Aoi Tori (1997)

I have to admit I started this drama because of the mister tall guy Toyokawa Etsushi. ;-) He is for me one of the few actors that capture you right away with their brilliant acting. I saw him in some movies and in drama Aishiteiru to Ittekure where he won me in a second. I fell in love with his acting skills, his amazing power to literally stop to be an actor and become the character he plays and since then I'm stalking him. And I'm in the mood for old J-dramas so finally got to see this one.

First I have to say that music was awesome, that opening song was one of the best video interpretations I have ever seen. Fits so perfectly in the whole story.

Then the story itself was good, nothing too much but different from the other dramas. Scenery was so beautiful, I would have to say I was literally stunned by the beauty of the various scenes. It seemed like the majority of the scenes were directly outside or where you could see outside. I would say this is one of the best shot outdoor scenes I have ever seen.
Characters were fantastic, from him as a main lead to the little girl played by Suzuki Anne, the girl was just so brilliant, she was the light and the sun of the whole drama, I was mesmerized by her acting. Shibata Yoshimori has to be one of my favourite characters of all time. I don't know how Toyokawa Etsushi did it, but I'm in love. Tall and gentle, but strong... and silent. He moved and walked in a quiet space and it was so peaceful to watch him. He had such powerful chemistry with Suzuki Anne, who was serious a child prodigy; the way she drew you in and made you forget you were watching an actress and not a real person...I also liked the character of Kahori, she was like a bird, craving for freedom and wanted to love and to be loved as the purpose of her living. And she succeed in that. You could easily see how she was unhappy in that marriage and how she wasn't in love with her husband, he was more like her savior who helped her and her daughter in a tough time of their lives. I wouldn't say that she was bad because she seduced Shibata and made him to escape with them, she was only very lonely and suffering, you could see that through the end, especially in that most important scene in episode 7, and yet she showed her love for him. I don't agree with that kind of choice especially if you have a child who you love but she was too weak and her love was too strong to continue and accept to get back with her husband, that was something the worst for her and that's why she chose that kind of ending for her, in some way that was her freedom and in the same time she saved Shibata from being killed.
Dramas has two parts, the first part until the episode 7 where Shiori was a little kid, and the second part, after the episode 7 where she was a grown up young woman. First part was so touching, the three of them running and hiding, living a life like a real family, they had such an amazing chemistry. I was hypnotized by the first part of the drama. Also the first part was a true pure romance and the chemistry that Kahori and Shibata had was incredible, I would have to say that those kissing scenes between them went right on the top of my favourite and most passionate kisses. ;-)
And then some tragic happens, everything gets a different sadder, darker tone and you could see exactly all the struggle and emotions of the main characters in that times. I felt tormented and so emotional at the end of the show but I wouldn't have in any other way because that was it, the ending scene which shows you that there are real love that exist on this world and that there are freedom and happiness.
At that same time at the end of the drama, quite suddenly, you realize that the love story wasn't between Yoshimori and Kahori at all...

I would definitely recommend this for any person loving pure human dramas and not afraid of touching moments.

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It took me ages to finish it 'cause I stopped watching it after a major plot twist in the middle of it (no spoilers, I'll just say I really disliked it and was at the same time shocked and pissed off). I picked it up again after a few weeks and slowly watched it until its conclusion, but by then the magic had gone, as far as I'm concerned. The cast did just great throughout the whole series (BTW, Natsukawa Yui and Yamada Maiko, each in her own way, are both to die for - though I realized I've become older and wiser, as I'd have chosen Nagasaku Hiromi's character instead! ^_^), and the directing and photography are also top notch. Too bad for the plot, otherwise this would've been a perfect 10...:/

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