Fan reviews: Nemureru mori

Ender's Girl · 9 Oct 2009

The Cast:
Nakayama Miho, Kimura Takuya, Nakamura Toru, Jinnai Takanori, Yusuke Santamaria, Natsuyagi Isao

In a Nutshell:
A 15-year-old crime casts a long shadow on a young woman whose lost memory of the incident returns with a vengeance. She meets a mysterious stranger, who vows to help her reclaim her forgotten past.

(SpoilLert: Major, major plot revelations!!! Proceed only if youfve watched the ENTIRE drama!!!)

[Recommended companion track: gA Sorta Fairytaleh by Tori Amos]


Once upon a Time, in a Faraway Landc

I enjoyed Nemureru Mori for the dark, modern-day fairy tale that it is: it takes the Sleeping Beauty archetype and gives it an urban-whodunit spin, setting it in 1998 Tokyo. But here the Sleeping in question is a psychological rather than a physical condition, as it is the Princessf memories that remain submerged for a certain time period, to be Awakened by the Prince at the right Moment. (But who is the Prince, pray tell? Is there even one at all?)

When stripped of its more palatable, Victorian-era coating, the Fairy Tale is no childrenfs bedtime reading. Ifm glad that Nemureru Mori feels less like Hans Christian Andersen and more like the earlier work of the Brothers Grimm, with the gore and the gloom and the, er, grimness not seen in their later (and heavily sanitized) versions. I welcome fairy tales in all their literary incarnations, in particular Angela Carterfs gThe Bloody Chamber,h a collection of retold fairy tales--dark, violent, sensuous and lushly romantic, but at times also bleak and terrifying.

The question, therefore, would be: if this is the story of Sleeping Beauty, who are the other characters? Whofs the Wicked Witch? The Fairy Godmother? The White Knight? But given the murder-mystery angle of Nemureru Mori you know that everything and everyone is immediately suspect\with the exception of Beauty, through whose eyes we watch the story unfold. Soc could it be that certain characters in Nemureru Mori are actually composites of two or more of these fairy tale figures, who in turn may (or may not) be fundamentally disparate from each other (i.e. what if the Prince turns out to be the Big Bad Wolf?)--thus rendering them more ambiguous (but more interesting)? Ifve read enough crime capers and Agatha Christie mysteries to expect the unexpected and brace for twists in the plot. You try to second-guess peoplefs motives and anticipate the telltale signs that may (or may not) Mean Something Later On, those breadcrumbs in the woods that point the Way Out. And the woods of A Sleeping Forest have this beautiful, surreal quality to them, where time and space lose their real-world sway. It truly is an enchanted place, one both tranquil and threatening, a secret dream-garden where a long-forgotten evil lurks unseen.

The starting point of our story is a Christmas Eve massacre in a picturesque little town 15 years past. Beneath the snow-coated rooftops and steeples of churches, beneath the clear voices of carolers rising through the winter air, a gruesome crime has just been committed: the cold-blooded murder of three family members. The rain has washed away all traces of the killer, all evidence of his identity. Amid the flashing police sirens and crowds of onlookers, the body bags are carted into the ambulance one by one, the child Minakofs family--dead forever. That the carnage happened at Yuletide, of all times--is inconceivable, and yet the proof of this horrific deed is incontrovertible: the red stains against the snow, the bloodied corpses, the knife left behind when the murderer fled the scene. The 12-year-old girl Minako, the sole survivor of this nightmare, retreats deep into the darkness, her spirit broken and all memories locked away inside, in a place where even she dares not go. And through it all, the statue of the Virgin Mary at the nearby church remains the lone witness to this scene, her marmoreal countenance sphinx-like in dispensing either benediction\or judgment. And so our Fairy Tale begins...

Full-length review:

http://endersgirrrl.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/drama-review-nemureru-mori-a-sleeping-forest-fuji-tv-1998/

sinned12 · 16 Dec 2007

The pace is slow and there's no build up to the climax. I do admit that I couldn't figure out the suspense and just had to take guesses which were right in the end but I was sure it wasn't the obvious. There's a few things didn't like in the drama. 1. Why did a few characters have to die unnecessarily. 2. Why throw in a some characters like Keiichiro's mom that will leave you hanging. 3. What is up with that ending? The two can't end up together so one of them died? How did that person even die?

I'm so disappointed at that ending. It's similar to the other Kimutaku drama "The smile has left your eyes". At the least the tragedy in the end was more fitting and justified.

shari · 1 Jun 2007

This overly complex mystery/thriller uses all the cheap tricks in the book just for effect and only succeeds in making you guess which character is the least unappealing.

jchurch · 8 Jan 2007

This drama got great reviews and had a high viewership but I have to say that this drama is terribly overrated.

The story goes all across the board and has no cohesion. Don't waste your time with this one.

Shindou · 21 Dec 2006

As an overall dorama, Sleeping Forest wasn't badly done on the whole. The acting was fine and the storyline was quite gripping. However, the music created a constant aura of suspense, as though something was always going to happen the very next second, but that something never materializes. This was the main weakness of the show and trying to maintain a constant suspenseful atmosphere sorta knocked this dorama down from a 9 to an 8. but if you're a person looking for suspense, look no further.

MissMonika · 27 Mar 2006

I really like this drama. Normally, I would prefer to watch happy, funny shows but this one really grabbed me attention. It's different, that's for sure, and very suspenseful. I really loved the story to it and the plot in general. The end of every episode leaves you wanting more, and you don't want to stop watching.

At first, Kimura Takuya seemed kind of stalker creepy but I warmed up to him as I continued to watch the show. All the actors did a really good job in this show. It was very convincing and all of them delivered great performances.

I wasn't expecting that ending. It totally shocked and surprised me. I was literally speechless for a long time. And the fact that Minako and Naoki's relationship turned out to be different than a romantic one surprised me also. For a little while, that was also weird/nasty because of how their relationship was before she found out.

aki_07 · 1 Oct 2005

Quite a gd suspense drama, but the ending was too abstract for me to understand and I felt kind of cheated by the ending after all the emotions up & down I went through ;-(

meowxxmix · 20 Jul 2005

This is a wonderful drama. It's so.. beautiful. It's not boring -- everything unfolds slowly, as it should. The plot is deep, dark, and ultimately beautiful. One of the best dramas I have ever had the pleasure to watch. Superb acting by Takuya and and Miho =]

SYILA78 · 7 Jun 2005

the story line was superb, good combination of minako & naoki.
like to see them act together again.

ilovetakuya · 22 May 2005

This drama kept me guessing till the end..
The end was really sad..
A masterpiece...:-)
Takuya Kimura was beautiful..and I liked Toru Nakamura too
i personally love Yusuke Santamaria and Manami Honzo, too
Everybody should watch this drama..
This drama showed that this guy can really act..

Larc · 7 Jul 2004

A really strange drama but has a whole lot of suspense to keep you guessing! Every character in this drama seriously has problems. The pace of the drama may feel a bit slow to some people because it has a lot to cover for the story, (especially in the middle parts) but it pays off in the end. And it does have its moments every now and then. Every episode also ends on a climax so you'll be eager to see the next! The story is really deep (not really a feel good drama) but it makes you think about it a lot. If you thought it was boring then you probably didn't get it. This drama would be a waste if you don't watch it till the end. I brute forced it and saw the whole series in one day. I was that hooked! It might be a little confusing at times but it'll eventually be all clear. But if you love dramas that make you think then you'll enjoy it. Definitely not a typical Kimura Takuya love drama! To me, Kimura Takuya seemed like a detective in this story. If you love suspenseful stuff then check this one out. Good casting, excellent acting, very weird and yet disturbing story but interesting. Another hit from Kimura Takuya. Personally, I didn't enjoy the whole hypnotism, hallucination, flashback scenes, the scary looking mom and what she made her son do! *Barfs* But the rest were good.

DragonSpirit164 · 3 May 2004

Another gem form Kimura Takuya. A brilliant dark drama with many twists and turns along the way. The soundtrack used for this drama is EXCELLENT... more often than not the music sent chills down my spine as it accompanies the scene almost perfectly.. Kudos to the sound director of this movie. This is my first Nakayama Miho drama and I must say I like her quite a lot!! Great acting from her and Kimura to bring out the general dark mood of the show. The mysteriousness of Minako's past really glued me to the show. Always wanted to find out who the killer was. Yusuke was great in this one as well, his looks just seems so fitting for his wierd character. This one kept me hooked from start to end and deserves a 10 for the uniqueness of the ending... I still don't quite get why it had to end this way, but that's the beauty of the drama. Highly Recommended!!~

dys199 · 17 Mar 2004

A Bit too dark and complex, they made the storyline too complicated so kinda hard to follow, but the dorama is a pretty good suspence story you always want to keep watching to find out more after each episode. Not that bad of a dorama but not the greatest,

kook05 · 6 Jan 2004

A heart-wrenching dorama. A little dark.
the ending was totally unexpected and left me feeling sad for quite a while.
my heart really goes out to Naoki. :'(

dys199 · 15 Aug 2003

Although this dorama started so great actors, i fought it kinda boring and complicated. The story seems so unrealistic and I found that it was always very dark. I like the theme song though.

jdfan · 3 Jul 2002

Good story line but it was a little slow at the beginning. Full of suspense and surprises. The ending is vague! Something is missing at the end of this dorama. Although this was written by the same writer as the "Ice World", I like the other one a lot better. This one is a little bit on the dark side. I like the title song.

warren.mcclendon · 13 May 2002

The leads gave great performances (especially Miho, this was the first time I had seen her in a drama) that really allowed you to animate a nightmarish crime that a small child found so traumatizing that she had to be forced to forget. They great job of displaying the early characters roles in each lives, and how they are brought back together 15 years later as she is about to get married.

Slackey · 21 Apr 2002

Even though it was interesting, I did not think that the identity of the killer was a big surprise. After they reveal the past of the couple (the dorm scene), that's when I got it. The music was a little limited. Though I did figure out who the killer was early one, I liked the way the story pieces get put together while not completely giving a definite killer. Plus I like the little twists in the story and I loved trying to figure out what actually happened whenever a flashback happens. All in all an okay drama. (Plus the way they did the opening sequence was great. I completely missed it.)

miyakuryu · 9 Feb 2002

after reading the synopses from one of the reliable websites, i found out nemureru mori is a very intersting drama. the mysteries unfold slowly and the way the story ended by discovering who the real murder was, was really captivating. but too sad...my idol is gone at the last episode..sob..sob...

smlpotatoes · 4 Feb 2002

This show was put together surprisingly well. I had heard that the ending was a surprise, and the last episode lives up to that promise. I was so surprised, in fact, that I debated over whether or not to hurl my VCR out the window. But really, the cast was wonderful, the story was tragic (without being overdone), the theme song is great, and the opening credit sequence is fantastic.