Sekachu ep 10

Sekachu dorama (sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu) is really slowing down. With such great 6 first episodes, the later eps are so slow that I basically fast forwarded ep 10. Only one thing happens in ep 10 and they spent the whole 45 minutes leading up and doing it. There were no side stories to keep the pace of the story.

Side stories/supporting characters are the golden rule that makes doramas watchable for 10-12 eps. Of course those long HK/K series would require more fleshed out side stories and twists and turns (however illogical) to keep up the pacing.

One of the most important elements of making a drama series watchable is pacing, ie a few things happen in every episode that moves the story along. If the main story does not advance much in an episode, it is the job of the side story to fill in the gaps and keep the audience watching. One of my favs ever, Yamato Nadeshiko has a great ensemble of supporting characters and side stories that enhance and push the main story forward.

Of course I can appreciate that dramas with consistent pacing throughout the series are rare and the first few eps are crucial in getting ppl to tune in to the story. Maybe the end of a series usually gets the highest ratings that they tend to stretch them. IMO, if there is not enough material to make the pacing consistent, it is better for a series to start of slow and start accelerate towards the end. Of course it would make less sense in terms of drawing an audience but it would certainly make the overall quality much better.

An anology would be the difference between the generic WWE style and japanese style wrestling. WWE style starts with some nice, energetic spots before it becomes a long sequence of headlocks/restholds , boring heel (bad-guy) tactics while waiting for the face (good guy) to make his comeback into the finishing sequence. Japanese style wrestling starts of really slow. Lots of submission moves, slowing building up spots, then mid way really starts to pick up and steamroll non-stop (ie no stupid rest holds) into the finishing sequence.

The mid and ending of a story is much more important than the beginnng because the climax and building up of it is what makes and breaks a story.

Since Sekachu is adapted from the movie/book, they should have done what they did with the first 6 eps, lots of side stories and character development stuff. Now nearing the end, there is not much character development/side character stuff to do. They should have really made it like 9/10 eps and the pacing would have been so much better. Sigh. And I was pretty sure that this was going into my top 10.

Now listening to Hinoi Team's 'Ike Ike'. Its a Vengaboys rip off song but god-damned its addictive. I predict I'll probably get sick of it in a few more days, like all Vengaboys songs. They should make a sequal called 'Iku Iku'. :)