but the longer nakai-kun's solo gets, the more beautiful my hair becomes

[dictionarysays]

the title has nothing to do with the post itself but i love goro and i have serious must re-watch s.m.a.p. urges to deal with |D

So I've been wanting to write this entry for like a week now, but then got busy and started it then stopped and erased it  but then heretic encouraged me and that sort of worked because I think we might have similar feelings or smth and I want someone to rant with either way so there's that. And I still don't know how to organize my thoughts into walls of text so I'm just gonna' hope for the best here and let it all out, lol. 

I'm also totally still running off my raging feelings from last night after watching episode 4 and the preview for next week and the terrifying implications and omg IF THEY DO WHAT I THINK THEY MIGHT DO I'LL JUST STOP. 

Which works as an awesome segue for me to say that I have a thing for male camaraderie in harrowing situations, so like really, nankyoku is Pretty Much Catered To Me, but at the same time, if I'm totally honest, there's really only three reasons I'm still? watching it and their names are:
Himuro, Hoshino and Shirosaki-sensei.
I have such strong feelings for these men, I don't even know where to begin. The way I immediately attached to Himuro probably surprises me the least because I'm sorry, characters who start out cold but clearly have a reason for it usually traumatic that's slowly revealed throughout the series and who you just KNOW have a heart and tease you with half-smiles and assholery in the beginning are my weakness. I obviously also ship him and Kuramochi in a very much bromance way, and can't wait to see how their relationship will play out and how it'll change while they're over there which is one of the reasons besides the obvious why that preview terrified and angered me and better not end the way it looks like it's going to end, I don't even care if they have to do something impossible and miracle-like. /derailed He also just has some of the most hilarious moments and I think he's so cute and it's underplayed because we're still getting to know him and he's still all 'I'm an observer, bitches' like that scene in ep. 3 where Hoshino's looking at the map and Himuro keeps trying to grab it but fails every time and bawww, it's so cute. And having him played by Sakai, who I'm so used to seeing smiling and being a general adorable human being? It was ridiculously weird at first but now I just can't wait for the character growth every episode and the layers being constantly peeled. ;AAA; /there's a dirty joke there that i'm not touching just because

When it comes to Hoshino, first things first, I can't believe they managed to make Kagawa look that old. I always have at least one moment every episode where I'm all, jfc kagawa, they made you over good. So okay, yeah, I also may have biased feelings for these two too, but I don't think that matters all that much. It's more to do with Hoshino's quirky adorableness and how he's always one step ahead of everyone else but probably a lot more and how he just knows things and the only way he'll tell you is by smiling those cheeky grins of his and looking at you all wide-eyed and glimmering behind his glasses and honestly, he is the epitome of the wizard archetype for me most of the time. Which sounds weird to me too because I haven't been in grade 10 english for years, but that's what I keep getting from him and I've been calling him wizard in my head since episode 1, so yeah. I think he has the sort of stability the other guys aren't able to find in their selves, and yeah, it does tie back to Shirosaki entrusting the crew to him as well, but I think he's a generally really solid guy. And he showed Einstein around Kyoto. That attests to his awesomeness enough. <3

Now Shirosaki's special. One, because he's barely in the show as it is my god, do I wish there was a way he could've stayed back  with the boys and two, I'm immediately moved when he's on the screen. I don't have the I've-seen-him-in-other-stuff excuse that I could sort of use like the other two and even I don't really get why he's had such an impact on me, but I do know this. He has so many feelings to give to his crew and I believe that everything he says and does comes from a genuine and soft place inside of him and I can't help but cry every time he talked about the boys or he was concerned or he entrusted the crew to Hoshino on the ice with water in his eyes when you knew he wished he could be there too or when he saluted them goodbye with probably all the love and respect he could muster up between all his tears and uggggh, he's just so touching, 'kay? ;AAAA; And he's this older man who I guess might give me grandfatherly vibes? but I don't think it's that either. I think it's more the true sincerity he's exuded since the beginning and how much he believes in this project and the boys and how he puts that altogether to make some really pretty moments and a great character. 

Uhhh, character-worship aside, lol, it's more the drama itself that I've got qualms with. I mean, it's TBS' 60th anniversary so I get that it's a big deal and that they pulled out all the stops for this one and I'm in total awe and want to give big ups to everyone who worked on it. I'm not doubting all the stupendous work that went into it, I'm having more issue with how predictable it's being. Tbh, I'm a little sad that Kuramochi isn't really one of the reasons above, especially since I'd been all, 'Whooo! Kim+toque+doggies!' when I'd heard the news. :'D  

ALSO, I WANNA KNOW IF I'M THE ONLY ONE OR WHAT but is anybody else feeling like nankyoku is similar to karei-naru? idk if it's because of the narrator who I'm totally positive is the same narrator from the latter, but I haven't checked mostly because I don't want to get hooked into watching the entire series again and then getting my soul beat up repeatedly. Even though you're my favourite drama karei, that doesn't mean I like being abused! at least not all the time. Or maybe it's the way that everything that could go wrong does but with a twist of fate or more like because of Kim ;D they're saved until the next time the script decides to go all circular on us. That scene in ep. 2? where all those workers came to the rescue to help build Soya was totally ripped from karei and no one can convince me otherwise~

See? This is what I was worried about, being all over the place and not getting what I wanted across and making misunderstandings and siiiiigh. Despite the fact I say all this, I'm still too-excited every time an episode's released. 

Oh! I'm also not behind Miyuki/Kuramochi AT ALL. I don't have a problem with Ayase, since I don't follow her enough in the first place to really have much of an opinion on her anyway besides the random SxS episode or other variety show I've seen her on, and I shipped her with Ryusuke like you wouldn't even believe in Mr. Brain so it's nothing personal. I just really can't get behind sister and brother-in-law ultimately getting it on. For one, isn't it disrespectful to his late-wife why have there not been any Nakama/Kimura scenes yet?! aka Her Sister Who Died? It's been like, what, 10 years since the war? So it's not that I'm saying Kuramochi shouldn't move on or anything, but the circumstances make me uncomfortable enough that I can't ship them and would rather she ended up with Himuro if, you know, he doesn't end up with me :9 instead. I bet the show will do smth to illustrate Nakama's blessings from beyond, show that she approves and make them getting together look good and then I will roll my eyes/shake my head/pffft more than usual and be pissed for the rest of my days. As long as they don't do that 'til the very end. I don't want them ruining the rest of the episodes for me. 8|

I'm really hoping they focus in on some of the other crew members soon. I want to know other people's stories too. There's like 11 of them and we really only know anything about 4? That ain't right and I'm having trouble with a lot of their names which could totally be rectified if I had a reason to be attached, so I'm thinking the later episodes will be doing some of that and if not, I'll be really disappointed. :/

Since I didn't really touch on it yet and I should, predictability is my biggest fault with nankyoku. It's a little eye-rolling whenever smth dangerous! happens and srsly, how many more bad things can happen? The last 4 episodes alone have had fires and ice breaking off and blizzards etcetc. That's pretty jam-packed if you ask me. Also, Kuramochi being the hero all the time makes me head-desk sometimes, NGL and makes the predictability that much worse and just, guuuh, I know that you're awesome Kimura but do you have to jump into everything first? It's also a lot more melodramatic than I thought it would be I think. I was expecting it to be, true, but I guess on top of the predictability, it's sort of a bummer. I'll still finish it though and wait eagerly for each release and cry whenever the drama tells me to because it's good at turning my faucet on, but I'm going down kicking and screaming if I have to, lol.

Is it weird that I kind of feel like a bad person? idk why that is, well, no, that's a lie, I know why it is; I feel like my thoughts about this drama aren't as generous as the ones I've read or sortofbutnotreally talked about with friends on my flist and that almost completely explains why I've been procrastinating this. 8|;; But then again, that's what I love about fandom so much, that we can have all these different thoughts and ideas and have a place to hash it out and it's no fun if everything's rainbows and apple pies all the time anyway. Right? |Db

I think I'm done vomiting for now. I really just needed this entry to happen so I could wrench this stuff out, ahaha.

I'm totally open to and encourage any and all opinions/rants/flails/HDUs below. <33

Comments

[hereticpop.livejournal.com]

i should be writing a response paper for tomorrow's class, but i don't wanna~ so i thought i'd write one here instead. 8D

Himuro, Hoshino
YES, and my third reason is Kuramochi/Himuro because honestly. i actually shipped them in a bromance way at the beginning, but around the 3rd ep i was already so fed up with this drama that i started to ship them in a very sexual way to entertain myself it worked. if they get Himuro killed, i'll be ripping the veins out of my wrists with my teeth. and yes, Sakai Masato always seems like such a nice guy, i was surprised how convincing he is as an asshole. i share your sentiment about Hoshino too and this! And he showed Einstein around Kyoto. That attests to his awesomeness enough. <3 the best ever. <333

and that's probably all the good stuff as far as i'm concerned, everything else... everything else about this drama makes me constantly want to rip those veins out and it has to be pure masochism that keeps me watching still. the predictability! the melodrama! the nationalistic propaganda! the inspiring speeches! [counted 1 per 30 minutes for the first 2 eps, then stopped counting] the tears! [i'll be the first to D'AWWW at the man tears, particularly if Kimu's involved, but THERE'S JUST TOO FUCKING MUCH. give me at least one ep without watering eyes, please!] I CANNOT ALL THIS. i suppose it wouldn't be all that bad if they accumulated all the aforementioned in final eps, that would be to be expected, but couldn't it develop gradually, for fuck's sake? do they have to overload every freaking episode with these things? I CAN'T WATCH IT SERIOUSLY THIS WAY.

I have a thing for male camaraderie in harrowing situations
YES AND MORE YES. which pisses me off even more because it could've, could have been such a great drama, the setting is perfect [i really like that they've been focusing more on the crew than the dogs so far] but they just so royally screwed it with the predictability! melodrama! the dramatism, emotionalism, pomposity, i don't even know how to call it! the sugar-coatedness! the man tears everywhere! ugh, won't their eyes freeze if they'll keep on crying in -30 C all the time?

but is anybody else feeling like nankyoku is similar to karei-naru?
NO, DON'T PUT THIS THING ANYWHERE NEAR THE FLAWLESSNESS THAT IS KAREI NARU yeah, kind of, particularly the first ep. because of the narration and the workers too. not much else, though, sadly. but it does make me want to go re-watch Karei Naru as soon as possible, to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth that Nankyoku leaves.

i did think that Miyuki/Kuramochi were cute at the beginning, now i want both Kuramochi and Himuro to come back and marry her and for them to live a happy threesome life. no, i wouldn't be projecting my own fantasies here, would i? in other words, i totally don't care about the-late-wife-that's-barely-mentioned-anyway. but,
I bet the show will do smth to illustrate Nakama's blessings from beyond, show that she approves and make them getting together look good and then I will roll my eyes/shake my head/pffft more than usual and be pissed for the rest of my days.
ohgod, i can see this happening. D: this is gonna be another vein-ripping moment, if it happens.

Kuramochi himself is... i don't know. i sure am biased as hell is wide, and that's probably the only reason i even care about him, his typical hero character comes across so blah next to the other, more interesting characters. makes me think he's only there to be cute and heartbreaking [it's like he could be one of the dogs, seriously], which in turn annoys me, because it's just bad scriptwriting again. basically all the flaws of this show are due to bad scriptwriting, because everything else is great, the cast is great, it's so well-made, it's clear that a lot of work was put into it - why does it have to be wasted so badly?

my only hope is that it still might get better. unless they, you know, KILL HIMURO OFF. IN WHICH CASE THIS IS JUST A SHIPWRECK SINKING STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM. ♥

so do you still feel like a bad person? XD and those gifs are way more beautiful than this drama deserves.

[dictionarysays.livejournal.com]

I love you in ways you don't even wanna' know this post was totally worth it.

You've pretty much summed up so many of feelings in a better and more bitter way that i don't think i would've been able to manage completely on the post because i'm self conscious like that, lol, so i was waiting for your comment instead so i could let loose all the ruder things i wanted to say here XD;;

i started to ship them in a very sexual way to entertain myself it worked.
I've been trying not to, without much success tbh but I'm not admitting that lol, just because I really don't want to resort to writing fic about them or smth because it'd just be so easy to and again one of those restraint and should-work-on-unfinished-shit-instead sort of things. But I looooove their budding dynamic and c'mon now show, WE NEED THEM TO MEND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WHICH MEANS HIMURO CAN'T DIE. I will file very official-like complaints if he dies. No, srsly, I'll learn kanji, and then proceed to die once they've all been sent. 8|

I may or may have not wished Himuro was the lead more than a couple of times too and felt bad about it.

But uhh, the point I was trying to make was that YESSSS, take away those things and I would've dropped this a long time ago, ngl. And I'm one of those people who like, when they drop things keeps saying they'll return to it eventually but in reality never really does, heh.

the predictability! the melodrama! the nationalistic propaganda! the inspiring speeches! the tears! I CANNOT ALL THIS.
ESPECIALLY THOSE LAST THREE WHICH I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY MENTION BUT JFC YES. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with these things when they're scattered about in reasonable amounts and you know, over a space of time. But here, like you said, this shit's forced and funnelled into every nook and cranny they can get And Then Some. TBH, considering the way the rating's seem to be going, I sort of get the feeling even the Japanese audience isn't really feeling these things and ofc on top of all those other things like target audience, other airing dramas, etcetc. but i wouldn't be a bit surprised if this UNNECESSARY OVERLOAD was some of the reason. Omg, the man tears, I still cry since there's only so much I can do, I'm weak and human and whatever, but it annoys me to no end when I do unless it involves Himuro or smth.

But exactly! It had so much potential before it started airing and we were hearing all these things and sure, it's still epic outside of these things we've mentioned, but it's not great and really now, how did that happen? How do you make a group of men working together on a big ass iceberg for a year and all the tensions sexual or not and camaraderie that would grow out of that NOT be amazing? Gdi. Maybe it would've worked out better if it was a silent drama instead. /snark has become one of the most effective weapons won't their eyes freeze if they'll keep on crying in -30 C all the time? Guffawed like mad and this is the most valid point yet. <333

I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY FOR ATTEMPTING TO PUT NAKYOKU AND KAREI NARU IN THE SAME ENTRY BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY FLAWFREE DRAMA IS OBVIOUSLY FLAWFREE Re-watching karei naru after this is all done might be the only light at the end of the tunnel at this point.

Hmm, polygamy you say? At least I wouldn't have called it and i'm all for fantasy-projecting 8DD. I'm kind of a little curious about Kuramochi's marriage though, or more like surprised they haven't really touched on it yet and I guess anything that doesn't put Miyuki and him together |D;; I srsly ship him with every other person on the show and idgi - why does it bother me that they're in-laws and clearly have feelings for each other, etcetc? I'm sure it's not as weird back then for them to marry and whatever then I'm making it out to be, but I'm also making it a bigger deal than it needs to be so I'm just going to sit somewhere else and look forward to Kuramochi/Himuro instead.

only a little more

[dictionarysays.livejournal.com]

Me not giving any real damns for Kuramochi probably makes me the saddest about this entire thing. He's just too flippin' heroic for me here, which isn't any different troupe from his usual but wow, no. It's too much. I hate that he's always being called when something's gone awry (which is like what, every 15 mins?) and guhhh, too many speeches that are supposed to tug at our heart strings and spur us into believing in smth again and it's like he could be one of the dogs, seriously is a scaryscary realization. D: And I'm quoting you again because what is it with this otherwise could've-been-beautiful drama getting jipped because basically all the flaws of this show are due to bad scriptwriting?

It's just a big ass shame.

IF HIMURO DIES THIS DRAMA DIES AND THAT'S THAT.

Looool, I'm just so happy to have been graced with your existence, what with you bringing out the best in me and all see: all this!. I only made gifs of the people I thought deserved it. P:

/man, ranting's so cathartic

this may be less coherent than usual due to severe hangover but let me try

[hereticpop.livejournal.com]

don't feed the rabid animals with love, it'll only make them bark louder. ♥

on the other hand, thank you thank you for this post, 'cause i'm too scatter-brained to make my own yet but i really needed to throw these feelings up somewhere [and keeping on whining to people who enjoy the drama just doesn't feel right].

OH GOD I feel the very same, right to the should-work-on-unfinished-shit-instead. D: although at the same time it amuses me how i can't figure out what it is exactly that feels kind of wrong about writing this fic-we-won't-be-writing about them. it's not like i wouldn't want to spoil the drama for myself, it's spoiled enough as it is, ha. anyway, i went as far as asking for spoilers for the 5th ep [feeling so dirty right now] and i am almost 100% assured that Himuro won't die, 'cause it'd be too obvious if they kept hinting at it for two eps and he did in the end. plus that would leave Kuramochi broken beyond belief 'cause you just know he'd feel guilty for the rest of his life and then it'd be hard to continue the story? /telling myself all these things makes me feel better, okay

you shouldn't feel bad about wanting Himuro to be the lead, though. :D i wouldn't mostly because he has this kind of supporting character shadow that makes him cool that i don't think would work the same way if he was the lead. like, there has to be Kuramochi the hero for Himuro to contrast? kind of thing.

And I'm one of those people who like, when they drop things keeps saying they'll return to it eventually but in reality never really does, heh.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RETURN TO THE RUINS THEN ANYWAY? i suffer from being one of those people that never drop a drama no matter how bad it gets, so i'll keep watching even if they kill all the other characters and Kuramochi will be left with Japanese flags flapping in the wind, crying his tears for the whole last episode. /sigh

at the beginning i really thought that the reason why i don't like it is because i'm not the target audience [in this case: i'm not Japanese] and the Japanese audience will probably be able to relate to the patriotic feeling better and appreciate it more. the dropping ratings really surprised me and now i don't know anymore who this drama is supposed to cater to. MAYBE THE HUNDRED JAPANESE FLAGS IN EVERY EPISODE HAVEN'T BEEN IN-THE-AUDIENCE'S-FACE ENOUGH? MAYBE THEY SHOULD'VE WRAPPED KURAMOCHI IN ONE TOO FOR GOOD MEASURE?
[oh wait, i have an idea of what it would look like...]


patriotic stuff, no matter the nation it concerns, has never particularly appealed to me and now i'm starting to realise that the reason might be because it never seems to be done in a subtle way. and Nankyoku takes the lack of subtlety to a whole new never-explored-before level. or wait, i think communist propaganda might have explored these levels earlier

and yet it makes me cry too. and every scene that has the dogs hurt makes me suffer. I HATE IT SO MUCH.

How do you make a group of men working together on a big ass iceberg for a year and all the tensions sexual or not and camaraderie that would grow out of that NOT be amazing?
THIS, THIS IS A GREAT MYSTERY TO ME. the ability to screw and throw away so much potential must be an amazing skill. because IF ONLY the characters were acting like, you know, men, and not a bunch of Catholic schoolgirls in an educational Sunday morning tv show. [no offence to real life Catholic schoolgirls, of course]. ahaha, i had thought that too, that a silent drama could work better, or maybe i should just watch it without subs, but then there would still be so many bad things conveyed without words. like tears. D: and ikr, it is my valid concern. -20° C already makes me cry with the cold, i shiver every time i imagine how cold it's supposed to be there, and didn't Shirosaki-sensei's tea or whatever froze when they were arriving? THAT IS NOT AN ENVIRONMENT TO HAVE YOUR EYES WATER ALL THE TIME IMHO.

and way too long too

[hereticpop.livejournal.com]

Hmm, polygamy you say?
dammit, why did you just give me another idea? considering how that would be kind of illegal for the three of them to marry, they would have to emmigrate back to Antarctica in the end and they would live a happy life there with the dogs [which don't die, because i say so], fishing and hunting penguins and climbing mountains or whatever makes these men happy, and if they lost the fugly blue snowsuits and Kuramochi wore grey fur and Himuro wore black? WORLD WOULD BE A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. /totally carried away
i'm surprised that the wife hasn't been mentioned much yet too, i thought she was going to be a bigger factor for Kuramochi [maybe she will be later]. but i agree that there is something not right with the fact that they're in-laws, i thought about it before the drama started, it just doesn't give me the wrong vibe while i'm watching. could it also be that i have a thing for Kimu's incest love stories? heh. and it's also interesting that there's this additonal Himuro/Miyuki thing and i'm curious how it's going to work out [or i would be if the scriptwriting was giving any hopes that it might be good...]

there shouldn't be anything new about Kimu's character being heroic, but in Nankyoku it just seems that there isn't anything else to him. and i get a feeling that so far, we've been told about his amazingness more than we've been shown. like you said, he's being called whenever something happens, like a remedy to all evil, but has there really been a reason for that? he's more interested in his dogs and his own private dreams, why do the other crew members respect him so much? the script is clearly using the Kimura charm and the projection people have of him even before they get to know the character, but that leaves a lot of illogicalities in the character's construction.

it's just so sad.

BUT HE WON'T DIE, HE WON'T DIEEEEE. DON'T DIEEEEE, HIMURO. D:

i don't know how trashing dramas brings the best in you, but I AM HAPPIER ANYWAY, YOU MAKE ME FEEL LESS LONELY AND BITTER WITH ALL THOSE NOT-IMPRESSED KIND OF EMOTIONS. my love for you is the only thing that has my brain working enough to type today. ♥ probably forgetting half of the stuff i wanted to mention, though

/it issss, and a great pastime too ;p