Shinsengumi! (2004 NHK Taiga)

[sangmin]

whos seen that show its so interesting and its funny! it comes out on sat on ch.18 at 9:00. whosever seen it for the past two weeks please tell me what happened

[EDIT] - Edited the subject name to distinguish it from a previous Shinsengumi series that aired on TV Asahi. --- groink

[ahochaude]

sangmin wrote:

whos seen that show its so interesting and its funny! it comes out on sat on ch.18 at 9:00. whosever seen it for the past two weeks please tell me what happened

Are you speaking of the Taiga drama Shinsengumi?
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[Akakage]

I think it's shinsengumi. I've been following it through episode 8 from NHK.

[ahochaude]

Akakage wrote:

I think it's shinsengumi. I've been following it through episode 8 from NHK.

heh, you guys have it in Indonesia already?

We don't get it until the 23rd (March) in Hawaii.........................


-Is it good?!
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[The Man]

Anybody KNOW how long Shinsengumi's supposed to last? I got reading I gotta do .

From my point of view, BMWRacer's Musashi synopses alone make him a trustworthy assessor of Taiga dramas. And, while I do appreciate his comments (mostly bad ones) on this second Shinsengumi series, being that it's a Koki Mitani production and, when you think about it, that the tale of the Shinsengumi is open to interpretation -- I mean, for starters, compare the previous Shinsengumi series' treatment of that one episode concerning that gay, efficiently lethal samurai with 1999's Gohatto (A.K.A. Taboo, featuring Tadanobu Asano, Masuto Eve, Uno Handa, Koji Matoba, Ryunei Matsuda, Yoichi Sai, Shinji Takeda [do I get the award for "most mentions of Shinji Takeda by a posteur in a single week," or what?], Beat Takeshi, Hazuko Yoshiyuhi, et al.) -- perhaps this current series is worth a look past its initial episodes.

Indeed, perhaps the reason why we've been deluged with Shinsengumi TV and movies so recently (over, what, 10 years?) is BECAUSE it's a story that's just dying (pardon the pun) to be told in different ways.

Yeah, can't wait for it to show here on the aina.

[bmwracer]

The Man wrote:

Anybody KNOW how long Shinsengumi's supposed to last? I got reading I gotta do .

Aren't the NHK Taiga dramas pretty lengthy? It could be another year-long series like Musashi...

Quote:

From my point of view, BMWRacer's Musashi synopses alone make him a trustworthy assessor of Taiga dramas. And, while I do appreciate his comments (mostly bad ones) on this second Shinsengumi series, being that it's a Koki Mitani production and, when you think about it, the tale of the Shinsengumi is open to interpretation

Thanks for the props, but I can't take that much credit... It's just that I've seen and read various Musashi movies/stories over the years, so I'm pretty well versed on that topic... I don't know diddly about the Shinsengumi story, and this series seems to be tongue-and-cheek about it, so...........

[ahochaude]

ahochaude wrote:

-Is it good?!

Just watched it last nite. Too much slapstick.

(IMO)IT SUCKS!!!!!!! *raspberry*
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[Akakage]

ahochaude wrote:

heh, you guys have it in Indonesia already? We don't get it until the 23rd (March) in Hawaii......................... -Is it good?!

Directly from NHK ...cable TV! woo hoo!

Good? yeah..got so many HOT HOT GUYS!!!!

[The Man]

Too slapstick? No way, this show is good.

I actually don't know where to start, this show is so good. I gotta watch this show again. I GOTTA WATCH THIS SHOW AGAIN.

There's a lot . . . I don't think I've ever experienced a Taiga drama like this one. Or any drama, in fact.

You'll be amused and yearn to see why there are so many Assistant Executive Officers in the Shinsengumi, how few other samurai shows (if any; oh, I take that back. Samurai Fiction did a good job) make us smile -- or laugh -- and shake our heads when a Shinsengumi officer addresses how his fighting style also makes him eligible for a night of drinking, too, how fighting over robes and armor, how "insult[ing] Edo food" can lead to opportunity, how a statesman waxes Japan's future and its options while the Star Spangled Banner plays in the background, all fits. The fact that you have a premonition it all will (despite what you know previously about Shinsengumi) is a great thing.

I'm not embarrassed that I didn't get all of the names once they were introduced because this drama shows how an ensemble cast should be part of the whole production. There are things going on all the time in each scene and you really can't take your eyes off the show for one second, and the best thing about that is you don't want to take your eyes off the screen once you start watching this show. Indeed, the writers of this Shinsengumi must have HBO as this show reminded me of curt dialogue and involved mood that The Sopranos similarly accords.

There is a better sense of camraderie in this rendition of the Shinsengumi than the previous one (which, while great in its own way, made those guys look like they were working in an office or something).

I make no apologies. There is a lot to look at and take in and, above all, ENJOY when you're watching this show. Doesn't hurt that Battle Royale alumni are part of this show, too. I GOTTA WATCH THIS SHOW AGAIN and it's a great thing that KIKU-TV in Hawaii's gonna show this program twice a week (Tuesdays and Sundays).

[groink]

The Man wrote:

Too slapstick? No way, this show is good.

Interesting! I did capture episode 1, however based on the previous comments about the series, I thought it wouldn't be worth the higher resolution MPEG-2, so I ended just capturing it to MPEG-1. I'll probably capture the entire series in MPEG-1.

--- groink

[Itazura ichiban]

We're watching KTSF in San Francisco, and a show called Shinsengumi is on, but it's not particularly funny. Guess it's an OK taiga, but after Musashi, sorry... hard act to follow, you know?

[MixxDreamer]

my friend is telling me about this, is this the one with jo odagiri?? i have a feeling they play this on saturday.. sheesh to think that my mom hogs the tv all the time whenever im home over the weekends
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[Akakage]

MixxDreamer wrote:

my friend is telling me about this, is this the one with jo odagiri?? i have a feeling they play this on saturday.. sheesh to think that my mom hogs the tv all the time whenever im home over the weekends

Yup..he's in taking the role as a spy.

[thetenken]

Itazura ichiban wrote:

We're watching KTSF in San Francisco, and a show called Shinsengumi is on, but it's not particularly funny. Guess it's an OK taiga, but after Musashi, sorry... hard act to follow, you know?

Well, a serious Shinsengumi drama probably would've been great (more like Mibu Gishiden). I had such good expectations for the series, until I heard Shingo-mama was going to be Kondo. Then I had a very bad feeling... =)
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"...but it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it's all we have left in this place. It is the very last inch of us...but within that inch we are free." - V for Vendetta

[bmwracer]

Itazura ichiban wrote:

We're watching KTSF in San Francisco, and a show called Shinsengumi is on, but it's not particularly funny. Guess it's an OK taiga, but after Musashi, sorry... hard act to follow, you know?

Good point. Very good point.

[bmwracer]

thetenken wrote:

Well, a serious Shinsengumi drama probably would've been great (more like Mibu Gishiden). I had such good expectations for the series, until I heard Shingo-mama was going to be Kondo. Then I had a very bad feeling... =)

My thoughts exactly. If they played it totally serious, I would've bought into it, but the funny business and silliness turned me off.

[Uchiha Potato]

Isn't shinsengumi a famous samurai clan? I hear this clan name all the time in various animes. Just curious to what exactly it is.

[The Man]

I'll offer the following and the know-it-alls can derail or enhance mine explanation:

The latter part of the 1800s saw Japan in turmoil: amongst the shock introduction of foreign element (the U.S. [black, ships, Commodore Perry, et al.], yeaaaaaahhhh!!!!) into Japan after centuries of it not having occurred, there were: 1) samurai that wanted to put the emperor back into power by beating down the Shogun; and, you guessed it, 2) there were samurai that were down with the Shogun.

So, lotta evil, murderous stuff was occurring all over Japan at that time . . . and you'd be a damn fool if you were to commit some o' that wanton violence in Kyoto because, if this wanton violence were liquor, then the Shinsengumi'd be Kyoto's equivalent to 1920s Chicago's Eliot Ness and the Untouchables because the former kept the peace there. They had light blue robes and banners and an unforgiving slash of violence to identify them.

The Shinsengumi were for real. There were hundreds of 'em.

[Akakage]

I'm totally suck with history..hehehehe.. Then again I quite enjoy this drama.

[bmwracer]

The Man wrote:

I'll offer the following and the know-it-alls can derail or enhance mine explanation: The latter part of the 1800s saw Japan in turmoil: amongst the shock introduction of foreign element (the U.S. [black, ships, Commodore Perry, et al.], yeaaaaaahhhh!!!!) into Japan after centuries of it not having occurred, there were: 1) samurai that wanted to put the emperor back into power by beating down the Shogun; and, you guessed it, 2) there were samurai that were down with the Shogun. So, lotta evil, murderous stuff was occurring all over Japan at that time . . . and you'd be a damn fool if you were to commit some o' that wanton violence in Kyoto because, if this wanton violence were liquor, then the Shinsengumi'd be Kyoto's equivalent to 1920s Chicago's Eliot Ness and the Untouchables because the former kept the peace there. They had light blue robes and banners and an unforgiving slash of violence to identify them. The Shinsengumi were for real. There were hundreds of 'em.

That sounds pretty damn good. Anybody wanna recommend a book or two about this group?? Or maybe another series/movie about this clandestine group?