47th NHK Taiga Drama: Atsu-hime

[gaijinmark]

bmwracer wrote:

I think she develops the Theory of Relativity as well... Around Episode 45.

Actually Ryoko Shinohara did in Haken no Hinkaku in her spare time between fixing a stuck elevator and working as a master sushi chef.

[bmwracer]

gaijinmark wrote:

Actually Ryoko Shinohara did in Haken no Hinkaku in her spare time between fixing a stuck elevator and working as a master sushi chef.

No surprise: Being a preeminent physicist just doesn't pay well enough.

[Kijinnmaru]

At least three major characters and the narrator say "finally" in the last episode. Even they think the story's been dragged on too long without going anywhere. And what was with the "Battle of the Ninjas" music in the end when Atsu-hime was heading to Edo Castle?

[Itazura ichiban]

I don't know, but that "Broadway" style theme gets on my nerves. I expect O-hime to break into song.
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- Douglas

[curio]

Althought the pace of this dragged on at first, I do find atsuhime to be quite endearing. It doesn't have to be all blood and battles to show history. I seriously thinks it's not a bad representation of what goes on during that period of time. some might want a more grandiose storyline involving atsuhime in some major conflicts.
But seriously given the time period, being a female, the only way she ever gets to get involved is to get married to the top. But even so she doesn't have any real power in her hands other than trying to voice her opinion in a very limited & controlled way.
Footnotes can show a different perspective of history. Just look at how many classics best in describing daily life and happenings of ordinary people.

[ralphm1999]

curio wrote:

Althought the pace of this dragged on at first, I do find atsuhime to be quite endearing. It doesn't have to be all blood and battles to show history. I seriously thinks it's not a bad representation of what goes on during that period of time. some might want a more grandiose storyline involving atsuhime in some major conflicts. But seriously given the time period, being a female, the only way she ever gets to get involved is to get married to the top. But even so she doesn't have any real power in her hands other than trying to voice her opinion in a very limited & controlled way. Footnotes can show a different perspective of history. Just look at how many classics best in describing daily life and happenings of ordinary people.

With apologies to the history purists who cannot let themselves enjoy this,
since I'm not a history buff, I can and do enjoy the heck out of this drama. I don't care in the least if it's not true to history. I like it for the acting, scenery, story and naturally Aoi chan. Give me more like this forever. Yippeee.

This has all the elements of a true above average hit... beauty - yheaa, superb acting, great enchanting costumes and scenery, a poignant romance, an interesting story line and hopefully a happy ending....

[Kijinnmaru]

The general disappointment here has nothing to do with blood and battles. In fact, I was looking forward to Atsu-hime from the previews. Thought it was going to be a nice alternative centered around court life. The biggest complaint is that nothing happens. You can miss whole episodes and not have to catch up. Take episode 18 that just aired. They announced her marriage in the beginning. The remaining 45 minutes was little more than all the "good-bye, we'll miss you O-Atsu" scenes. This has been the series so far. Just a few minutes of actual plot and the rest of the episode is time-filler. The only historical issue that we've complained about is their portrayal of Atsu-hime. Yeah they want her to be the new-age 90's girl to change the status-quo, but it has to be 1890's, not the 1990's. What next, Atsu-hime coming out in a miniskirt kimono?

ralphm1999 wrote:

With apologies to the history purists who cannot let themselves enjoy this, since I'm not a history buff, I can and do enjoy the heck out of this drama. I don't care in the least if it's not true to history. I like it for the acting, scenery, story and naturally Aoi chan. Give me more like this forever. Yippeee.

This has nothing to do with history purists who won't let themselves enjoy it. There is no drama in this drama; that's the problem. What do we know about Atsu-hime? She's doing everything because her mother told her a little story about the role everyone plays when she was a kid. She's become stronger because she's been waiting in the lap of luxury. There hasn't been any conflict or action that defines or shapes her. The one chance they could have used for her to do something, anything, they wasted. When she met the Lord of Mito, they could have had her gain his favor with intelligence and skills of negotiation that can serve her later during the Bakumatsu. Instead, he blows his top, screams, then all of a sudden it's "but I like that" - a convention straight out of Disney Channel movie. Then you have other major characters. As far as we know, Saigo is nothing more than the dowry errand boy. Komatsu is a cry-baby that finally grew out of it and celebrated by crying. And Okubo is the keeper of the Magical Beans. This is fine for one or two episodes, but we are a third of the way through the series.

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This has all the elements of a true above average hit... beauty - yheaa, superb acting, great enchanting costumes and scenery, a poignant romance, an interesting story line and hopefully a happy ending....

I must be getting a different broadcast than you. The only thing I've seen is the enchanting costumes.

[ralphm1999]

Kijinnmaru wrote:

I must be getting a different broadcast than you. The only thing I've seen is the enchanting costumes.

Hmmm. I watch it on KSCI.

Jun on another forum watches it in Japan on her local channel and has much the same reaction as I do.

The costumes are just elegant and must have a cost a fortune to design and make. If you like nothing else then just looking at the kimonos is worth the watching.

[Itazura ichiban]

I asked Toshi about the kimono and she said "meh". I guess she liked her furisode and uchikake better.
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- Douglas

[harriet]

You know I rarely get involved in all the hubbub on this forum, because it's like a little clique that doesn't really want to let anyone in who doesn't follow the party line, but my husband and I are watching Atsu-hime, and I thought I would comment on the recent critical remarks with my own personal "take" on the show, but more important, my husband's. We don't get taiga drama in New York City, but a kind and generous friend in California sends it to us, so we are up to the point where the princess has left to marry the loony shogun.

I watch every Japanese dorama I can get my hands on, but Jake is a fairly serious person, with a scholarly approach to many areas of interest, and his junk viewing is sci fi, not romance or sentimental stuff.

He is an avid student of all things Japanese, but especially the period around the Shogunate and everything samurai. In our apartment, a samurai movie is on at least twice a week, and we collect not just Kurasawa movies but every serious Japanese movie we can find. No yakusa, no anime, we read no mangas.

In the last couple of months, Jake has read a huge novel about Musashi, a biography of Saigo Takemori, Kyoto...a Cultural History, and Warriors of Medieval Japan. He has brought home documentary DVDs about the history and culture and background of samurai culture.

When he agreed to watch Atsu-hime with me, I was a little surprised. The first episode came on, and within minutes Jake had paused the disc, produced a map of Japan, and proceeded to tell me the whole history of the Satsuma area, the rebellion, the reason for every division in the country at the time, the fact that the isolationist policy was about to be challenged...he knew every name, what everyone had done, but of course he had not heard of the princess.

My point? Jake LOVES the show, and so do I. Sure, we mock the musical crescendos by pretending to play violins. We know it's sentimental and melodramatic and moves at a snail's pace, but it's a great drama, brilliantly acted, with a fascinating slant on a historical period we find compelling. We can't wait until each new disc arrives, and we make it a special occasion when we watch. If someone as serious about history as my husband likes it, I don't understand two things. Why you guys, who obviously also have a great interest in and knowledge of this period can't lean back and enjoy the drama and the spectacle and look to future episodes to get things going at a faster pace. We all know the famous statue of Saigo in Ueno Park, which we've seen everytime we've gone to Japan, and we know he's not going to remain a buyer of wedding finery forever, but why can't the dissatisfied crowd understand that the drama is building? My other question is, if you don't like it, why don't you just turn it off and watch something else?

[Anime Dad]

Although i'm only 3 eps in and finding the story a little hard to follow, i'm really liking it. I haven't seen a taiga drama before so have nothing to compare it to though.

Harriet, you should call in at Jun's forum. We miss you there

[Kijinnmaru]

Given my history as the only conservative here, I guess no one can accuse me of following the party line of the forum. We all like or don't like certain things for our own reasons. We've long established that strict historical accuracy isn't a criteria for quaility. However, the liberties they take shouldn't break the immersion. In Atsu-hime's case, their choice of how to portray her does exactly that. While the acting itself is good, it makes you feel something is out of place. And in the end, it's only a small reason for the disappoinment. We're suspending disbelief; they shouldn't be forcing it.

Quote:

My other question is, if you don't like it, why don't you just turn it off and watch something else?

You answered your own question:

Quote:

and look to future episodes to get things going at a faster pace.

While many have given up on the series, I chose to gave it a fair shake. I had it recorded while I couldn't watch and came back to it. But after a third of the series, how much longer should one wait for the series to pick up? Will it pickup? Will it grow out of it's children's tale atmosphere? It is the job of the filmmaker to get us to watch, not our job to endure until it hopefully gets better.

[Itazura ichiban]

harriet wrote:

My other question is, if you don't like it, why don't you just turn it off and watch something else?

We like it, or I do anyway. That doesn't keep us from being critics.
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- Douglas

[bmwracer]

Itazura ichiban wrote:

We like it, or I do anyway. That doesn't keep us from being critics.

Exactly.

[Geezer]

Why do I keep commenting on this Asadora in Taiga clothing?

Because I've really enjoyed the Taigas that I've seen, and I'm very sad to see them move in this direction.

I started with "Genroku Ryoran" ten years ago and since then I've watched every episode of every Taiga that's been shown in San Francisco. (Yup. Even "Yoshitsune") "Atsuhime" would have been my tenth.

But after what... 18 weeks, I've finally forced myself to stop recording it.

I'd continued to record it out of pure habit but this week I remembered to reset the timer.

I find it sort of telling that the folks who spend the most time defending this show either never watched a Taiga before... or disliked the ones they'd seen before.

Again. I do not begrudge the fans of this show their enjoyment of it.

It's great to find a show that you really enjoy.

Conversly... it's kind of a drag to have a genre of shows that you've really enjoyed taken away.
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what Graffiti is to Art

[Itazura ichiban]

Taiga dorama are Japanese history lessons made by the Japanese government mouthpiece (NHK). What we expect them to be is immaterial.
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- Douglas

[ralphm1999]

Another superb episode last night. I am so glad that the writers have deviated from the boredom of pure history to enhance this drama with a great story line and make it so enchanting.

Jun on another forum posted this link which is a superb description of life in the Edo castle which fleshes out Atsu's environment.
http://www.lesleydowner.com/journalism/secrets-of-the-shoguns-harem/

Click on button to reveal/hide spoiler:

Is the nutty shogun not so nutty after all? According to history he was, but I like it better that the writers are creating an atmosphere of suspicion as to his mental state. It wont upset me if they make him into a great brain trust type guy. History in a drama is always better with some creative enhancement. ne?

[Kijinnmaru]

Itazura ichiban wrote:

Taiga dorama are Japanese history lessons made by the Japanese government mouthpiece (NHK). What we expect them to be is immaterial.

Well I was kind of expecting them to put some drama in a drama, and to keep what little story they had at an adult level. I know they wanted to get the younger crowd watching, but why did they write this targeting the pre-teen audience?

[Itazura ichiban]

How is this targeting pre-teens? They need something to watch, too, don't they?
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- Douglas

[Kijinnmaru]

Itazura ichiban wrote:

How is this targeting pre-teens? They need something to watch, too, don't they?

Just some humor on my part. Simply commenting on how puerile the writing for the series is. The story, and how they deal with everything, is on the same level as something on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel.