LAST FRIENDS

Spring 2008

Last Friends is about six young people who eventually live together in a "share house" or basically a house that is rented by a number of people each with their own rooms but share the living room, kitchen and bathroom etc. Aida Michiru (Nagasawa Masami) is a nice young girl who develops a steady relationship with her boyfriend Oikawa Sosuke (Nishikado Ryo) until she becomes a victim of DV or domestic violence. Michiru coincidentally bumps into her longtime friend Kishimoto Ruka (Ueno Juri) who she hasn't seen in 4 years. Ruka always cherished their friendship and was saddened when Michiru moved away with her mother. Determined to stay in touch with Michiru, Ruka goes out of her way to protect her. Takigawa Eri (Mizukawa Asami) has been a long time tenant at the share house and eventually offers Mizushima Takeru (Eita) and Ogura Tomohiko (Yamazaki Shigenori) to live there. With all the personal issues that these young people face, they somehow find solace in each other and their determination to stay together create lasting bonds that become unbreakable.

Recommendation: Highly recommended! I don't remember seeing a drama that captures the essence of what young people go through these days. Last Friends really is good because it delves into social stigma like domestic violence and homosexuality that people have trouble coming to terms with. The series is a bit extreme on a certain level, but nonetheless most of the episodes weave in and out of complex personal situations between each character almost flawlessly. You can feel Ruka's pain of keeping a long and dreaded secret from her best friend and the powerlessness of Takeru trying to help her. I know that Nagasawa Masami was the lead actress, but Ueno Juri took over this show. It was amazing to see her play a quirky comedic role in Nodame Cantabile and transform herself into a boyish outcast of a character in this series. Mizukawa Asami who played Eri was also delightful as she created a lighter cheery mood in a dark series. I'm not a huge fan of Nishikado Ryo, but he did a good job of representing a creepy and obsessed boyfriend of Michiru. Anyway this drama shouldn't be missed because there are life lessons to be learned here and it teaches us that the world is not always black and white.

P.S. (Spoiler) I also liked the cover image of the series with 5 of the main characters kind of laying next to each other connected by red string. I don't know if it was easy to spot, but if you have some sense of creativity or enjoy symbolism, the image represents the character's issues/dilemmas...or so I think. I guess it can be interpreted in different ways, but this is what I saw. From the left you have Eri facing Takeru because she likes him, but Takeru doesn't see her as a girlfriend and so is looking the other way. Takeru is looking at Ruka with his eyes opened because he knows her secret. He also likes Ruka, but Ruka only likes him as a friend so she is looking the opposite way. Ruka and Michiru are facing each other because they are friends and they like each other, but Ruka is upside down because the way she likes Michiru is "different." Michiru also develops feelings for Takeru and so her hand is extended toward him, but Takeru doesn't have the same feelings and so his hands are tucked away. Then you have Sosuke who is next to Michiru because they are in a relationship, but they are looking away from each other because their relationship is not a wholesome one. The red (blood?) string represents the bond/relationship that the characters have with each other and that they are all connected in some way. I wasn't sure about the white clothing that they were wearing, but it may symbolize the purity of youth in terms of their thoughts and actions. Other than Takeru, everyone's eyes are closed symbolizing the fact that they are obscurred from certain truths about each other. What do you think?

STORY: 1.0
ACTING: 1.0
DIRECTING: 1.0
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1.0
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

5.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns