Imagine the first scene for the KDO special/season 2, Kuwano brings Natsumi to a function by one of his clients. The client compliments Natsumi and asks the inevitable question: how did they meet? And Kuwano answers: 'She gave me an anal probe on my 40th birthday'.
KDO has finished. Don't want to say too much about the last ep cause I'm waiting for the subs. I can understand the gist of the dialogue but the true beauty of this show is the nuances of the dialogue. Like how in ep 12, Hayasaka sensei was asked to give advice as a sempai and she pulled a Kuwano. She made the nurse cry even more. Now this can say either of two things:
1) Kuwano's straighforwardness is rubbing off on her
2) We may think Kuwano is very lacking in social skills but there is a Kuwano in everyone of us.
Or like when Michuru is running to Natsumi for help and the advice that Michiru gives her is basically what Natsumi needs to hear from someone. I can't bloody think of any jdorama where I've analysed dialogue like this. Its like studying literature and writing about duality and metaphors. Before this show, dialogues just needed to be cool or funny. In KDO, the dialogue not only reflect the speaker but the listener as well. This show is truly the most 'intellectual stimulating' of jdoramas.
The first thing I did after watching ep 12 was to rewatch the 1st four episodes. I would have marathoned the whole series if I didn't have to go to work. And I have to say, its like watching the same show with new eyes. There's so much freaking foreshadowing. Like in ep 3 where Eiji, Natsumi and Kuwano were in Michiru apartment and they were talking about how they would fall harder for a guy they thought was bad but turned out to be good.
Speaking of Michiru, some ppl at d-addicts commented that her falling for Kuwano was illogical. Well, watch the series again from the beginning. She went with him to the hospital and he risked life and limb to save her from alcohol poisoning. He's the first neighbour she's been friendly with. He even offered to pay for the corporate fees. And that's only the 1st 4 eps.
I mean, if he looked like a johny bishounen, she would be jumping all over him. Its just that every episode there was always some reason to think badly of him because of his 'weirdness'. Its not weird, it just took Kuwano saving her from the stalker for her to realise how good he was to her. You can say Kuwano has a code of honour to always repay his debts. Kuwano may not like ppl, but recognises good deeds.
Rewatching the beginning, I'm also surprised to see so many hints of Kuwano and ken-chan. Guess I was too busy perving at Kuninaka Ryoko. Maybe I'll wait for the ep 12 subs and rewatch the rest in one shot and then do my final KDO post. Maybe.
Michiru had a crush on him, that's all. It was as deep as a koi pond and as enduring as sashimi on a hot day.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are right about the treasure buried in the details. Sadly, some of the aural jokes are lost in translation, like "Ken" being short for "kenchikuka." Too close to be random, eh? At least the visual cues transcend all language barriers. The show fades out on the image of the two leads crossing the river on HIS bridge, and she's the one tapping the railing. Even if you don't understand Japanese, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out where the two are headed. Such details give this entire series almost as much rewatch value as porn.
Last KdO post coming you say? Sadly, we'll all have to move on to other things, but it will be too soon for me in any event.
Maybe Michiru just liked Kuwano cause ken-chan liked him? I do agree it has almost as much rewatch value as porn, except its a different kind of stimulation.
ReplyDeleteI'm not ready to say goodbye to KDO yet. KDO is too good that it makes the mediocre shows look really crap.
Actually this is better than porn... the possibilities in finding women like that in this show are real.
ReplyDeleteThe catcher is Kuwano. Natsumi wants to play ball with Kuwano but not dodge ball and she is making the first throw.
This show's dialog is amazing... it always gives me a feeling as if I'm passing by a dinner party in a hurry, even though I couldn't get the meat but it is still a pleasure.
Oh by all means let's talk about it. The discussions have barely begun to scratch the surface, and I've been dying for other people to comment ever since the finale aired. Perhaps now that the sub is out the chatter will pick up.
ReplyDeleteAkiramike, I look forward to seeing how you'll peel this onion.
As sad as it can get, finally KDO is over. To be honest I've enjoyed reading ur blog for quite some time. I'm a melbournites too :) IMO the ending for KDO is nicely done and not giving the viewer the answer whether they will marry or not is good too, since we can pretty much know what's going to happen in the end. I think KDO is my most enjoyable dorama released in 2006, since it's quite an intellectual yet funny drama without over emphasizing the funny part *cough my boss my hero cough*.
ReplyDeleteI just hope that both yui ichikawa and hiroshi abe can win the best actor for the dorama award, and of course KDO for the best dorama as well. As far as the viewer rating goes, my boss my hero is still on top of KDO. But I reckon hiroshi's acting is much more refined than tomoya nagase's.
As far as audience share is concerned, I suspect it's quality vs. quantity. My Boss My Hero aired on weekends, and presumably a lot of its viewers are school kids. Certainly, that show did not demand too much of its audience. Kekkon aired on late Tuesday evenings, and is obviously aimed at a more mature and discerning demographic. These are people who probably don't watch much tv to begin with, so a 22% share is no mean feat. But I'm just guessing, so if anybody knows better, please let me know.
ReplyDeleteI've not watched My Boss My Hero so I can't compare. To me, intellectual comedy is so more harder to write than slapstick comedy. Add well rounded characters and good acting and you have one of the best jdoramas ever.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that the ratings for this show are good. I mean, there's no johnny bishounen, there's no SMAP as the main actor.
You can see the ratings drop after the 1st ep and picks up afterwards. I can only speculate its due to word of mouth.