Myth and Redemption
8 / 10
Eyeyore · 8 Mar 2012
The viewership rating in 2008 didn't do justice to this drama. Had it been shown after March last year, many would have given it a second chance. In fact some would have hoped this myth becomes a fact and faithfully worship the deer as the redemptive deliverer from earthquakes.
A talking and un-kawaii deer doesn't appeal to me. The first episode taught me. Enjoy it, don't ask why and don't ask how. At first glance, the puppet looks as eerie as the moose head mounted on the wall of some American homes. The witty dialogues + colourful characters saved the story perhaps. An old chauvinistic deer anoints a hapless dole-eyed melancholic laboratory researcher to be the 'deliverer'. I would rather call him the delivery man. He is saved from disaster by two women, a gallant kendo expert and a history teacher who sounds like a museum headphone. Am I being sensitive? The writer seems to dig on the fact women are underemployed in Japan when they could do the job better.
We have seen enough of Tokyo and Kyoto on TV, but Nara is really new to me as a foreigner. Those glimpses of the old capital and archaelogical sites around Nara did stir my curiosity.
Ayase proves she is a comedian. Every move she makes reminds me of Hotaru. The deer steals the show whenever he encounters Ayase. Again, don't ask why, otherwise we all be wondering why couldn't they use Facebook to recognise each other? It could have solved all their problems.
Sometimes boring but
8 / 10
ester_grace · 11 Feb 2011
Sometimes boring but the mystery along the series made me couldn't stop watching.
jdoramadotcom · 1 Jan 2010
Earthquakes are rocking Japan, and it's up to a fledgling high school teacher and a talking deer to solve a "myth" that may destroy the country.
Sound strange? You bet, but once you begin to wade your way through the legend and symbolism, you end up with a smart, funny, and engrossing drama that has its share of near-classic moments. Hiroshi Tamaki (NODAME CANTABILE) puts in a performance somewhere between bafflement and deadpan comedy, while Haruka Ayase is more subtly amusing. Its post-modern flavor may interest David Lynch fans, but the cultural vocabulary is pure Japanese.
Blue Ink · 7 Nov 2008
It is a slow-paced drama, but boasts a brilliantly written storyline. The show starts you out knowing little about the significance of certain events and ever-so gradually introduces mysterious characters and plot twists that lead you through a sort of "guess what's gonna happen next" kind of thing. Even though the story unfolds slowly, it does so with grace and consistency. Not once did I ever feel that something was just "thrown into the mix"; every detail, character, and event has a purpose in advancing the story.
Esilabet · 4 Jun 2008
It was a very strange story, but I liked the unlucky fate part, I' sure everyone has felt that way before....
What was up with that ending??
4 / 10
jong hyun · 13 Apr 2008
Seemed to have some potential in the beginning, but overall was kinda weird. Maybe I have to go back and watch this with subtitles to see what I might have missed, but the ending really annoyed me. Also, after I finished watching this, I started watching Nodame Cantabile for the first time, and I couldn't believe how different Tamaki Hiroshi is. He's REALLY HOT in Nodame, and I barely noticed him when I watched this drama.