Be warned that this might be a long post...more of my bragging of Last Friends. Yes, i'm hopelessly in LOVE with this series. And here's why...


Ok, like we all know already, Last Friends has this thing with SYMBOLISM in the series, whether it's the cups they use, or the attire they were wearing in the opening song, or the significant RED RIBBON tying their hands together--->to show certain connections...? Probably.

Also, not to mention their LYING POSES---> look below

I tell you, EVERYTHING we see are HIDDEN CLUES that they so very well trying to give off piece by piece...and letting us figure this whole thing out. You may say that we might be thinking too much about these trivial things. Maybe at the end of the day, they don't really mean anything---> but seriously, this series is really very very symbolic in its very own manner. I've never really watched any series like these before, using all these little things to reveal things to viewers. Well, OBSERVANT VIEWERS would catch what they're trying to tell us.

Sorry to say that i'm rather ignorant when it comes to these, but i did notice the whole opening session, and a lot of things went through my mind. And the cups too xD They're actually VERY VERY INTRIGUING and interesting if you pay more attention to them.

Gosh, i just wanna say how much i LOVE this drama. In such a long time, i've never watched such an interesting one like this. Well, i really loved Shotgun Marriage before this, then there was 1 Litre of Tears which was such a tear-jerking show, then what else...i did follow quite a few others, then there was Hanakimi which was just for eye-candy and pointless, yet adorable comedy alongside with Nodame Cantabile, recently.

But they're not as intriguing as this one. At least, this is from my POV. I'm sure this won't apply to most of you, maybe. Since our tastes might be different but again, i wanna point out, LAST FRIENDS is by far, one of the most interesting series for me.

I LOVE how they tackle real life issues like DV *domestic violence* although i have to say that i wasn't that fond of the whole Michiru vs Sousuke scenes especially in the first few episodes till around ep6 maybe, when they shift towards Takeru vs Ruka. YES, I Love Takeru and Ruka here. Call me bias but these two characters are like the CORE of the show, although i admit that it was Ryo who initially lured me into watching this. But his character is just pretty minor. but he might be involved in the whole *who died in this series thing*. yeah xD

Also, i LOVE how they talk about serious cases like sexual harassment and sexual abuse *probably* in Takeru's case. These are not comedy stuffs. And not to say that i don't like comedies but after watching too much comedies lately, what's with Nodame and all...i'm kinda deprived of INTENSE, SERIOUS, NO CRAP TALKING SESSIONS and this brings us to LF. Did i ever mention that i have this thing with Psychological Movies/ Series, but of course, i'll see if those movies are worth watching first or not though. I don't just watch everything.

Ah, how i love and crazed over Girl Interrupted, not so long ago.

Ok, back to the story.

And ALSO the fact that they insert characters like Ruka, who until now, everybody is still DEBATING whether she's a TRANSGENDER or LESBIAN or GENDERQUEER. this is kinda funny i know, but they're really debating about this over in forums like d-addicts and jdorama. And i'm just interested you see, reading their thoughts and comments, they even have real life lesbians and such who shared their thoughts. this is amusing! * i have nothing against these people, bear this in mind...just that i'm not, well never really exposed to this kind of talk/issue before so i'm intrigued*

Transgender
and below an excerpt from wikipedia as well explaining briefly what's Queergender.

QUOTE FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Genderqueer

Main article: Genderqueer

Genderqueer is a recent attempt to signify gendered experiences that do not fit into binary concepts, and refers to a combination of gender identities and sexual orientations. One example could be a person whose gendered presentation is sometimes perceived as male, sometimes female, but whose gender identity is female, gendered expression is butch, and sexual orientation is lesbian. It suggests nonconformity or mixing of gendered stereotypes, conjoining both gender and gayness,[35] and challenges existing constructions and identities.[36] Genderqueerness is unintelligible and abjected in the binary sex/gender system.

Honestly, after reading these....i still couldn't really differentiate a transgender and a queergender. Seriously, i am confused. T.T But ah...whatever la...she has as revealed in one of the episodes that she has Gender Identity Disorder anyway. So let's stick to that.

Her character's shall i say, brings different types of reactions of all kinds to viewers/fans. I for one, is somehow confused by this right now. At first thought, i actually thought that she's just a tomboyish fella who has this strong sense of protection towards her best friend, who on the contrary is a weakling * Michiru admitted that fact herself* and someone who likes to tag along like a helpless puppy, someone who needs to depend on people around her, soft heart, and therefore...Ruka's appearance in her life just seems so so...CONVENIENT you know. That was what i thought right before THAT KISS at the END of EP 1. Which was the uh... FIRST SHOCK FACTOR in this series.

Let me just point out that for japanese series, the only female-female kiss *peck on the mouth only though* don't get excited over it, since it's not like french or stuffs. @_@ that i have seen so far in Japanese movies is in NANA where Mika Nakashima did the exact same thing to Hachi. Again, both of them are best friends. But of course in NANA, it's very clear to us that Nana *mika nakashima*'s character is actually pretty straight since she has a boyfriend. So let's just assume that the kiss was just something like a friendship thing. I think this is pretty common and not surprising in western culture, but here in Asian countries, and a country like Japan, which is pretty conservative, shall i say that... having shown this kind of scene might give a little shock to viewers who don't see it coming. I for one, was quite taken aback...i still remember the first time i saw her leaning forward, i was like thinking " omg is she really doing it?" The rest is history. Watch it yourself. but i don't really find it THAT shocking, i kinda had the feeling this series is gonna have that, it's just that i never expected it to happen that fast in first episode itself. but GREAT JOB by UENO JURI. *thumbs up to her* for that particular scene. In an interview before, Masami mentioned that the most memorable scene for her was THAT ONE, where Ruka after seeing tears streaming down Michiru's cheek while sleeping, kisses her. am i the only one who finds this bit of info interesting? I hope not. xD

Ah well, then people are saying she's lesbian. Now here's my POV. After watching this up till ep 7, i think her character is someone who...sees herself as GENDERLESS, i mean, is that a right word to describe her role even? What i mean is that she doesn't see herself as a particular gender, therefore, like we've seen in previous episodes, she had asked her Senpai to not see her as a female, but as a mere racer. And she also mentioned to Takeru once, that when she was in the air during motocross jumps, she felt like just a * THING* floating. JUST A THING. *that kinda equals to genderless right?*

So i think when it comes to love, she doesn't care whether the people around her are girls or boys, i mean, the person she falls in love with,she likes a person, regardless of gender, and apparently it turned out that the person she likes just so happens to be her best friend, Michiru who is a girl.

Okay, phew...such a long post over something i'm not even so sure about haha xD But her character's interesting, so what's wrong with discussing it? I'm so free atm, it's holidays for god's sake. And i'm bored to death.

It's pretty obvious who my fav character is by now, right? But really, i think her character is pretty difficult to portray, and again, i'd like to say that Juri really did a great job here as Ruka. I really hope she'll grab some award for her magnificient job. If Masami got a Best Actress for this role, then Juri shouldn't have any problems getting Best Supporting Actress / or any of the likes. Well, Ruka is a Supporting Role, right?

Another person i really liked in here is none other than Eita-san as Takeru. Now, Takeru's problem has something to do wtih sexual abuse *most probably* from the hints given so far. The way he's paranoid over having normal relationships with girls, the way he FREAKS OUT when Eri kissed him, is enough to show us that he SUFFERS FROM REALLY BAD TRAUMA in the past. Which had something to do with his sister. I won't be surprised if it turned out that it's his sister who harassed him when he was younger. But i do find that a bit on the disgusting side. but these things happen in real life anyway.

See, that's exactly why i LOVE this series! It's touching on issues like these, giving us the POVs of these troubled characters, their emotions, and it's a bit controversial too! It's a great step for the screenwriters to come up with stories like these. With all these messed up characters. so PERFECT.

oh, back to TAKERU----> I friggin adore him in here. Eita did an excellent job here as the uh...feminine guy haha xD I mean, look at his past works in Nodame or say, Tokyo Friends! SO DIFFERENT!!! He's a great actor. He executes the role of Takeru almost perfectly and i'm so so convinced by how he carries that character. Takeru is a person who people around him would find comfort in, people with troubles will find it easy to confide in him. Thus, we see how Ruka and Michiru are always at ease when discussing their problems with him. He's like a bin where people just practically pour out their worries into. One of the best scenes was when Ruka was just harassed by her Senpai and suddenly broke down in front of him, Takeru's action is so TENDER and CAREFUL! Damn, i still find it so memorable! I love how he recognizes Ruka's change of attitude, and how he carefully sits beside her, but still keeps a fair distance, coz i think he remembers well how Ruka explains she wants somebody to like her but still keeps a distance from her, as if respecting her as a person.

He's a very THOUGHTFUL PERSON! And then as Ruka explains and breaking down in front of him, you can see his tears welling up in his eyes, so damn concerned, and then he was like...shifting his seat closer. Then he pauses a while before saying that he will put his arms around her. I mean, normally, people would just put their arms around the other person, as a direct instinct, but in his case, he sees Ruka as a very precious person that he respects very much. And only after Ruka nodded, he gingerly places his arms around her back. I don't know why but i find that particular scene very touching. Takeru is a person you just can not NOT LOVE, i tell you.

Wow, i really took my time babbling away with these people don't I?



Look at Takeru's LONGING EYES watching Michiru and Ruka---> so damn close together.

Oh, and look at this caption i took from ep 3 where Ruka is training in gym, look at her shirt. Like someone pointed out in d-addicts forum, the shirt says

We are an Impossibility in an Impossible Universe

Is that a reference to the Ruka/Michiru's relationship? I don't quite get the quote, really.
ah, the cups they use in here.

Okay, i think i did my share of ranting about my TWO FAV CHARACTERS in this series. But ah, screw it, let's talk more about the others.

MICHIRU
Like i mentioned before, i am not very happy with her character being a weakling, even if that's how her role is supposed to be. For Masami, I have only seen her once in Nada Sou Sou, which i think is a pretty good worth watching movie, but i'm more impressed with Satoshi Tsumabaki in there than her of course. Masami was fine as the *again* adorable, weaker little sister of his in the movie. She was convincing though in there. But didn't really leave much impression to me.

After that she was in Proposal with dear Yamapi, which i didn't get around to watch. so maybe i'm not in a position to criticize her acting skills here after only seeing her in like ONE MOVIE, and this series. Sometimes, i have the feeling tat she's forcing that friggin wide smile over her face. I'm telling you, it's a bit annoying at times. It's as if that's the only thing she can do, and i'm not THAT convinced with her crying scenes as well. Ah, maybe i just have this thing against her.

Well, Michiru---> i hated her. I despised her a lot before this. Basically because of how IGNORANT and DUMB she is. *I'm talking bout her character, not the real person* HOW CAN SHE POSSIBLY BE RUKA'S BEST FRIEND and YET NOT SEE OR AT LEAST TRY TO UNDERSTAND HER?

That's just absurd. Seriously, she might as well better off as a total foreign person to Ruka than being called as a best friend. As much as Ruka understands her, she seems completely CLUELESS about her. Even until ep 7, she's still friggin clueless! That's one point why i despise her in here.

ERI
a loveable character. I've seen Asami in firstly this movie called Shinku, where she played an independent tattooed bartender, but ironically, a victim of Domestic Violence of her boyfriend. Does this ring a bell to anyone? Well at least she had that SPUNK in her looks when she's playing that bartender. Like flashing the * don't you dare screw with me* look. xD She really looked fierce okay and convincing.

Then she was in Iryu 1/2 which i didn't know she was in until i watched the thing and realized her existence. Her screentime in Iryu is pretty short, and so attract much either. She's playing a Scrub Nurse in there.

Then, i saw her again in Nodame Cantabile. Alongside dear Eita-san and Juri-chan. I'm telling you, they're like magnet! They stick together and appear in series together, which i don't mind at all coz i love them three. Well, more of the later two though.

Oh, Eri is a character who...is like BUBBLY, CHEERFUL, and the one that just CHEERS EVERYBODY UP. She's happy-go-lucky, she gets LOUD when she's drunk and just loveable. but her character is someone who can't afford to live alone. That's why her sign in Solitude. She's afraid of loneliness, seclusion. So she practically tried to get everyone together. But i'm somehow worried that at some point, she will BLOW UP due to her accumulation of emotions. Like she's keeping the worries inside her and not pouring them out might be a bit too risky for her. So, will she stay happy till the very end of this series and continue as the cheerleader in the share house or she will break down in the end?

but you know something...she's STRAIGHTFORWARD. There was this episode where she just blurted out that Ruka likes Michiru, and then there was another scene where she mentioned how Ruka took care of Michiru like a *guy*. See what i mean here? She sees things right through people and even though she seems all carefree and that, she actually understands things people as BLUR as Michiru just don't see, even when it's right in front of her friggin eyes. Talk about friendship, i seriously think Eri is a better friend to Ruka than Michiru.

OGURIN
Ogurin is like the SIDE COMEDY FACTOR in this series. He's just there to make things look cheery and bright, alongside Eri. He might have something to do with Eri's problems later on, who knows? But for now, he's like the only one that brings the light side of this DARK series. I've never seen this actor before, i don't even know his name, thus he's not that important, but i'm glad they put such a character in there, at least the series won't look all GLOOMY and DEPRESSING.

^^

I did ramble on and on, don't I? I do that when i like something very much. That's just what i do.

Maybe tomorrow after watching ep 8 i shall continue this.