Sunday, October 26, 2008
I forgot to watch Yamato nadeshiko last night.,
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Yamato Nadeshiko
Plot
The Wallflower a girl who was called "ugly" by a boy, the first and only person to whom she confessed her love. This incident sparks a life change, and as a result Sunako shuns all forms of beauty, both in herself as well as in life. Concerned by her change for the worst, Sunako's aunt, the owner of a beautiful mansion where four very handsome students live, offers the guys free rent in her mansion if they can turn Sunako into a "perfect lady" (referred to in Japan as the titular Yamato Nadeshiko).
While the four of them manage to make Sunako physically beautiful enough to become a lady, the problem lies with her attitude and interests (which Sunako has no intention of changing). Up until the most recent release in the story, they've managed to convince Sunako's aunt that her niece is indeed a lady befitting the mansion in which they live (and prevent the rent from skyrocketing to triple the required amount). However, in reality, Sunako has not changed considerably
Characters
Main article: List of The Wallflower characters
Sunako Nakahara
Voiced by: Yukiko Takaguchi
The female lead, Sunako is often referred to as Ghost girl or Scary girl due to her dark presence. A lover of solitude, gore movies, anatomical dolls and objects that reflect the ugly side of life as she puts it, Sunako has locked herself away in a world of solitude due to a traumatic experience with her first love. She has especially mixed feelings about Kyouhei, and as the storyline progresses, their relationship becomes more solid and intimate. She even shared a kiss with him.
Kyouhei Takano
Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo
He is the most popular of the foursome. He is very loud and bossy when it comes to his needs. He is a lover of food and can devour anything in seconds. One of his favorite foods is Sunako's fried shrimp. He was forced to leave home because all of the mobbing and harassment by his fans were taking a toll on his family. He loves to fight and even becomes a gang leader in the manga. He can't hold a job either, because he seems to be prone to being sexually harassed. He has unsorted feelings for Sunako which he demonstrates by constantly provoking her rage. Recently, he stopped Sunako from getting married to a prince. He made it look like that he wanted to simply eat her Japanese style food. Alos, Sunako is the only girl that he treats with special care. He always protects her when someone says bad things to her.
Takenaga Oda
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
He comes from a very wealthy family and is quite serious in nature. He is the brain and logic of the group often trying out logical strategies to make Sunako become a lady. He is a book worm who loves to study. This is evidenced by him having the highest grade point average out of all of the boarders. He has a love interest in Naie "Noi" Kasahara, but his shyness gets in the way when he wants to express his feelings. As the manga progresses, he becomes more social and open about himself. He prefers Japanese-style formal wear.
Yukinojo "Yuki" Toyama
Voiced by: Yuuya Yamauchi
A shy character, he is sweet and has a very loving nature. He comes from an humble family and has two younger twin siblings who make an appearance in the manga. Yuki is the most innocent of all the characters, often crying and becoming scared when he enters Sunako's room. Due to his extremely girlish face Yuki is often forced to dress up as a girl, creating self esteem issues for him. He has a girlfriend who is only spoken of. In the story Yuki tries to make himself strong and have more confidence so as to not be scared as easily. But he is easily defeated by Sunako's extreme taste in decorations.
Ranmaru Morii
Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima
The playboy of the group. Ranmaru comes from a wealthy family and is an only son. He is very extroverted and a lover of older women. He has a very sexy nature and extremely high self esteem. He is often going out on dates with married women, provoking trouble. However, he does have a very good heart and loves his friends. Later on in the storyline, he is set up in an arranged marriage date by his parents. Because he's unwilling to get married to anyone, he asks the guys to help him. Upon encountering the girl though, mixed feelings arise inside him making him unsure of his playboy ways.
Naie "Noi" Kasahara
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara
She has an unbreakable love for Takenaga and is often questioning their relationship. She is very beautiful and kind. She is the first female friend that Sunako makes, even if unwillingly. She is always standing up for Sunako at school when people make fun of her. She has a very quick temper around Kyouhei and the two are often found fighting. Like the boys, Noi is not that good when it comes to housework.
Anime
Main article: List of The Wallflower episodes
Because the manga's creator, Tomoko Hayakawa, is an avid admirer of J-Rock singer Kiyoharu, it was decided that Kiyoharu would perform the theme music for The Wallflower anime. His songs, "slow" and "Carnation" play over the opening and ending themes, respectively. The songs were a collaboration between Kiyoharu and Takeshi Miyo. The background orchestral music was written by two respectable Japanese composers, Hiromi Mizutani and Yasuharu Takanashi.[citation needed]
The opening theme "slow" plays over recycled footage from the first episode, and is more of a love ballad. Episode 14 onwards shows the second version of the opening sequence which portrays more original footages. Whether this change was made due to growing popularity or the initial reception is unknown.[citation needed]
The first closing theme, "Carnation", the more upbeat of the two, is set to a small computer animation of Hiroshi dancing in the corner as the credits scroll up the page.[citation needed]
∞Changing∞, the second ending theme by Bon-Bon Blanco, presents the viewers with an even faster rhythm while preserving the use of computer animation (Hiroshi, Josephine and Akira dancing to the song) in the sequence.
