shoujo22 wrote:

Thanks for the advice .

Musashi is the best Taiga drama I've seen (some people liked Toshie to Matsu, but I missed that Taiga drama )... Instead of picking some pretty boy to play the lead, they chose an unknown (from a j-drama standpoint) kabuki actor, Ichikawa Shinnosuke.

Pretty bold choice, I think. And of course the ratings suffered because of that, but NHK did the right thing.

shoujo22 wrote:

I haven't seen a single episode of it. However, a friend of mine swears that I'm missing the best Taiga drama in the world....she <b>is</b> a big Hideaki Takizawa fan though . Having said that I don't know if I should really believe what she says .

It's pretty good. I would not call it the best taiga drama. Musashi, was my personal favorite followed by Toshie to Matsu. But everyone has there own likes and dislikes so as BMW says take it all with a grain of salt.

MonsterZero-65 wrote:

Musashi, was my personal favorite

You are my friend for life.

Musashi huh.....maybe I'll try that one. I'm a bit of a history freak so I tend to be a little hesitant in watching dramas/mini series/movies based on historical figures or events . Like this Spanish Civil War movie that my lit teacher made us watch when I was a sophomore in college. It was a little too romantic; the prof liked it though. Then again, he was a bit of a perv himself. I think the massive doses of nudity did it for him .
_________________

shoujo22 wrote:

Musashi huh.....maybe I'll try that one. I'm a bit of a history freak so I tend to be a little hesitant in watching dramas/mini series/movies based on historical figures or events .

Well, Musashi is based on a popular serialization, with fictional characters further made famous through film. Being a history freak, I don't know if that would turn you off (because of the giant fictional elements) or on (because you can just enjoy it as a story and not as a history).
_________________

������ C/J/K Dramas in California

shoujo22 wrote:

Musashi huh.....maybe I'll try that one. I'm a bit of a history freak so I tend to be a little hesitant in watching dramas/mini series/movies based on historical figures or events .

You might wanna read the book first.

Quote:

Then again, he was a bit of a perv himself. I think the massive doses of nudity did it for him .

Hehe.

watching last week's episode, OMG.. whats up with his brother?! Yoritomo... what a d*ckhead, argh!!
_________________

MixxDreamer wrote:

watching last week's episode, OMG.. whats up with his brother?! Yoritomo... what a d*ckhead, argh!!

What Ep # is that???

I'm so behind. I think I'm on ep 22??? around 21-24 is where I'm at.
Gotta re-download those
_________________

if i remember correctly i think its ep.39 'blood in tears' or something.. not sure hehe, i still have to record them from my DVR, just been lazy lately

wish i have them in cd-r's instead of vhs, im way behind dling from d-addicts.. im willing to trade blank dvds/cd-rs.. anyone?
_________________

Am I too late to put in a plug for the NHK Taiga Drama; "AOI:Tokugawa"

I'm nuts about NHK's historical dramas. I've watched the last 6 without missing an episode and though they all have their good points, "AOI" is still my favorite. The bulk of the series is about Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his founding of the Tokugawa dynasty, and then it moves on to cover the next two shoguns.

Wonderful acting, a great scripts, an amazing period in history, and some of the most interesting and influential characters in Japanese history.

Yoshitsune is... probably the weakest of the Taiga's that I've seen so far. I know, just my opinion, but it's all I have.

To me it doesn't look like they had the budget that they've had for previous series. And the lead, the guy who plays Yoshitsune, is... dull. I guess he's the cover boy of the moment, so that's how he got the gig. But as an actor... jeez, he is dull.

There's also the problem of the script. THey could have told this story in 6 to 10 episodes. At 49... well, they are having to do an awful lot of flash backs, and pointlessly drawn out side stories.
_________________

Geezer wrote:

Am I too late to put in a plug for the NHK Taiga Drama; "AOI:Tokugawa" I'm nuts about NHK's historical dramas. I've watched the last 6 without missing an episode and though they all have their good points, "AOI" is still my favorite. The bulk of the series is about Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his founding of the Tokugawa dynasty, and then it moves on to cover the next two shoguns. Wonderful acting, a great scripts, an amazing period in history, and some of the most interesting and influential characters in Japanese history. Yoshitsune is... probably the weakest of the Taiga's that I've seen so far. I know, just my opinion, but it's all I have. To me it doesn't look like they had the budget that they've had for previous series. And the lead, the guy who plays Yoshitsune, is... dull. I guess he's the cover boy of the moment, so that's how he got the gig. But as an actor... jeez, he is dull. There's also the problem of the script. THey could have told this story in 6 to 10 episodes. At 49... well, they are having to do an awful lot of flash backs, and pointlessly drawn out side stories.

I have just resumed watching Aoi. I had viewed the first few episodes, then had to loan it out to family, and now am able to pick up where I left off. I am really enjoying this series. Not only does it deal rather informatively and entertainingly with a crucial part of Japanese history, but the cast is superb. It includes three of my favorite actors: the incomparable Shima Iwashita (who I think is the best actress to work in dorama series); the always engaging Masahiko Tsugawa (what a great Ieyasu he makes); and the sometimes hammy but always entertaining Toshiyuki Nishida. Definitely one of my favorite Taiga dramas, and I really enjoyed watching all of the ones I have seen. Haven't viewed any episodes of Yoshitsune yet. I hope when I do, it won't be the first Taiga drama to disappoint me.
The Taiga series I would really like to get ahold of is the 1996 Hideyoshi, starring Naoto Takenaka in the eponymous role. I have read that he did a great job in portraying "The Monkey." It seems to have a great cast. In addition to Takenaka, other prominent names include Yasuko Sawaguchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Takako Matsu, Tetsuya Watari, and Masahiko Nishimura. Pretty impressive. A lot of Japanese viewers thought so too; its peak rating was 37.4%. While that figure pales in comparison to the huge numbers Taiga dramas pulled in in the first three decades of its existence, it's pretty good when compared to the Taiga ratings of the last decade.

K.T.Tran wrote:

What Ep # is that???

All of them, ne.
_________________

- Douglas

Geezer wrote:

Am I too late to put in a plug for the NHK Taiga Drama; "AOI:Tokugawa"

Is that coming up, or are you talking about the good old one Tokugawa Sandai?
_________________

- Douglas

i'm watching it for the historical aspect and partly for takizawa...the story does seem drawn out...it could've been told more concisely...quite a bit of flashbacks but this is the first taiga drama that i've caught all the eps of...it's an okay drama, though i don't have much to compare it with...

toshiie and matsu - i saw most but missed eps here and there...musashi i didn't watch (maybe in the future) and shinsengumi! - i watched the first few and then stopped...

baby ushiwaka is so cute!! and the theme song's nice

hataz_Z wrote:

toshiie and matsu - i saw most but missed eps here and there...musashi i didn't watch (maybe in the future) and shinsengumi! - i watched the first few and then stopped...

Musashi is the best of the recent crop of Taiga dramas.

But NHK seems to be stretching out the stories unnecessarily.

The Mainichi Daily News had a short article noting the end of Yoshitsune. The article reported that this drama averaged a 19.5% rating for its year-long run. It also posted the average ratings of the most recent Taiga dramas: Shinsengumi! (2004), 17.4%; Musashi (2003), 16.7%; Toshiie to Matsu (2002), 22.1%. The years of Taiga dramas posting monster numbers are long gone.

Well now that the series is over I have to say I really enjoyed the great job Satomi Ishihara did as Shizuka-Gozen. Fantastic!

I also thought the brothers who followed Yoshitsune as his vassals gave great performances. Those three really were the highlights for me as far as really stand out performances.

Yeah, Satome was really great in ep47.
_________________

*****************Spoiler*****************

********If you have not seen the end read no further****************

Click on button to reveal/hide spoiler:

Last Chance don't read if you have not seen the end. I thought it was strange that in all the stories I heard about Yoshitsune when he died he was with his wife and killed her then committed suicide. They did not show that in the drama version. I was surprised they did not mention about Shizuka's death shortly after Yoshitsune died which kind of makes sense because it's the story of Yoshitsune but I thought it would have been at least mentioned by the narrator.

Note: I edited this post and added the spoiler tags... --'Racer

I saw the last half hour of the last show, Aya ueto was talking to this girl on the porch or something, can someone tell me is that Ishihara Satomi. Thanks. Oh I just kick myself for not watching this show I usually watch something else after Wakaba is over.