Sunday, June 23, 2013

LAST CINDERELLA




















Spring 2013

I apologize for the late entry, but I believe I will be posting more frequently as I graduated from my program last month, yay! Anyway, I just finished watching Last Cinderella which is a romantic comedy about a woman named Sakura (Shinohara Ryoko) who is a workaholic and never really focused on her love life. Because of this, she feels like she is losing her femininity and as she is closing in on 40, things are not getting any easier for her personally. One day, she suddenly meets a young man named Hiroto (Miura Haruma) who sweeps her off her feet. Around the same time, an old friend/rival, Tachibana (Fujiki Naohito) returns to town. She first struggles to understand why and how a younger man could be attracted to her, but she cannot resist Hiroto's charm at the same time. Sensing something is awry, Tachibana plays the role of the wise but cool friend pretending not to care about her decisions but keeping an eye out for her nonetheless. Will Sakura fall for Hiroto? Or will Tachibana come to her rescue?

Recommendation: I have to say it is always fun to watch Shinohara Ryoko act. She is one of the best in the business I believe that can carry a drama on her shoulders. She can bust out the witty sense of humor, but also be serious or sad when appropriate. I also liked the veteran Fujiki Naohito and both Shinohara Ryoko and Fujiki Naohito played off each other's roles well. I was surprised by Miura Haruma as this was the first drama that I've seen him in. He was quite a natural and I think he will improve. As for the story, there were very funny moments, but maybe because of watching so many dramas, I feel like I can easily get bored of the usual patterns. That said, I wasn't sure whether or not to be pleased or upset about the ending because it wasn't what I was expecting. I guess that is a good thing, but at the same time, it didn't seem like the "proper ending" and it was a bit abrupt in my opinion. Still, it was worth watching and the other cast members were good as well. There are some dark moments, but overall the drama is light and funny.

Story: 0.5
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 0.5
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 1.0

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns