Waterfall & Wings Version 1

I think tis the season for "specials". Was looking up the TV rankings for this week to see how Zubari 4hr special did and was surprised to see sooo many other "specials".

#1 Some V6 10th yr anniversary special 21.0%
#2 Zubari 4hr special 20.7%
#3 Some Nakai Masahiro (SMAP) variety special 20.4%
#4 Sasae-san (anime) 19.9%
#5 Some parody of Kouhaku Singing Competition 19.8%
#6 SMAPxSMAP special extended deluxe autumn edition 19.7%
#7 Some 3hr special variety 19.3%
#8 All-star thanksgiving (music?) festival 19.1%
#9 Another thanksgiving special program... 18.3%
#10 Another Nakai Masahiro's variety show special edition 18.1%
#10 "Haru to Natsu ~ Todokanakatta tegami" (1) 18.1%

Yoshitsune is ranked at #19 this week with a rating of 15.7%. But anyway, look at that list! Just how many "specials" are there?? Is it a Japanese thing to air all the (extra long) specials when summer turns to autumn?? And the top 3 all have Johnny's artistes in them... hohoho~ They really just dominate the industry don't they? Not just on TV but every single male celebrity poll, no matter what category, Johnny's artistes will almost definitely fill up at least 60% of the names. This JE jimusho is really.... tsuyoi.

"Haru to Natsu"~ I've been RUSHING home to watch it everyday since it started airing on Sunday... GAWD!! why do they show on consecutive days at 8pm?? So early.. and the timing is soooo urgh! I seriously have to really just throw down all my work and exit my office by 7pm no matter what to make it for the show (which results in a piling workload -__-;;;) and the repeats are at even crappier times... Saturday mornings???? Program schedule aside, the drama is quite nice. It's really touching, thou i felt it's a bit propagandish too. Kinda like reinforcing the Japanese national identity. Or rather, the Japanese "race".

The story is about two sisters who meet each other again after living separated in Japan and Brazil for 70 years. In 1934, Haru and her family emigrated from Hokkaido to Brazil. Haru’s younger sister Natsu, however, was left behind in Japan because of an eye disease. 70 years later, Haru visits Japan and locates the whereabouts of Natsu but the younger sister, who thinks she was abandoned by the family, rejects Haru. After a while, the two find out that both wrote numbers of letters to the other though the letters have been left undelivered to the addressees. Through the discovered letters, the sisters learn each other’s life; Haru lived in Brazil as a member of an immigrant-laborer family surviving various difficulties while Natsu lived in Japan through the Second World War and postwar economic growth depending on herself and managing a business. The drama portrays the separated sisters’ lives full of ups and downs as well as their family ties, asking the meaning of “homeland” and “family.”
- taken from NHK Premium Website

NHK-W is also airing a documentary at the same time about Japanese immigrants in Brazil and how they try to preserve the Japanese culture and spirit down the generations... I shall try to catch the repeat on Thurs and see if it is propagandish too... Tsubasa acts as Mori Mitsuko's grandson who follows her to Japan to look for the lost sister. Mori Mitsuko is the sister that went to Brazil so that's why Tsubasa is a Brazilian Japanese. Thou i read somewhere that the term "Brazilian Japanese" does not exist in Japan. The Japanese do not acknowledge Brazilian Japanese, nor American Japanese, nor Korean Japanese... If you are not a Japanese Japanese, then you are not a Japanese. Haa~ Am i making sense? Hard to explain... but the Japanese like to believe that they are a homogenous and pure race. Oh well, if that makes them happy.

Anyhoowww, Tsubasa in "Haru to Natsu"... ... ... ... ...

Yvie is right. It's some syndrome where we just cannot take him seriously in any drama. Me and Carolyn just burst out laughing the moment he appears. Gomen ne, Tsuba-chan~ He looks so unnaturally dark in the show!! Aiyaya... and chotto eto....fleshy ne. But he looks much better now, thank goodness. As for his performace, yappari... dancing is his forte.

*runs away from Tsuba fans*