[biggirl20]

There was apparently a movie and a drama. The drama was produced by TBS in 1979 and ran for 31 episodes. The movie was made earlier in 1976 according to some Japanese websites.

I should think that they've made an unfair statement and it is too early into the drama to make judgment. He was certainly good in other productions though I can't say the same of the drama Kobayakawa Nobuki no Koi. Especially when one considers how many of the younger generation of actors and actresses cannot act or keep "acting" similar characters in each drama. Some actually have the luxury of scripts tailored to fit their image or perhaps shortcomings. One particular actor in this season's Monday getsu slot immediately comes to mind, having just translated the character description. And another actress in a time-warp TBS drama ... But I digress.

3 more days to Ep 2!

oh kobayakawa nobuki no koi~ he's cute inside, as in the image XD, but beside the image, i tink he's okay~ jus that the character doesnt have room for him to improve on it, it's like those typical character.
i dun really like the story, the comic's MUCH better than the drama. so i just force myself to watch until the last ep becoz of him.

YEA!!! waiting for ep2.. hope the rating will be better.

[jade_frost]

Scenes from Episode 1


















Update on subs: Another group called chuks has apparently taken on soft-subbing for Fumou Chitai so Momotami from Heiwa Fansubs might pass on the drama.

Ironically, news about manufacturers pulling out of Japan's military aerospace industry hit the media yesterday with the companies citing low growth prospects as the reason for their withdrawal.

[shuky]

Streaming link for episode 2: (raw)

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ohxr-syP6bM/


Found these two interesting articles from Japan Times:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090612a3.html

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20070330a1.html


Here's a short history of modern Japan, post WWII, to understand Iki's world from 1956 onwards and the economic miracle propelling Japan to be the second largest economy in the world today:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ja...Japan_1952-1990

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_post...conomic_miracle

[jade_frost]

Scenes from Episode 2

[shuky]

Chinese subs (torrent link) are out!

http://bbs.btpig.com/viewthread.php?tid=86...;extra=page%3D1

Hmmm....it seemed that ratings for episode dipped, even with a solid cast and bankable star power. Hey jade frost, could it be that viewers are no longer intrigued as a movie and drama predated the current production?

[biggirl20]

the rating is BAD~~~~~~
at least it's not below 10, so still ok for me, but for the next ep im not sure alr :S

[jade_frost]

Chinese subs (torrent link) are out!

http://bbs.btpig.com/viewthread.php?tid=86...;extra=page%3D1

Hmmm....it seemed that ratings for episode dipped, even with a solid cast and bankable star power. Hey jade frost, could it be that viewers are no longer intrigued as a movie and drama predated the current production?

Oh wow. What a dismal rating for episode 2! The executives at Fuji TV must be sweating buckets after the heavy promotion done for the drama. The big budget and number of weeks the drama is scheduled to air too. To have such a stellar cast pulling in such ratings is beyond anyone's imagination. And to see that even Tokyo Dogs notched a better rating for its premiere ... it's a problem.

I think a prior movie and drama on Fumou Chitai is hardly one of the worries for the production. Kareinaru Ichizoku was probably made to death but enjoyed good ratings. I haven't seen episode 2 yet so I can't say anything but let's just say that not everyone would like to watch a drama of such a genre and sombre mood. And for a viewer who watched episode 1 and wondered whether to continue with the following episode, I think there is little unless the person is watching for someone in the cast. It's not gripping enough ... I've seen better first episodes. But I would still like to say that it's too early to judge! I'd give it till episode 5.

[semi-fly]

Screen captures from episode 02:

[biggirl20]

jus finished watching ep2, not that bad actually.
Endo-san looks so much like a baddie!! esp his laughter towards the end of the show, super omg XD
wonder did anyone spot an english spelling mistake on the fax paper

the content of the movie will going to be finished in next ep, i wonder how fuji can drag until 21 epds.. :S

[jade_frost]

Samejima reminds me of a reptile. This is the first time I've seen Endo Kenichi play a significant supporting role and an unscrupulous man at that. A nice ending scene there. Otherwise, I must confess that I found the episode rather boring. I don't know what yet but I would think it is the style in which the story is told which makes me feel like an impassive viewer. Everything feels detached such that it is slowly starting to be like a reel of a biopic of someone's life playing before me. Maybe that's where the problem is. I'm not sure I will really care about what happens to Iki and his ambition to do his part for the country.

[jade_frost]

I think it is going to be a very long shot for Fumou Chitai to make a turnaround in ratings any time soon. Not with the story being told as it is. As I watch on ... I cannot shake off that feeling of detachment I have. It's not good if a drama cannot pull viewers in and make viewers feel for the characters.

Let's see how episode 3 turns out. Kicking off in a few more minutes.


Scenes from Episode 3

[biggirl20]

watched the live telecast ytd, i feel tat ep 3's boring..
mayb becoz i dun understand japanese, but i really feel tat ep 2's better than ep3.
for the rating, it went up by 0.5% (better than nuting)

[jade_frost]

The narrative style doesn't work and reminds me of Yako Kaidan which is not a good sign. I'm barely 10 mins into Episode 3 and I'm feeling bored.

[biggirl20]

i watched the sub for ep3, with sub, it's not tat boring anymore, but it's still a bit boring (LOL, wat am i talking ).

YEAA! the narration is a bit =S
Reminds me of those taiga dramas which are full of narration.
And they recapped the 1st ep too, starts to wonder will the recap becomes longer when the episodes are adding up >.<

Cant they film at a place which is more brighter? it's bad for the viewers' eyes T_T

Someone's going to die next week
PS: samejima's throwing things action is so COOL! reminds me of zaizen in SK (:

[jade_frost]

Ironically this episode should have been exciting since it ends off with the tables turned and promises more interesting development next week but somehow, it seemed to fall flat and end up anti-climatic for me.

But to throw more into the works between Samejima and Iki, Iki's daughter and Samejima's son are apparently classmates as there was a brief scene with them together in the library.Is that cliche?!

I wonder who the true monster is in all this maneuvering to get one plane chosen over another. Do any of the characters at some point question whether what they're doing is still the right thing? It's been hard to really get to know the characters since there are so many of them sharing such short frames. But of course, some of them were easy to size up. Koide unnerved me with his mannerisms and subservient behaviour.

[shuky]

I have not read the bestseller on which the drama serial is based. Neither have I seen the small and big screen adaptations of the original work. As such, Fumo Chitai remains compelling to me. However, I can understand perfectly well why this is or will not be a runaway hit; the behind-the-scenes political maneuverings, the cosy relationship between the private sector, the bureaucracy and the politicians and the culture of dishing out bungs just so someone's hands can be greased may have lost their currency and entertainment value with jaded viewers. Why tune in to the reel world when you can read them on the headlines in real life, and some may even say, more gripping?

That said, Iki's life continues to fascinate me. In an age of excess and a me-first mentality, it's hard to believe a man like Iki exists, a man who will not hesitate to sacrifice his family, principles and conscience for the greater good and survival of the country. I can't quite decide if this is the result of the successful indoctrination by the Imperial Army or history itself (and the lessons from war) that tosses up a few good men like Iki. Iki never fails to amaze me as he makes the seamless transition from a brilliant strategist to a nimble top suit. A case in point is how he countered Samejima in the PR war, turning a near disaster (no pun intended) to a publicity coup.

With regard to the fighter jet purchase, both jets are flawed. However, given the circumstances (the year and the technology available then), Luckheed's jets would have been a better fit for the defence of Japan. I remember reading reports that some countries, in trying to make a political point when upgrading their military hardware, would opt for a rival maker/country even though the country making the huge investment do not have runways long enough for the jets to take off or land.

Fumo Chitai I feel, will only appeal to a niche audience - the believers who will not mind the talky narrative. I for one, am just thankful there are no jerky shaky-cam shots in a bid to ape the Bourne franchise in form and substance, only to give viewers a massive headache at the end of the hour.

Hey jade frost, do you know if Toyoko Yamazaki's book has been translated to English?

On a different note, I read somewhere that Iki's based loosely on the legendary Ryuzo Sejima, a strategist with the Kwantung Army similarly incarcerated in Siberia for eleven years. After his release, he joined the multi-billion trading company, Itochu (with wide-ranging business interests in telecommunications, textiles etc), in the same league as Mitshibishi, Mitsui and Sumitomo and rose through the ranks to be the top honcho. I find Timesonline's obituary of Ryuzo Sejima absorbing (see below)

The man:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABz%C5%8D_Sejima
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/o...icle2530967.ece

The company:
http://www.itochu.co.jp/main/index_e.html

My curosity on the political backdrop of FC led me to the list of Japanese Prime Ministers to date:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime...isters_of_Japan

Interestingly, the Prime Minister in power at the end of 1956 was Ichiro Hatoyama, the grandfather of the current Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, who caused a tectonic shift in the political landscape by thumping the once-influential LDP (a political party dominating Japan for over half a century) in the not too recent polls.

Am looking forward to episode 4 (with subs, of course )

[jade_frost]

Yes the book has been translated into English although I'm not sure how easy it is to obtain a copy of it. The title should be The Barren Zone / The Barren Land.

I like such sort dramas but I don't find Fumou Chitai compelling. Iki's brilliant maneuvers to outwit Samejima were great and are one of the drama's highlights. What interests me about such dramas is the suspense of the story and also the examination of human nature. But so far the only characters that have made an impression are Iki and Samejima. The others are rather pedestrian. Two similar dramas that I can think of that kept me glued were Pandora and Hagetaka. The differences with Fumou Chitai are significant in that they managed to have a tight plot and interesting side characters.

Anyway, I am interested to see how far Iki will go for his beliefs. I admire him for his loyalty to his country and at the same time I also find him slowly turning into a terrifyingly scary person. If that translates to giving a person license to do everything that he possibly can just as long as the ends justify the means, at what point does he differ from Samejima? What if, he was wrong about everything that he believed in? What about all those people he sacrificed along the way? Is he going to try to make amends again like he did with the war?

And yes, Iki's character is largely based on the life of Sejima Ryuzo who ran the conglomerate Itochu.

[semi-fly]

Screen captures from episode 03:

[jade_frost]

Scenes from Episode 4

[semi-fly]

Screen cptures from episode 04: