http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnbj7eY7OAo

SMAP x Kubota Toshinobu performing LA LA LA Love Song and Koi no Ame. I really like both songs but SMAP....doesn't seem to understand singing in key or harmonizing here. Aside from Nakai, I like their individual speaking voices though.

I get good vibes from the theme song

ep 1 - the only surprisingly entertaining moments were by "Min" ....

tabemonster wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnbj7eY7OAo SMAP x Kubota Toshinobu performing LA LA LA Love Song and Koi no Ame. I really like both songs but SMAP....doesn't seem to understand singing in key or harmonizing here. Aside from Nakai, I like their individual speaking voices though. I get good vibes from the theme song

Wow they totally butchered La La La Love Song. As for Nakai, his singing voice is just horrendous.

One of these days SMAP will be singing and dancing and they will all collapse from lack of energy and power to stand up any longer. They work these guys to death.
They all do so many things beside the SxS weekly show. They all do dramas. They have other TV shows weekly and Kimura does a weekly radio show.

Plus he is the busiest one with CMs. Shingo Katori was doing a musical in New York last September and during that time the others arrived and they had to do singing /dancing commercial for cell phone... this being done in the early hours when Shingo was not on stage. He did the show again back in Tokyo.

They work well together and apart and for the last twenty years...Now I call that something special for five guys. they must be doing something right on or off key..

Peg

Finally today I got the episode 1 of Moon Lover with English subs. It made me change my observations about this altogether. What was a hectic rush through messy looking Shanghai, and furniture jammed space in new shop, has cleared up just because I understand what they are saying.

Kimura looks great and now I understand why he is not smiling and why he is so selfcontrolled in the scenes. He really is a hardbitten business man. He wants everything done yesterday. He is very apt to remove everything and tell the contractors to do it over from top to bottom. He gets it done his way. He can fire someone with the most courteous words and the icecold demeanour.
The Chi Ling(?) actress is not as frantic as I thought although I still think she overacts somewhat. Other cast is good and we will see more of them from now on I hope. Had enough of just Ling lady.
It's going to be an interesting seven episodes I think.

Peg

^^^ It's only going to be seven episodes?!

Takoyama wrote:

Wow they totally butchered La La La Love Song. As for Nakai, his singing voice is just horrendous.

Well, good thing his emceeing skills are the best in the biz.

tabemonster wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnbj7eY7OAo SMAP x Kubota Toshinobu performing LA LA LA Love Song and Koi no Ame. I really like both songs but SMAP....doesn't seem to understand singing in key or harmonizing here. Aside from Nakai, I like their individual speaking voices though. I get good vibes from the theme song

The theme song sure is catchy!

Thanks for the linky! Soooo entertaining, hahahhaha I featured this video on my blog, btw.

Re 7 eppies, yep, just 7. When the drama details were announced (last month I think), the press release did say Fuji TV would pare the episodes down to 7. (Sucks, I know ) The production costs (further bloated by the fat paychecks of the all-star cast and Lin Chi Ling's hotel expenses while filming in Tokyo etc. ) can only be recouped by the network if the episodes are kept to a minimum -- and that's already factoring in a projected 20++ % ratings pull. (Probably the same reason why MR. BRAIN was also kept to 8 episodes.)

tabemonster wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnbj7eY7OAo SMAP x Kubota Toshinobu performing LA LA LA Love Song and Koi no Ame. I really like both songs but SMAP....doesn't seem to understand singing in key or harmonizing here. Aside from Nakai, I like their individual speaking voices though. I get good vibes from the theme song

Thanks for the link.

Shinohara Ryoko looks so good... at the end. I did not think she is so short though.

I think you are right... singing in key does not appear to be a priority with SMAP. I always have a huge disconnect watching SMAP the group versus KimuTaku and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi as actors.... probably the best in the male actor category in Japanese Hollywood.

Nevertheless, I always find SMAP immensely entertaining in the Kohakou Uta Gassen every New Year's Eve. Perhaps the last one when they sang/danced the Michael Jackson memorial dedication as their best ever.

I look forward to this Jdrama with impatience... please subbers don't hesitate.

i think this drama is good but that Mei Xei whatever girl is annoying for some reasons
_________________

Watched episode 2...still not sure about this one. I'm not annoyed by Xiu Mei but I've been bored by most of her scenes so far. If it's really a 7 episode drama than it feels like the plot is moving too slow. The previews for episode 3 did promise some change though.
Wanting to see more Shinohara Ryoko, Matsuda Shota, and Kitagawa Keiko

The scenes they have given to Chi Ling are too much. She is not a good actress and she does not move me in any way. There is no substance to her whatsoever even tho she does a lot of screaming and crying and fighting. It's all very amateurish. Even her kissing scene with Kimura was cold and dull. Of course Rensuke was still playing the game so he was still in his role very nicely. What a wicked guy he is.
I am glad that episode three is now turning more to Meimi and her scenes with Kazuki(?) were charming I think. This also seemed to give Rensuke pause, but not enough to call jealousy or concern as yet.
Anyway if they concentrate more on the business operations and let Chi Ling fade away I think the ratings will climb again. Fuji must be thinking they put too many of their eggs into one very expensive basket with Chi Ling.

Peg

watched ep 4 .................
Xiu Mei is rather charming............
Can't stand Masemi flicking at her hair all the freaking time...
Rensuke is just soooooooooooo detached...What is there to believe????????
no wonder the ratings

i'm still hooked to this drama despite the fact that so far rensuke is going after xiu mei since there are lots of things to look forward between resuke and maemisan
i'm sad for how things are turning out for maemi but what can we do if rensuke is in love and xiu mei is too kind and vulnerable to look at to be hated. don't you agree?
BUT! i know there is an explanation about the 4 coins...its not the water strider that xiu mei is talking about but something else that only maemisan knows PLUS the constant staring at the moon by maemi and rensuke. IF there is no meaning to that, then this drama is worthless. AND i don't think the writers want us to be sad in the end. i have high hope for the rensuke-maemi moment.
i appreciate maemisan's maturity... i hope rensuke will start to think and feel like that as well. sooner.......

^ Shouldn't you be using the spoiler tags?

I don't think we need spoiler tags..at least not yet. This drama is so fragmented even in the fourth episode. Maybe after the fifth episode there will be things that need covering up. Right now we are not enthused about this drama too much because it is too vague.

Peggy

We're watching it as it gets the english subtitles (so I can understand it, my better half speaks Japanese). It's been okay. The writers have tried to make Kimura look like he's a tough, mean, non-inclusive type of boss. But his real self slips through and he laughs during some very 'tense' scene's and they keep them in the show for whatever reason. The Chinese angle is different but entertaining, guess Japanese producers are looking for a larger market. Story could be a bit tighter, more refined, problem with so many strong characters in a story and great actors/actresses. Ryoko S. is always enjoyable to watch, her expressions are great, and she's very attractive.
_________________

What do you think about the new Kimura Takuya drama"Tsuki no Koibito"?I'm currently watching it but I'm not so sure about the storyline...........

Please use the Search Engine before starting any new threads.

Merging.

This is probably the most unsubstantial story line in any drama Kimura has accepted. I understand at first he was reluctant. He should have gone with that. This drama is so chopped up, and after six episodes the plot is bobbing around like several corks on the ocean.
It is unfortunate that they put Chi Ling in such a large role with so much dialogue. She can't speak Japanese and it gets very irritating to listen to her speaking a sentence one word at a time with long pauses. In the story she is supposed to be learning the language but it is not a good ploy to have an actress who really cannot speak the language at all. Plus she is a terrible actress. Chi Ling is a model and does that very well. She is not an actress who can carry a long important role.

Kimura is quite capable of playing his role whether he likes the character or not. Also he has Shinohara and Shota who are expert in dealing with any scene. the japanese cast is solid and really carry the drama. If it is true that it has only seven episodes I don't know how they will sort it all out and give a satisfactory ending at all. It's a mystery to me and it certainly is not a 'Love Story' as was stated in the post production advertising.
I await the seventh episode with some scepticism. I still adore Kimura thank heaven. roll on the concert season.

Peggy

So... OK.. I've changed my mind quite a lot about this drama. It has gained some weight at last and mostly from clever and tempting writing to engage the audience. Also because Kimura is such a darned good actor and he has kept his role in good control and is only now showing all the changes, without any grand histrionics. How does he do that I wonder... but it is something he has mastered over the years. His eyes speak paragraphs.
Now we are all waiting to see just how this story will work itself out. It really has become a great drama to talk about and we are all on d-addicts having at it with vigour.

Peg