2 posts tagged “matsujun”

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Smile

Jul 23, 2009
4 comments

Even though the drama ended a month ago, I'm gonna play it safe and give a warning:

SPOILERS AHEAD.

So close your eyes and scroll down if you don't like spoilers.

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Safe yet? No?

Right. Here it goes.

I probably would not have watched this, if I wasn't an Arashi fan. And indeed, I avoided it like the plague for a month, because my drama 6th sense told me that it'd be traumatic. Very traumatic. And when it comes to drama, my 6th sense is usually right. In fact, more often than not, it's spot on. (Which is why I still haven't finished ZaQuizShow and Shiroi Haru and a whole load of other dramas, but that's a different story.)

The first half of the drama kept me on my toes. The drug concealment case, the poisonous rice case... it kept me wondering if that was why Bito was in jail. Each time I thought that was it. Each time I was proven wrong. It was a relief, but it made me uneasy. In a sense, the 'crimes' Bito was involved in, or associated with, grew more serious, and the magnitude of the effect increased; it made me wonder what the story held for him down the road.

What I didn't expect was the murder.

Yes, he should've avoided Hayashi. And he tried. But it didn't work. Bito, like so many of us, wanted to think the best of everyone, including Hayashi. He thought Hayashi, deep down, was a good person, one who did not look at others with stigma. He thought Hayashi still had the virtue of treating others without prejudice.

But when he was proven wrong, when Hayashi called him "Philippine no yarou", that single virtue, Hayashi's single saving grace, and the realisation that Hayashi was no different to the others... Bito's beliefs, his faith in Hayashi was ridiculed in the highest degree.

The trial process that followed was unsurprising. Considering the grudge the Prosecution held towards the Defense, and the grudge of the police against Bito, they would have done everything in their power to make sure Bito was removed from society for good. I didn't expect the jury to come to the conclusion they did.

Sure, to kill another human being, whatever the reason, constitutes a crime. It is, in its nature, one of the most heinous crimes one can commit. But to sentence a man to death for killing another, or for whatever other reason... how is that different to committing murder itself? How can one justify a death sentence? How could one justify a death sentence?

Just because he has killed a man, and may be a threat to society, it's not a valid reason to end a life. I don't believe that those who have killed, for whatever reason, can remain unaffected by their actions. Whether they show remorse or not, the taking of a life is a crime. It's something that remains on one's mind forever. Whether the life was taken by a weapon, or by opinion, it makes no difference. That is why I don't agree with capital punishment. I'd rather pay for the criminal to be locked up for life, than to have to live, knowing that my opinion, my decision, took the life of another, no matter how undeserving or despicable they may be.

Which, I guess, is why I'm glad the ending wasn't so bleak. People like Itoh Kazuma, Shiori, and Hana-chan show how dedication to a worthy cause will reap rewards. Life should be about hope. And love is really the most powerful emotion humans possess.

One should fight to live another day, and live everyday to the fullest extent.

The Hidden Fortress in Cannes

May 11, 2008
42 comments

Confirmed: "The Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess" will be shown in Cannes during the Film Festival. ~~MatsuJun and~~ Masami will be there for the screening yo! The pair has also indicated that they want to do a bit of star-spotting themslves while in Cannes. So go and star-spot the star-spotting stars if you can, then come back and tell us all about it please!

長澤雅美將赴坎城宣傳「戰國英豪」 From Yahoo TW; Masami will definitely be in Cannes, but Matsujun...the article is sorta ambiguous on that.

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Nagasawa Masami Heading to Cannes to promote "The Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess"

He Jing Xian reporting for the InfoTimes

Director Shinji Higuchi's remake of Akira Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress", starring popular Japanese idols Matsumoto Jun and Nagasawa Masami, and just began its run in Japanese cinemas, will be shown in Cannes during the city's 61st International Film Festival to promote and sell the film. Matsumoto Jun and Nagasawa Masami consider this a very important opportunity for the film to gain international exposure. Both stars, when asked about what wishes they'd like to fulfill in Cannes, have said that they would like to become film fans for a day, and spotting some of their favourite stars. Nagasawa Masami, whose beautiful legs in "Socrates in Love" (also known as "Crying out Love, In the Centre of the World) attracted much attention, her presence in Cannes to promote her film will certainly attract film distributors from Taiwan.