArt

LOL. I'm a little late but this is great!

m-ayu, give my compliments to your gf and ask her to draw more.

For me, I was just a casual fan of Juri before(only saw Swing Girls and Nodame then). So it intriqued me when I saw how different she looked and seem to act from the promo of Last Friends. Add in with the other equally impressive cast list, Hikki's song and of course the suggestiveness of Juri and Masami's characters' relationship, heheh, it became the most anticipated drama for me. Episode 1 kinda started the whole obsessed LF/Juri/Ruka fan for me. That's when I unlurked, registered and started posting in this thread.

m-ayu · Post by **m-ayu** » Jul 9th, '08, 14:51

^Yuuki wrote:
zeiroc wrote: Courtesy of AreYoU from DeviantArt

LOL. I'm a little late but this is great! m-ayu, give my compliments to your gf and ask her to draw more.

http://areyou.deviantart.com/art/103-1- ... m-91126419

Ahn Ta Hee · Post by **Ahn Ta Hee** » Jul 9th, '08, 15:58

kawaiiii ! I loving Its ha ha

fayenatic · Post by **fayenatic** » Jul 10th, '08, 05:56

the writer sure as hell got it right when it she/he(?) said, "oh so theres THIS kind of ending too". -___-

damn, i feel like Hikki's song got jipped too!

junebug6272 · Post by **junebug6272** » Jul 10th, '08, 06:18

am I the only one who actually like the ending??

this is a japanese drama, so I guess because I wasn't expecting anything earth-shattering/controversial I wasn't disappointed....

son2 · Post by **son2** » Jul 10th, '08, 09:09

i don't know why, but i kinda disappointed with the ending.
the ending is too 'safe'.
i feel like it's not fair for ruka.
being close together to someone that who can not love her back....
mmmm... maybe i am thinking about this too much.

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 10th, '08, 11:39

Ruka is only 22 or something, she can like, you know, find love in the rest of the 80something odd years she has left on this earth >_>

bmwracer · Post by **bmwracer** » Jul 10th, '08, 13:32

son2 wrote:maybe i am thinking about this too much.

You are.

noonie · Post by **noonie** » Jul 10th, '08, 13:58

son2 wrote:i don't know why, but i kinda disappointed with the ending.
the ending is too 'safe'.
i feel like it's not fair for ruka.
being close together to someone that who can not love her back....
mmmm... maybe i am thinking about this too much.

I like the ending it was realistic since no one else was dying the story had to be realistic and just show them going on with life and like in real life you dont always get the one you love or a huge happy ending.
it was called "The love of young people who live the moment"
but they made it seem like Ruka was going towards Takeru I didnt like that part

minigoo · Post by **minigoo** » Jul 10th, '08, 21:41

noonie wrote:
son2 wrote:i don't know why, but i kinda disappointed with the ending.
the ending is too 'safe'.
i feel like it's not fair for ruka.
being close together to someone that who can not love her back....
mmmm... maybe i am thinking about this too much.
I like the ending it was realistic since no one else was dying the story had to be realistic and just show them going on with life and like in real life you dont always get the one you love or a huge happy ending.
it was called "The love of young people who live the moment"
but they made it seem like Ruka was going towards Takeru I didnt like that part

you mean Ruka is falling for Takeru?
hmm, i think she sees him maybe as a soulmate more than a lover.
she has secretly loved michiru all these years afterall i dun think she can fall for someone else.
but then there is nothing stopping someone fall in love with more than 1 person.

what you guys think?

son2 · Post by **son2** » Jul 11th, '08, 00:22

noonie wrote:
I like the ending it was realistic since no one else was dying the story had to be realistic and just show them going on with life and like in real life you dont always get the one you love or a huge happy ending.
it was called "The love of young people who live the moment"
but they made it seem like Ruka was going towards Takeru I didnt like that part

big point (the bold ones).

'ruka going towards takeru?!' which part was it?

kuo87 · Post by **kuo87** » Jul 11th, '08, 02:45

son2 wrote:
noonie wrote:
I like the ending it was realistic since no one else was dying the story had to be realistic and just show them going on with life and like in real life you dont always get the one you love or a huge happy ending.
it was called "The love of young people who live the moment"
but they made it seem like Ruka was going towards Takeru I didnt like that part
big point (the bold ones).

'ruka going towards takeru?!' which part was it?

i assume noonie was talking pretty much the entire scene where takeru and ruka go search for michiru. that was a pretty... heartfelt scene, if were to judge that on a sincerity level.

the ending was okay. i was really expecting a tie in with hikki's song though, it was based almost entirely on the song until the tenth episode, then it derailed i think.

for my first japanese drama, i sure picked one hell of a drama to start off with

DeAngel999 · Post by **DeAngel999** » Jul 11th, '08, 03:05

[quote="kuo87] i was really expecting a tie in with hikki's song though, it was based almost entirely on the song until the tenth episode, then it derailed i think.

for my first japanese drama, i sure picked one hell of a drama to start off with

[/quote]

say.. do u want to tell which part of the song relate to the episode/events in the drama?

and for the first J-drama u first start with... > > there won't be any worth while like this one for long....

aww.. I hope Juri start with the next drama soon. But i think she ned a break from last friends lol [/quote]

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 11th, '08, 06:46

I think the ending was just trying to please all the shippers. Michiru got with Takeru, indirectly, and Takeru got closer to Ruka and Ruka was able to keep Michiru.

Basically an EVERYONE WINS! ending.

Cept Sousuke.

But it's alright, he has Ohkura

masap · Post by **masap** » Jul 11th, '08, 07:23

Just out of curiosity... I've noticed hardly anyone likes Michiru and many have said Nagasawa Masami didn't do a good job of acting her out...

What sort of portrayal/acting would make you like Michiru (given that her character stays the same), or think that a good job has been done in acting her out?

In fact, does anyone here like Michiru at all??

I guess most people dislike her primarily for one of two reasons:

1. She keeps on going back to the guy who DVs her
2. She does not feel Ruka's love for her, and when she did, she refused her

But I personally think that in any case, she is a decent girl, though weak
If she wasn't good at heart, she wouldn't have given a crap about a mother who treats her like trash.

She was the first to notice Takeru's discomfort when they were at the amusement park. Some may say that it's because she had a crush on Takeru (partly due to Ruka's push as well), but honestly, I think it's also because she wants to be nice back because Takeru has been looking after her. She cares very much about people who care for her.

In Ruka's case, they've been friends for so long, even after she learns about Ruka's feelings, even though she feels she can't accept that sort of love, she still chose to confront Sousuke when he insulted Ruka, she still chose to slap him, because Ruka is her best friend and she would not allow anyone to hurt her.

In ep 10, after geting raped, she said to Sousuke, if you promise that you won't hurt my friends ever again, you can do this to me as many times as you like. That may sound laughable... but that is her attempt at protecting her friends, doing something for the people who have looked after her.

Michiru may be weak, she may seem ignorant, but she really is someone good at heart.

Unfortunately, I don't think her character was carved out very well in this drama. Seems like the scriptwriter herself doesn't even give a crap about Michiru, based on what I understand from her interviews.

Ideally, Michiru would've undergone some sort of change and become stronger at heart by the end of ep 11. We saw her change at one stage when she was able to escape her colleague's high-heel attack after a few episodes; we see her standing up for her friend, Ruka when confronting Sousuke in ep 10...
Yet at the end of the day, all those little hints at Michiru's change for the better ended in nothing. She is now forever haunted by the memories of her dead DV boyfriend. Even though she said she wanted to try and be independent, she still goes back to live with the others.

I can't help wondering what would all the people suffering from DV in reality think after watching LF... honestly... both Masami and Ryo have said that DV is bad, and should not be tolerated, yet in this drama, Sousuke even in his death, DVs Michiru. Even though in reality a DV guy like Sousuke wouldn't even think about commiting suicide (the scriptwriter herself even admitted)... I think a lot of DV victims were probably hoping to find some sort of refuge in seeing a Michiru that becomes stronger by the day, but I guess they were disappointed to the very end...

Much discussion has been focused on Ruka (whom I like very much) and Juri (of whom I have become a fan), but I thought we should also give some thoughts to the other actors. And since I am also a Masami fan, my comment mainly focuses on Michiru.

I'm very sympathetic towards Masami, because of the role she had... before the show started, she said in a magazine interview that she doesn't want viewers to feel sorry for Michiru. And from the interview, I had the impression that she wanted to portray Michiru as a character who changes for the better. Though of course, that didn't happen, because the script never ended up going that way...

Nagasawa Masami still has a long way to go in terms of her acting skills, but I don't think it is fair to say that she did a terrible job in LF. It's not her fault that Michiru turned out to be such a character, she did what she can... Watch Proposal Daisakusen and Butterfly Strokes in Ganges River (filmed in India and she actually did swim butterfly strokes in Ganges River), and then watch LF, you will see the differences in characters and acting.

There has been much discussion on the Drama Awards. I just want to clear up by saying that:

1. Last Friends' leading role was Nagasawa Masami from the very beginning (starting from when news of this drama first came out in Japanese newspapers).

2. There is no leading male actor in this drama.

3. For this season's drama awards, Masami is nominee for best actress, Juri and Asami will be nominees for best supporting actress, Eita and Ryo will be nominees for best supporting actor.

4. Now that Ruka is the most popular character of the show, all sorts of ambiguity has popped up in the media regarding who IS actually the leading actress of the show. The company responsible for the release of the LF DVD-Box even listed both Nagasawa and Ueno as the leading actresses, contrary to media reports when the news that LF will be on-air first came out. They corrected this "mistake" later. I think they did it intentionally to use Ruka (Juri) to increase DVD-Box sales... though I think it's a bit dodgy. For one, a leading actor/actress in Japan not only have to act, she/he also has the responsibility of uniting and leading the team onsite and on promotional shows. If ratings crap it's the leading actor/actress's fault and so on. Nagasawa Masami had taken on all these responsibilities from the start because she was listed as the leading actress. On the other hand, personally, I think Ueno Juri deserved to be the leading actress too, but that was not the case. So to use her name merely for increasing DVD-Box sales, I find that very unrespectful.

Juri has been absolutely amazing in this drama. But we must not forget, that any drama is the product of an entire team of people, including both the cast and producers/staff. The character, Ruka, certainly has outshone all other characters in this drama, and there is no doubt that this is largely because of Juri's awesome acting skills. But she is not the only one who worked hard and thought hard about how to act out her given character in the past 4 months or so.

All the main casts had problems with the script, as there were parts they couldn't comprehend. Some of them became sick or injured during the filming period.

Masami caught a really bad cold after sitting in the rain for so long when filming for that scene in Ep 1where Michiru sat in the park and Ruka came to find her in the rain (I remember listening to her radio that weekend, wondering how come she sounded like she was having a cold... LOL). Juri fell from the motorbike during one practice session, injured her leg, and had to get 5 stitches done. In the last DV scene in ep 10, Ryo accidentally hit Masami right on (all the bashing scenes are all supposed to be done in a way that no real damage is carried out).

Eita didn't understand why Takeru just had to express his affection for Ruka before taking the time to listen to what Ruka was going to say first in that park scene at night. Juri's interpretation of Ruka is a girl who thinks of herself as a guy and thus could not understand why Ruka would want to be affectionate with Takeru in the last episode. Masami found it very difficult to understand Michiru's feelings (probably because she couldn't agree with Michiru). Ryo had to act out a DV guy even though he would probably never do this ever to a girl in reality...

Amidst all these... the casts did what they can based on what I consider a dodgy script (of which the later half was written in a way that appealed to higher ratings during on-air period, everything going all over the place), and I think all of them deserve applause for their hard work.

Anyway, perhaps it would've been better if Masami and Juri were both named as leading actresses in this drama from the very start, but as that wasn't the case because of one reason or another (things us audiences would probably never learn about). But that was something agreed to by casts, management and producers, so that should be respected.

And I shall refrain from comparing Juri and Masami's acting skills... as I think they both have different styles. I can't imagine Masami playing Ryoko in Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi or Aoi in Rainbow Song or Nodame in Nodame Cantabile or Ruka in Last Friends, nor can I imagine Juri playing Aki in Crying out love in the Centre of the World, Kaoru in Nada Sousou, Rei in Proposal Daisakusen, Michiru in LF.

(so the choice of cast in LF is actually quite good I must say)

But just a few words on their different styles...

I think what Ueno Juri does in her acting is finding similarity between herself and the characters she play and then amplifies that particular aspect during filming. In other words, once she's grasped that similarity, she herself sinks in and becomes that character. If she doesn't find much similarity between herself and the character, it becomes a problem for her. As in Joudan Janai, she said the protagonist is very very different from herself. And I don't think Joudan Janai struck most Juri fans as much as her other more impacting works. I actually think that this is something that she needs to overcome, else it will limit the range of roles she can play (not in the sense that she can't play them, but a matter of how well she can play them). In terms of appearance, Ueno Juri is starting to look better and better ever since her major hit movie "Swing Girls ('04)"... I quite like her short hairstyle now after seeing her Chibi Maruchan hairstyle for so long, though always looking forward to see new changes. Apparently she dyed her hair black just recently, after coming back from a short break in Okinawa. Her latest movie "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu" will be out in September I think.

On the other hand, Nagasawa Masami chooses to stay close to the original script. Her forte is in playing very innocent sort of characters, like Aki, Kaoru and Rei as mentioned before. In fact, she rose to fame because of her role as Aki in Crying out love in the centre of the world. However, she has also attempted a range of other types of roles, a high school girl as part of a team in a Robot Contest (Robokon '03), assistant to a fugitive (Runaway '04, in which her hair is very very short, same length as Ueno Juri's hairdo now), a high school girl turned leader of a gangster (Sailor Fuku to Kikanju '06), a naive girl who goes to explore India by herself (Swim Butterfly Strokes in Ganges River '07) and a princess dressed up as a guy in a period movie (The Last Fortress, '08). I personally think she is not very strong at using her eyes to convey feelings, but she is generally very good and flexible with facial expressions (though at times she overdoe it a bit...yes). She may not be very well suited to play roles which embody a lot of internal thoughts and feelings. Her very girly voice is also another obstacle to the range of roles she may be suited for, bu t I think she's starting to overcome that as she did an excellent job in "The Last Fortress". In terms of her appearance, I think long periods of work with no break is making her looking older than she actually is... but given enough rest, the right hairdo and makeup, she's ready to go -> re: Michiru in LF OP. Right now Nagasawa Masami is in Okinawa filming for a movie called "Gun Jo" due to be released next year... this girl doesn't get any rest... ever... ah, and for all those Nodame fans out there, the guy who plays her lover in this movie is Kuroki (played by Fukushi Seiji) from Nodame Cantabile

Ah... lastly just some info from radio...

Nagasawa Masami and Mizukawa Asami have become very good friends and Masami recently invited Asami to go on her radio program, they had a short mimicking session in which Masami mimicked Rei from Evangelion and Asami mimicked Asuka

Apparently on the day when the casts first met, Masami sat next to Eita who sat next to Asami.

Masami heard this interesting conversation between Eita and Asami:

E to A: ah, you permed your hair!
A to E: yeah, suits me doesn't it!
E to A: looks like yakisoba (fried noodles)!
hahaha.... it was quite funny actually.

Anyway, I think I've written a lot more than what I originally planned to write OTZ
thoughts kept on pouring out... LOL

Better stop before the page overflows!

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 11th, '08, 07:40

masap, brilliant post.

I had to skim some parts (it's past 8am, and I've been up all night, so pretty tired) Unfortunately, I can't reply with a similar huge post, but just so you know I agree with you on just about everything and it's about time someone came to Michiru/Masami's defense if I say so myself. I don't think it's that everyone hates her (be it Masami or Michiru) just, this thread is suffocated by the Ruka/Juri fans, so I guess it's pretty hard to pick out the Masami/Michiru fans when it comes to it.

I've liked Michiru from the start, and I hated Masami before LF - she really changed my mind during this drama; that's mostly down to her actually playing a character I liked for once. And as you said, it's no good to compare Juri and Masami in acting: both have their own styles, and I think Masami - like the rest of the cast - did a fantastic job with her character.

masap wrote:There has been much discussion on the Drama Awards. I just want to clear up by saying that (according to Japanese sources):

1. Last Friends' leading role was Nagasawa Masami from the very beginning (starting from when news of this drama first came out in Japanese drama).

2. There is not leading male actor in this drama.

3. For this season's drama awards, Masami is nominee for best actress, Juri and Asami would be nominees for best supporting actress, Eita and Ryo will be nominees for best supporting actor.

And THANK GOD someone actually cleared this up. I was pretty sick of people going "Juri deserves leading actress more than Masami since she was the better actress" People, that is not how it works.

Once again, I'm sorry I can't reply to all or most of your post, since you really put a lot of effort into it (think it's the longest post on a drama I've read on Daddicts!) But you have literally put all of my own feelings into words after following this thread since day one.

masap · Post by **masap** » Jul 11th, '08, 07:52

[Rori], glad someone likes Michiru here

>> this thread is suffocated by the Ruka/Juri fans

haha... I am a Ruka/Juri fan too, but I really feel that Michiru and Masami deserve more than what's been thrown at them... They have been ignored by just about everyone

In my rush I made so many spelling/grammar mistakes... slowly fixing them up

I've never written such a long post before... and probably repeated myself somewhere along the line
But I'm really glad that you agree with many of the points I made

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 11th, '08, 13:29

A sound of reasoning in this thread. A lot of it was very long so I didn't read it, to be truthful but what I did read I agreed with it.

I like Masami, I don't hate her. What was there to hate? I noticed a lot of the hate also stemmed from her being in Proposal Daisakusen... For whatever reason I have no clue about.

kuo87 · Post by **kuo87** » Jul 11th, '08, 14:20

i found masami's acting style to be very... teenager like? i mean, she's still 21... she reminds me of some of my own friends who are only (in reality) two years younger than her.

or wait... i think she's 22 now. oops. add another year.

that was a very informative post, i must admit. read the whole thing.

and i'll agree, i'm a juri fan. but i think the influx of juri fans increased due to the nature of her role. which was surprising to me, because i stumbled into a website called after ellen. there, they posted about last friends (mainly ruka). and the comments thread was ridiculous. i realized though after visiting the site... that it was a LGBT site (hence the name ellen). lol.

that's my theory.

and i'll get back to y'all on why i think PoL is a direct tie in to the drama. though, i think a good amount of people know why.

masap · Post by **masap** » Jul 11th, '08, 14:58

I noticed a lot of the hate also stemmed from her being in Proposal Daisakusen

because a lot of people don't like seeing masami with yamap~ i think

or wait... i think she's 22 now. oops. add another year.

nah, she's 21, just turned 21 on june 3rd~ juri's one year and a bit older than her
she's the youngest out of all LF members

i think the influx of juri fans increased due to the nature of her role

definitely! ruka has been a very successful character, and has captivated a lot of people and motivated them to watch juri's other works as well~

and i'll get back to y'all on why i think PoL is a direct tie in to the drama. though, i think a good amount of people know why.

Hmm... my understanding is Hikki wrote PoL without really knowing the story, because when she wrote the lyrics, the script was far from being completed (producer interview in a magazine around when ep 8 was shown mentioned that the script for final eps weren't out yet)... however, some japanese fans have been saying that you can hear "Ruka" being whispered at the very end of the PoL track, I've listened - if you turn up your volume high enough, you can certainly hear something along that line... which makes me wonder, exactly HOW did Hikki come up with the lyrics?? It seems to speak from the point of view of all the main characters.

Unless, the script was completed originally, and Hikki wrote her lyrics based on the rough outline, and then the script was modified because of the ratings... god knows LOL

toma_sis · Post by **toma_sis** » Jul 11th, '08, 14:59

masap:- I agree with your long post

I like masami since dragon sakura... AND she did a good job in LF...
I don't understand why many fans here don't like her...
maybe they read something bad news about her in real life...
who care.... we never seen/meet her in real life...so don't judge her by the rumors...
she is a good actress in her own style....

and of course juri also a good actress and also in her own style...
but LF is a very good drama which was delivery by all good actors & actress

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 11th, '08, 15:13

Amidst all these... the casts did what they can based on what I consider a dodgy script (of which the later half was written in a way that appealed to higher ratings during on-air period, everything going all over the place), and I think all of them deserve applause for their hard work.

I so agree with this, now that I reread your comment (I was watching Maou and replying during a commericial break

). I noticed the shift in direction of the story around episode 5, when Ruka's character began to get more focus and how Eri's character was becoming more of Ogurin's drunk body/not-so-extra-marital affair. Takeru, who had an issue with his sexuality (in terms of being intimate with women) all of a sudden began to show affection for Ruka, yet, wasn't he supposed to have a problem?

Another thing that caught me off was around episodes 7 - 9, in which the writing just shifted in a direction that maybe, JUST MAYBE, Takeru was having an interest in Michiru. It was like the writers didn't know where to go but to go somewhere that kept the ratings rising.

I think after that dip around episodes 4 and 5 the writers just decided to go the route of " Fanservice and pleasing the audience ". More DV scenes, a confusing love triangle, and an episode villian with no development other than cause fear in the members of the share house. Though I fell for the gimmick, I always, after the episode settled in, wondered was some of the writing really necessary. The boy Sousuke saved, he was listed as a key person on the relationship chart, but did he really do anything for Sousuke's character? In those two episodes that he was in, it proved more like he was Sousuke's new comfort zone to fill the void that Michiru left him while SLIGHTLY eluding to the fact that Sousuke saw hiimself in this kid.

Because, in episode 10, they clearly showed that he was merely a comfort zone to Sousuke, thus his expression when he finally lost it.

I think the one thing that finally set in stone that Last Friends became more of a runaway hit train gimmick than a solid drama was episode 11. Was that Thelma and Luise adventure that Takeru and Ruka decided to take on really needed? Was that car accident truly needed? Was the obvious fanservice scenes of Ruka and Takeru getting chummy with each other absolutely crucial to the storyline? What about Michiru -- had she not ran away because she did not want to burden them? Did she not want to raise her child on her own? What about taking into consideration the consequences of what that child must go through later in life? Eventually that child will ask about her father, eventually that child will find out what type of man he was, and yet there was just this unreal ending that everyone just lives happily ever after.

Had the story gone in the route that it originally was to go in, I honestly doubt Sousuke would have been the one to commit suicide, probably someone else in the house that he would have taken his frustration out on. But that's just a wild guess on my half.

Last Friends started off great, it really was a great drama, but at the end it lost itself and became a commercial franchise losing its footing. Even shadowing the Kimutaku drama, Last Friends was like a child that was given the key to the toy store and couldn't keep itself focused. Now there's a future movie, cups, dvd boxsets, music -- Everyone is making money and everyone is successful...

... but at the cost of well written story line? Its a sad reality.

As for Ryo Nishikido, despite his frustrations playing a wife beater, I do enjoy the fact that he can take his character and mock him at Kanjani8's concerts.

^Yuuki · Post by **^Yuuki** » Jul 11th, '08, 17:58

masap: I really agree with most of what you posted. Regardless of what people think of Masami's acting(for me it's a tad inconsistent but it can be due to the character itself), people have been probably projecting their frustrations with Michiru onto Masami a little. But I wouldn't be writing a fic from Michiru's POV if I disliked her. Heheh. Because you care for a character, you can't help but feel strongly when they do something stupid. Or cheer when they finally speak up. The thing I love and hate sometimes about the show is it made us really care about the characters. I think Masami and the other actors are perfect for their roles. Also probably because the writer got inspired and added in their personalities into the mix. I don't think it's really their fault if the characters are weak or not expanded enough or not give what they deserve. Er...blame the brains or the people controlling from behind the curtains. But I think despite its flaws, its still a pretty awesome drama. I've been having withdrawal symptoms and all the 'nuts'(aka Juri related vids) I've saved up for the winter is running out. >_<

And yeah, Juri should have been named the other leading actress as well since the idea of the story did came up with just these two characters. Well...again, it's the creators' loss but I think for everyone watching, they can't really say Juri is just the supporting actress. If Ruka was a guy, the person playing would definitely be the leading actor already...I'm glad that's not the case tho since it wouldn't have been as interesting and most importantly we wouldn't have discovered Juri as Ruka. I don't think Juri would care whether she's the main actress or not as long as it's an interesting role. It's just labels and doesn't let you know who's better. But, heh, as fans(whether for Juri or Masami), we still want to see our idols getting proper acknowledgment I guess.

masap wrote:In terms of appearance, Ueno Juri is starting to look better and better ever since her major hit movie "Swing Girls ('04)"... I quite like her short hairstyle now after seeing her Chibi Maruchan hairstyle for so long, though always looking forward to see new changes. Apparently she dyed her hair black just recently, after coming back from a short break in Okinawa. Her latest movie "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu" will be out in September I think.

Definitely looking better and better.

Heard about the Okinawa trip(went diving~) but didn't know about the hair dye part. She did say that she likes how changing hairstyle, playing with the colours and all that changes the feel of the characters/roles. Makes me wonder if she got a new role...? Gu gu datte neko ga aru was out 2 months ago so September is probably the DVD. Her latest one would be the narration for Wanko the Movie 2 and a small role in Kodomo no Kodomo. What's really interesting is apparently she did a guest directing for the final scene of a movie recently(from the blog of her Rainbow Song co-star which is the main actress in this particular movie). Behind the scene work is something Juri wanted to try so this is a nice start. ^^

On the other hand, Nagasawa Masami chooses to stay close to the original script. Her forte is in playing very innocent sort of characters, like Aki, Kaoru and Rei as mentioned before. In fact, she rose to fame because of her role as Aki in Crying out love in the centre of the world. However, she has also attempted a range of other types of roles, a high school girl as part of a team in a Robot Contest (Robokon '03), assistant to a fugitive (Runaway '04, in which her hair is very very short, same length as Ueno Juri's hairdo now), a high school girl turned leader of a gangster (Sailor Fuku to Kikanju '06), a naive girl who goes to explore India by herself (Swim Butterfly Strokes in Ganges River '07) and a princess dressed up as a guy in a period movie (The Last Fortress, '08).

Sad to say, I've only seen Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu and Proposal Daisakusen...I've seen some images of The Last Fortress I think and I'm kinda intrigued~ Any er, sources for it and for the radio with Asami? *wink**nudge* =3 There's also the role for next Taiga drama. Tsumabuki Satoshi is the main actor right? Some other big name actresses as well. Should be something to look forward to. ^^

Hmm... my understanding is Hikki wrote PoL without really knowing the story, because when she wrote the lyrics, the script was far from being completed (producer interview in a magazine around when ep 8 was shown mentioned that the script for final eps weren't out yet)... however, some japanese fans have been saying that you can hear "Ruka" being whispered at the very end of the PoL track, I've listened - if you turn up your volume high enough, you can certainly hear something along that line... which makes me wonder, exactly HOW did Hikki come up with the lyrics?? It seems to speak from the point of view of all the main characters.

Unless, the script was completed originally, and Hikki wrote her lyrics based on the rough outline, and then the script was modified because of the ratings... god knows LOL

Ehh? I think I've gotta relisten...even though I've been looping it to death the last few months...Btw, Hikki mentioned in an interview for POL that she didn't even know what the drama is about when she wrote it. So she wrote something that would be suitable for both love and friendship. Was originally in English too. She had a hard time converting it to Japanese. Haha. My guess...clever editing and the writer/producers were 'inspired' from the lyrics.

roon · Post by **roon** » Jul 11th, '08, 23:53

@Ladymercury:
Looks like you beat me to the punch! And a well-written review, at that. I'll be posting mine once I'm done with my school stuff (or if I can manage to find a break).

.............
LOL @ your signature, though. Is there a clip of that somewhere?!

paz · Post by **paz** » Jul 12th, '08, 00:24

As long as I live...nagasawa masami will always my favorite...
whatever drama she played, I will always watch it...
whenever she is ready, I will always marry her...

lichter002 · Post by **lichter002** » Jul 12th, '08, 05:45

Juri-chan should just get billed as the leading actor since technically Ruka was the leading man in LF. Sort of.

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 12th, '08, 05:48

lichter002 wrote:Juri-chan should just get billed as the leading actor since technically Ruka was the leading man in LF. Sort of.

Can see where you're coming from there.

rokugatsu29 · Post by **rokugatsu29** » Jul 12th, '08, 06:00

Um.. hello.. this is kind of off topic but i saw some really good GIF or avatars of last friends in this forum, i'd like to know what program you guys used to make them? thanks.. i'm really interested.

^Yuuki wrote:masap: I really agree with most of what you posted. Regardless of what people think of Masami's acting(for me it's a tad inconsistent but it can be due to the character itself), people have been probably projecting their frustrations with Michiru onto Masami a little. But I wouldn't be writing a fic from Michiru's POV if I disliked her. Heheh. Because you care for a character, you can't help but feel strongly when they do something stupid. Or cheer when they finally speak up. The thing I love and hate sometimes about the show is it made us really care about the characters. I think Masami and the other actors are perfect for their roles. Also probably because the writer got inspired and added in their personalities into the mix. I don't think it's really their fault if the characters are weak or not expanded enough or not give what they deserve. Er...blame the brains or the people controlling from behind the curtains. But I think despite its flaws, its still a pretty awesome drama. I've been having withdrawal symptoms and all the 'nuts'(aka Juri related vids) I've saved up for the winter is running out. >_<

And yeah, Juri should have been named the other leading actress as well since the idea of the story did came up with just these two characters. Well...again, it's the creators' loss but I think for everyone watching, they can't really say Juri is just the supporting actress. If Ruka was a guy, the person playing would definitely be the leading actor already...I'm glad that's not the case tho since it wouldn't have been as interesting and most importantly we wouldn't have discovered Juri as Ruka. I don't think Juri would care whether she's the main actress or not as long as it's an interesting role. It's just labels and doesn't let you know who's better. But, heh, as fans(whether for Juri or Masami), we still want to see our idols getting proper acknowledgment I guess.

masap wrote:In terms of appearance, Ueno Juri is starting to look better and better ever since her major hit movie "Swing Girls ('04)"... I quite like her short hairstyle now after seeing her Chibi Maruchan hairstyle for so long, though always looking forward to see new changes. Apparently she dyed her hair black just recently, after coming back from a short break in Okinawa. Her latest movie "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu" will be out in September I think.
Definitely looking better and better.
Heard about the Okinawa trip(went diving~) but didn't know about the hair dye part. She did say that she likes how changing hairstyle, playing with the colours and all that changes the feel of the characters/roles. Makes me wonder if she got a new role...? Gu gu datte neko ga aru was out 2 months ago so September is probably the DVD. Her latest one would be the narration for Wanko the Movie 2 and a small role in Kodomo no Kodomo. What's really interesting is apparently she did a guest directing for the final scene of a movie recently(from the blog of her Rainbow Song co-star which is the main actress in this particular movie). Behind the scene work is something Juri wanted to try so this is a nice start. ^^

On the other hand, Nagasawa Masami chooses to stay close to the original script. Her forte is in playing very innocent sort of characters, like Aki, Kaoru and Rei as mentioned before. In fact, she rose to fame because of her role as Aki in Crying out love in the centre of the world. However, she has also attempted a range of other types of roles, a high school girl as part of a team in a Robot Contest (Robokon '03), assistant to a fugitive (Runaway '04, in which her hair is very very short, same length as Ueno Juri's hairdo now), a high school girl turned leader of a gangster (Sailor Fuku to Kikanju '06), a naive girl who goes to explore India by herself (Swim Butterfly Strokes in Ganges River '07) and a princess dressed up as a guy in a period movie (The Last Fortress, '08).
Sad to say, I've only seen Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu and Proposal Daisakusen...I've seen some images of The Last Fortress I think and I'm kinda intrigued~ Any er, sources for it and for the radio with Asami? *wink**nudge* =3 There's also the role for next Taiga drama. Tsumabuki Satoshi is the main actor right? Some other big name actresses as well. Should be something to look forward to. ^^

Hmm... my understanding is Hikki wrote PoL without really knowing the story, because when she wrote the lyrics, the script was far from being completed (producer interview in a magazine around when ep 8 was shown mentioned that the script for final eps weren't out yet)... however, some japanese fans have been saying that you can hear "Ruka" being whispered at the very end of the PoL track, I've listened - if you turn up your volume high enough, you can certainly hear something along that line... which makes me wonder, exactly HOW did Hikki come up with the lyrics?? It seems to speak from the point of view of all the main characters.

Unless, the script was completed originally, and Hikki wrote her lyrics based on the rough outline, and then the script was modified because of the ratings... god knows LOL
Ehh? I think I've gotta relisten...even though I've been looping it to death the last few months...Btw, Hikki mentioned in an interview for POL that she didn't even know what the drama is about when she wrote it. So she wrote something that would be suitable for both love and friendship. Was originally in English too. She had a hard time converting it to Japanese. Haha. My guess...clever editing and the writer/producers were 'inspired' from the lyrics.

Rori · Post by **Rori** » Jul 12th, '08, 06:06

There are a lot of programs which you can use to make gifs or avatas, just googling should find you tons of tutorials.

I use Photoshop myself.

kuo87 · Post by **kuo87** » Jul 12th, '08, 06:44

you mean she's the lead human in last friends. give ruka that much credit ;)

anyways, with the review. i'll agree with like... sixty percent of what you said. not for the sake of disagreeing, but i truly think you can logically explain the change in each character/story.

you really have to think about in a sense of story lines, you have five (six possibly, counting ogurin) who are pretty much stand-alone characters who could have their own show. of course, i'd have to say that three or four characters would have made very good stand-alone story lines.

keep that in mind. i'm going to shift else where.

I so agree with this, now that I reread your comment (I was watching Maou and replying during a commericial break ). I noticed the shift in direction of the story around episode 5, when Ruka's character began to get more focus and how Eri's character was becoming more of Ogurin's drunk body/not-so-extra-marital affair. Takeru, who had an issue with his sexuality (in terms of being intimate with women) all of a sudden began to show affection for Ruka, yet, wasn't he supposed to have a problem?

if you're not noticing a change in direction in the story... then the storyline wouldn't be dynamic. i mean, logically thinking, something has got to change in your pace/flow in some sort of story line. things will never go back to normal either. so you have to make amends to what happen. now, onwards to the comment. eri really was a good role, she took whatever she could get, literally. nobody was nice to her until takeru and ogurin came along. and the whole time she was trying to contemplate how to deal with this affection. takeru and his fear for sex, it's not the fear of love. he's afraid of the product of love, which is sex (at least, for most people). sometime or another, he had to change. and since it was his first time (i would assume) since he started loving in such an intimate way... of course he's going to be experimenting with it. it was only a problem because he didn't want (as explained) to have people not like him. he shut off his relationship with his sister because in the end he hurt both his parents and his sister, therefore, reasoning that this thing he did with his sister damaged relationships.

I think after that dip around episodes 4 and 5 the writers just decided to go the route of " Fanservice and pleasing the audience ".

the dip (if anyone noticed) was caused mainly by the debut of CHANGE. i don't really think that the story line really changed at all from its original plot line. if you had to ask me for my personal opinion, the plot line only changed with the addition of Sosuke being alive. whether or not he was dead or alive, it really didn't matter. it was how each person dealt with their own problems. the only person that would have been literally affected by this death emotionally and physically would have been michiru. everyone else still had their own problems to fix... and everyone had the same resolution: to help michiru.

the whole thelma and louise thing... i think it was necessary. to be totally honest, but then again, i might be biased towards the whole rukaxtakeru pairing. really, if they never had an intimate moment, the things that takeru would have shared wouldn't have been possible. he had been meaning to tell her what has happened in his life. and he did. intimate setting, best friend (possible lover?), camp fire... you're asking for the perfect confession scene. and it was a great way to tie up loose ends (quickly).

i keep saying this, but last friends really was a huge under taking of a show. had it gone on for two continuous seasons, things probably would have turned out differently during the two seasons, but ended with the same outcome. you just become so involved with these character's lives that if there really was a bad ending, it would have just pissed people off left and right. each character had their own individual lives that could have been possibly focused on, and in the end... producers had to decide, with only one season eleven shows and possible SPs, what are you going to do about it? i'd milk the story of the best selling characters... and it obviously turned out to be eita, masami, and juri. i'm not saying ryo was a bad character... but i really think his popularity died out about halfway through the show. you would also see that his presence on variety shows and magazines... was also lacking in content. ryo just stayed because his part was of importance for michiru's dilemma.

i don't know what else to say. but i think that's about it.

oh, and i'm buying last friends cups and t-shirts. i don't care if i fall for the gimmick, i'm gonna support a brilliantly produced show and thank them for their efforts with my american dollars. lol.

rokugatsu29 · Post by **rokugatsu29** » Jul 12th, '08, 06:46

Rori wrote:There are a lot of programs which you can use to make gifs or avatas, just googling should find you tons of tutorials.

I use Photoshop myself.

oh photoshop.. i tried that last night. but photoshop won't read the AVI video. it's just a blank white canvas and plays without a sound. haha and when i try to convert the AVI to other formats, it pixelates too much. huhu i got frustrated. And watched the last episode of last friends to feel better haha thanks!

Ladymercury · Post by **Ladymercury** » Jul 12th, '08, 08:02

roon wrote:@Ladymercury:
Looks like you beat me to the punch! And a well-written review, at that. I'll be posting mine once I'm done with my school stuff (or if I can manage to find a break).

.............
LOL @ your signature, though. Is there a clip of that somewhere?!

Hahaha, I'll be waiting. It'll be interesting to read an opinion that wasn't in favor for the last four episodes of this series

LOL! Someone showed me some idol shop photos and I made my sig based off of them, but it was all over the morning news the day after Tanabata, since it was during their Tanabata live. Its really funny in a " Oh my god that's so wrong its hilarious ". Reading fan journals its really funny to see " Ohkura becomes Masami! "

XDD

kuo87 wrote:you really have to think about in a sense of story lines, you have five (six possibly, counting ogurin) who are pretty much stand-alone characters who could have their own show. of course, i'd have to say that three or four characters would have made very good stand-alone story lines.

Which this is true -- But I have watched shows that took five main characters and developed them all the same, giving them the exposure and balance. But you can't exclude the fact that Eri became, basically, a filler. You can't exclude the fact that Takeru's character became more of a " I wonder who's he gonna hook up with " character rather than the one that needs to overcome his sexual issues.

Seriously, saying that he has a family and forgiving his sister for molesting him in episode 11.5 is the weakest resolve I've ever heard for a victim of sexual abuse that has been suffering with those demons for more than ten years in his life.

if you're not noticing a change in direction in the story... then the storyline wouldn't be dynamic. i mean, logically thinking, something has got to change in your pace/flow in some sort of story line. things will never go back to normal either. so you have to make amends to what happen.

I find that a weak excuse. Since we don't know what's going to happen in the story there is no REASON to amend the story for a better dynamic. Had this drama been based off of existing material such as manga or a book, yeah, I could understand that to keep viewership and another taste and twist in the story but there was no need to make such a story line and make it more complex than it already was. Why change a story and twist it around at the cost of shoving characters in "filler" roles (Eri) turning characters into Renai harem situations (Takeru) and putting nearly 51% of the shows focus on a supporting character (Ruka).

now, onwards to the comment. eri really was a good role, she took whatever she could get, literally. nobody was nice to her until takeru and ogurin came along. and the whole time she was trying to contemplate how to deal with this affection.

In one episode we get this out of Eri's character. There was eleven episodes in the series and we only get this development, mostly, out of one episode. After that they just slightly dip their feet in the water -- turning Eri's story and weaving it around Ogurin and pushing her farther and farther in the background, her character becoming no more important than Ogurin's supporting character and comedy ploy. Eri got top billing along with Michiru, Takeru, Ruka, and Sousuke. She should have gotten a better story than what she did have.

So what did we learn about Eri? She's a loud, a drunk, she wants a guy and she clings on to Ogurin like a baby with a bottle.

Was there anything else? A softer side? What?

takeru and his fear for sex, it's not the fear of love. he's afraid of the product of love, which is sex (at least, for most people). sometime or another, he had to change. and since it was his first time (i would assume) since he started loving in such an intimate way... of course he's going to be experimenting with it. it was only a problem because he didn't want (as explained) to have people not like him. he shut off his relationship with his sister because in the end he hurt both his parents and his sister, therefore, reasoning that this thing he did with his sister damaged relationships.

Like I said, his story was not a man pining for Ruka but having to deal with Michiru's feelings for him. His story was sexual frustration and a scarred past. Instead we get a wonky love story between Takeru/Michiru/Ruka and really nothing explaining HIM. I was waiting for something, ANYTHING to explain why the hell Takeru got uneasy with sexual situations and scenes and 80% of the drama focused more on him declaring his undying love for Ruka and less on his obviously screwed up childhood with an equally screwed up sister...

... who, as well, got barely any development at all. (I call her the doctor of the Nissin U.F.O noodles with Kanjani8 and Don Frye)

the dip (if anyone noticed) was caused mainly by the debut of CHANGE. i don't really think that the story line really changed at all from its original plot line. if you had to ask me for my personal opinion, the plot line only changed with the addition of Sosuke being alive. whether or not he was dead or alive, it really didn't matter. it was how each person dealt with their own problems. the only person that would have been literally affected by this death emotionally and physically would have been michiru. everyone else still had their own problems to fix... and everyone had the same resolution: to help michiru.

CHANGE has nothing to do with the drop in ratings. Had CHANGE been aired on a different station on the same night as Last Friends, then I could understand (IE: Osen ran against Zettai Kareshi on Tuesdays (literally against each other)) but CHANGE was on Monday's at 9 and Last Friends was on Thursday's at 10.... on the same network, so Last Friends was getting promotion as well. FujiTV wasn't going to be stupid and put a Kimura Takuya drama against Last Friends, stopping a potential hit of a series.

In fact, they could have easily put CHANGE in the 9 o'clock spot and that probably would have boosted ratings due to everyone watching change and then staying for Last Friends.

Sousuke being alive was intentional. I do not believe that Sousuke dying then, so early in the show, would explain the reason why Michiru was pregnant, alone, in a fisherman's town. Sorry, I don't believe that at all.

The ratings dipped, the writers and producers saw it, and realized what kept people watching and added more of that and less of story. Less of the base, less of the things that make a story good - Detail and a coherent plotline.

the whole thelma and louise thing... i think it was necessary. to be totally honest, but then again, i might be biased towards the whole rukaxtakeru pairing. really, if they never had an intimate moment, the things that takeru would have shared wouldn't have been possible. he had been meaning to tell her what has happened in his life. and he did. intimate setting, best friend (possible lover?), camp fire... you're asking for the perfect confession scene. and it was a great way to tie up loose ends (quickly).

I think you are looking at it with a bias because of your ship. Personally, I do not like TakeruxRuka or RukaxMichiru or MichiruxTakeru.... I thought that love triangle was a pain in my ass. It made no sense, and was frustrating to watch at times and deterred itself from the story several times (also took from what development Eri could have received). Ruka is a lesbian with an excuse of having gender disorder but yet , YET , she has these scenes with Takeru that could be mistaken as an interest in the man, that she may SLIGHTLY be attracted to him. Why? For what? Why go that far -- So you can appeal that growing Ruka/Takeru fanbase? Ratings?

i keep saying this, but last friends really was a huge under taking of a show. had it gone on for two continuous seasons, things probably would have turned out differently during the two seasons, but ended with the same outcome.

I doubt it, when the writers were presented with the idea they knew they were working with a ten episode show. They already had an ending, they just had to weave a story from that ending....

But I think they failed.

you just become so involved with these character's lives that if there really was a bad ending, it would have just pissed people off left and right. each character had their own individual lives that could have been possibly focused on, and in the end... producers had to decide, with only one season eleven shows and possible SPs, what are you going to do about it?

But I was attracted to everyone. I wanted to know about Sousuke's past, I wanted to know about how Michiru met him, what she saw in him (beyond that three minute mashup of flashbacks), I wanted to know MORE about Eri -- I wanted to know about why she is the way she is, what HAPPENED to her and yet I got NONE of that. I learned more about Ruka then I had of Michiru. Ruka this, Ruka that.... Wasn't the show about Michiru?

You stick to the story and you don't change it so much that you leave people beyond and shove others up front.

i'd milk the story of the best selling characters... and it obviously turned out to be eita, masami, and juri. i'm not saying ryo was a bad character... but i really think his popularity died out about halfway through the show. you would also see that his presence on variety shows and magazines... was also lacking in content. ryo just stayed because his part was of importance for michiru's dilemma.

Ryo Nishikido was also on tour with Kanjani8 during a large half of the filming for Last Friends, so it would have been impossible for him to be doing Last Friends promotions on top of touring for Kanjani8 (For the filming of episodes 5 and 6, they had to fly Ryo literally to Osaka so he could perform for the shows after filming his scenes, then fly him back. He performed those concerts with his scruffy beard too). Also, he was missing from Kanjani8's show, Janiben, for nearly two months due to Last Friends filming.

Ryo Nishikido's character had as much as a following as everyone else, I doubt his lack of appearance in interviews and photoshoots was the result of his declining popularity.

Yes, they threw popular characters up front. This is why I wondered was it really necissary to put Eri's character up as a top billing supporting character? Why did they not remove her? Were they just riding on the hit popularity of having three members of the Nodame cast in a controversial drama?

Who knows. But that's my take on Last Friends.

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