Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru / Extremely inappropriate Episodes 2 to 10

1. Futekistsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru is about Showa vs Reiwa values set against a story about time travel and workplace practices. The first thing I want to point out is this scene Abe Sadawo talking about how much stronger due showa economy was in episode 2.

Naka Riisa's husband agreed meekly and he could have easily said that the bubble burst in the end due to the recklessness of those same hardworking showa people. While the bubble did burst in the Heisei era, it was the excesses of the showa and all the property and land speculation that brought the lost decades that followed.


2. I bloody love the musical bits which take a popular showa tune and imitates it to become the climax of the episode. Some of the showa songs I spotted were 17sai by Moritaka Chisato (ep 6), Sannenmei no uwaki (ep 8) and I know I heard something that sounded like Yazawa Eikichi's Tomaranai. I am sure there must have been a Yamaguchi Momoe song in there somewhere.


3. I think Naka Riisa is one of the best actresses in jdoramas today after this and Rikon Shiyou! The above screencap has become so disgusting lol.


4. I liked how it talked about how Japanese tv has become so safe now. Shimura Ken might not have survived in reiwa tv. I don't really watch variety anymore but I miss more risque shows like Shimokita Glory Days. I feel like Yoshida Yo's son shouting I just want boobs in my jdorama!


5. Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru is a fun show about a showa man learning the lessons of reiwa and a feminist learning that showa isn't all that bad. I like that it shows all the warts from the showa era as well as what happens when reiwa compliance goes overboard.


6. Furuta Arata makes every jdorama better by being in it. Makes me want to rewatch Yami no Bansosha and Galcir.


7. That being said, Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru feels a lot less focused the longer it went on. The laughs become less frequent. The first episode was perfect. The subsequent episodes were good but I never get that musical number that would make me laugh non stop for 5 minutes.


8. Episode 6 was about a writer who had trouble writing his final masterpiece because the writer was too preoccupied with determining the ending first so he can do all the foreshadowing. I totally agree because shows like Anti Hero are good because all the foreshadowing payed off.

However, Abe Sadawo argued where is the fun in that? I wonder if KudoKan did not know the ending of Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru when he wrote it because the second half feels like he is dumping and repeating his ideas about all sorts of harassment and cheating etc through a showa lens. It made me wonder if KudaKan actually had a plan?


9. One payoff that KyonKyon finally showed up near the end but there are things he did like bringing Kiyoshi's parents together earlier without any reason or payoff . We do not know what happens to Junko because she decided to change. Nothing makes sense in the time travel story anyway and since it is a comedy, it does not matter because there is no ending of consequence and we get a song about tolerance but I prefer the message of the first episode which is talk it out instead of just put up with stuff.


10. The quality of Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru did not sustain itself after the perfect first episode. I guess it was an impossible task. I just wanted it to make me laugh all the way through except for here and there. That doesn't mean it is a bad show. It is very good. The finish was not as strong as the start. Not must watch but very worth watching.

7 comments:

  1. Robert6:24 am

    "The finish was not as strong as the start."

    Yep. Absolutely loved the first half or so... every episode brought unexpected twists and I've never laughed so much at a drama. But it didn't maintain quite the same level of quality through to the end. Still very good and I'm looking forward to rewatching.

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  2. Robert6:30 am

    Can you recommend any other dramas that contain musical sequences as in this one? Once they started singing it was a surprise as I don't think I've seen that before in jdramas (outside of dancing sequences during credits, which is pretty common).

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  3. Agreed on the finishing episodes were not as strong as the first few eps. I guess they should have done shorter episodes like 8-9 eps. Regardless Naka Riisa's acting has come a long way since her debut 11-12 years ago. Looking forward to watch more of her doramas.

    @Robert: Dance with me is pretty decent, but it's a movie instead of a dorama.

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  4. @Robert: I think episode 2 of Mukai no Bazuru Kazoku had a musical sequence Moteki had a dancing sequence. The two musical movies I can think of are Dance with me and I think Memories of Matsuko. Do not watch Ai to Makoto and Tokyo Tribe!

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  5. Anonymous8:30 pm

    @Robert. Fruits Takuhaibin has one musical number mid episode.

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  6. Robert12:17 pm

    Thanks all for the suggestions.
    A search at MDL led me to the dramas Lupin no Musume and Babysitter Gin and—having quickly checked—both of these seem to have songs in each episode. Any others?

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  7. Anonymous1:12 pm

    @Robert. "Princess Maison" has a musical number each episode. You may need the Japanese disks as the music numbers have been removed from many sources.

    Also, "Wotakoi: Love is hard for Otaku" is essentially a musical. I only wish Takahata Mitsuki had been paired with a more musical ML. Every time I see her unleash in those Docomo CMs, I imagine what that movie could have been.

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