Title: 野ブタ。をプロデュース Nobuta wo Purodeyūsu (Nobuta wo Produce)
English Title: Nobuta wo Produce (Producing Nobuta)
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2005
Episode: 10
Cast:
- 亀梨和也 Kamenashi Kazuya
- 山下智久 Yamashita Tomohisa
- 堀北真希 Horikita Maki
- 戸田恵梨香 Toda Erika
- 宇梶剛士 Ukaji Takashi
- 深浦加奈子 Fukaura Kanako
- 中島裕翔 Nakajima Yuto
- 岡田義徳 Okada Yoshinori
- 高橋克実 Takahashi Katsumi
- 木村祐一 Kimura Yuichi
- 夏木マリ Natsuki Mari
- 不破万作 Fuwa Mansaku
- たくませいこ Takuma Seiko
- 柳田衣里佳 Yanagita Erika
- 大東駿介 Daito Shunsuke
- 古原靖久 Furuhara Yasuhisa
- 石井智也 Ishī Tomoya
- 若葉竜也 Wakaba Ryuya
- 山根和馬 Yamane Kazuma
- 水田芙美子 Mizuta Fumiko
- 柊瑠美 Hiragi Rumi
- 井端珠里 Ihata Juri
- 亜希子 Akiko
- 奈津子 Natsuko
SYNOPSIS
修二と彰 Shūji to Akira - 青春アミーゴ Seishun AmigoKiritani Shūji is the most popular guy in his class. He gets along with everyone and he enjoys being the center of attention. He is going out with Uehara Mariko, the most popular girl in school.
Shūji is wary of Kusano Akira, a classmate who laughs by himself, talks weirdly, and acts funny. Akira thinks that he is close friends with Shūji, but Shuji hates him.
Everyone bullies the new girl in class, Kotani Nobuko, who has no confidence in herself. Shūji and Akira decide to join forces and make her the most popular girl in class.
REVIEW
Nobuta wo Produce is a touching drama about friendship. It's amazing how the three lead characters Kiritani Shūji, Kusano Akira and Kotani Nobuko or Nobuta seemed like very different individuals but they ended up being the greatest friends.
They wouldn't actually hang out together if not for a certain situation and a common goal. It's kind of sad that their friendship had to be kept a secret but I think it's great that their friendship thrived considering the difficult circumstances.
It's interesting how weary and wise Shūji is at his age, and I wonder what made him realize everything that he has been telling Akira and Nobuta. Is he a naturally observant person, or did he learn all these things at some point or another in his life?
Kiritani Shūji: If everyone says she's pretty, then she's pretty. If everyone wants something, the price goes up. There are people who made the world like this... These people, they're thinking of ways for everyone to spend more money. Even if it's not a good song, they can make it a hit. A normal girl becoming a star; making a line form in front of a bad restaurant; in other words, producers or whatever they are called.
Shūji is someone I could relate to very much, and I imagine he is someone most people can relate to out of all the characters in the drama. He is supposed to be this special person but I think he is the one most ordinary; I mean, he is quite similar to most people who are trying to fit in with everyone while trying to remain true to himself.
Akira is a character that I cannot relate to as a person, but I could always see where he's coming from or what he's thinking. He is someone who seems to know and understand the social rules but chooses not to follow, particularly if he thinks that other people are wrong.
Although Nobuta as a character is well-defined, the portrayal of the actress playing Nobuta leaves a lot to be desired. It's hard to understand Nobuta and where she's coming from just from the portrayal of the actress so for people who are just watching the drama without any previous knowledge of the character (such as from manga or anime), they may not find Nobuta as someone they can relate to and empathize with.
Nobuta is supposed to be Akira and Shūji's friend, their three characters making up a crowd, but it seemed that she's not really connected to the other two in any way unless you take the 'all three are friends' as a given. I wonder how the drama would be like if a better actress got the role of Nobuta, or at least a different actress that can connect well with the other actors.
The drama is about self-transformation. I really believe that although we accept who we are right now, there is always room for improvement and we can always change ourselves for the better. I honestly think that each and everyone has a right and a responsibility to be the best person he or she could ever possibly be.
The most memorable scene for me would be when Shūji acts like a girl to show Nobuta how to flirt and how to deflect guys' unwanted advances. It is a really funny scene and one could almost mistake Shūji to be a real girl.
I would have to say that the drama's ending is really weird though. Akira followed Shūji when he had to move away and in their new town, the two were frolicking in the beach as the ending credits rolled. Frolicking in the beach is one of the quintessential romantic scenes and if this implies that Shūji and Akira are together romantically, it is such a surprise since there aren't any obvious indications about this development all throughout the drama. What makes this even more unlikely is the fact that Akira is supposed to be in love with Nobuta. Come to think of it, there are some indications but I'm not going down that road though.
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野ブタ。をプロデュース Nobuta wo Produce
