Nobuta wo Produce

Something tells me that this drama will be my favorite for a long time. Of course, I've only seen two dramas(otherwise you'd have more reviews. :P) Even so, this story made me laugh, cry, and want to scream cuss words at the scream(and if you know me, you know I don't cuss!)

I promise to update this review once I watch the special.

Plot: [From Dramacrazy.net]

Kiritani Shuji is the popular guy who gets along with everyone, from the jerks to the nerds to the just plain weird. The one person Shuji cannot stand is Kusano Akira. To Shuji, Akira is just plain annoying. He laughs, talks and acts funny. Things heat up when a new student comes to school. Her name is Kotani Nobuko, a girl who has no self confidence at all and is content at being made fun of and bullied in school. Shuji and Akira come to an accord that in order to make use of their "youth" they will "produce" Nobuko as the next popular girl. One of the conditions, however, is that nobody should find out that they are working together as a team to make this concept possible. Unveiled here is the story of true friendship between three unlikely candidates who would not have been friends if not given the special circumstances.

Now, this drama has such a fantastic story. I had my guess on who the person responsible for the bad things was, but I was proved wrong. Even so, the girl's actions after she was discovered really made me angry.

As for the sadness, I mainly cried during the last episode, episode 9, and episode 7. Even so, I ended up nearly crying out "Don't give up on Nobuta, Kusano!" in episode 7 and sobbing my eyes out. I must say that I am all for Kusano+Nobuta, so the ending quite upset(no, Shuji doesn't kiss her or anything like that). I would have hoped for her smile to be seen before the ending. That makes it way too upsetting! How will anyone ever see it? Shuji and Kusano wanted her to smile! And she practiced so hard!

Come episode 9, my fury and tears were matched together. But I came up with my own hypothesis. If anyone wants to tell me theirs, I'll be open to it. This is my belief on the dream:

• Aoi regretted jumping off the roof. She did not like the choice she made. And then, with Shuji, Kusano, and Nobuta’s wish for her to still live, she was brought back.

I'm not sure if it's right, but that's what I think. After all, what the vice-principal says usually helps the viewer/character understand something important. Same with the guy that sells books.

I can't help but feel like this drama will have a lasting affect on me. After all, it's really a great drama and has such great things for a viewer to remember. I think of how Shuji learned his lesson about seeing life as a game, and how a rumor put on a piece of paper is nothing more than a piece of paper. It's nice.

Now, I want to do my traditional character review that I do in my manga and anime reviews.

Nobuta Power: ENTER!

Nobuta is a fantastic character. She is unable to speak loudly and gives off the perfect "Girl who is disliked and bullied" vibe. In all honesty, she made me think of Sawako from Kimi Ni Todoke at first. She is so fantastic and I have found myself going "Nobuta Power: ENTER!" randomly. I do it mentally, too. Like if I want to tell my friend what they're doing is wrong, or I want to start a conversation with someone(if you know me, you know it's hard to do. Of course...you probably don't know me). Nobuta's character is truly a fantastic character in my eyes and I loved her all the way. The only negative, I must say, is that she never has her head up until the one time she smiles(and Shuji and Kusano don't even see it!!!)

Kon!

Is anything funnier than Kusano Akira? I must admit, I always call him Kusano. I like how he always gives the funny to each situation. And when he wanted to make Nobuta feel better when she got upset about...something I won't spoil...he kept hesitating. It's awesome! And how he was determined to forget about the picture the "Mystery Person" slipped into his shoe locker. Awesome! I randomly go "Kon" and make the hand-sign he makes in the picture because it makes me feel better. And the "Nobuta Power: ENTER!" was actually his idea. So fantastic! It's too funny!

On the left, how he is in school. On the right, how he is at home.

Such a difference in his appearance, huh? Shuji is what you'd expect from someone that wants nothing more than to be popular. To him, life is simply a game(out of drama reference: Luxord from Kingdom Hearts. :P) His tree, however, helped him to remember that life goes on. I must say, after he dissolved his "relationship" with Mariko(if you can call it that), and was caught lying, I thought BUSTED! But when his friend refused to believe that he was unable to tell he was being beat up, I felt upset that no one trusted him. He became alone. And for that, it shows the viewer: Don't lie for popularity, you'll feel horrible when you're found out.

This was the only pic I could find with Aoi in it...

Okay, at first I thought: Aoi, what a nice girl. She befriended Nobuta when no one else did. Then I thought: I hate her. Then I thought: DON'T DO IT!!!

That's all their is. She is all you could want in the role she plays. She is perfect for it. Though, her reasons made some sense, I guess. Not really, but whatever.

Mariko at Shuji's make-shift Beach

Can I just tell you now? If you make the mistake of guessing Mariko to be the evil person, give up that notion. It's not her. When the evil person reveals themselves to Nobuta, Mariko is the one who comforts her. In the future, actually, Mariko is Nobuta's friend. Mariko is a nice girl and really good for Nobuta. I think that she is Nobuta's first true friend that is female.

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That's all I'm saying in the way of friends. I dislike the thought of having to go in-depth with Destiny, the mean girls, the tough-looking guy and his girlfriend(though I like how they kept them like that throughout the show after they got together). So, here are some pictures!

They said "Kon" when this picture was being taken. Last picture of the 3 together.

Dang it, Shuji and Kusano! She finally smiled and lifted her head!

We say: plan for the future with this survey. They say: Bye-bye future survey!

The piggies that appear in the opening and in this part. So you see them every eppie.

To Nobuta, if dressing up and doing "Nobuta Power" gives good impressions of their last days together, she'll do it.

Bottom right: Kusano does not know the meaning of PERSONAL SPACE!

I will forever support this shipping! Kusano+Nobuta!

One of Kusano's illusions...he is delusional...

The reason why you never train a girl on dates while in school...

They probably came up with this moment for all Kusano+Nobuta fans...but I couldn't find a better pic.

^I'm so glad someone put together some Nobuta wo Produce clips. That makes it easier. Now you can get a taste of it for yourself. And some parts(actually, most of the ones that I scanned through) are REALLY funny!

Until next time!

-Zeki

-Please, send in requests! Just paste it in the comment box!

Kimi Ni Todoke Movie

Okay, some of those reading this may not be familiar with the manga. I must say, the manga has not finished being posted on Mangareader.net and it upsets me. When I saw the movie on Dramacrazy.net I was so happy I immediately set it as my goal to start watching Friday. So, I started it yesterday and did not finish until today.

 Plot[From Dramacrazy.net]
Sawako Kuronuma, called Sadako by her classmates for her resemblance to the character from Ring, has always been feared and misunderstood because of her appearance. There are rumors that Sawako can see ghosts and curse people. However, despite her appearances, she is a sweet and timid girl who longs to be able to make friends with everyone and be liked by everyone else. When her idol, popular boy Kazehaya, begins talking with her, everything changes. She finds herself in a new world, trying to make friends and talking to different people and she can't thank Kazehaya enough for giving her these opportunities. Slowly, but surely, a sweet love is blossoming between the two as they will overtake any circumstance or clear obstacles in their way.

For this review, there will be no character reviews. I have the characters featured reviewed at http://zeki-manga-reviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/kimi-ni-todokereaching-you.html

I do not wish to go over my opinions. However, I must point out that there is not Miura in the live-action.

Now, for the actors chosen, I must say I love the ones chosen for the characters. They were so fantastic in their choices. Chizu, Ryuu, and Kurumi were had my favorite actors. The actors are below:

Kazehaya is played by Harumi Miura and Sawako by Mikako Tabe

Chizu is done by Misako Renbutsu and Ayano is done by Natsuna Watanabe

Kurumizawa is done by Mirei Kiratani

Ryuu is done by Haru Aoyama

Pin is done by...well, I dunno who. I can't find it online and I'm horrible with actors...

I must say that I loved how they included the important spots. Also, their inclusion of Ryuu's brother and Chizu going into sad over-eating mode after it. It was really fantastic.

 

I must say that I was a bit upset that they skipped the Christmas party altogether. No hat or anything. :(

There was the upside of still getting to see Kazehaya's jealousy when he catches Sawako talking to Ryuu in the gym. If they didn't include that, I would have been really upset! Kazehaya's jealous moments are always the best! ^.^

Another part I liked... *checks notes* Ah, that's right! I loved how they made sure to make it where Ryuu, like, never got Sawako's name right! That's always a big thing for Ryuu. He is horrible with names.

Another scene I was overjoyed at them including was the girls getting mad at Sawako in the bathroom. If they had just focused on the development of Sawako and Kazehaya, my dislikes would be stacked high. By their involving Ryuu's brother and mentioning Ayane's boyfriends the movie was made better.

I really liked this movie. As a special treat, here are some images from the movie:

The seating arrangement that started it all...

I guess this is, like, the movie's cover

The cast(except Pin) of the movie

The place where Chizu goes when sad

The Bathroom confrontation!

The seat arrangements that started the friendships

If they had left out Sawako's role as a ghost in the courage test, I would've screamed!

Confession!

-Zeki

-Please, request any dramas you'd like me to check out and review! They can be Korean or Japanese!