meimichi

Ayako and I watched the second episode of Hanadan Returns last night, and her roommate ended up joining us. Even though she didn't understand it, she'd watched Meteor Garden so she was able to get by. It was so funny; she was yelling at the screen, "I don't understand!! Why doesn't she just pick Rui?!!!" and Ayako was like, "I know!!"

I said before we started, "I can only watch one episode, since I have class tomorrow morning," but they both freaked out at the end of the second episode and wheedled me into one more.

As always, we get the SERIOUS BUSINESS out of the way first:

I regret to inform you all that Rui's hair has taken advantage of Rui's vulnerable state right now.

I KNEW THE RETREAT WAS A FEINT. Keep Rui's face in your thoughts, y'all. It needs all the positive vibes it can get in this losing battle!

...

Okay! Moving on!

Shigeru. Please. JUST CUT YOUR LOSSES AND RUN. This was just sad. Like I was actually losing sympathy for her because HE'S NOT WORTH IT.

Kato Natsuki continues to freaking NAIL it, though. She's never ever "intense," but the way she manages to turn on a dime in her expressions is fantastic. How she went from doing the, "LA LA LA I CAAAAN'T HEEEEEEARRRRR YOUUUUU!"...

...to turning around and being so serious!

Oh, Makino. Don't go there. Possibly the dumbest thing Tsukushi's done? I mean, we all knew she'd catch them in a compromising position, but even if she hadn't, then she would have walked in on the breakup talk and made it a billion times more awkward.

Both of them totally brought it. So good.

....I know this was ZOMGZ SRS BIZNESS, but something about the shoes just makes me giggle.

Poor Tsukushi.

Dug this jacket.

BEST REJECTION SCENE EVER. OH GOD, I LOVE RUI. You have to love someone who goes right for, "Oh, by the way? I DON'T ACCEPT!" even before the rejection has been said out loud. OH GOD. I LOVE YOU, RUI.

NEVER CHANGE.

I also loved how usually these shots call for, "Now, make an EXPRESSION that she can't see!" but...no, it takes way more than that to force an EXPRESSION out of Rui. Hee.

PRETTY.

ALSO PRETTY.

AND EVEN MORE PRETTY.

This fakeout was really mean. It only got me for half a second, but for a moment I thought Rui and Shigeru were going to finally embrace their nonexistent love. :(

But this whole thing = brilliance!!! The director for this episode was really, really on the mark.

I was kinda annoyed here because really, Shigeru is better than that. But at least it all worked out by the end!

I really love Rui's room and how totally EMPTY it is.

You know, I won't say I wasn't impressed, but...honestly, this is still overdue and Tsukasa is only finally just admitting responsibility for all the shit he put EVERYONE ELSE THROUGH ALL FREAKING SEASON.

MatsuJun, however, rocked this. You could see him trembling and everything!!!!

HEE.

ILOVETHISSHOT

Oh, Ruiiiiii! It's not fair! Other than Shigeru, you deserve to be happier than anyone else in this show!!

The direction in this entire sequence was pure genius.

I really thought he was gonna throw an apple...

...but apparently...

...this is the new thing. *g*

PRICELESS.

RUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.

"It was a conversation...between the SOULS OF TWO MEN!" God, just sex each other already.

I sorta loved this.
"Why all this fuss over one woman? I can't understand it."
"She's not 'one woman.' She's Makino."

SQUEEEE

This episode was altogether awesome and I can't pick just one moment as my favorite...but this was WAY UP THERE. ROCK ON, NISHIDA.

OH SO VERY STEALTHY

PWNED!

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH

When she said, "I certainly hope your feelings for Makino Tsukushi aren't wavering," I was sooo waiting for him to go, "No, they're pretty much set in stone!" >D

I'm still totally snickering over how totally pointless this entire storyline was. What a totally lame waste of potential drama, guys! What little merit I felt it had didn't come from the writing, but from MatsuJun's acting at certain moments.

OKAY, FAVORITE THING EVER.

RUIIIIIIII

I LOVE YOU RUIIIIIII

NO WE CANNOT HAVE ENOUGH CAPS OF THIS MOMENT OMGGGGG

Where do they FIND these places?

I really dug Shigeru's hair here. How do they make her hair look completely different all the time?!! Her usual style at the beginning, this one where it looks shorter, and the one at the end with it all wavy...I love them all!

Kato Natsuki did a great, great job here. Even though logically it followed that Shigeru had to give in, I really wasn't sure she would because Kato played it so ambiguously!

Yeah, there are only a million people there, this won't be awkward at all.

Oh, Shigeru.

Honestly.

Tsukasa's not even fit to be breathing the same air as her.

But in this cap, you can tell he knows it himself from the way he looks at her.

"Oh, are you maybe thinking, 'Maybe I should have chosen her after all'?!" FOR REALZ.

Well-done on all fronts. I do think this storyline being drawn out so long was a mistake. In the love rectangle, not a single person escaped without looking bad, though Shigeru held out longer than others. But this was a satisfying way to end it.

LOVE.

Yeah, Rui's just awesome.

And how the hell did they do this? Did they like close off an entire highway in Tokyo or something to shoot this?!! No way would the way to Narita be that freaking empty, right?!!