40 posts tagged “takuya”
This is how Taku looks in his ongoing drama, except he's usually in a funny-looking plaid suit with a hat that makes him look more like a magician than a neuroscientist.
I need diversion from my frayed nerves, thoughts, emotions... whatever!
and this is the perfect antidote. Thanks GailT, saw this in your Twitter.
I prefer his look as the prime minister in CHANGE (why is it that the titles of Taku's dramas have to be in all caps?), but I would still want to watch this. And I'm glad the ratings are high.
Maybe I'll make my own random list since I'm bored (not necessarily in the following order):
Taku
XiaoMei
Momo
BaoLong
JieLun
Shota
JHJ
Yuta
and the list goes on...
I woke up early this morning for this.
This being the last episode, it comes full circle. Mojakura's students pay him a surprise visit in Tokyo. All the other important casts like Onoda and the campaign staff in Fukuoka all make an appearance. Ubukata, Keita's loyal ally at the Diet, even becomes temporary PM while he was recuperating. And of course, we have the highlight of the episode, Keita's 30-minute speech (I didn't watch the time but that was how Fuji TV hyped the finale: "a half-hour live broadcast") where he recalls his accidental foray into politics three months ago and ending, not only with taking responsibility for the corruption scandal, but going a step further and surprising everyone by announcing that he was dissolving the House of Representatives and calling for snap elections.
The romance between Keita and Miyama is played ala-HERO. Very subtle. Is this how Japanese do their courtship? Like you bow your head to your fiance and say something like "please take care of me"? But it's quite cute the way Keita held her hand as they stood looking at the facade of the PM's office.
And so we come to the elections. And that's where it ends. But Keita's message in his emotional speech resonates. Like how important your vote is. We always say that every elections. But do we really realise the significance of that? "Your vote can change politics and society," he said, adding that the power of the land lies on the people and not on politicians.
But I suspect that this is possible only in advanced, developed countries like Japan whose democracy has reached a certain level of maturity. Sure, there is still a prevailing patronage politics but the people know what their rights are and what is due them. They live their lives not dependent on dole-outs and politicians' "help" that in truth come from public coffers. For poor countries like the Philippines, can you blame those who gamble their vote in exchange for five hundred pesos? I'm not justifying that but that is the reason why Philippine politics is nowhere. And why are there still people living in poverty when the country has so many resources and its growth rate has been steadily growing? It's because of the people who run it and who propagate poverty to serve their interest. The poorer the people are, the less empowered they are, the more dependent they are on politicians. Look at European countries where people are empowered and are not dependent on the government, they have a system that works. What I'm saying is, let's not depend on our government for giving us a decent life. We have to fend for ourselves in the best possible and decent manner.
But I digress. Keita said that by calling for general elections, he is able to squeeze out the puss in politics. I wonder when we can do that in the Philippines?
At last, the finale's ratings topped the season's per episode record at 27%. Taku has been justified and he won the Drama Grand Prix for best actor. Like he said, he will make his critics eat their words. Mojakura hairstyle notwithstanding.
I'll miss Taku. I'll miss Hiroshi Abe's Niracci. I'll miss Team Asakura.
Things are falling apart for Asakura Keita as Kanbayashi continues to destroy him behind the scenes in episode 9 of CHANGE. Allegations of an 18-year-old corruption are brought up again, thanks to we-know-who, and Keita is forced to take responsibility. Onoda-sensei, his main supporter, was implicated and Keita was forced to fire him. Onoda (I liked this old man, his was a sympathetic character) announces he will quit politics altogether. Ahh, if only Filipino politicians caught with their hands in the country's coffers will do the same. Oops, forget I said that. Whoever gets caught for corruption in the Philippines anyway?
At the budget deliberations, Kanbayashi questions Keita on the corruption report. It makes me wonder, 18 years, surely this old geezer would have been involved in it also? If his former allies like Onoda were involved, what was Kanbayashi doing then? Wetting his pants?
Just as Keita is delivering his response--and I suspect he was about to say 'I quit as Prime Minister'--he collapses. His doctor has been warning at the start of the episode that his health is not good and he has been overworked. So now, it happened. He collapses just at the most crucial moment in parliament. How very convenient. Bloody scriptwriters! Cue melodramatic instrumental music. Please, don't do a Karei on us and give Keita a tragic ending.
Thank goodness for Hiroshi Abe's Nirasawa, the newly appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary (who's not even a parliamentarian; I didn't know this was possible) who seemed to be enjoying his new role. Niracci. That cracked me up. But even Nirasawa couldn't pull this episode out of the melodrama. But who's complaining? Ratings back to 22%.
It's not just about Takuya as Prime Minister Asakura Keita.
It's about idealistic bureaucrat Miyama (Kutasu Eri) who shapes the future PM but in the process is dealt with a a bitter realisation over the man she has looked up to as her mentor. Her breakdown scene with Keita was just touching although nothing still beats Keita's breakdown from episode 7.
It's about election planner Nirasawa (Hiroshi Abe) who has never lost an election except the first one, ironically, his own.
It's about the clumsy bodyguard Danbara (Ohkura Koji), fangirl Miyamoto (Kato Rosa) and the four snooty presidential aides. It's about scheming Kanbayashi, newly enlightened leader Onoda and the other politicians that crowd the Diet.
I's about idealisms that seem dead in the world of modern politics.
That's why when I saw Kanbayashi seemingly mellowing down after Keita talked to him, I was shaking my head--this doesn't happen in real life! I'm so glad it turned out to be a farce and that the teeth Kanbayashi bared when he smiled at Keita was not that of an old man impressed but of a shark gearing for the kill.
I can't wait for Team Asakura to show its force.
(And thank you for more Hiroshi Abe craziness. His scene with the wig was just hilarious.)
In episode 7 of CHANGE, Miyama tells Keita that she plans to resign after the supplementary budget has been passed in parliament; she does not tell him that she has been pressured by her former boss, the ultra scheming Kanbayashi, to quit.
Second, Keita's support from the Onoda faction has decreased as Kanbayashi bribes the MPs with the Chief Cabinet Secretary's "secret funds". (Hmmm sounds familiar.) This seriously imperils the budget approval.
And finally, Royousuke, the little boy confined in the hospital and who triggered Keita's inspiration to have a pediatrics item inserted into the budget, passed away.
Keita confronts Kanbayashi and is dismissed with "your usefulness has come to pass... write your resignation speech already."
Even Japan's Prime Minister, no matter if he is called Parliament Prince, can only take enough. He disappears.
What will happen to Keita? Will he resign as what Kanbayashi wants him to do? Will Miyama really leave him on his own? Will Kanbayashi succeed in his scheming, evil ways? Or will the good prevail?
PS: More scenes of Hiroshi Abe please... his Nirasawa has been given less and less screen time. In heavy scenes like in this episode (which went past 20% but returned again to 19% for episode 8), Nirasawa is much needed.
* spoilers ahead
Episode 6 of CHANGE focused on this. The government needed to pass a supplementary budget especially since it was nearing elections and most of the allocations were for public works.
As usual, Keita was being meticulous and insisted on studying it first much to Kanbayashi's chagrin. Meanwhile, his "relationship" with his secretary Miyama was being put under the spotlight especially when they were snapped sharing an umbrella (Hiroshi Abe's Nirasawa: "Oh look--while pointing excitedly to the lower right portion of the photo--that's my foot!"). The scandal grew in proportion when they were snapped again "hugging" during a reception at the French embassy.
Of course, behind all these is Kanbayashi who is getting more desperate as his "puppet PM" gets out of his shadow. Miyama's chance encounter with an old bureaucrat-friend leads to a sub-plot on how Keita wants to insert an allocation for more pediatricians (this sub-plot appears to be extending to the next episode based on the teaser) and of course, the finance department resists it. Naturally, everyone wants their share of the pie and no one will budge. His chief presidential aide, finally seeing that the PM is serious, begins to work for his side (only two more hardheaded presidential aides to win over!) and convince the bureaucrats at the finance department to revise the budget.
Politics won't be interesting without the opposition and the opposition leader happened to want additional budget for health services. Keita invites him to the most unlikely place to talk--the karaoke (I wonder if the song he and Miyama were singing was SMAP) but it appears that the opposition was just blocking the original budget proposal for the sake of opposing (hmmm sounds familiar) and in order to shift the power play at the Diet.
But before Keita could submit the budget for approval in parliament, he has to have it approved by the Cabinet, which is composed of appointees of Kanbayashi of course. Before he leaves for that crucial meeting, the chief presidential aide tells him that he needs a unanimous vote. He cannot submit the budget to parliament without that. So he advises Keita that should there be someone who opposes the budget to tell the person: "You are dismissed" (which Keita of course imitates in the meeting right down to the gesture--as shown in the screen capture above-- when he tells the communications minister that) and assume the vacant position. That way he can get people who oppose out of the way. He gets his Cabinet approval naturally but the parliament vote remains a question mark (it happens in tomorrow's episode).
Opposition leader goes to meet him to throw his support and Kanbayashi's former ally he had won over in episode 4 throws his support as well bringing with him 35 others. Both men were won over because Keita reminded them of their younger selves when they first started in public service.
However, Keita still does not have the required majority to have the budget pass parliament and Kanbayashi is not exactly resting behind the scenes. He recalls Miyama, tells her that Keita's time is over and he's planning to lead a mass resignation of the Cabinet and form a new one. He wants Miyama to work on that new committee.
Maybe because I could relate to the budget process that's why I found the episode gripping, remembering those days (and nights) that we had to stake out whenever the budget was being deliberated, going through the allocations (and the General Appropriations Act of the Philippines is even thicker than a phone book) looking for loopholes and controversies (pork barrel anyone?) and doing our own headcount on the votes. Maybe to most people, the episode was tedious and boring that's why its rating has gone down, now below 20%! Perhaps with Last Friends ending (wonder if Gokusen 3 has ended already), CHANGE will start to pick up. It's a pity if people don't watch because it offers a peek into what happens behind the august halls of the parliament, the wheeling and dealing. This is quite an idealistic drama, yes, but it could give us hope about our own politics. Or maybe not.
