Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi (2002)

I've read some people calling this drama "life-altering". Perhaps it is so. A million stars falling from the sky is a journey into the darkest depth of the human heart. What you see there is not at all pretty: it's disquieting, clouded and unsettling.

I consider Eriko Kitagawa one of the best drama scriptwriters. She has the ability to pick up an ordinary event and make it into an unpredictable twist, all with a subtle calm pace which makes you restless. This plot is made of little hints: a word, a glance, a brief scene. There's no abundance of words, each line carries its meaning into the silence that follows.
And the actors get inside their roles brilliantly, creating around them an aura of mystery which makes you grope in the dark as to who did what and why.

The cinematography is scanty and sober, totally devoid of gloss. With the exception of the very effective close-up shots of the characters and the use of the light, it doesn't rely on beauty. Oh, the actors are beautiful all right. Kimura Takuya and Fukatsu Eri in particular are wonderfully intense, together as well as individually and play their part so well I was left speechless more than once.
The same scantiness applies to the music. Used with economy and without much variety, it manages to create the right expectations at exactly the right moment.

When all this is said and done, I am left with only one question: did I personally like this drama? The answer is: no. Did I fall in love with any of the characters? No. They intrigued me, fascinated me even, but I didn't like any of them, and felt somehow totally detached, despite the high-voltage chemistry between the leads.
I marathoned through the drama in 2 days, which is proof of its being a very well built thriller. Once started, you want to know. However, because I felt neither identification, nor true compassion or love for these people, it's as if I had read a very interesting and brilliantly written essay on human nature but was happy to see it end. The ending came to me as the only possible solution: a destination this journey was destined to land to.

Therefore, I recommend this drama to only a few people. Forget brightness, sunny love, suspend judgment and value this for its intrinsic quality and you will appreciate it. If you're not ready for a trip down dark lane, I suggest you stay well away from it.
I am certainly not going to repeat the experience.

Read More

First of all, when you are watching this drama prepare for heartbreaks. Now that's out of the way, I have to say this is my favourite Kimura role to date (and I'm the type to pick a good romcom over any melos). Kimura and Eri as Ryo and Yuko have chemistry that absolutely sizzles onscreen and unlike any other romance you will find in most jdramas. But more than their chemistry, the supporting casts also does a great job rounding out each of their characters. You will find that this is not just a drama written in black and white, everyone is more than they seem and no one walks out innocent and unscattered. The drama starts off puzzling and slow but picks up and positively explodes toward the end.



I rated the re-watch value quite low because this is still a mystery drama so once you know the big revelation, the impact won't be quite the same as the first time but there are plenty of compelling scenes that makes up for it.





Overall, I'd definitely recommend it to any Kimura fans who haven't seen this yet, as well as anyone looking for a compelling story about love, betrayal and redemption.

Read More

Reaching the end of this drama has left me feeling rather.... blank. For starters, this drama is not for everyone. It's dark, twisted, but the story telling is rather beautiful. If there's one thing I can honestly say that this drama did best - it's the way it showed the story. Switching camera views, focusing on the characters at the right time, leading up to climatic scenes. It was all done very well. Even the music was added at just the right times, enough to get the mood set right.

So now that I've covered the story, onto the acting. This is not my first Kimura Takuya drama, I actually believe it might be my third drama with him. That being said, I've thought of him as a great actor before, and I definitely think he's still a great actor after watching this drama. To see him in such an intense role of a devilish character, he really pulled it off. Fukatsu Eri also did a great job as Yuko, and the chemistry between these two was also what contributed to the great acting. And Akashiya Sanma as Detective Kanzo was the most shocking. I've never seen him in anything before, but I believe I read somewhere that he was in a variety show, and he's a comedian. His role here was mostly serious, though, and his character was one of the most memorable from the show.

"Smile" by Elvis Costello is the main theme here, and it fits the drama beautifully. Especially as the later episodes come, the song makes more and more sense. Also, the instrumentals that they used added to the drama, but they were also tunes that don't fully stand out.

I can guarantee I will never watch this drama again. It's a show that is good to watch once, but after you know what happens, and after you watch what happens, it doesn't make sense to rewatch it. It's not a favorite. And as Rita stated in her review of this drama, none of the characters were a favorite either. Right when you start to like a character, something happens to change your view.

Overall, like I said, this drama is not for everyone. The first few episodes dragged a little and started off slow, but the mystery kept me going all the way to the end. The twists that come then are not something that a lot of people will like, which is why I recommend that if you intend to watch this drama, you go in with an open mind.

It might be listed as a thriller, but I didn't really find it to be much of one. More of a mystery or suspense. I wasn't kept on the edge of my seat, but I did want to figure out the answers and the reasons to why things happened. It has romance in it as well, but it's not the main overall theme of the drama. Rather it's a play on the act of being human, dark secrets and motives, and an overall search for the truth. What it's like to be stuck in the prison of your own life.

Some of my favorite quotes from One Million Stars Falling From The Sky:

“If you don’t love, then you can’t be loved. If you don’t open your heart, then people won’t open their hearts.”

"How does it feel to live in this big place?"
"It's like putting a bird in a cage and then locking up it's heart. Not being able to come out, not happy, not sad. Not hoping, not trusting, not loving. So I can't be hurt."
"Birds in the cage long for the blue skies. Compared to those free flying birds, people with locked up hearts yearn to be loved more."

"A tamed bird can't lead a life in the wild anymore. It cannot be alone anymore."

At the very least, I also recommend this for Kimura Takuya fans, as his character here is one that will draw you in, and his acting, as I've also said, is great.

Read More

To tell the true this show really surprised me in a good way and I can't understand why it is so underestimated. The second thing I don't understand is how the Korean television thought about making a remake of a drama where Kimura Takuya's character was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable elements :D To tell the truth it's my favorite Kimura's drama and not in vain I emphasize his role here: a quite unusual and unpredictable character gives him a wonderful opportunity to expose his peculiar charisma and good acting skills. Although, I give ten for the cast mainly because of Kimura as the other actors were really very mediocre. However it's one of the most captivating original Japanese series I've ever seen as you really find out things you haven't expected and also you have a powerful and also unexpected final. Also there are a lot of shadows in the characters' inner world whose lack I feel in many dramas. About the soundtrack, well, I can't remember it, so I think that it didn't irritate (what is really important as it doesn't happen so often) but also wasn't perfect for the drama as in the One Liter of Tears. However, the drama has a really strong atmosphere and wonderful male lead, so I can't quit the points to it.

Read More

Am I a shallow person that my main take away from A Million Stars Falling from the Sky is that KimuTaku is smoking hot? If you’re wondering where all the sex scenes in Asian drama went, they’re in this show, as the mysterious, potentially deadly Ryo beds half the women in Tokyo. Of course, all this carnality leads to VERY BAD THINGS, but that doesn’t mean the fireworks aren’t fun while they last. The show aims to push envelopes and buttons, and is certainly a gripping watch, with three leads who all give compelling performances.

However, unlike the puzzle which forms one of its recurring images, I didn’t find that the pieces completely fit together. Characters frequently acted (or failed to act) in ways that strained credibility and undermined the psychological realism of the piece. Also, the final string of disasters/reveals didn’t really work for me either as tragedy or karmic payback. The Greeks astutely noted that tragedy isn’t bad things happening to innocent people or bad things happening to guilty people, but bad things happening to exceptional but flawed people whose errors directly bring about their downfall. Here the victims felt either too blameless or too tainted for the events to have maximum impact. Despite all the sparks (and bullets) flying, I felt rather detached as the final dominos fell. Like its sociopathic antihero, the show is darkly beautiful, but it never felt entirely emotionally engaged.

Read More

Like an Ancient Greek Tragedy.

First things, first.
I had put on hold The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,the Korean version, for very long time.Ive watched few episodes a year ago but for a reason it didn't pull me in.And i remember being really annoyed by the Female Lead.Cherry on top,by accident ive watched the last scene in youtube and that was the final bummer.

Recently i have discovered Kimura Takuya and his talent,he is my latest obsession and iam watching his works back to back.So while searching another Drama with him starring in,i found this one.And hit me hard because a year ago i didn't notice the Korean was a remake and this was the original.So without any hesitation -did i mention the word obsession?-i started watching it.Finished it in 2 seats and of course iam so happy i found it,im even thinking give another try to the Korean.I must put more faith to Seo In Guk and Park Sung Woong!

The things i loved was obviously the story and the acting mostly.

Kimura was simply amazing and i liked the 2nd Ml's acting as well.
As for the ladies here, Shibasaki Ko(who co-starred with Kimura in other dramas too) was great, but the rest didn't really impress me.


Honestly what i really didn't like was all female characters!Lol.Yes i have an issue of how writers write the female roles and i can't repeat it in every review i write!So i stop here.
Poorly written from the main FL to all the rest,although every single character was crucial to the story.
It would be better to be few episodes more and give us more detailed characters.

The Detective character has flaws too and i mostly "blame"him for all the mess and the path the story took..But of course if he was more clear and honest with his sister and didn't keep all those secrets, there would not be a story, so yes..bear with him!

As for the main Ml,if this role hadn't played by Kimura it would be just a good character.His performance took it to another level and iam saying this because i have few complains too about this character.Although many said he is a true monster,a manipulator and evil as hell,i totally disagree.There was not one single moment i hated him or cursed him or saw him like an evil char.I loved his dark soul.Loved all his pain.His cold face and heart. His past molded him.He built all those walls to defend himself.A natural mechanism. Self-preservation.For me all the women in his life actually took advantage of him and not the opposite! I was supporing him,truly wanted him to find peace and the love he deserved.He just took a glimpse of all these.This character broke my heart into a million pieces.

My only complain is that i wanted to present this character with more depth and give us more insight of his true feelings.His past and his story was rushed too.Id prefer to gradually built up during the whole drama and not revealing just in the last eps.

So the story is dark and twisted.Darker than you can imagine.Prepare yourself for a ride straight to abyss and back.
The ending was the most appropriate one.It could't be otherwise.It was the saddest perfect ending this story could have.A Catharsis,in a way..
I know the Korean version is the most popular(i will definetely rewatch it because iam curious to compare now that ive watched this).
If by any chance you haven't watched the Korean,start with the original,cause the story will stay with you for a long time.If you have watched it,still give this a try,especially if you like the more dark version,as the Jdramas are always more twisted!

Anyhow,enjoy!

Read More

In order to write this review, I feel like I have to be clear about the major biases I had while watching. The first bias is that I decided to watch this after just finishing the KDrama remake "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", which I LOVED, so it's impossible for me not to compare the two. The second bias is that I'm about 16 years late to the party, so this drama is extremely dated at this point. The third strong bias I have is that although I've seen many Japanese films I haven't watched many JDramas at all, and this drama's style is very different from the KDramas I've become so addicted to. "One Million Stars Falling from the Sky" has a gritty look that I appreciated, but a style of storytelling that was more fascinating than engaging. Although there are many scenes, images, and plot points that are taken directly from this drama in the remake, this original version feels almost completely different. It was very interesting watching all the ways these two dramas were different, and yet identical at some points, but with all my biases I can't say that I like this drama as much as the remake or that it lives up to the hype over time.

The one thing this drama definitely has going for it is that it is a memorable story full of shocking elements that aren't afraid to get very dark and twisted. The problem I had is that the melodrama is super sensationalized and completely unrealistic, so I had no emotional connection to any of it. It also ambitiously packs a lot of plot into 11 episodes, so the story felt rushed to me. I guess that's good if you want a quick binge-able story, but I felt like I was impatiently waiting for the next plot twist instead of caring about what was happening, or about any of the characters. So even though this drama felt rushed there were also a lot of moments where the story seemed to drag and felt slow paced. I felt myself getting easily distracted during some episodes too... especially when Yuko was rambling on about love and birds.

Usually, interesting characters are enough for me to forgive a rushed story, but I thought the characters were even more disappointing than the story. The 2 male lead are the only actors who I thought were good. Kimura Takuya is great as Ryo, who I would call an apathetic gigolo. I expected his character to be much more intense, but I found him to be mostly cool and indifferent. I also find it hilarious that both he and Seo In Geuk are Scorpio men... of course, they'd have to be to play a role this mysteriously charming. Akashiya Sanma is also good as Dojima Kanzo, who's character I didn't really like or sympathize much with (he was just too smarmy for my taste), but he played him really well. I like his take on the classic sarcastic and taunting detective role, and he and Takuya played well off of each other.

Unfortunately, I thought all of the female characters were pretty awful. Every significant female role seemed irrationally emotional, super immature, extremely needy, jealous and possessive, and one insult away from a situation worthy of the TV show "Snapped". Not even the older officer came across as mature or rational. This is disappointing since women are such a big part of this story, and I would have liked it much more if they were written better, especially by a female writer (c'mon Kitagawa Eriko, are all women this man crazy in your world?!!). Many of the characters, in general, were not very likable, or relatable, which is interesting in some ways but made it harder for me to empathize with any of them. Fukatsu Eri as Yuko was the biggest disappointment because of how annoying I found her to be, and how little sense her actions made to me. I also didn't feel much chemistry between Yuko & Ryo, contrary to what other reviewers have said, so the ending had much less of an impact on me.

Would I watch this again? Probably not, but it's so short, and the story is so out there, that it may be worth a second viewing at some point. It was mostly my curiosity after watching the remake that made me want to watch this version in the first place. Now that I know the differences and similarities I'm not sure if I would be interested enough to want to watch all 11 episodes again. I also didn't feel hooked on the story the way I expected to be, so watching Ryo's random hookups, the even more random violence, and the detective chain smoking through every scene probably wouldn't be much of an incentive.

Although the music in this drama is pretty sparse, I did like the use of the song "Smile", especially at the very end. However, The ending did feel much longer than it needed to be, and wanting an already short drama to end sooner is not a good thing.

Overall, I know that as much as I loved the remake, this version is the foundation for a lot of what made that drama great, yet I still wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. Maybe I would have felt differently about it if I saw this version first, but I have no doubt that I still would have preferred the remake. So if you're like me, and just finished wiping your tears over watching Moo Young & Jin Kang, and ended up here for the original story of Ryo & Yuko, my advice is to adjust your expectations for a retro melodrama that is heavy on the shock value vs a thriller with a more romantic focus. I didn't walk away feeling any deep emotions or having a life-altering perspective on life and love, but I'm glad I got to see for myself what inspired this classic drama to be chosen for a remake in the first place.

Read More

Awesome drama

What's this drama and what's its secret? I'm just finished this drama now.  My feelings, I don't know how to describe it! Is it grief? Or satisfaction? I don't know, but what happens is that my tears are pouring out and I don't know how to control them. I want to cry. The drama is extremely complex in its description of human feeling and of the human soul. We humans ourselves are the deepest, strangest and most terrifying. I believed after this drama that anyone, no matter how perfect he is , is so easy at some point to kill a human being to turn into a monster to be the opposite of himself. But at the same time I believe that good will remain in us as human beings and that we will continue to have mercy, compassion and love in our hearts. I know very well that what a person needs is nothing but love and tenderness. When a person gets love, attention and understanding, a human being becomes a real human being, not a dangerous monster like our (beloved kimora)

Read More

Dark but has sense

I have not been actively venturing out of Kdramaland prior to watching this. The reason I watched this in the first place was due to the disappointment I had with its Korean remake and wanted to know the original version and its story. And I am very glad that I did it.

This is my first Japanese drama ever so I don't have any expectations before watching this except for the story material on which the Kdrama remake was based on. The 11-episode format was actually adequate in order to really flesh out the story. In this case, the 1st half was rather messy in pacing but really did picked up as the storyline progressed and answers were now gradually revealed. The first 6 episodes could've set the tone on what to expect and built up the tension more intensely while Ryo (Kimura Takuya) started to know more about his past. This is where I think the Korean remake had an edge compared to the original, since its 16-episode format allowed ample time to develop the appropriate amount of intensity needed for the story.

However, this is now where the quotes "The original is always better" and "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes in. The storytelling was just miles better here than the remake. Despite its pacing issues, it was really able to convey what it wanted it show successfully, even though it was dark. I am planning to make a detailed comparison between this and the Korean remake after making this review, but for now, my comments would be about this show. The Korean one had fundamentally deviated its story from here that it seemed to be diluted at the end. Also, I had questions on the Korean one that were answered here even though the storyline here was simpler.

This was not the darkest show that I've watched, but the darkness here was just utterly sad. Furthermore, what I liked here was that despite it being on the dark zone, the storyline was cohesive enough for me to be able to feel with the characters. Although the show started basically as a puzzle, but it was able to slowly put it piece by piece together and created a depressing yet gratifying story.

Sora Kara on the great scale of dramas that I've watched so far is not among the best and honestly, I doubt that it will leave a long-lasting effect on me. But one thing I realized after watching these is that I am now ready to venture out to discover more Jdramas in the future. The rawness of the emotions portrayed here partially convinced me, especially for someone like me that focuses more on the story rather than the aesthetics.

In conclusion compared to the Korean version, this Jdrama (original) was miles better in that it was dark but has sense.

Read More

Good points:
Every twist and turn of this story will leave you wanting to dig in deeper. It’s not your usual JDrama with sweet love and tears. This one has a dark side. Kimura, yet again, played his role excellently. As I’ve said in the past, when he plays a role you’ll forget that he played a different character in the past. This series will keep you guessing until the end.


Bad points:
While I love Takuya Kimura to bits, this series has all the feels in all the wrong places. I don’t know why. Everything got a little better though from episode 7 on wards. Maybe it was the Miwa character. I just find Miwa’s character a bit, ugh, dragging. I don’t know why she’s like that but it made it hard for me to watch this series because of her character, mainly, among other reasons. Thank goodness it was Kimura, if not, I wouldn’t have finished this series. Kimura’s character is mysterious enough to let you want to finish watching the series to know where he is coming from and what really happened.

Review originally written here: https://elijahmaliksmom.wordpress.com/2017/03/25/one-million-stars-falling-from-the-sky/

Read More

Warning: slowly leads you into dark secrets

Quite possibly one of the most enigmatic dramas I've ever watched. When we compare it with the remake, the differences are obvious. In this version we have things left unsaid, the claustrophobic feeling that some scenes had and the constant feeling of nostalgia. I believe that from the beginning we have the feeling that something is out of place. I remember Ryo's letter as a child: "I have become God." I think this says a lot about his psychological state, it wasn't an easy life. It was as if he was doomed from the beginning. This is the kind of story that messes with your head and makes you feel remorse for something unknown. I spent days thinking about solutions, but I think the following symptom remains at the end of it all: some things just can't be fixed. Melancholy and in a way, haunting. Truly a classic.

Read More