> I just watched the last episode of Maou. And gawd- IT IS INDEED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL,
HEART-WRENCHING DRAMA OF THE YEAR EVER. Compared to this, Last Friends takes a backseat. The actors were
brillant, the lighting and composition were awesome and the soundtrack-Oh god, excellent beyond words. I am in love with this drama's OST now.
>There is so so much pain going on and people are dying like flies getting swatted and there are tears and that angst- ;___________; People you expect to die really die and the people that you don't expect to, also die. D:
>A quick rundown/recap on the major characters in Maou:
Can't I be Naruse-san's angel?>Shiori is the character in the series that is there to act as a contrast among all the hate and plotting and revenge going on. She knows her unusual pyschic ability is being manuiplated by the devil itself and hates that it is used in that way but she wants to help Naruse no matter what even after she realised his true idenity. Frankly, she's probably one of the few girl dorama characters that I actually don't hate, despite her not doing anything but smiling/crying at different intervals. I can't explain it but after you watch a few episodes, it is kind of hard to hate her. Watching her run after Naruse, melt his icy cold exterior, actually made him feel remorse for his actions was heart-breaking. It was like a;fsjdl;dj- YOU KNOW THIS COUPLE WON'T HAVE A HAPPY ENDING. DD: Cries*
Until you experience the pain of losing what truly matters to you in life....>Naruse. What a character. First, you want to hit him because he is the mastermind behind the elaborate scheme to practically murder everyone close to Serizawa, namely, his friends and family, but then you find out that there's this side of him that is struggling in inner conflict, knowing desperately that this is wrong, but cannot help but continue because of his driven urge for revenge for the death of his younger brother eleven years ago. He struggles to stick to his plans all while trying to maintain a facade of competence and level-headness when actually deep down inside he feels torn about his actions, especially with Shiori's words weighing heavily on his conscience. It's almost as if Shiori is Naruse's or should I say, Tomoo-san's conscience.
I never thought I would have said this, but his character is one that I feel sorry for. I mean, in similar shows like Deathnote, for example, I didn't care about Raito. I absolutely detested that guy because he murdered people because he wanted perfection in the world. But Naruse...Especially in the later few episodes of Maou, I completely forgave him. I still think it is wrong; his scheme to murder others. But half way through the series, I realised it is not about who is wrong or right, but how the story will end... :X Ohno suprised me greatly with his acting skills. If you compare his acting to the lead actor of the Korean version of Maou, I can safely say that Ohno's acting beats that guy's acting skills anytime. Maybe I am biased, but in my honest opinion, it really is so. That is because Ohno does so much more than just looking like a crazed pyschopath that wants to be free. I don't know how he does it, but you can see it in his eyes. He pulls off the "I am in so much pain, yet I am pretending to be fine and concerned and kind." demeanour perfectly. And you know acting like that definitely requires some form of talent.
You can run, you can hide, you can forget your past, but your past will not forget you...>And Serizawa/Toma. At first, he seems like the typical, brash, loud-mouthed cop whose idea of justice is to arrest and lock up every single villan, no matter how big or small and give them the appropriate punishment they deserve. But then he receives a tarot card which spirals off a series of murders of almost everyone important related to him and he finds his past catching slowly up to him. He knows what happens eleven years ago was an accident but cannot bring himself to forgive himself for his actions and until the end blames himself for everything that happened.
What can I say? Toma did
wonderfully as this character. You would think that after watching episode after episode of Serizawa screaming, crying and bawling, that one would get irritated but you just can't...Especially in the last few episodes, each time he cries, he evokes a certain emotion and you can see how Toma has brought out the essence of Serizawa; the guilt at which he feels for committing that act eleven years ago and how he wishes the law could have punished him then. Absolutely...Speechless* I honestly feel that Toma really has potential as an actor...It's a pity he isn't debuted yet. Glares at Johnny* D:
>It's a pity though that this drama is so underappreciated in Japan. Although Code Blue was pretty decent and thus it holds the highest viewership rankings, I personally prefer Maou over it and I think that there were certain moments in Code Blue that were a little too dramatic. And as much as I love Yamapi, I don't think I can stand another season with him playing another character with dead-ish eyes and cool exterior. :\ However, there's going to be a Code Blue special in 2009, so the saga will continue, I guess.
>I am so glad that Formula One is finally over and I can finally get to relax and unwind at home. :o The past few days have been a blur, and the only thing I can remember is the endless noise from the revving of the cars, the long standing and the incredible walking distance from Suntec to the Grandstand areas.
