Here's a review of the recent Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari Autumn 2006 SP. Over the years, this has been one of the most long-running dramas I've been watching but sometimes, I don't have access to the shows so there are some seasons which I may have missed. For this season, there aren't that many big names except for Domoto Koichi who's trying his hand at this hit series for the first time if I'm not wrong. As for Uchiyama Rina and Hirosue Ryoko, they have made appearances in this series before but I'm not sure about Shaku Yumiko and Tanaka Misako. A significant difference in this SP is the introduction of short stories which are less than a minute long in between the 5 main parts. My favourite is the clip on the guy trying to bend the spoon with his supernatural powers and ended up bending Tokyo Tower instead! ^__^
First up is Kyoko-san starring Hirosue Ryoko. The name Kyoko is written as "kagami-ko" in kanji which literally means someone in the mirror. Hirosue's role, Morisawa Izumi is an intern at the Arisu Hospital where there was someone who died under weird circumstances just the previous night before she was due to report to work. Morisawa hears from her young patient about a chant which goes like this, "Kyoko-san, Kyoko-san, watashi wo kirei ni shite kudasai na" (Kyoko-san, Kyoko-san, please make me beautiful) and tries it out for fun at night in the toilet. However, this causes a woman in white to appear and slash Morisawa's arm in the end. Nobody believes that such a woman exists but Morisawa gets suspicious upon hearing some rumours about the hospital being a jinxed place and people dying suddenly without apparent reasons. She does some snooping around and finds out the unexpected truth through the woman in the mirror. This story is rather creepy and will no doubt leave you with goosebumps at the end.
Next is Shaku Yumiko and Ibu Masato in "Bucchou OL" who switch bodies due to lightning striking them. This begins a series of hillarious experiences for both who try to grapple with the differences in lifestyles especially at work due to their new identities. Previously, both of them were at loggerheads because of their inability to identify with each other's problems but through the short experience, they forge an unlikely friendship and eagerly look forward to the day when they can go back to normal. However, an unexpected happening occurs which creates more chaos instead of undoing the situation. After watching a scary story, this helps to relive some tension especially when funny situations are aplenty.
This has got to be my No.1 for this season's SP. Next up is Domoto Koichi in "Kinou Kouen" (Yesterday Park) where he starts off as a young guy, Yosuke playing baseball with his longtime friend Takao in the park. However, he is aghast to hear about Takao's death that evening after they parted ways. The next day, he goes back to the park and realises that after picking up a baseball which appears from nowhere, he is transported back to the previous day. Having the benefit of hindsight, Yosuke tries to prevent Takao's death but with each intervention, he ends up causing more dire consequences. In the end, Yosuke starts to question himself as to whether he should continue trying to prevent Takao's death and decides against it in the end. This results in everything going back as to normal and the cause of death reverting to that of the first occurence. However, years later, Yosuke gets a sense of deja vu when his wife Noriko asks him the same questions as what he asked Takao when he was trying to decide whether to save Takao...Frankly speaking, this story falls into the category of creepy and ironic at the same time. The ending brings Yosuke back to square one in a sense and makes him go through what his friend experienced. As for the ironic aspect, the more Yosuke tried to save Takao, the more problems he caused. Is this trying to say that we should not go against the will of heaven and let things take their natural course?
The fourth story is "Neko ga Ongaeshi" (The Cat Returns its favour) starring Uchiyama Rina. Well, I think this is the most boring story in the SP. It's rather predictable and doesn't seem that original after all. I remember seeing something rather similar in the past but I just can't recollect the details. Anyway, Uchiyama plays Emi who has just lost her grandmother and can't help but lament to her cat, Kuro that she wishes that it will turn into a human to stay with her. Surprisingly, a man appears before her and shows signs that he's Kuro which makes Emi very happy. Unknown to her, the man has a hidden agenda and isn't what he claims to be...
Last but not least, we have Tanaka Misako in "Kazoku Kaigi" (Family meeting). A family of three meet with a serious traffic accident which leaves them with life-threatening injuries. They find themselves back at home safe and sound as if nothing had happened. It turns out that they have been told to kill one of their family members within 3 days so as to keep the other two alive. However, this is a tough choice to make as the deadline draws near and rifts start appearing among them...
First up is Kyoko-san starring Hirosue Ryoko. The name Kyoko is written as "kagami-ko" in kanji which literally means someone in the mirror. Hirosue's role, Morisawa Izumi is an intern at the Arisu Hospital where there was someone who died under weird circumstances just the previous night before she was due to report to work. Morisawa hears from her young patient about a chant which goes like this, "Kyoko-san, Kyoko-san, watashi wo kirei ni shite kudasai na" (Kyoko-san, Kyoko-san, please make me beautiful) and tries it out for fun at night in the toilet. However, this causes a woman in white to appear and slash Morisawa's arm in the end. Nobody believes that such a woman exists but Morisawa gets suspicious upon hearing some rumours about the hospital being a jinxed place and people dying suddenly without apparent reasons. She does some snooping around and finds out the unexpected truth through the woman in the mirror. This story is rather creepy and will no doubt leave you with goosebumps at the end.
Next is Shaku Yumiko and Ibu Masato in "Bucchou OL" who switch bodies due to lightning striking them. This begins a series of hillarious experiences for both who try to grapple with the differences in lifestyles especially at work due to their new identities. Previously, both of them were at loggerheads because of their inability to identify with each other's problems but through the short experience, they forge an unlikely friendship and eagerly look forward to the day when they can go back to normal. However, an unexpected happening occurs which creates more chaos instead of undoing the situation. After watching a scary story, this helps to relive some tension especially when funny situations are aplenty.
This has got to be my No.1 for this season's SP. Next up is Domoto Koichi in "Kinou Kouen" (Yesterday Park) where he starts off as a young guy, Yosuke playing baseball with his longtime friend Takao in the park. However, he is aghast to hear about Takao's death that evening after they parted ways. The next day, he goes back to the park and realises that after picking up a baseball which appears from nowhere, he is transported back to the previous day. Having the benefit of hindsight, Yosuke tries to prevent Takao's death but with each intervention, he ends up causing more dire consequences. In the end, Yosuke starts to question himself as to whether he should continue trying to prevent Takao's death and decides against it in the end. This results in everything going back as to normal and the cause of death reverting to that of the first occurence. However, years later, Yosuke gets a sense of deja vu when his wife Noriko asks him the same questions as what he asked Takao when he was trying to decide whether to save Takao...Frankly speaking, this story falls into the category of creepy and ironic at the same time. The ending brings Yosuke back to square one in a sense and makes him go through what his friend experienced. As for the ironic aspect, the more Yosuke tried to save Takao, the more problems he caused. Is this trying to say that we should not go against the will of heaven and let things take their natural course?
The fourth story is "Neko ga Ongaeshi" (The Cat Returns its favour) starring Uchiyama Rina. Well, I think this is the most boring story in the SP. It's rather predictable and doesn't seem that original after all. I remember seeing something rather similar in the past but I just can't recollect the details. Anyway, Uchiyama plays Emi who has just lost her grandmother and can't help but lament to her cat, Kuro that she wishes that it will turn into a human to stay with her. Surprisingly, a man appears before her and shows signs that he's Kuro which makes Emi very happy. Unknown to her, the man has a hidden agenda and isn't what he claims to be...
Last but not least, we have Tanaka Misako in "Kazoku Kaigi" (Family meeting). A family of three meet with a serious traffic accident which leaves them with life-threatening injuries. They find themselves back at home safe and sound as if nothing had happened. It turns out that they have been told to kill one of their family members within 3 days so as to keep the other two alive. However, this is a tough choice to make as the deadline draws near and rifts start appearing among them...
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