Fan reviews: Hoshi no kinka 1

ester_grace · 21 Mar 2011

Too dramatic
Frustating ending

ester_grace · 21 Mar 2011

Too dramatic
Frustating ending

ester_grace · 21 Mar 2011

Too dramatic
Frustating ending

Tenken · 15 Aug 2008

Noriko Sakai's acting brought me from wonder to wonder!!!

At the beginning, I like Shuichi's character a lot: he's just the opposite of Takumi, an exemplar to any doctor! But as soon as he got amnesia, he started acting ridiculously leading to tragedy Not totally his fault, though: b/c this story also shows me how scary it was when women became jealous =))

Takumi Nagai : At the beginning, he made me go: I wish I were ur boss so I could fire u : you didn't deserve to wear the white coat!! I couldn't wait to see him die (lol) but, just a second thought (for having seen many evil-turn-good characters before), I kept a neutral view, thinking: well, IF he ever overcame his flaws, then he'd definitely become a memorable character! My thought was right: Thanks to Aya, Takumi has changed from being rebellious to a sensible young man who knows how to love, and to be loved. To Takumi, Aya is an angel who's always there to emphathize and encourage him to overcome many painful moments and to realize his true self. Takenouchi Yutaka's acting was very compelling and interesting to watch - his performance touched a lot of viewers, so he was awarded Golden Arrow Hoso Shinjin-sho !

Part II : worst sequel of all times with characters doing many, many absurd things. Really. Part 1 successfully established Aya's image as a "lucky star" that fell upon everyone she's met, but Part 2 made it look like she brought misfortune to everyone (quite a contrast)! Only the 1st part is enough, no need for Part II. Like part 2 of many other movies, this shamed part 1!!!

Shindou · 10 Jan 2007

From the doramas I've seen, this series definitely ranks among the finest I've watched. Character development is an important point of the series and the cast did wonderfully in this respect. The storyline itself was quite captivating aside from the slightly hurried and what I found to be a bit contrived ending. In general, very very well done!

shari · 29 Dec 2006

Pure love is caught in a world of intrigue where doctors should be wearing straight-jackets and handcuffs instead of white blouses. But this dorama from another century still cruises nicely thanks to its first-rate cast, great music score and beautiful photography. The melodrama is sometimes overdone.

chesed · 6 Aug 2006

Television shows and movies that center on a disabled person have been around a long time -- it's really nothing new. What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a classic and even in the world of Japanese dramas they appear, such as the autistic girl Mayuko in Kimi ga Oshietekureta Koto. Most of the time, as these examples illustrate, the disabled characters are both a source and cause of pity. In Hoshi no Kinka, the central character Aya, a deaf girl, is refreshingly strong and encouraging, taking almost all negativity and turning it into something positive. Hoshi no Kinka is about Aya, a nurse, falling in love with the doctor she works for, Shuichi. Shuichi experiences a massive head injury and loses his memory of everybody, including her. The trials the two experience is the central plot of the story.

I wanted so much to like this drama. The character of Aya is so compelling and acted so wonderfully by Sakai Noriko that I felt it was completely wasted by incredibly horrible writing full of unrealstic events and inept characterization. The motives for Shoko's love for Shuichi, for example, were non-existant. I had no clue as to how she came to love that guy to the point that she did; they expected you to understand her love, but never explained a good reason why. Just because you screw someone over and tend to there needs is not a basis for love at all. Ever. And Shuichi never gave her any reason to love him and even shrugged her off. That said, I didn't give a flaming fart about her character and I felt her actions were pointless. I felt any association she made with another character was fake. It's not that I didn't trust her character. It's that I didn't trust her characterization -- the writing blew. I was frustrated through the entire drama because of the absurdity of most of the situations. They simply felt forced.

Most of the actors weren't that great, but they really didn't have much to work with. Takenouchi Yutaka did a decent job through the whole series with a strong performance in the last two episodes. He also had the only character that actually grew as the series progressed. Osawa Takao I felt was sub par, but nowhere near as bad as the remaining actors. As I stated previously, I really enjoyed Sakai Noriko. I felt her facial expressions were real and thus I felt I could sympathize with her, not as a disabled person but simply as a human being. The frustration of being disabled was there, but it wasn't overdone at all -- just enough to experience it as the audience.

There were a few other good points, though. I managed to shed a tear a few times during the series. Most of the time they were for Aya's character (her selflessness was very moving... I'm a sucker for that sort of thing) and specifically the scene between the father and his children during the final episode. Unfortunately the bad far outweighs the good for this particular drama.

I compare this drama to the old video game Bubble Bobble. I sat through 255 stages of that game, fighting through one frustrating level after another, just so I can see what the end would be like. After finishing the last boss, you find you get the crappy ending, and you need to go through all 255 levels again to get the good ending. And just like in Bubble Bobble, I'm going to watch season two of this drama in hopes I can get a good ending. I have my doubts.

k4g0me · 9 Apr 2006

I hated Shoko...why they would make her pregnant and end up with Shuichi is just wrong. I was so hoping it was a lie and that he would slap the huge eyes out of her face. Horrible ending...everything up to the episode where Aya got stabbed was awesome....after that the series went downhill...Evil Shoko!

johnjeon · 19 Sep 2005

Given the other good reviews I read this was surprisingly bad.
I'm usually an easy touch for sentimental romances but this one
was ridiculous. Amnesia, murder, suicide, cheating spouses,
evil doctors, pregnancy, terminal illnesses, etc. , this one pulls out every
cliche from the hackneyed soap opera handbook. Even the
"good" doctors are incredibly incompetent and no one behaves
with an ounce of good sense. Can't believe there are two sequels.

carnie_webb · 25 Jun 2005

I really enjoyed this drama. The simplicity and integirty of the script, so well written, really touches my heart. The complexity of human nature, the selflessness and unconditional love for one another is overwhelming. The overpowering performances by Yutaka + Takao + Noriko are just splendid. Especially the credulous portrayal of a deaf-mute (impaired) girl by Noriko, just SPEECHLESS, outstanding! Noriko's character equates to the 'less is more' ideology; she is deaf-mute however emits more luminous glow and energy than any other characters in the drama. Realistically, the ending lived up to my expectation, because of the selflessness of Noriko's character, however it would have been more satisfying if the stars did rain on her!

It was also interesting to see how people rank this drama; some people focus too much on the ending and if it is not a happy and satisfying ending, their judgement becomes clouded thus disliking the entire show. Admittedly this drama is a great dismal, leaving a sweet bitter after taste, but still worth the watch!

lovejdorama · 14 Apr 2005

This is the kind of drama that once put in your DVD player, you forget there is a pause/stop button!

Sakai noriki as Aya was a memorable performance. Just like real life, we don't always end up with the person we love the most and we sometimes stay in a relationship that hurts us more than nourishing. I look foward to wathing II & III.

Kam · 11 Mar 2005

Contrived on every step of the way, and the surgery segments were so silly that they were almost impossible to watch! But what kept me coming back was the sincerity of the actors. Noriko Sakai, without saying a word, expressed more emotion here than most actresses express in their lifetime; this is possibly one of my favorite acting roles ever. I also loved the arc that Yutaka Takenouchi's character underwent (especially touching was the relationship with his father), though I found that he overshadowed Takao Osawa's character perhaps a little too much. My only real disappointment lies with the final episode: excellent build-up, decent (though perhaps contrived) ending... but it just tries too hard. Whereas the other episodes draw emotion effortlessly, this one just wants to shock and shock and shock and comes out feeling a little hollow as a result. I was expecting to cry a river, but my eyes were as dry as a desert the whole episode through!

supermidget · 10 Mar 2005

If you don't want to know wether it ends good or bad, stop reading.

Ok I'll be honest. The drama was very great, but the ending just sucked! Until episode 10 I would have given it an 9 or so, but the end makes it a final 4. Some people call it 'dramatic' and 'touching' but they were probably crying too much to notice the damn freaking frustration you get at the end!!! And worse, when I checked for the sequel, it ends even more different from what you want. So I'm not going to watch that one definately. Right now, I just finished watching the final episode, and I really liked the series until episode 11 or maybe even until half of 12. Then the final moment comes and the whole series just COLLAPSES into a piece of crap. You can't believe how frustrated I am now. GRRRRR! Don't watch it if you want to save yourself a couple of days (or weeks if I'm unlucky) after-stress.

juliana_phang · 30 Oct 2004

sakai noriki did a marvellous job in portraying aya. thumbs up... highly recommended..

ladyelf · 9 Oct 2003

I love everything about this show, the plot the casts and even the cat. I love Yutaka, he appeared to be the "bad brother" at first but as you watch further, he is the selfless one (especially in part 2). One down side about him is when he raises his voice, his voice breaks easily. Everytimes he crys, I melt.

biga816 · 23 Jul 2002

Truthfully, I was skeptical about this drama because it was the first one I'd seen with a speech/hearing impaired character (Aya). I gave it a try due to the interesting plot and Noriko Sakai. Surprisingly, I instantly fell in love with it and felt drawn to keep watching it. Great acting all around...it seemed like everything meshed together.

jdfan · 1 Jul 2002

Great cast chemistry and great performances. That why this series became a classic. You will stay till the end.

ystlu · 12 Jun 2002

One of the best j-drama I have watched. Everything from the script to the acting deserve A+. Even though the love story itself is a bit too melodramatic, it outlines the self-giving nature of love beautifully. Thumbs up for the outstanding moral character of the protagonists (there are several). This is one drama you will watch and savor for years to come.