I finally finished Osen and though I really loved the series for the most part, the last two episodes were kind of disappointing to me. Episode 09 was still alright as we learned about a dried fish maker & merchant who was heavily immersed in debt so he considered selling his business to a wealthy businessman. However, because Osen managed to dissuade the idea and successfully got the son of the merchant's late best friend to agree, she plunged into the financial peril with her own establishment in episode 10 as the defeated businessman kind of in a passive-aggressive way sought revenge ... at least in my opinion that was what it looked like. Overall, I think the series ended on a weak note and I'm still kind of disappointed over it 'cause I think it could have done better.
Also, I tried out this new -- well, to me it's new -- drama with Fukada Kyoko and Watabe Atsuro in it called "First Love." It just doesn't fail to disappoint =_= The story is a typical, shoujo-like romance about forbidden love between a teacher and a student. The girl, Kasumi, falls in love with her teacher, Nao, who also reciprocates her feelings. Unfortunately, a falsified scandal erupts and Nao resigns from the senior high where he taught in order to take responsibility for a crime he did not commit. Kasumi did not know of the details for the incident and was confused by his sudden departure and abrupt end to their relationship. Years later, Kasumi begins work for a wedding planning company and is trying to move on, but still loves Nao. Meanwhile, Kasumi's older sister, Tomoko, is receiving counseling from a handsome psych who is none other than Nao. The two become engaged and one day Kasumi learns that her sister's fiance is Nao.
The story seems so cliche and just plain boring. The only interesting point in the story is Tomoko and how destructive she appears to be. On the outside, she appears to be a loving and caring older sister; however, on the inside she appears to be broken, possibly violent, scheming, and just plain scary. She kind of reminds me of a sociopath, except not really. So, I would say if anyone is going to stick to this drama, it's 'cause they want to know more about Tomoko who seems pretty creepy at the moment.
I don't know, but... Japanese romance dramas really bug me sometimes. They lack originality a lot of times =_=; All the forbidden love in school ones are just so and painfully boring. The responsible teacher is always trying to forget about the student, while the student just chases and chases and chases the teacher. I think it would just be really interesting to see it the other way around if it were the student transferring away and then the teacher chases and chases and chases. Of course then the romance might become a thriller since the teacher is probably a stalker under those conditions lol. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out whether I want to continue watching First Love or not 'cause I'm really just skipping through it. Maybe I should just download the last episode and work my way backwards.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Zettai Kareshi Episode 09 & 10
The series actually got interesting towards the end as stated before @_@ I'm actually enjoying these last few episodes a lot more than I did the first 7 episodes or so 'cause we're finally getting somewhere. Riiko is finally getting to do more with pastry & cake making, also get to participate in a contest, and finally get a chance to get closer to her dream. Soshi bombs Riiko with a confession and Night is smoking hot... I mean literally as in his body heat is off the charts ^_^
In episode 09, Soshi has quit his job at Asamoto and now working for Fujiko at her bar. He temporarily stays at the bar until he can find his own place. The competition between Night and Soshi heats up when female customers at the bar prefer Soshi (the real man) to Night (the perfect lover robot). The landlady is freaky as usual of course ^_^; and takes every opportunity to hit on every single guy... the latest victim being Soshi T_T; During scenes in Fujiko's bar, we learn how similar Soshi and his brother Masashi are ^_^; and how in sync Night and Riiko have become with their behavior ^_^. (We also get some comical silliness when Night calls Masashi -- basically his boss -- Maa-kun) Later, Soshi with Natsumi, Riiko with Night end up going on a double date and we see how close Night and Riiko has become. Night gives Soshi some advice about telling his true feelings to the one he loves -- thinking that Soshi loves Natsumi; he fails to realize that Soshi loves Riiko. After the date, Natsumi asks if Soshi will go to Paris with her if she wins the competition, but he does not give her an answer. During the competition, Natsumi ends up winning after adding in the cayenne pepper ingredient (suggested by Soshi) to her dessert and earn her a chance to compete in Paris. However, she realizes that Soshi loves Riiko and decides to take back her words on the two of them going to Paris together. She tells him that he should catch his chance before it's too late. Because of this Soshi ends up telling Riiko how he feels about her. At the same time, Night comes in earshot of the confession and feels a stab of pain to his chest when Riiko admits to have loved Soshi for a long time too. Meanwhile, Namikiri is betrayed by his assistant, Tanaka, who goes to the president of the company about Night's irregularities and system deformities.
For episode 10, we see that Riiko really is troubled over Soshi's confession and that she has genuine feelings for Night. Meanwhile, Night is overheating because his program is unable to handle his emotions overflow. Namikiri is able to make one final reparation before he is placed under house arrest by his company. He is kept under heavy surveillance with a short security guard standing at his door and has no way of communicating with anyone. The Kronos Heaven company decide to go and collect Night and scrap him. Back at Riiko's apartment, the couple finds themselves broke again and doing a lot more odd jobs to get money. Meanwhile, Soshi finds out that he and Riiko have been invited to participate in the competition in Paris and study under Lucien -- the judge from the previous episode. Soshi asks Riiko to go with him to Paris the next day and when Riiko looks hesitant at hearing that it will take 3 years, Soshi wonders if Night is what's holding her back. Riiko says it's not, but we all know that it is. Later, she is confronted by Morikawa and Tanaka to take Night back for "repairs" and after much persuasion, she takes the consent form, but tells them that she needs some time to think about it.
At Fujiko's bar, Night confronts Soshi about Riiko's troubles and finds out that Riiko has been presented the opportunity to study abroad. He then breaks down from overheating and is taken home to Riiko, who takes care of him as Soshi looks on. As Riiko is busily placing cold towels on Night's forward in her bedroom, Soshi finds a manual on Nightly Series 01 and reads it, finding out that Night is actually a robot. He is shaken by the fact and leaves in a hurry. Meanwhile, Night and Riiko have a tender moment before she goes to sleep on the futon while he rests in bed. The next morning, Night looks better and is making her breakfast, but Riiko sends him back to bed. We can see that he is breaking down quite a bit from all the seizure-like twitching. Later, Riiko goes to find Mika to clear some things between the two of them and resolve the tension. The two become friends again after their conversation. Back at Asamoto, we learn that Masashi is the one who set up Riiko and Soshi to meet with Lucien 'cause he's the one who called in. Cut the scene to in front of Fujiko's place and we see Soshi hand Riiko her plane ticket, plus confess that he wants to get to know her better plus ... (he trails off, but he definitely wants to say that he's better than the robot ^_^;) When Riiko returns to her apartment that evening, she finds Night waiting for her in the dark with food and cake to congratulate her for her study abroad chance. They are enjoying everything together when Night breaks down. She ends up calling for Tanaka and Morikawa to come the next morning thinking that they will repair Night. When Night and Riiko are parting, she gives him the four-leaf clover that he gave her the night before for good luck towards her trip in order to give him good luck in recovering. Night closes in and embraces her tightly. Riiko is happy with this tender act and the bracelet on Night's wrist flashes pink. Tanaka notices this and we can see that he is taken back by the affection between the two. Back at Kronos Heaven, Tanaka is pretty shaken with what he saw between Night and Riiko plus remembering Namikiri's words. He goes and frees Namikiri from his house arrest and both go to save Night while Namikiri calls Riiko to tell her about the truth. At the critical moment when Soshi comes to pick her up, she tells him that she can't go to Paris because of Night and that she can't leave him alone. Soshi looks pained and hurt. Back at Kronos Heaven, Namikiri and Tanaka bursts into the room with Night just in time to see the program being reformatted...
I'm kind of holding my breath for the final episode. Not sure how this will all turn out, but after episode 07, I've really been liking this series a lot more and also liking the chemistry between Night and Riiko much better as well. I hope this ends the way I remember it ^_^;
In episode 09, Soshi has quit his job at Asamoto and now working for Fujiko at her bar. He temporarily stays at the bar until he can find his own place. The competition between Night and Soshi heats up when female customers at the bar prefer Soshi (the real man) to Night (the perfect lover robot). The landlady is freaky as usual of course ^_^; and takes every opportunity to hit on every single guy... the latest victim being Soshi T_T; During scenes in Fujiko's bar, we learn how similar Soshi and his brother Masashi are ^_^; and how in sync Night and Riiko have become with their behavior ^_^. (We also get some comical silliness when Night calls Masashi -- basically his boss -- Maa-kun) Later, Soshi with Natsumi, Riiko with Night end up going on a double date and we see how close Night and Riiko has become. Night gives Soshi some advice about telling his true feelings to the one he loves -- thinking that Soshi loves Natsumi; he fails to realize that Soshi loves Riiko. After the date, Natsumi asks if Soshi will go to Paris with her if she wins the competition, but he does not give her an answer. During the competition, Natsumi ends up winning after adding in the cayenne pepper ingredient (suggested by Soshi) to her dessert and earn her a chance to compete in Paris. However, she realizes that Soshi loves Riiko and decides to take back her words on the two of them going to Paris together. She tells him that he should catch his chance before it's too late. Because of this Soshi ends up telling Riiko how he feels about her. At the same time, Night comes in earshot of the confession and feels a stab of pain to his chest when Riiko admits to have loved Soshi for a long time too. Meanwhile, Namikiri is betrayed by his assistant, Tanaka, who goes to the president of the company about Night's irregularities and system deformities.
For episode 10, we see that Riiko really is troubled over Soshi's confession and that she has genuine feelings for Night. Meanwhile, Night is overheating because his program is unable to handle his emotions overflow. Namikiri is able to make one final reparation before he is placed under house arrest by his company. He is kept under heavy surveillance with a short security guard standing at his door and has no way of communicating with anyone. The Kronos Heaven company decide to go and collect Night and scrap him. Back at Riiko's apartment, the couple finds themselves broke again and doing a lot more odd jobs to get money. Meanwhile, Soshi finds out that he and Riiko have been invited to participate in the competition in Paris and study under Lucien -- the judge from the previous episode. Soshi asks Riiko to go with him to Paris the next day and when Riiko looks hesitant at hearing that it will take 3 years, Soshi wonders if Night is what's holding her back. Riiko says it's not, but we all know that it is. Later, she is confronted by Morikawa and Tanaka to take Night back for "repairs" and after much persuasion, she takes the consent form, but tells them that she needs some time to think about it.
At Fujiko's bar, Night confronts Soshi about Riiko's troubles and finds out that Riiko has been presented the opportunity to study abroad. He then breaks down from overheating and is taken home to Riiko, who takes care of him as Soshi looks on. As Riiko is busily placing cold towels on Night's forward in her bedroom, Soshi finds a manual on Nightly Series 01 and reads it, finding out that Night is actually a robot. He is shaken by the fact and leaves in a hurry. Meanwhile, Night and Riiko have a tender moment before she goes to sleep on the futon while he rests in bed. The next morning, Night looks better and is making her breakfast, but Riiko sends him back to bed. We can see that he is breaking down quite a bit from all the seizure-like twitching. Later, Riiko goes to find Mika to clear some things between the two of them and resolve the tension. The two become friends again after their conversation. Back at Asamoto, we learn that Masashi is the one who set up Riiko and Soshi to meet with Lucien 'cause he's the one who called in. Cut the scene to in front of Fujiko's place and we see Soshi hand Riiko her plane ticket, plus confess that he wants to get to know her better plus ... (he trails off, but he definitely wants to say that he's better than the robot ^_^;) When Riiko returns to her apartment that evening, she finds Night waiting for her in the dark with food and cake to congratulate her for her study abroad chance. They are enjoying everything together when Night breaks down. She ends up calling for Tanaka and Morikawa to come the next morning thinking that they will repair Night. When Night and Riiko are parting, she gives him the four-leaf clover that he gave her the night before for good luck towards her trip in order to give him good luck in recovering. Night closes in and embraces her tightly. Riiko is happy with this tender act and the bracelet on Night's wrist flashes pink. Tanaka notices this and we can see that he is taken back by the affection between the two. Back at Kronos Heaven, Tanaka is pretty shaken with what he saw between Night and Riiko plus remembering Namikiri's words. He goes and frees Namikiri from his house arrest and both go to save Night while Namikiri calls Riiko to tell her about the truth. At the critical moment when Soshi comes to pick her up, she tells him that she can't go to Paris because of Night and that she can't leave him alone. Soshi looks pained and hurt. Back at Kronos Heaven, Namikiri and Tanaka bursts into the room with Night just in time to see the program being reformatted...
I'm kind of holding my breath for the final episode. Not sure how this will all turn out, but after episode 07, I've really been liking this series a lot more and also liking the chemistry between Night and Riiko much better as well. I hope this ends the way I remember it ^_^;
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Mole Episode 02-04
I've been following The Mole, but haven't really been writing anything down 'cause I've been kind of busy with everything else going on. Anyway, some key things to know is that Bobby, Liz, Aly, Victoria, and Marcie have gone home. Aly took a bribe and left so that was a pretty smart move on her part. Some of the people suspected so far and seems to have been ruled out as the mole -- at least for me -- include Craig, Nicole, Mark, and possibly Kristen. I think my top three suspicions lie with Paul, Alex, and Clay. A lot of Paul's behavior is pretty suspect to me, especially how he seems to know when things are going to happen. His attitude and blatant stupidity could be a great cover as the mole as it seems no one has really suspected him so far. Everyone just thinks of him as a belligerent ass and doesn't seem to think of him as the mole. If he is indeed the mole, then I must commend him on a job well done ... though he really is quite the ass ^_^;
Alex is suspect since all the conditions of the environment is very suitable for him as he can speak Spanish and such, but for me that's not really good enough evidence to conclude that he's the mole. Clay is very smart and a lawyer who seems to have played it cool up to this point in time, so if he's the mole, he is probably doing a good job. However... I can't say that he is the mole 'cause of his past performances and things he has said. I have been suspecting Paul for a while now, but not sure about it.
Alex is suspect since all the conditions of the environment is very suitable for him as he can speak Spanish and such, but for me that's not really good enough evidence to conclude that he's the mole. Clay is very smart and a lawyer who seems to have played it cool up to this point in time, so if he's the mole, he is probably doing a good job. However... I can't say that he is the mole 'cause of his past performances and things he has said. I have been suspecting Paul for a while now, but not sure about it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Last Friends Episode 11 (Final)
Out of many dramas shown this spring, Last Friends was by far one of the best series produced this season. Though I must admit that this last episode was not quite what I totally had in mind as a powerful ending, it was still pretty good. To me, it felt like all the power and energy disappeared after episode 10 and everything was about tying loose ends in the final episode just so questions were answered, but it was not completely exciting. We got to learn more about Sousuke and Takeru in this episode to answer the domestic violence & "fear of women" issues in the series, but it felt like the writers only put enough in so that we don't feel as though we've been completely cheated over not knowing more about these two characters, but it felt like such a ... dull way to do it... Also, the acting in this episode was only so-so. Usually, it's pretty good, but for some reason, I felt as though something was off with the acting in this final episode. Anyway...
The episode starts with Michiru sobbing over Sousuke's dead body in his apartment. She finds a letter partially in her purse and pulls it out to read it. The letter contains Sousuke's final words to her:
"Goodbye Michiru, I'm setting you free. As long as I'm alive, I will only end up binding you to me. That's why in order to let you go, I must die (*lit. trans: this heart of mine must stop beating). I wanted to become your everything, your entire world, everything that's good to you. No matter where or when, I always wanted to be with you. But you found happiness in a world that did not include me in it, didn't you? That's why I'll go. At least I was able to feel your warmth in this hand, my body remembering the two of us being together... I'm sorry. Even though I loved your smile so much, I couldn't make you smile. I'm sorry, I didn't know how to love you. I'm sorry, I couldn't make you happy. Goodbye Michiru, please be happy."
She leaves town after reading the letter, and the sound of an ambulance can be heard in the background.
Meanwhile, Ruka wins her race and is in a press conference when an interviewer asks her about the recent events & article about her to which she answers with how she has trained so hard under the same conditions as a man, and that she came this far with the support and love from her family and friends. She is most happy that she has been able to do this well and does not want to be looked as a woman or man, just as another human being.
After the conference, Ruka finds Takeru and Eri in the hallway. Eri approaches Ruka and tells her congratulations and that she wished that Ruka had told her sooner. She would not have been freaked out and if she had been, she would have gotten over it, because Ruka is Ruka -- and Ruka begins to cry. Eri says that she (herself) was insensitive and was not able to realize it sooner, and tells Ruka that it must have been so hard keeping it all to herself (Ruka). Ruka cries next to Eri and their relationship gets even stronger.
The next morning, Takeru and Ruka are standing on the porch and Takeru wonders how Michiru is. He asks if they should contact her and Ruka says that Michiru wasn't able to accept her, so that's why she didn't go to the race, and even if they can't meet anymore there's really nothing they can do about it. Just then the phone rings and Chinatsu asks if Takeru can put Michiru on the line, to which Chinatsu seems surprised. She then asks if they (people at the share house) haven't heard about it.
That night, the share house members discuss Sousuke's suicide and Eri wonders if it may have been her fault since she said some things to him that day, but Tomohiko strongly disagrees saying that she has nothing to do with it and it's that Sousuke realized that he's done lots of bad things and made up for it by killing himself. They all wonder what happened to Michiru, and Tomohiko says that she probably wants to be alone so they should just let her be.
Another morning, Ruka goes to get the mail and sees a postcard from Michiru saying that she's sorry for not being able to say this calmly, but she's fine and doing well on her own. Inside the share house (same day or another day), Tomohiko is packing up and Eri walks in on him. She looks surprised and he tells her that he's been transferred to Milan. When she asks about his wife, Tomohiko goes silent, to which she understands that he's going to take his wife. She then says in a fake happy tone that it makes sense since they're married and Tomohiko blurts out an apology. Eri tells him not to apologize, because it's rude, say thanks instead. She holds out her hand and Tomohiko hesitantly says a quiet thank you while accepting it. Eri then heads to her room, with a devastated and teary expression.
That night, Eri, Takeru, and Ruka sit down for dinner and both Ruka and Takeru wonder where Ogurin went. Eri explains that Ogurin and his wife went to Milan due to the job transfer, and Ruka wonders if Eri is alright, she comments that Ogurin really is no-good to which Eri disagrees and says that to her, Ogurin was a good man.
Back at Choushi, the town where Michiru and her mother lived in when they ran out on her father, Michiru is standing at the concrete pier (same one as in episode 01) and is stepping close to the edge, looking as though she's going to jump over when she hears an elderly woman, Suzue, calling her name. She then follows the woman back to her Japanese style restaurant and eats the food given to her. The woman asks about her mother and then tells Michiru that she doesn't know what happened to Michiru, but she shouldn't think about doing something foolish. She then takes Michiru to the apartments and shows her a room (the same one she's staying in during episode 01).
We see later that Michiru has started working in the Japanese style restaurant, and then one day when she is working she suddenly becomes nauseous and the lady owner wonders if Michiru may be pregnant. When Michiru goes to the doctor, she is confirmed that she is pregnant, but the pregnancy does possess a lot of risk to both mother and child. On the way back to her place, Michiru looks conflicted with the news and remembers the first time she met Sousuke. He picks up something she accidentally leaves behind at a social workers office and he rushes out to give it back to her. Then later when they've already started dating, they're eating at a restaurant when Sousuke tells her about his mother. She asks if she's kind and Sousuke says that she was up to the point she left since she got a lover, and then he was tossed around by other people who raised him. Michiru apologizes for asking him such a thing and he says that it's fine, because of what happened to him in his past, he wants to hurry up and marry Michiru and have children with her.
End of the flashback and Michiru arrives back at her apartment. What she finds is her mother waiting for her, who is against her having the child. Chinatsu tells her how expensive and troublesome it is to have a child, and Michiru asks if Chinatsu thought that about her (Michiru), saying that she's always wondered if her mother's always thought of her as a burden so that's why she has to become an adult soon as to not give her mother any more trouble. She tells her mother that she will not become her and that she will raise the child well -- when she suddenly gets nauseous and rushes to throw up. She later tells her mother that she's going to try her best with this child, and her mother says that she thought the say thing when they left her father (Chinatsu's husband). Michiru looks a bit conflicted over these words. Still, throughout the duration of her pregnancy, Michiru tries her best and is getting along well on her own.
One day at the airport, Eri looks up at a destination/arrival board and sees the word Milan flash on the screen. She makes a pained expression and proceeds to leave when she notices Tomohiko standing there, waiting for her holding a bouquet of red roses. He tells her that he went away but could never forget her. She smiles at this. We see later that the two get married and both Takeru and Ruka are dressed up in tuxes watching them. At the reception, the four chat a bit and then both Takeru and Ruka head home together. Ruka reminisces over how she found Michiru at the park that one time and where everything came together. That night, the two are sitting at the dinner table and they look pretty lonely.
The next day, Takeru comes back home after borrowing a motorcycle from Hayashida and says that they should go find Michiru. When they go to Chinatsu's apartment, no one is home and the landlady tells them that she's moved with her husband back to his hometown in Kyuushuu. They ask about Chinatsu's daughter, Michiru, but the landlady says that she doesn't know where she would be. Both Takeru and Ruka are walking along when Takeru asks if Ruka may know any other place that Michiru might go to, but Ruka says she's not sure and then thinks of Choushi, the place where Michiru and Chinatsu stayed for a while. The two then embark towards Choushi together. Using Michiru's picture, the two try asking everyone if they've seen her, but after a long day's of searching, they are still unable to track down Michiru.
At night, the two camp out on the beach, Ruka tells Takeru that they seem like a married couple and he feels surprised to hear this. Ruka explains that in a marriage, after a while the two partners just become more like best friends even when the passion isn't there anymore, and what they're doing now reminds her of that sort of relationship. Takeru then proceeds to tell Ruka about his past with his sister. They actually have different parents, but he says that he wanted to be his sister's strength since she suffered from a lot of stress. After some inappropriate things happening between the two, he becomes scared of womens' bodies. He says that's why he'll never be able to bring happiness to women. Ruka then disagrees and says that it's not true, he brings a lot of happiness to women. She for one knows this best. Takeru proceeds to cry and Ruka puts a hand on one of his shoulders.
The two wake up the next morning together like a married couple, and then take off again. They find an elderly man who operates a shop and has seen Michiru working at the Japanese-style inn. Ruka and Takeru are excited and ride the motorcycle faster and faster to meet her. However, they nearly collide with a truck and are thrown off the road. Meanwhile, Michiru is washing dishes and drops one just when both Ruka and Takeru are nearly hit by the truck. Back on the road, Takeru is alright, but Ruka is unconscious. He asks for an ambulance and the trucker goes to make the call.
At the hospital, Ruka comes out with only a scratch and is told that she's fine. Takeru is worried, but the two go to leave. When they are in the parking lot, they try to start up the motorcycle, but it's not working. At the same time, Michiru is waddling out of the hospital and towards the bus stop. When Takeru walks around the bike, he catches sight of her and whispers her name. Ruka hears it and turns around to see her then calls out her name. Michiru is shocked to see the two, but brings them back to her place. She tells the two that Suzue, the woman who's taken care of her before, has given her a job here and that she's doing well. Ruka asks if Michiru can go back to Tokyo with them and live together again. Michiru says that she can't, because this child is Sousuke's. Because of her, because he thought of her, he died. She says that she was very lonely when she was living here, but then when she remembered that she was pregnant, she became so happy because there will be two of them later. In a way, she feels as though Sousuke's forgiven her and that it's ok to live. Ruka says that of course it's alright to live and that Michiru has the right to do it as she likes. She tells her that she does not approve of Sousuke's way of solving things and that it's cowardly of him to die like that. She then says that she would like to live with Michiru, though she may not be able to become the father of Michiru's child, she would to be able to help raise it. Takeru then says that he would like to raise the child as well, because three people is even better than two. (So cute Ruka says two to top Michiru's one and Takeru says three to top Ruka's two lol) Michiru is extremely touched, but then her water breaks and they call her cab to take her to the hospital.
When they arrive to the hospital, Michiru is rushed into the delivery room and both Takeru and Ruka are left outside. Michiru -- remembering what the doctor has told her about the pregnancy being a dangerous one -- begs one of the nurses to save her baby, but the nurse tells her that both her and the baby are going to be fine. Takeru and Ruka wait and agonize outside while Michiru is fighting hard to bring the baby out to the world. (This is where the acting ... gets funny =_=) After what seems to be forever, the baby is delivered out and both Takeru and Ruka hear the baby's cries, except a nurse rushes out in a hurry and another is running inside the delivery room with a towel full of blood. Meanwhile Michiru looks like she's dying.
Later, we hear the doctor and nurse calling out to Michiru and telling her that she's got a daughter. A tear streams down her eye as she looks at her baby. Once moved to another room, Michiru is resting next to her baby while Takeru and Ruka watch her. Michiru looks over at Ruka and asks her to hold the baby. Ruka holds the baby girl and tells her that the world is a good place to be and that she will see lots of good things from here on out, for sure. Takeru then asks to hold the baby next and it squeals slightly in his arms. Takeru jokes and says "I'm your Papa." All three look very happy and Michiru thanks both her friends for being there for her and the baby.
When Michiru is better, the three walk on the beach with the baby. Michiru narrates her letter to Eri and Ogurin, telling the two that she has named her child Aida Rumi, "Aida" as in her own surname, the "Ru" is from Ruka's name, and the "Mi" is from Michiru, but Takeru's "-ru" is also included in the name. She says that the four of them will go back and live in the share house as family, friends, married partners, lovers, and will treasure their relationship for all times, being friends forever. If possible, stay friends forever, even if separated they will be able to meet again. She then concludes with "My dear friends, you are my best of friends" in English.
My Thoughts: Watching the first time, it was an ok episode, but if you watch it a second time, you like it better. At least for me, I liked it better the second time around. The writers did some cheesy, soap-opera-like things in the last episode which did not really impress me at all, but oh well. Overall, things were resolved and seem to have ended happily. I think it'll be interesting for Rumi to have three parents, but probably good. I kind of wonder if they'll ever tell Rumi about her real father or not. Oh well, I guess I don't really need to think about that. In any case, it was a very powerful drama and pretty well done. The last episode garnered 22.8%, increasing the average to 17.7%. If not for the small percentage of viewers for the first episode, this series could have done a lot better. The really good thing about this series is that the ratings started small, but then continued to increase. Other series may have strong viewership first week, but then see continuing decreases in ratings as the season continues. To me, this shows that the drama was really worth watching and I have to say that I really do recommend this story to every drama addict.
The episode starts with Michiru sobbing over Sousuke's dead body in his apartment. She finds a letter partially in her purse and pulls it out to read it. The letter contains Sousuke's final words to her:
"Goodbye Michiru, I'm setting you free. As long as I'm alive, I will only end up binding you to me. That's why in order to let you go, I must die (*lit. trans: this heart of mine must stop beating). I wanted to become your everything, your entire world, everything that's good to you. No matter where or when, I always wanted to be with you. But you found happiness in a world that did not include me in it, didn't you? That's why I'll go. At least I was able to feel your warmth in this hand, my body remembering the two of us being together... I'm sorry. Even though I loved your smile so much, I couldn't make you smile. I'm sorry, I didn't know how to love you. I'm sorry, I couldn't make you happy. Goodbye Michiru, please be happy."
She leaves town after reading the letter, and the sound of an ambulance can be heard in the background.
Meanwhile, Ruka wins her race and is in a press conference when an interviewer asks her about the recent events & article about her to which she answers with how she has trained so hard under the same conditions as a man, and that she came this far with the support and love from her family and friends. She is most happy that she has been able to do this well and does not want to be looked as a woman or man, just as another human being.
After the conference, Ruka finds Takeru and Eri in the hallway. Eri approaches Ruka and tells her congratulations and that she wished that Ruka had told her sooner. She would not have been freaked out and if she had been, she would have gotten over it, because Ruka is Ruka -- and Ruka begins to cry. Eri says that she (herself) was insensitive and was not able to realize it sooner, and tells Ruka that it must have been so hard keeping it all to herself (Ruka). Ruka cries next to Eri and their relationship gets even stronger.
The next morning, Takeru and Ruka are standing on the porch and Takeru wonders how Michiru is. He asks if they should contact her and Ruka says that Michiru wasn't able to accept her, so that's why she didn't go to the race, and even if they can't meet anymore there's really nothing they can do about it. Just then the phone rings and Chinatsu asks if Takeru can put Michiru on the line, to which Chinatsu seems surprised. She then asks if they (people at the share house) haven't heard about it.
That night, the share house members discuss Sousuke's suicide and Eri wonders if it may have been her fault since she said some things to him that day, but Tomohiko strongly disagrees saying that she has nothing to do with it and it's that Sousuke realized that he's done lots of bad things and made up for it by killing himself. They all wonder what happened to Michiru, and Tomohiko says that she probably wants to be alone so they should just let her be.
Another morning, Ruka goes to get the mail and sees a postcard from Michiru saying that she's sorry for not being able to say this calmly, but she's fine and doing well on her own. Inside the share house (same day or another day), Tomohiko is packing up and Eri walks in on him. She looks surprised and he tells her that he's been transferred to Milan. When she asks about his wife, Tomohiko goes silent, to which she understands that he's going to take his wife. She then says in a fake happy tone that it makes sense since they're married and Tomohiko blurts out an apology. Eri tells him not to apologize, because it's rude, say thanks instead. She holds out her hand and Tomohiko hesitantly says a quiet thank you while accepting it. Eri then heads to her room, with a devastated and teary expression.
That night, Eri, Takeru, and Ruka sit down for dinner and both Ruka and Takeru wonder where Ogurin went. Eri explains that Ogurin and his wife went to Milan due to the job transfer, and Ruka wonders if Eri is alright, she comments that Ogurin really is no-good to which Eri disagrees and says that to her, Ogurin was a good man.
Back at Choushi, the town where Michiru and her mother lived in when they ran out on her father, Michiru is standing at the concrete pier (same one as in episode 01) and is stepping close to the edge, looking as though she's going to jump over when she hears an elderly woman, Suzue, calling her name. She then follows the woman back to her Japanese style restaurant and eats the food given to her. The woman asks about her mother and then tells Michiru that she doesn't know what happened to Michiru, but she shouldn't think about doing something foolish. She then takes Michiru to the apartments and shows her a room (the same one she's staying in during episode 01).
We see later that Michiru has started working in the Japanese style restaurant, and then one day when she is working she suddenly becomes nauseous and the lady owner wonders if Michiru may be pregnant. When Michiru goes to the doctor, she is confirmed that she is pregnant, but the pregnancy does possess a lot of risk to both mother and child. On the way back to her place, Michiru looks conflicted with the news and remembers the first time she met Sousuke. He picks up something she accidentally leaves behind at a social workers office and he rushes out to give it back to her. Then later when they've already started dating, they're eating at a restaurant when Sousuke tells her about his mother. She asks if she's kind and Sousuke says that she was up to the point she left since she got a lover, and then he was tossed around by other people who raised him. Michiru apologizes for asking him such a thing and he says that it's fine, because of what happened to him in his past, he wants to hurry up and marry Michiru and have children with her.
End of the flashback and Michiru arrives back at her apartment. What she finds is her mother waiting for her, who is against her having the child. Chinatsu tells her how expensive and troublesome it is to have a child, and Michiru asks if Chinatsu thought that about her (Michiru), saying that she's always wondered if her mother's always thought of her as a burden so that's why she has to become an adult soon as to not give her mother any more trouble. She tells her mother that she will not become her and that she will raise the child well -- when she suddenly gets nauseous and rushes to throw up. She later tells her mother that she's going to try her best with this child, and her mother says that she thought the say thing when they left her father (Chinatsu's husband). Michiru looks a bit conflicted over these words. Still, throughout the duration of her pregnancy, Michiru tries her best and is getting along well on her own.
One day at the airport, Eri looks up at a destination/arrival board and sees the word Milan flash on the screen. She makes a pained expression and proceeds to leave when she notices Tomohiko standing there, waiting for her holding a bouquet of red roses. He tells her that he went away but could never forget her. She smiles at this. We see later that the two get married and both Takeru and Ruka are dressed up in tuxes watching them. At the reception, the four chat a bit and then both Takeru and Ruka head home together. Ruka reminisces over how she found Michiru at the park that one time and where everything came together. That night, the two are sitting at the dinner table and they look pretty lonely.
The next day, Takeru comes back home after borrowing a motorcycle from Hayashida and says that they should go find Michiru. When they go to Chinatsu's apartment, no one is home and the landlady tells them that she's moved with her husband back to his hometown in Kyuushuu. They ask about Chinatsu's daughter, Michiru, but the landlady says that she doesn't know where she would be. Both Takeru and Ruka are walking along when Takeru asks if Ruka may know any other place that Michiru might go to, but Ruka says she's not sure and then thinks of Choushi, the place where Michiru and Chinatsu stayed for a while. The two then embark towards Choushi together. Using Michiru's picture, the two try asking everyone if they've seen her, but after a long day's of searching, they are still unable to track down Michiru.
At night, the two camp out on the beach, Ruka tells Takeru that they seem like a married couple and he feels surprised to hear this. Ruka explains that in a marriage, after a while the two partners just become more like best friends even when the passion isn't there anymore, and what they're doing now reminds her of that sort of relationship. Takeru then proceeds to tell Ruka about his past with his sister. They actually have different parents, but he says that he wanted to be his sister's strength since she suffered from a lot of stress. After some inappropriate things happening between the two, he becomes scared of womens' bodies. He says that's why he'll never be able to bring happiness to women. Ruka then disagrees and says that it's not true, he brings a lot of happiness to women. She for one knows this best. Takeru proceeds to cry and Ruka puts a hand on one of his shoulders.
The two wake up the next morning together like a married couple, and then take off again. They find an elderly man who operates a shop and has seen Michiru working at the Japanese-style inn. Ruka and Takeru are excited and ride the motorcycle faster and faster to meet her. However, they nearly collide with a truck and are thrown off the road. Meanwhile, Michiru is washing dishes and drops one just when both Ruka and Takeru are nearly hit by the truck. Back on the road, Takeru is alright, but Ruka is unconscious. He asks for an ambulance and the trucker goes to make the call.
At the hospital, Ruka comes out with only a scratch and is told that she's fine. Takeru is worried, but the two go to leave. When they are in the parking lot, they try to start up the motorcycle, but it's not working. At the same time, Michiru is waddling out of the hospital and towards the bus stop. When Takeru walks around the bike, he catches sight of her and whispers her name. Ruka hears it and turns around to see her then calls out her name. Michiru is shocked to see the two, but brings them back to her place. She tells the two that Suzue, the woman who's taken care of her before, has given her a job here and that she's doing well. Ruka asks if Michiru can go back to Tokyo with them and live together again. Michiru says that she can't, because this child is Sousuke's. Because of her, because he thought of her, he died. She says that she was very lonely when she was living here, but then when she remembered that she was pregnant, she became so happy because there will be two of them later. In a way, she feels as though Sousuke's forgiven her and that it's ok to live. Ruka says that of course it's alright to live and that Michiru has the right to do it as she likes. She tells her that she does not approve of Sousuke's way of solving things and that it's cowardly of him to die like that. She then says that she would like to live with Michiru, though she may not be able to become the father of Michiru's child, she would to be able to help raise it. Takeru then says that he would like to raise the child as well, because three people is even better than two. (So cute Ruka says two to top Michiru's one and Takeru says three to top Ruka's two lol) Michiru is extremely touched, but then her water breaks and they call her cab to take her to the hospital.
When they arrive to the hospital, Michiru is rushed into the delivery room and both Takeru and Ruka are left outside. Michiru -- remembering what the doctor has told her about the pregnancy being a dangerous one -- begs one of the nurses to save her baby, but the nurse tells her that both her and the baby are going to be fine. Takeru and Ruka wait and agonize outside while Michiru is fighting hard to bring the baby out to the world. (This is where the acting ... gets funny =_=) After what seems to be forever, the baby is delivered out and both Takeru and Ruka hear the baby's cries, except a nurse rushes out in a hurry and another is running inside the delivery room with a towel full of blood. Meanwhile Michiru looks like she's dying.
Later, we hear the doctor and nurse calling out to Michiru and telling her that she's got a daughter. A tear streams down her eye as she looks at her baby. Once moved to another room, Michiru is resting next to her baby while Takeru and Ruka watch her. Michiru looks over at Ruka and asks her to hold the baby. Ruka holds the baby girl and tells her that the world is a good place to be and that she will see lots of good things from here on out, for sure. Takeru then asks to hold the baby next and it squeals slightly in his arms. Takeru jokes and says "I'm your Papa." All three look very happy and Michiru thanks both her friends for being there for her and the baby.
When Michiru is better, the three walk on the beach with the baby. Michiru narrates her letter to Eri and Ogurin, telling the two that she has named her child Aida Rumi, "Aida" as in her own surname, the "Ru" is from Ruka's name, and the "Mi" is from Michiru, but Takeru's "-ru" is also included in the name. She says that the four of them will go back and live in the share house as family, friends, married partners, lovers, and will treasure their relationship for all times, being friends forever. If possible, stay friends forever, even if separated they will be able to meet again. She then concludes with "My dear friends, you are my best of friends" in English.
My Thoughts: Watching the first time, it was an ok episode, but if you watch it a second time, you like it better. At least for me, I liked it better the second time around. The writers did some cheesy, soap-opera-like things in the last episode which did not really impress me at all, but oh well. Overall, things were resolved and seem to have ended happily. I think it'll be interesting for Rumi to have three parents, but probably good. I kind of wonder if they'll ever tell Rumi about her real father or not. Oh well, I guess I don't really need to think about that. In any case, it was a very powerful drama and pretty well done. The last episode garnered 22.8%, increasing the average to 17.7%. If not for the small percentage of viewers for the first episode, this series could have done a lot better. The really good thing about this series is that the ratings started small, but then continued to increase. Other series may have strong viewership first week, but then see continuing decreases in ratings as the season continues. To me, this shows that the drama was really worth watching and I have to say that I really do recommend this story to every drama addict.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Final Four Suitors
I was not at all surprised with the outcome of The Bachelorette tonight, because DeAnna has had the most chemistry and time spent with Jeremy, Jason, Graham, and Jesse. She had just recently gotten to known Sean, and Twilley's kinda been on another planet this entire time -- though I do commend him for lasting this long =_= (I kinda thought he should have been booted off long ago) -- so her decision kind of made sense. I was pretty surprised though with Sean, his big house, vanity, closeness to mother, and name-brand clothes in closet. From a first glance, you would never think of him being the type to own such a beautiful house and be so vain 'cause when we first saw him episodes ago, he arrived with a less-than-impressive hairstyle, had somewhat of a tough-guy "all-about-me" personality, and was not exactly the most attractive one in the bunch. I think Ron did him good by giving him that stylish haircut.
Right now, I'm having a hard time picking a favorite out of the four 'cause I really like Graham and Jason. I remembered watching Graham get out of the limo and saying "Oh, he's the one she's going to pick." Now, I'm just like ... "Yeah... no idea." I guess we'll just have to see.
Right now, I'm having a hard time picking a favorite out of the four 'cause I really like Graham and Jason. I remembered watching Graham get out of the limo and saying "Oh, he's the one she's going to pick." Now, I'm just like ... "Yeah... no idea." I guess we'll just have to see.
First Monday of the New Alumnus
So I graduated from my university on Saturday, June 14th and am officially ALUMNUS status now~! ^,^ I just thought I'd share that~ I'm still in the process of looking for a job so I'm working on my resume at the moment and going to take it to my career service advisors to take a look at it once I'm done. One of my friends may be able to get me a job up in Portland, but we'll see. I'm looking for another job up in Portland right now so I'm going to apply as soon as I get all these prereqs out of the way. I also need to look for a program that works well in training us to get our CPA license =_= Rogers or Becker...? *sigh* No idea which will be better. I would like better quality at lower price if at all possible.
First... I really need a break @_@ I'm pretty tired these last few days from all the drinking, working, and lack of sleep. My head is really throbbing today >_< It just hurts *sighs* Oh well~ I'll just have to sleep a bit earlier from now on to readjust my biological clock. Need to get some things done so I can find a job asap~
First... I really need a break @_@ I'm pretty tired these last few days from all the drinking, working, and lack of sleep. My head is really throbbing today >_< It just hurts *sighs* Oh well~ I'll just have to sleep a bit earlier from now on to readjust my biological clock. Need to get some things done so I can find a job asap~
Code Geass R2 Episode 10
This was a pretty action-packed episode with Xing-Ke versus Lelouch *,* At the beginning of the episode, Lelouch successfully abducts the empress and takes her aboard the Ikaruga where Kaguya keeps her company. Kaguya tells the empress that they've finally gotten her outside the Forbidden City and Tian Zi is surprised that her friend remembers her wish. Meanwhile, the Eunuch Generals have imprisoned all those who raised the coup d'etat. You know... something about Eunuch Generals and girl empress reminds me of Romance of the Three Kingdoms like the whole prophecy/saying about the woman ruling a house equals despair, chaos, and destruction thing so that's why when the eunuchs and the mother of a prince controlled this one kingdom it was just utter chaos.
Anyway... the Eunuch Generals are unable to defeat Lelouch and retrieve their empress when Zero successfully ambushes the Chinese Fed army and demolishes most of the operating troops. Because of this, they go to the imprisoned bunch and tell Xing-Ke that if he goes and fights for them, they will forgive his crime (lies of course). Well, Xing-Ke goes in this monstrous Knightmare frame called Shen-Hu (神虎) to get the empress back and it fights on par with Kallen's Guren Nishiki. Lakshata makes a note that the Indian government must have helped the Chinese Fed out with the model and that she had participated in building Shen-Hu. After the skirmish, Kallen's Guren loses all energy and she is captured by Xing-Ke. Lelouch, actually fearing for Kallen's life, tells her that he will do all he can to rescue her and to not lose hope. Diethard tells Zero that they need to give up on Kallen, because she's just one soldier and to meet up with the Indian government, but Lelouch thinks differently and says that the Indian government has probably betrayed them by now. He gives the command to the Black Knights that they would rescue Kallen, and the Black Knight members plus C.C. looks pretty happy and relieved to hear this from him.
Later, Lelouch and Xing-Ke engage in a pretty chess-like battle of strategy & tactic. Both seem to be able to read and counterattack each other's moves until Xing-Ke manages to sink most of the Black Knight's Knightmare frames in the irrigation canals. Lelouch has Toudou rescue all surviving members while unleashing a powerful attack to take down many of their foes before retreating. The Order escapes to the tomb of kings where everyone would think twice before attack. They all notice; however, that the Chinese Fed has brought in reinforcements from Brittania for the upcoming battle.
Back at Ashford Academy, the students are still watching and waiting for news of the events in China and then a phone call comes in and Lelouch is the one answering the phone. Rolo, Shirley, and Rivalz are all at the table and look relieved when they hear that Milly is fine. Meanwhile, the news is going on about the abduction of the empress and how Zero is now awaiting this doom in China...
My Thoughts: I think some time lapse has occurred, otherwise there really can't be any other way for Lelouch to find himself a double to act as him. He could have put someone else as Zero back in China and found a way to escape back to the academy in order to make it seem as though he is still there. This would most likely solve the case of the "mysterious OMG Lelouch's back at school!? HOW!?" question.
I think Tian Zi may be in love with Xing-Ke, though a lot of people are calling him a lolicon since he seems to have some feelings for her... (I wonder about that though)... She also looks like one of those really short people who are actually older than they look. To me, I keep thinking that Tian Zi is 15 or 16, but lots of people seem to say that she's 12 or something =,=;
Also, Kaguya's hairstyle in this episode was pretty cute ^_^ I really liked it compared to how she usually has it. I'm sure it's how she would put it for formal occasions, but it was nice.
Preview: 中華連邦の象徴である天子奪ったゼロと黒の騎士団であったが、予想を遥かに凌駕する戦闘能力を持った星刻、そしてブリタニア参戦により天帝八十八陵への篭城を余儀なくされていた。孤立無援の戦は徐々に、だが確実に騎士団を追い詰めていく。さらに大宦官は天子諸共、クーデターを起こした星刻抹殺も目論んでいた。果たしてゼロはこの窮地に如何なる秘策で挑むのか！！ (Taken From Official Website)
Anyway... the Eunuch Generals are unable to defeat Lelouch and retrieve their empress when Zero successfully ambushes the Chinese Fed army and demolishes most of the operating troops. Because of this, they go to the imprisoned bunch and tell Xing-Ke that if he goes and fights for them, they will forgive his crime (lies of course). Well, Xing-Ke goes in this monstrous Knightmare frame called Shen-Hu (神虎) to get the empress back and it fights on par with Kallen's Guren Nishiki. Lakshata makes a note that the Indian government must have helped the Chinese Fed out with the model and that she had participated in building Shen-Hu. After the skirmish, Kallen's Guren loses all energy and she is captured by Xing-Ke. Lelouch, actually fearing for Kallen's life, tells her that he will do all he can to rescue her and to not lose hope. Diethard tells Zero that they need to give up on Kallen, because she's just one soldier and to meet up with the Indian government, but Lelouch thinks differently and says that the Indian government has probably betrayed them by now. He gives the command to the Black Knights that they would rescue Kallen, and the Black Knight members plus C.C. looks pretty happy and relieved to hear this from him.
Later, Lelouch and Xing-Ke engage in a pretty chess-like battle of strategy & tactic. Both seem to be able to read and counterattack each other's moves until Xing-Ke manages to sink most of the Black Knight's Knightmare frames in the irrigation canals. Lelouch has Toudou rescue all surviving members while unleashing a powerful attack to take down many of their foes before retreating. The Order escapes to the tomb of kings where everyone would think twice before attack. They all notice; however, that the Chinese Fed has brought in reinforcements from Brittania for the upcoming battle.
Back at Ashford Academy, the students are still watching and waiting for news of the events in China and then a phone call comes in and Lelouch is the one answering the phone. Rolo, Shirley, and Rivalz are all at the table and look relieved when they hear that Milly is fine. Meanwhile, the news is going on about the abduction of the empress and how Zero is now awaiting this doom in China...
My Thoughts: I think some time lapse has occurred, otherwise there really can't be any other way for Lelouch to find himself a double to act as him. He could have put someone else as Zero back in China and found a way to escape back to the academy in order to make it seem as though he is still there. This would most likely solve the case of the "mysterious OMG Lelouch's back at school!? HOW!?" question.
I think Tian Zi may be in love with Xing-Ke, though a lot of people are calling him a lolicon since he seems to have some feelings for her... (I wonder about that though)... She also looks like one of those really short people who are actually older than they look. To me, I keep thinking that Tian Zi is 15 or 16, but lots of people seem to say that she's 12 or something =,=;
Also, Kaguya's hairstyle in this episode was pretty cute ^_^ I really liked it compared to how she usually has it. I'm sure it's how she would put it for formal occasions, but it was nice.
Preview: 中華連邦の象徴である天子奪ったゼロと黒の騎士団であったが、予想を遥かに凌駕する戦闘能力を持った星刻、そしてブリタニア参戦により天帝八十八陵への篭城を余儀なくされていた。孤立無援の戦は徐々に、だが確実に騎士団を追い詰めていく。さらに大宦官は天子諸共、クーデターを起こした星刻抹殺も目論んでいた。果たしてゼロはこの窮地に如何なる秘策で挑むのか！！ (Taken From Official Website)
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