19 September 2012

走馬灯株式会社 Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha


Title: 走馬灯株式会社 Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha
English Title: Revolving Lantern Corporation
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2012
Episode: 10
Cast:
  • 香椎由宇 Kashī Yu
  • 窪田正孝 Kubota Masataka
  • 横山めぐみ Yokoyama Megumi
  • 千代将太 Chiyo Shota
  • 柏原収史 Kashiwabara Shuji
  • 松本莉緒 Matsumoto Rio
  • 岩佐真悠子 Iwasa Mayuko
  • 藤井美菜 Fujī Mina
  • 石田卓也 Ishida Takuya
  • 岡本玲 Okamoto Rei
  • 佐戸井けん太 Satoi Kenta



SYNOPSIS
The 'revolving lantern effect' is the process of seeing images of your memories the moment before your death.

The Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha is a company that can let you see your past life for a fee...

The Revolving Lantern Effect: seeing images of your memories the moment before death. If you can see them now... 



REVIEW
Some people claim seeing their lives flash by as they were having a near-death experience and this drama explores that phenomenon. In the drama, a company called the Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha can let you watch your entire life up to the present.

However, I always thought that when people see their lives flash by as they were having a near-death experience, it meant they are seeing things about their lives that they know about. I think it wouldn't be possible for them to remember something they didn't know.

Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha is different from my expectations though. In Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha, a person can see everything about his life, including things he did not know about. A person can also see another person's life provided that he has a connection to that other person.

Given the drama's approach to the phenomenon, then the characters are now faced with the possibility of knowing something they didn't know before. And if ever they do find out something about their past, they must then deal with the aftermath of knowing such facts such as facing the consequences.

In the drama, a person finds out his mom is not who he thought she is, another person finds out his wife is not someone he would have married had he known her past, and another person discovers that her college friends befriended her with an ulterior motive.

It's interesting in a way, because it's like saying we should look at the people around us objectively. At the same time, it is disconcerting because the people close to us are the people we trust the most and honestly, if we cannot trust them, then we cannot really trust anyone.

That is the question the drama raises each episode for its viewers... If there is something about you that you didn't know, but if you do will change how you view the world and your life, will you want to know what it is? If there is something about the people around you that you are not aware of, but if you are will change how you see these people and relate to them, do you want to be aware of said facts?




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走馬灯株式会社 Sōmatō Kabushiki Gaisha