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| Synopsis |
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| The 47th NHK Taiga Drama is Atsu-hime. It is a life story of Atsuhime who was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, then called Satsuma, and how she became the wife of Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. | |
|  | Eita
瑛太 | | Kimotsuki Naogoro/Komatsu Tatewaki |
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| Drama Reviews (7) |
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!!WARNING!!
The review section may contain spoilers! Please understand
that you may find out about this drama's endings and plots!
| | 1. | Beautiful [Rating: 8/10]
So I fell asleep quite a bit while watching this drama. Although it was quite lovely to look at and although I absolutely adore Aoi-chan, the story dragged a bit during those middle episodes.
That being said, I must say that I�fm awfully glad I watched this drama. Firstly, it taught me so much about Court life and about Japanese history. It was amusing to realize just how much I had picked up from this drama when I visited the castles in Japan and was able to answer the questions posed by the tour guide. ^_^
Secondly, I was able to experience Matsuzaka Keiko. Where has she been all my life?! It was the strangest sensation feeling so devastated when her character, Ikushima, left Atsu-Hime�fs service – and then feeling this flood of joy when she returned numerous episodes later. The bond that is formed between Atsu-Hime and the women in the Ooku is truly infectious and I felt camaraderie between them and myself.
Thirdly, I love Taiga�fs because of the various faces that cross the screen. It was so refreshing to see the different actors and actresses pop up without me expecting them.
And finally, the drama was simply aesthetically pleasing.
I was really affected by the plot and the character of Atsu-Hime – so much so that I tried to look her up in historical literature to learn more about her.
All-in-all, although boring at times, I would still invest the billion hours to watch this show again. | | Reviewed by Wynter on 14 April 2009 | | 2. | Quietly grabs your attention [Rating: 8/10]
This tiaga drama addresses the period when U.S. forces in the mid-19th century attempted to "open" Japan - thus threatening hundreds of years of relative stability. At the heart of the story - Atsu-Hime (Aoi Miyasaki), who marries a shogun in dubious health. Miyasaki is adequate in the title role.
This begins slowly, and takes over fifteen or so episodes before you're thrust into the convoluted world of Japanese court life; halfway through, it's arresting. It's considerably more accurate than many other tiaga dramas, but still has wiggle-room for fiction. | | Reviewed by jdoramadotcom on 3 August 2008 | | 3. | Yay Taiga drama! [Rating: 9/10]
Well this drama did not pack as much action as most Taiga drama's tend to showcase so it can seem to slowly plot along. That sounds pretty dull and bad but it does not feel that way thanks to strong acting and a good script and cast.
Aoi Miyazaki rocks and so does the rest of the cast. Well worth viewing even if it does not have a lot of excess drama or action. | | Reviewed by MonsterZero-65 on 6 November 2009 | | 4. | Great [Rating: ?/10]
Even though I do not speak Japanese, and the dvd's I bought did not have english subtitles, I quite enjoyed it. The music was superb, I got the soundtrack, but it does not include a song that sounds like opera, sung by a woman. Does anybody know the name of the song, and who sings it, and where is available?
Thank you | | Reviewed by PerGuy on 23 March 2010 | | 5. | Miyazaki Aoi was very impressive [Rating: 8/10]
Miyazaki Aoi was the star of this Taiga and she did a wonderful job. I can't say it was a thrilling taiga drama but it was interesting and I enjoyed it. I really learned a lot from this drama about Atsuhime and personal research inspired by the drama. | | Reviewed by MonsterZero65 on 16 August 2010 | | 6. | Average expectatoins [Rating: ?/10]
A fairly typical mix of light history and melodrama, as Japan deals with the encroachment of Western powers 150 years ago. Miyazaki Aoi is mildly appealing as the young princess working behind the scenes. | | Reviewed by jdoramadotcom on 28 March 2008 | | 7. | aiyaaa.... [Rating: ?/10]
hurmmm...49episodes?haha....i couldnt stand if its more than 15epd...i cant watch it anyway,no drama from nhk ever been sold in malaysia..i mean taiga drama of course.. | | Reviewed by alyaa azhar on 2 July 2007 |
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| Comments From Users (27) |
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!!WARNING!!
This section may contain spoilers! Do not proceed if you
do not want to read about this drama's endings and plots!
| | 1. | Comments by Jeanxi [Rating: 7/10]
Boring at the beginning, gets interesting once Atsuhime marries the shogun, but goes back to the same boring lull once the shogun dies. I loved the interaction between Okatsu and her family so I was sad when she moved away and never saw her family again. There continued to be touching scenes between her and members of her new family (new dad, Ikushima, Iesate), but the series might as well have ended when Ikushima left the ooku since the most important people in her life have pretty much all left her. The only heartwarming scene left in the last half of the drama was when she encountered Naogoro again after not seeing him for many years.
Throughout the series, Atsuhime is noted as an interesting, out-of-the-box thinker, a smart woman for the era, but her intelligence was not portrayed well. Sure, she might have appeared to be a relatively smart lady, but most of the time, she's just hanging around, contemplating one thing or another, and not really doing anything. There was maybe one moment in the whole drama when I commended her on her smart move. There was also no logical development in her relationship with Shogun Iesate nor any good reason for why she suddenly became really close to Iemochi (neither did she seem old enough to be his mother).
On a separate note, if there is one actor I hated in the series, it's got to be Horikita Maki for her expressionless acting. She looked weird with a capital w. I mean caterpillars as brows and a radioactive-looking lipcolor does nothing for a woman's appearance. Yes, Takiyama also had scary makeup, but at least it had a form of aesthetics in the scariness (Nana, anyone?), whereas Kazunomiya's makeup was just plain scary and ugly. The other majorly wooden character was the guy who played Iemochi. I didn't feel touched at all by the interaction between him and Atsuhime. Everything felt forced and the fact that he called her mother weirded me out at first since they seem to be about the same age. Also, all of Kazunomiya's posse from Kyoto were irritating. I guess they were supposed to act that way, so in that sense their acting was great.
EDIT: Although the drama was slow and dragged out, it ended on an impressive note. I almost cried my eyes out in the last episode ~>.<~ It's just so sad that Atsuhime lived on while so many of her friends and family died before her, I was especially heartbroken when Naogoro died. For the extremely touching ending, I've upped the rating to 7 ^^ | | 2. | Comments by xploring [Rating: ?/10]
I found Atsuhime very easy to watch, flew right through to episode 22 in just a few days. But if I had any expectation to begin with, I think I probably would have been disappointed.
The story when Atsuhime was in Satsuma was very enjoyable. But after that, I don't really understand her motivation for giving up her family and going through all that... To me, the characterisation is lacking, I couldn't really put together her care-free/inquisitive side with her determined side. Perhaps because I am not Japanese? (or well-informed on Japanese history) The story, though slow, is watchable, but I felt there wasn't a lot of substance, or meaningful revelations. Like in the beginning with the character of Zusho(?, the old councillor who fixed Satsuma's finance).
Restarted again after a long break, but it has quickly become frustrating. On the point of who to pick for the next shogun, there are no convincing reasons for either candidates. Moreover, it's difficult to see why people of different factions vehemently oppose the other candidates, when through their words, their top priority was to extend/secure the shogunate. The same thing just kept repeating without any convincing arguments. They actually explained this near the end of the debate, perhaps it is common knowledge for the target Japanese audience.
It definitely has its moments despite the pace slowing right down. Handling for a lot of the emotional moments were very similar to that of many Korean dramas. | | 3. | Comments by yurifly [Rating: 10/10]
Miyazaki Aoi is an amazing actress and I cannot think of anyone else more prefect for this role. Her portrayal of the young Katsu and her transformation into the wise Tenshoin is perfect. Her supporting cast also did amazing job bringing out the essence of their characters and they all have great chemistry. At first, I was a little thrown off by Eita's appearance, but he was developed solidly. Matsuda Shota also portrayed his young and gentle Iemochi very well. I do think that Horikita Maki is a little bit of miscast, maybe because she doesn't really pull the taiga look very well. I don't know much about Japanese history but I found the plot was engaging and balanced the politics, history and drama well with a healthy dose of humor thrown in. I started tearing up in the early episode when Katsu said goodbye to her family and then later when she mourned the death of her husband and son. | | 4. | Comments by ABINTRA [Rating: 8/10]
Informative yet entertaining drama, with lush period details and an elaborate web of politics and historical figures. Very touching at times. My main complaint is that it could've been condensed into fewer episodes... it was extremely interesting for a portion in the middle but dragged at the beginning and end. Overall, a worthwhile watch, if one has the time to invest in it! | | 5. | Comments by ginger ale [Rating: 10/10]
What's there not to love in Aoi Miyazaki? She breath fresh life into the role of the wife of the 13th Shogun as Atsuhime. I love her on screen chemistry with Eita as Naogoro the lower level samurai who was her childhood friend, confidante, iGo playing mate and all around hanger on. Of course they all played really important roles in unifying Japan when they got older!!! | | 6. | Comments by nickylynn [Rating: 8/10]
I liked the first half, but after her husband died it just dragged. I got bored. Although there was some good moments Atsuhime had with Ikushima. What really touched me was Atsuhime's relationship with her husband. Their love for each other was expressed so beautifully. | | 7. | Comments by Anime Dad [Rating: 9/10]
Fascinating insight into Meiji restoration-era Japan through the eyes of Atsu-hime, who went from rural princess to the wife of Shogun Iesada to one of the most influential women in Japan at the time. Great performances all round, especially from Miyazaki Aoi and Eita. | | 8. | Comments by Patazilla [Rating: 10/10]
Great cast, great plot, great soundtrack, great editing. I deeply enjoyed this drama, which was my first taiga drama ever. It wasn't dull for a second, but very moving and loveable instead. A truely heartfelt story. | | 9. | Comments by hikaruhana [Rating: 8/10]
Very good! I was more and more impressed with Miyazaki Aoi's acting the more I watched. Itsukushima was also great. And what a life. Highly recommend. | | 10. | Comments by gaijinmark [Rating: 7/10]
Something different, a taiga from a woman's point of view. But given that cast, I thought it could have been better. | | 11. | Comments by eml132 [Rating: ?/10]
Will be my first Taiga drama, looking forward to it. Anything with Miyazaki Aoi has to be good right? ;-) | | 12. | Comments by Michikohime [Rating: ?/10]
Watching it, the few first episode are kinda low pace though... I hope it's gonna get a little better | | 13. | Comments by natzumi [Rating: 8/10]
Only saw episode one!
This one got a really high rating!
I would see if if I have more time! | | 14. | Comments by Wynter [Rating: 8/10]
A very beautiful Taiga about Atsu-Hime and how she influenced the government. | | 15. | Comments by loveaomori [Rating: 7/10]
Not bad but too much women oriented. Poor acting from the satsuma team. | | 16. | Comments by moeru_h [Rating: 10/10]
Another amazing Bakumatsu story. Atsuhime's story left me in tears. | | 17. | Comments by wanderingfish7 [Rating: 9/10]
Great drama. I followed for the whole year, didn't waste my time. | | 18. | Comments by Zapper [Rating: 10/10]
just heard Maki Horikita going be in this 49 episodes long drama | | 19. | Comments by tiny^2 [Rating: 9/10]
Beautiful actress in beautiful taigadorama. | | 20. | Comments by aoi_dolphine [Rating: 7/10]
Still airing and stopped at epi5 | | 21. | Comments by tama_naj [Rating: 7/10]
one of the best taiga dramas... | | 22. | Comments by jessiesoon [Rating: 9/10]
love aoi miyazaki as atsuhime! | | 23. | Comments by sadacori [Rating: ?/10]
(Currently watching on KIKU) | | 24. | Comments by toyotaku [Rating: ?/10]
Still watching... | | 25. | Comments by ffrostte [Rating: ?/10]
watching... | | 26. | Comments by mujji [Rating: 8/10]
waiting.. | | 27. | Comments by houndofwinter [Rating: ?/10]
watching | | 28. | Comments by riichan [Rating: 9/10]
| | 29. | Comments by xaxa [Rating: 9/10]
| | 30. | Comments by marienella [Rating: ?/10]
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| Users who voted for this drama (5) |
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| 1. | Patazilla
Even though I have no other Taiga drama to compare this to, I really enjoyed it. It wasn't just dull historic plot, but you could feel with all its characters. Very captivating and deeply moving... never a dull moment. I loved all the heartfelt characters who were portrayed by an awesome cast and also give a thumps up to the amazing soundtrack. Epic! | | 2. | mujji
aoi vs maki! | | 3. | santei | | 4. | galagrace | | 5. | tiny^2 |
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