Monday, January 31, 2011

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 1

Ep 1 O.A. 16 Apr 05 2100 - 2224
Ratings: 16.0%

Simply breathtaking...I mean the scenery. It's hard to believe that there's such a beautiful place where the sea is so clear and the entire place so serene. One thing I'm starting to worry about is whether this drama will bring a tourism boom to that island. It's better to leave things the way they are since many people around may spoil the tranquility but I would definitely want to visit this place if I have the chance. Just by admiring the scenery, it's worth my time spending more than an hour watching the debut episode.

Narumi Riko (i believe she's a newcomer) is pretty good as Ruri who is a complex mix of emotions. The curly hair she has at the beginning makes her look so mature and you would never believe that she's just 11 years old. She did not perm her hair like that just because she wants to be rebellious but rather her mother used to have this hairstyle and she wanted to be like her. Although Ruri can be rather quick-tempered, she's very kind at heart and would feel upset when Yuzo (Ogata Ken) cries for her or sprains his foot while chasing after her. She's not as bad as she seems but her rebellious behaviour is just to cover up her insecurities and protect herself from being hurt again. Just as what Ruri told Yuzo, she did try to throw tantrums like a kid and seek attention from her mother but it was of no use. As such, she has no choice but to force herself to grow up so as to protect herself. It's quite sad for a child to feel that way where she should still be pampered by her parents and doted on. In addition, much as she tells herself that she is trying to erase her unhappy childhood by leaving her mother, she cannot let go of her feelings so easily and decides to take her time instead of forcing herself.

Besides watching how Ruri opens up to the people around her, another highlight would be Takenouchi Yutaka. He has a beard again (i prefer him clean shaven though ) and his character, Kawashima Tatsuya is apparently a mystery. This is definitely not his real name and he came all the way to Hatomijima to commit suicide but the attempt failed because he saved Ruri from drowning and became her friend. This made him continue to live on for the sake of that someone called Kawashima Tatsuya who died in Tokyo from drowning. The two might forge a friendship and things might turn bad for them when the truth unravels...

Konishi Manami gets on my nerves as a teacher who seems really unwilling to stay on the island but why was she here in the first place? Another actress, Igawa Haruka used to be quite hot a few years back (remember the hoo-ha when she acted with KimuTaku? ) and now she's reduced to obasan-looking roles. The geinoukai is truly harsh and only the fittest survive...

Among the dramas which made their debut so far, I must say that this is the one which I enjoyed the most. I still have a number of dramas to watch though but I'm keeping this on my to-watch list with Koi ni Ochitara. I'm looking forward to see how the plot would develop as well as admire the beautiful scenery again...

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