This series is quickly becoming a parade of bad casting decisions. Esumi Makiko is good as the working mother trying to balance work and family, but that’s about all the show has going for it.
And while I like Ishihara Satomi as a comedy actress, she doesn't have the gravitas to pull of some of the more emotional scenes here. Shida Mirai is one of the more promising young Japanese actresses I’ve seen, but you wouldn't know it from this show, in which she barely appears. Kohinata Fumiyo is similarly unremarkable as the boss with a terrible secret.
But it’s Inagaki Goro's performance that really demands your attention. His performance passed "so bad it’s good" a long time ago and it's now the main reason I watch the programme, as he refuses to show any acting talent whatsoever. It's quite bemusing and, frankly, very funny. This, for example, is his expression when he hears the shocking news that a friend of his is dead, and that he's one of the suspects...
In his defence, he doesn't have much to work with. His character is one of the more uninteresting Japanese archetypes – the strong, silent, emotionless hero. Unfortunately, he's taken the lack of emotion to such extremes that his part could be played just as well by a balloon tied to a chair.
Perhaps it's wrong to take such pleasure in someone else's misfortune. But as long as this show is entertaining – for whatever reason – I'll keep watching it.
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ReplyDeleteThird time lucky : )
ReplyDeleteSorry, I had to repost twice because I had a little too much wine...
Glad you feel the same way about this series as I do, but there's a little difference: after five episodes I've decided to give up on this one. Episode 5 seemed promising with the virus and all, but nothing exciting came out of it. Even the declaration of love from Inagaki Goro's character got taken back : P Shida Mirai was the reason I started watching this crap (not saying bull, LOL), but her role is utterly uninteresting.
After 5 episodes I really don't get where they're planning to go with this, but I don't care anymore : P
After episode one, I watched the second episode fully expecting to give up half way through. But it turned out I quite liked it. So I watched part three to see if the improvement continued. It didn't, but by then I was transfixed by Inagaki Goro's acting.
ReplyDeleteShida Mirai was great in Himitsu, so it's a real shame to see her wasted like this.
I get that, Inagaki Goro is a very strange actor. He has this baby face that hardly has any expression. It made him really scary in Nagareboshi I find.
ReplyDeleteShida Mirai is such a great talent. I try to watch anything with her in it. In Himitsu she showed her versatility to an extreme, but I also love her comical antics in say, Seigi no mikata : )
Yeah, I keep meaning to write about Seigi no Mikata, but I never seem to have the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this show has made me wonder about a bit of etiquette: is it right to thank a subber for subtitling a series, when you're only watching the show because it's so bad?
ReplyDeleteActually I do not rember it being so bad, but well everyone has it's difference in taste :P
DeleteAnd if I was able to make it more enjoyable for you by subbing it I gladly take you thanks ^^, if that answers your question :P
Well, thanks for taking that in the right spirit. Funnily enough, Goro is also co-starring with Shida Mirai in Nobunaga no Chef, and I thought he was one of the better actors in that drama. Not good enough to keep me watching, but still not too bad.
DeleteActually I reread my posts about the show and I liked that one, but maybe (as doing the subs for the first time) the show grew on me due to the imense time I used to watch it :P
DeleteI think you can understand better than many how much time it costs (especially at first :P).
Well and as a note to Nobunaga no Chef ... there are luckily enough shows besides to watch :P (Far too many for my time :P)
I've just remembered (as I'm doing a bit of research for Mitani Kouki's 50th birthday (which was months ago, I know)) that Inagaki Goro is in The University Of Laughs, which is one of my favourite films. How can he be so good in that, and so bad in this?
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