Nobuta wo Produce / 野ブタ。をプロデュース

Producing Nobuta



2005 Japanese drama that starred Kamenashi Kazuya and Yamashita Tomohisa.



It's based on a Manga turned Anime about three high school kids who come together in an unexpected but interesting way and end up fast friends.

Kazuya-san is Mr. Popular, but he doesn't, really like people and wants nothing to do with them.
He fakes it, placates, and conforms in school, but then he returns home to be himself and take care of his father & younger brother.
His mother is an oddity, traveling the world making or searching for good food while her husband is left to look after the boys.

P-chan's character is from a rich family, but he lives with a tofu cook in a tiny restaurant/house near the school and he goes out of his way to annoy and turn off everyone in school.
He's weird in a cool sort of way, being himself to the opposite of Kazuya's character as a fake.

Anyway, at the beginning of the story, Kazuya is riding his bike to school, and every day he makes sure to detour in order to touch a willow tree growing along the river when he discovers to his utter dismay that the tree is blocked off by construction on the pier.

He makes his way to the tree against the wishes of the construction crew, and there he meets an even weirder girl who looks like



She's super-shy, extra introverted, and a total push-over on her first day at school, so naturally, every bitch-hag pop girl targets her for torture, humiliation, and unnecessary name-calling while doing nothing whatsoever to try and get to know her.

Not Kazuya's character, though.

He's mildly intrigued, and with Yamapi's character, they end up forming what they term a 'Produce' plan to make her over into the most popular girl in school.

The title of this drama fooled me and kept me away for awhile, because I kept thinking of 'produce' from the vegetable and fruit sense (ha ha ha ha).

I really enjoyed watching this 10-episode drama, and I especially loved being able to stare at two, hot guys for the duration as well!

Yamapi went from absolutely nothing in my mind to being one of the top-ten most sexually appealing guys to come out of Asia.

Kazuya's music got me first, and now that I'm seeing him in more movies & dramas, he's beginning to grow on me as well.

They both did slammin' fine jobs in this one, and I highly recommend you check it out if you haven't already.

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それは、突然、嵐のように… / それは、突然、嵐のように... / It was sudden, like a storm...

January through March, 2004 Japanese drama that stars this guy -

Yamapi

It's supposed to be about a woman (Esumi Makiko as Ogawa Kozue ) married for nearly 10 years and with no children, who lives with her husband and her parents above a small flower shop, and she is at a crossroads in her life ~ wondering, did she make the right decisions and, is this all there is?

It's dialogue within character study that you might, not comprehend if you have to read subtitles, so a second watch may make things a bit clearer for some.

She's at the symbolic cross street when she bumps into Fukazawa Takuma (Yamashita Tomohisa), who is standing in the road with a dazed look on his stone but handsome face.
At first, she ignores him and continues across the avenue, but something makes her turn around (just like her contemplating about the life choices she's made) and she runs back to tackle the dolt before he's killed by the ever-present truck driver who can't, seem to hit the brakes even when he's honking his horn five minutes before actual impact.
I never get that about Japanese drama, but since it's purely for effect, I'll let that sleeping dog lie.

Turns out Takuma is a 17-year-old daydreaming dancer who does things deliberately, but not to upset anyone or to get a rise out of them - but simply because that's his way.
If a thought suddenly occurs to him at a moment when he's about to cross the street, he doesn't mind stopping to ponder.

Anyway, Kozue is intrigued by the gloomy dude with fancy hair and big, brown doe eyes.
She takes him to the dance studio, where she is immediately pressured into signing up for some lessons even as insistent as she is about not knowing how to or having any interest in learning the game.
Takuma then embraces her the way a professional dancer would, and setting a palm against her ass while gazing deep into her eyes - she's instantly blown away.

Or is she?

Takuma is king at both dance and persuasion, so it's hard for us, the viewer, to know exactly what he's thinking, much less doing at every turn in this drama.
Has he truly fallen for the pretty woman who rescued him from certain death, or is he merely operating in order to get her to take the lessons?
He pursues her unceasingly from the word go, not caring about things like age difference, social morays, or what his buddies in High School might think.

OMG - there was a scene where he graduates from High School, and he's walking alone on the street with his diploma in his hand - tearful chuckling weepy moment for me!
It was so, totally kawaii I couldn't help myself!

Ok - I've seen him in a few dramas now, and each time he played a different type of character with a unique style, mannerisms, and so on.
His studio photos are incredible (see above) and I adore his puppy eyes, but there is no way for me to make a final or even a substantial judgment call about him based on what I've seen of him so far.
He's a handsome guy, but not drop-dead gorgeous to me.
He's good as an actor, but I don't know if I care for the brooding nature that always tends to crop up regardless of the character he portrays.
In one instance he looks fit, trim, and buff - and then in another instance I get the impression he's a chubby kid who needs to spend more time at the gym and less time at Mickey D's.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ABOUT YAMAPI!

It's the same opinion I have about this drama, too.

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