'The hour' ~ an opus on democracy

I would say that BBC is always and without any doubt a marker of high quality when it comes to TV series. When I hear that they've made a 'War and Peace' with scenes that weren't in the original and seemed to the director to be implied by the author. Now I'm not going to say that BBC always creates only good things. But I'll say it like this: at least they're good at making series about themselves - British, Londoners, BBC members.

story and characters

I know, I know. Elder members uttering sheer philosophy like Dalai Lama are funny.

Boasting the progress of your democracy like a child is funny.

It all might be utterly funny if not for the fact it was not. With such believable characters, with this kind of story that does not leave you much time for breathing... Because they really got themselves into a great trouble, not being afraid of the consequences. It would be fuuny that by the end they all proved to be such brave men taking full responsibility for what they've done, which was not entirely a good thing, but for the fact that I could actually laugh when it was so serious and the characters were so dear to me already.

And I could possibly laugh when 90% of people in my country don't understand that

acting

I'll just mention that the series get mostly positive, or neutral feedback at worst, at least among those sources I've checked. Not that I checked them for reviews, rather for making sure whether the ending was really as ambiguous as I saw it, and therefore could be treated freely as I want... And I'll tell you that half the reason of the positive part was the acting. This is probably what I have to thank BBC for. Maybe except for Romola Garai. Maybe she was just a bit too unnatural for me.

But all of them were looking so real, so "50s".
And there was the cute Lisa Greenwood. And Oona Chaplin. God she's so beautiful... and real.

costumes, interiors, atmospere

Are the second half of what got this series so many positive review. Period drama? Gimme moar.

conclusion

I know this won't be a masterpiece considered to be one of a kind, but you know how I found it? In a list of some 10 British TV series worthy of watching. And I would recommend it like I did the other day to my friend: listen, there is a young brave journalist willing to change the world with his program, and there is a young brave woman fighting prejudice, and many other loveable people, young and not, a bit of a detective story and lots of serious questions.

And British accent. Yeah.

fits perfectly: Christmas lights

I know I should have put 'Christmas lights' here, because it's more into the topic, but I just can't lie to myself. My winter this year flows under the melody of 'Everglow'.

Yes.

'Mou ichido kimi ni propose' ~ and they lived happily ever after

So, I've heard such stories before, I mean stories from real life. However, a TV drama is supposed to go slightly overboard, because it's drama, you know. What happens when it does not?

story and characters

Sometimes I notice myself thinking in Japanese instead of English. When I do, I see no other explanation than it must be because the Japanese variant happens to be more convenient in that particular case. When I think of what I could say about 'Mou ichido', I recall the phrase 'atatakai katei', which means literally 'a warm household'. It might sound strange or at least too poetic, but that's what all Japanese vow to create when they get married. And it just crossed my mind that probably that's what the creators were aiming to show in the drama. By the way, in my opinion the Japanese language is rich in such poetic words combinations, and what's interesting, such words are not considered to be as poetic by the Japanese themselves as they may be by foreigners.

So, what we see during the 10 episodes of 'Mou ichido' is a story of several 'warm families'. One of them is the family of our Hero and his wife who lost her memories. The truth is, they didn't actually stop being a family even though they separated for a while. Another family is the family of the Hero and his father, and later his biological mother, too. The third family is the family of the Heroine, including her mother, her late father and her younger brother, and occasionally his 'cancelled' girlfriend. The fourth family is the crew of Mizushima Auto where the Hero works. The fifth is the library staff with whom the Heroine works. And all the families are so warm that it looks like an utopia.

On one hand, I was disappointed not to see any real development, because instead of some passionate reunion, all we see is how Kanako, the Heroine, gradually gets used to being Haru's wife. All that she was doing during the 10 episodes was constantly apologising for her not being able to recall something or saying something that could be perceived as rude. Of course, there was also an understanding sempai-like handsome guy who maybe possibly had some feelings for her but eventually turned into another wiseman helping the Heroine with a piece of advice every now and then, and of course there was your usual positive girl who set her eyes on the Hero but had to give up, and there was your usual 'reconciliation' with a family member, and so on. However, this dorama probably never aimed at being very original, nor did it try to show any romance between the Heroes. Rather, it emphasized the importance of family bonds. It's not a coincidence that Kanako's mother, one of the main wisemen of the story, or maybe I should say 'wise woman', when explaining her relationship with her husband, said that they could live happily together because she believed in her family, in that the family would always be there for her. And that is probably the main moral of the story.

acting

Even my mom, who just happened to cross the room, seeing Mr. Takenouchi for the first time, said 'he's one handsome man, you know'. And I cannot disagree. You just look at his smile...

I have actually seen him in 'Rondo', but it was such an unimportant drama for me that I've completely forgotten that I know this person. Unlike Takenouchi, Wakui Emi as Kanako seems an arguable choice for me. Her face was stiff and her intonations were poor, which is, on one hand, understandable, given the conditions her heroine was in, but I, as a viewer, prefer that actors express their inner world with their body language, not necessarily being overly emotional. And not all of the actors coped with the task.

I think, most of all I liked the actors who created the families. The couple who owned the car repair shop, Kanako's mother, and especially Haru's father were extremely impressive. I did cry when he died, I think I cried for quite a while. Even though I was expecting to see something different in this drama, Mr. Onodera created such a realistic warm household that I really enjoyed watching them.

music

I think I must stop waiting for any decent drama ost already. The only case was probably 'Hirugao', but it was an extraordinary case. 'Mou ichido' has a very sweet song by Juju which makes me sick. The background music is mediocre, with soft piano melodies when it's necessary to underline the tenderness of the moment, nervous melodies when the characters are in a pinch, and so on. Unlike full-length movies and anime, TV dramas seldom boast any good music.

conclusion

A very warm but somewhat boring drama. Well, if only Takenouchi's smile... awwww

Takarazuka monthly calendars. August ~ December 2015

Okay here they are. Including yet unpublished ones. It'll be funny to see them suddenly appear on Dec. 15th huh?