Koizora

....

I don't even know how to begin.

This series was so heartbreakingly sad. Zettai Kareshi has the happiest ending ever in comparison to Koizora, and we know how much that still upsets me. There is a pile of tissues next to me so large and wet that I feel confident that I could papier mache an entire life sized horse if I so wished.

I watched episodes 1-3 last night. I cried a little on 1, a little on 2 and a lot on 3.

I watched episodes 4-6 today. I cried a little on 4, and absolutely bawled my heart out during the entirety of 5 and 6.

I'm not talking little sniffles here, I'm talking full on heart wrenching sobs so vehement that even made my mum worry when she saw me (which quickly turned to exasperation when she realised I was crying at a TV show in a language that I don't even understand).

So, yeah. You get the idea. I cried.

Most of the other J-dramas I have watched always had the comedy element to them, where as Koizora didn't. It still had the cheesy predictability, and parts were almost too sugary to handle, especially the main girl's monologues constantly saying how much she loves the main guy, but the tragedy of the story itself evened the sickly parts out nicely.

From Google.

 
Its about a girl called Mika, who one day is suddenly kissed by a stranger, Hiro. Shocked, she tries to forget that her first kiss was stolen by going on a date with a boy in her class, but Hiro shows up and punches Mika's date to the floor, exclaiming that she belongs to him before dragging her away. He tells her that he likes her, but she wont accept him. Eventually, Mika starts to fall for Hiro, and they get together. Tragedy strikes, and Hiro acts like a douche and breaks up with her.  Years pass, and Mika graduates from high school and starts university, meeting and getting engaged to Yuu. After a chance meeting, Mika finds out the truth. She leaves Yuu and goes back to Hiro. They are happy.

I don't normally like spoiling things like this, but you know from the start from Mika's monologues that 'Hiro isn't here anymore' so I guess its not really spoiling it too much.

Connections. I like doing this the most when I post about my dramas! I mentioned before how Hiro was in Atashinchi no Danshi. Yuu was 02 in Zettai Kareshi and Akira from F4 in Hana Yori Dango. Mika's date was in Atashinchi no Danshi, (I'm not sure who, I think the guy who worked in the cafe and wasnt in the sauna, so a pretty pointless character. Ohhh but he is the brother of Mine from Nodame Cantabile). Hiro's dad was Shuji's dad Nobuta wo Produce and the teacher in Hana Kimi. [Hiro's best mate was in Gokusen 3, and I haven't seen that series, but again proof that every drama has a link to Gokusen].

In general, this series emotionally wore me out, but I loved it. The story started out as a mobile novel, where chapters would be sent to people's mobiles as they were written, and became so popular that its been turned into two novels, a manga and a film as well as this drama. I'd quite like to read it, I hear its rather racy. I think I'll have to watch the film too, the guy who plays Hiro looks hot.

I would recommend it, especially to you, Faulks. Think A Walk to Remember, but with the sad bit that makes you cry going on for 3 hours.

So next is Samurai High School. I'm not sure on this one, it doesn't particularly appeal, but that might be just because my heart hurts too much right now. But it's the last one on my list before I go back to #1 on the ratings chart on dramacrazy.net and stop favouring the Japanese dramas, so why not. Hopefully it'll be more cheerful and heal my soul a bit. Ooooohhhh and I have just found out the main guy also plays Hiro in the film version of Koizora.

What did I just say?

IT MUST BE FATE.

<3 x

EDIT: (Wednesday)

I just finished watching the movie version of Koizora. I wasn't sure whether to just add it on to this post or whether it deserved one of its own, but I don't think I have enough new to say to warrant a whole new post, so you get this edit.

In many ways, the two versions were so different, but also so similar. Obviously the story was the same, but to me, in the drama version the sad times and the hard times were sadder and harder, whereas the film's happy times seemed so much happier.

In the film, the reason behind Hiro's douchery isn't revealed until Mika finds out, which kind of spares you the heartbreak of watching him watch helplessly while Mika unknowingly moves on, but also makes him out to be just a douche for leaving her with no reason why.

I liked how Mika and Hiro met better in the film, where he finds her phone, returning it in secret and then ringing her every night with out revealing who he is, so they get to know each other slowly before it is revealed he is the school delinquent. Its just so much sweeter than drama Hiro's stalk-fest with the whole 'never met you before but I'm going to kiss you then beat up your boyfriend'. 

Sure it was sad, but rather than the pile of tissues that the drama left me with, I have just one by my side from the film. I guess with a film there is less time to draw stuff out, as it didn't affect me so much this time around. The flower bed was the same location in both, which made me cry the first time I saw it even though it was a happy scene, just because it brought back all the memories from the drama.

I honestly couldn't say which one was better. The drama made me cry more, but the film made me smile more. The film didn't seem as sickly as the drama. The drama didn't seem any longer than the film, and the film didn't seem to miss anything out, despite the fact that the drama is three times as long as the film. 

I'm reading the manga now. I'm just not ready to let this go yet.