Paige
Japan
Ahh~! Finally completed the last episode today, and I am still not sure if I am emotionally stable enough to write this, but well, I am writing this now when the feelings are still fresh.
This is definitely not a drama for the weak-hearted, or if you're looking for a quick show to chill with over the weekend, I believe this show is not for you, from the start it is already very obvious how the ending would be.
So let's go into details on how and why I gave this rating.
STORY 8.5/ 10
This drama, is based on the bestselling novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, under the same title, Never Let Me Go. Well, I haven't read the book, and I don't think I will ever gather enough courage to go through the pain this story subjected me to, as an avid dystopian reader however, I would say this is one of the best dystopian story out there. It is probably why the book was on bestselling list and even made into a movie by Hollywood and now into a drama.
The story, as most dystopian story should be, is dark and filled with underlying messages. It is about clones (specifically three of the many clones that has been saving the world from many diseases and accident that would cost someone's life), it is about how they are growing up, the environment they grew up in made who they are, it is about the relationships they formed with one another, how different people have different personalities and all. Nature vs. Nurture, a famous theme being fused into many dystopian fictions, it is found here.
I do not want to say more on this as I don't want to spoil it for you. So, if you're reading this review because you're on the bench about whether to watch it or not, I would say, go for it if you're up for that 10 hours of deep, dark story that's going to unfold. You can even try and start to watch the first 10 minutes of the show, I believe you'll get the gist of it enough to decide for yourself if this drama is for you right now. To those out there looking at this review because they find the first "childhood" part of the episodes being boring, I would advice you to watch through them, it is just for about 3 - 4 episodes anyway, and the childhood part helps build up many things that would only make sense later. Good luck.
ACTING/ CASTS 10/ 10
Well, perfect score? Why?
Because all the main casts in the story has done such a good job in portraying their characters of course.
When I am rating acting and casts, I am not rating the character, but how well the actor and actress are playing their character, whether they are making their character come across the perfect goody-two-shoes or the crazy-bitch you want to slap over and over again, or that bad-tempered, bad-mannered boy who scream and shout whenever he is angered.
Ayase Haruka and Mizukawa Asami has probably stolen more limelight in this show than they should have, but they are actually the important main characters of the story anyway. Miura Haruma is one of the main cast, but his role has always been "that boy who stolen Kyouko's heart", so I am not really surprise by the lack of scenes and actions he gets in the show.
I have to say, I am actually amazed by Mizukawa Asami, for the first time I ever seen her on TV she was that tom-boyish(?), shy girl in Shitsuren Chocolatier, her acting as Miwa was surprisingly jaw-dropping, for so many times I actually felt like pinning her down somewhere and bitch-slapping her, she is that good. I believe I am going to keep lookout for her future projects now.
MUSIC 10/ 10
~Baby baby never let me go~ Never let me go~
Such cleaver lyrics that would remind you of the title, that tone and voice little melancholy, you would just feel your heart aching a little listening to the tune, and the thing is, this line stay in your head days after you've done with the episodes. Personally I went and searched for the song soon as I heard it the second time. It fits the drama, I think.
The music in this show is more or less perfect to me, seeing how this is not a cheerful show of course the music would have to match. I have listen to sountracks puts together by Yutaka Yamada before (in Boku no Ita Jikan, any fans of Haruma would know), I have expected good from Yamada-san, and he has not disappoint this time.
REWATCH VALUE 6.5/ 10
Now, rewatch value... I would really love to put this up higher, I really do, I really really really do... But I doubt I will be rewatching this show the second time, not unless I am on my depress mood and really need to get a release. It is a great show, I assure you, but at the same time it hurts too much in that not-so-good way, I don't think I can handle a second round. >.<
OVERALL 9.0/ 10
Because I still think this is a good drama, because the casts and the productions has made so much effort in bringing this show to life (and I am pretty sure they never miss out much from the fiction work, I may not have read the book line by line, I've seen the movie and I've read things about it). It should deserve an award of it's own, say perhaps the best sci-fi adapted drama or something, because I think it is.
Last word of advice, if you're preparing to watch this, prepare yourself a whole box of tissue, or two, or a dozen. Enjoy!
This is definitely not a drama for the weak-hearted, or if you're looking for a quick show to chill with over the weekend, I believe this show is not for you, from the start it is already very obvious how the ending would be.
So let's go into details on how and why I gave this rating.
STORY 8.5/ 10
This drama, is based on the bestselling novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, under the same title, Never Let Me Go. Well, I haven't read the book, and I don't think I will ever gather enough courage to go through the pain this story subjected me to, as an avid dystopian reader however, I would say this is one of the best dystopian story out there. It is probably why the book was on bestselling list and even made into a movie by Hollywood and now into a drama.
The story, as most dystopian story should be, is dark and filled with underlying messages. It is about clones (specifically three of the many clones that has been saving the world from many diseases and accident that would cost someone's life), it is about how they are growing up, the environment they grew up in made who they are, it is about the relationships they formed with one another, how different people have different personalities and all. Nature vs. Nurture, a famous theme being fused into many dystopian fictions, it is found here.
I do not want to say more on this as I don't want to spoil it for you. So, if you're reading this review because you're on the bench about whether to watch it or not, I would say, go for it if you're up for that 10 hours of deep, dark story that's going to unfold. You can even try and start to watch the first 10 minutes of the show, I believe you'll get the gist of it enough to decide for yourself if this drama is for you right now. To those out there looking at this review because they find the first "childhood" part of the episodes being boring, I would advice you to watch through them, it is just for about 3 - 4 episodes anyway, and the childhood part helps build up many things that would only make sense later. Good luck.
ACTING/ CASTS 10/ 10
Well, perfect score? Why?
Because all the main casts in the story has done such a good job in portraying their characters of course.
When I am rating acting and casts, I am not rating the character, but how well the actor and actress are playing their character, whether they are making their character come across the perfect goody-two-shoes or the crazy-bitch you want to slap over and over again, or that bad-tempered, bad-mannered boy who scream and shout whenever he is angered.
Ayase Haruka and Mizukawa Asami has probably stolen more limelight in this show than they should have, but they are actually the important main characters of the story anyway. Miura Haruma is one of the main cast, but his role has always been "that boy who stolen Kyouko's heart", so I am not really surprise by the lack of scenes and actions he gets in the show.
I have to say, I am actually amazed by Mizukawa Asami, for the first time I ever seen her on TV she was that tom-boyish(?), shy girl in Shitsuren Chocolatier, her acting as Miwa was surprisingly jaw-dropping, for so many times I actually felt like pinning her down somewhere and bitch-slapping her, she is that good. I believe I am going to keep lookout for her future projects now.
MUSIC 10/ 10
~Baby baby never let me go~ Never let me go~
Such cleaver lyrics that would remind you of the title, that tone and voice little melancholy, you would just feel your heart aching a little listening to the tune, and the thing is, this line stay in your head days after you've done with the episodes. Personally I went and searched for the song soon as I heard it the second time. It fits the drama, I think.
The music in this show is more or less perfect to me, seeing how this is not a cheerful show of course the music would have to match. I have listen to sountracks puts together by Yutaka Yamada before (in Boku no Ita Jikan, any fans of Haruma would know), I have expected good from Yamada-san, and he has not disappoint this time.
REWATCH VALUE 6.5/ 10
Now, rewatch value... I would really love to put this up higher, I really do, I really really really do... But I doubt I will be rewatching this show the second time, not unless I am on my depress mood and really need to get a release. It is a great show, I assure you, but at the same time it hurts too much in that not-so-good way, I don't think I can handle a second round. >.<
OVERALL 9.0/ 10
Because I still think this is a good drama, because the casts and the productions has made so much effort in bringing this show to life (and I am pretty sure they never miss out much from the fiction work, I may not have read the book line by line, I've seen the movie and I've read things about it). It should deserve an award of it's own, say perhaps the best sci-fi adapted drama or something, because I think it is.
Last word of advice, if you're preparing to watch this, prepare yourself a whole box of tissue, or two, or a dozen. Enjoy!
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