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DVD Box
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| Synopsis |
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| Aida Michiru, a naive and goodnatured individual, finds herself a victim of Domestic Violence (DV). Unable to suppress her desire to find the good in her violent boyfriend, Sosuke, she attracts the attention and loyalty of her childhood friend, Ruka. Ruka, who has always been in love with Michiru, finds herself torn between the person she pretends to be, and the one who harbours her feelings. Together with Takeru, a hairdresser and kind soul, and Eri and Ogura, residents of the Sharehouse they all reside in, Michiru learns to defend herself, gain control of her life, and rely on her pillar of strength - her last friends. | | Wynter |
| Soundtrack and Theme Songs (1) |
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| 1. | Prisoner Of Love [Utada Hikaru] | |
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| Drama Reviews (25) |
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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. | awesome cast with poor story [Rating: 6/10]
This dorama involves mainly DV (domestic violence), along with some sexual issues which float around the main issue. It is obvious that the creators found that productions with modern issues would be both important and interesting not only from the capitalist point of view - or so I hope.
However, this dorama fails to present such issues, for after a few episodes it becomes repetitive and the story seems to lose its intelligence and dinamicity, and the characters turn out to be somehow unreal.
Another negative point from my point of view would be the way how things just seemed to be pushed forcively to the so-called modern issues which this dorama had the goal to present. In other words, it only tries to involve such things, forgetting that life - and consequently the lives of those characters - has more things just than that.
I have to say it was quite disappointing to see actors such as Ueno Juri and Eita working hard to present their characters as they would be in real life, while the story seemed to tear itself apart as it progressed. In matters of acting, however, I should state that Nagasawa Masami's acting was very poor and she didn't deserve to work with outstanding actors such as the ones mentioned before just because of her pretty face.
Along with that, I think I should mention the unreal way money is used in the dorama. Even while Nagasawa's character Michiru is forced to hide in the sharehouse, she seems to be too fit in terms of money than in a real situation like that. It's just a point that kept me in the nerves.
Also, as some have mentioned, the theme song "Prisoner of Love" by Utada Hikaru was too much used in the dorama it becomes boring and tiring to hear the same thing over and over again, with the original arrangement and piano version. In that way, Last Friends also lacks the good and old soundtracks productions from Fuji TV never failed to astonish and create an emotional aura around the doramas.
I should say I expected a lot more from Last Friends, not only because it's Fuji TV or the casting, but the issues which it was meant to concern. Although the numbers say Last Friends had a better viewership than CHANGE from Kimura Takuya, I think it was one of the poorest of Fuji TV's productions. In spite of that, I think the casting and the producers deserve an "otsukaresama deshita". | | Reviewed by nattou8temaki on 3 August 2008 | | 2. | Not great, but not a complete loss [Rating: 8/10]
I should have known this would be a depressing drama with such a foreboding title. Nevertheless, I didn�ft find it a complete loss. To be sure, I really enjoyed the beginning of the drama, and the very end (more specifically, the last episode). Everything in-between was a complete mess.
The writers did a terrible job. The concept of the drama, in terms of the social issues being covered, was good. There was gender-confusion/homosexuality, child abuse, molestation, and DV. There were even subtle, substantial issues as well, such as neglect, empowerment, abandonment, etc. There was so much meat here that the writers could work with, but quickly the storyline began to cater to the shock value of these issues, and not the essence or importance of bringing about awareness. The characters were not developed, the history of the characters were not fleshed out, and in the last few episodes I found that everything was just rushed and justified in a very weak manner. The overkill of DV – and here I mean showing the actual abuse, not the actual mention of the act – was frustrating to watch, as was the constant repetition of the characters�f actions.
What saved this show for me were the actors/actresses. I have to give them props for playing successfully only one-sided characters. All the actors and actresses did a fine job, considering what they had to work with. I really felt for Ruka, I was madly in love with Takeru, I freaked out when Sosuke was around, Eri brought a smile to my face, and Michiru successfully made me want to smack her around (no pun intended).
I�fll probably never watch this drama again, but I�fm not upset that I watched it this first time. Regardless of all the middle mess, overall the drama really made me feel for the characters and the issues being brought forth. I was also glad that they didn�ft overplay the homosexuality, and that in the end it was about humans loving humans, and not letting gender disturb the beauty that is love. | | Reviewed by Wynter on 12 July 2008 | | 3. | very special and mature story [Rating: 10/10]
HAH! I am FIRST *wuahahaha*
Well, "LAST FRIENDS"...its awesome.. its so mature..its exciting..its dramatic..its shocking...its touching...its intense..its
definitely one of the best dramas I ever watched! Love the actors and the
story. Every episode is great.
Ryo-chan (Sosuke):
Ok ok..Ryo-chan was since "NEWS" debut (2003) my favorite member..so
probably I cannot be really fair when it comes to his acting skills BUT I
watched all his dramas and he extremely improved. I have even more
respect towards him because he decided to play such a HARD role like in
"LAST FRIENDS".. its not easy to play a guy who hurts his girlfriend in
such a horrible way. The most Johnny's boys always play the lovely or
cool character in dramas..but you have to be very brave to take a
negative role as a brutal bad guy because Ryo-chan could lose a lot of his
japanese female fans because of the role he is playing in LAST FRIENDS.
I think Ryo-chan does a great job, I did not expected him to be THAT
good, so I cannot agree with people who says that he is not a talented actor.
Ueno Juri: What can I say.. SHE CAN ACT. The best actress of our
generation. I just love her since "Swing Girls" and "Nodame Catable" and
now she again proved what an amazing and talented actres she is.
Juri and Ryo-chan were the main reasons why I started to watch
"last friends"..and I really do not regret it. They easily steal the show
from other actors. The main focus is on them.
Nagasawa Masami (Michiru): Well not bad..I watched her in 3
Doramas so far and I am very impressed by the way how different she is
in ever role. The most actresses can only play the little cute girl but
Masami can also play mature characters. | | Reviewed by Di@na on 26 April 2008 | | 4. | Ueno Juri is awesome! [Rating: 9/10]
I'm pretty new to this generation of J-doramas. I originally watched this because of Nagasawa Masami, seeing that she was excellent in Proposal Daisakusen.
I didn't know who Ueno Juri is, and I didn't understand all the praises for her. That was, until I watched this.
And OMG, needless to say I was blown away by her acting. She's turned me into a believer and is now my #1 most favorite Japan actor of all time. The girl is a natural genius, and from now on I'm looking forward to all her future projects. But before that, I'll check out Nodame Cantabile to see more of Ueno Juri's goodness.
As for the show, it started off pretty slow, and then picked up around ep.5 until the end. By the time you hit ep.7 and forth, it became very intense, depressed and dark. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat and couldn't stop watching to find out what will happen next.
Although the show itself -when you judge it as a whole- was a little disappointing in the resolutions, and over too soon, this is definitely a drama to see for the great acting (particularly Ruka and Takeru) and the intense storyline. | | Reviewed by fate-ss26 on 20 May 2009 | | 5. | Superb cast wasted by over-the-top melodrama [Rating: 7/10]
I remember watching the first episode and being like "wow, this is intense" - great selection of cast, excellent choice of theme song, original storyline - it seemed like it was going to be memorable. But it all ended up as one big melodramatic mess. My hat goes off to nishikido - he was genuinely terrifying and believable as the psychopathic lover (so different from ichi littoru), but im sick to death of nagasawa masami. She bores me and her acting is often cringeworthy, weighing down what is otherwise an excellent cast - juri, eita (excellent as usual) and mizukawa is a breath of fresh air. I've decided after watching her other shows that seka chuu was somewhat of a fluke (although ayase haruka was better) because she just seems lost on screen and her expressions are limited and predictable. Maybe she needs to make a few more movies and stop the j-dramas cos shes just so mediocre. But its not all her fault - the dialogue gets very predictable, and we never really get to explore the inner depths of mizukawa or eita, which was disappointing. So quite disappointing. | | Reviewed by dekatrain on 2 July 2008 | | 6. | Enjoyable [Rating: 8/10]
Ueno Juri steals the show with an excellent performance as the gender-confused Ruka, and easily outshines the lead character Michiru, played by Nagasawa Masami. Eita performs well as the sweet and sensitive Takeru with an aversion to sex, and Nishikido Ryou - terrifying, yet incredibly persuasive and endearing as Sousuke. I wished there was a bigger part for Eri and Ogurin in the show, however their story seemed to move along at a snail's pace with little development - and suddenly it had ended.
The storyline moves seamlessly between the present and the past and back to the present. Sometimes things characters do seem to make little sense, and there's always that 'overheard conversation/meeting coincidence' which gets on my nerves, but I liked the way it dealt with the controversial issues that no one likes to discuss yet are so prevalent in society nowadays.
Utada's 'Prisoner of Love' is a great song for this drama, though I hardly paid attention to the rest of the soundtrack except for the piano version of the theme song.
My verdict? Recommended! | | Reviewed by Limes on 18 October 2008 | | 7. | Hype-driven soap opera [Rating: 4/10]
Homosexuality, domestic violence, (attempted) rape, pregnancy... this show's got them all. On the other hand, character behavior makes no sense, and production being generally poor, with third-rate music (OST) for suspense.
After few episodes, it's painfully clear the scriptwriter just threw in whatever it takes to stir up controversy in order to get ratings without concern for story flow or character development.
Acting in general was horrible, except Nishikido Ryou did an excellent job when finally breaking down. Unfortunately, he was playing a poorly conceived character for most episodes, and only had one episode to shine in. Similar case for Eita. Acting by the other 4 main cast were just plain joke.
This show started very poorly, but actually started getting interesting around episode 7~10, but it was ruined by one of the worst final episode ever for a dorama. One thing gained for this series though, is that I hated Utada's "Prisoner of Love" when I heard it before watching this series, but the song itself really grew on me by the end. | | Reviewed by 8thSin on 16 July 2008 | | 8. | Great acting [Rating: 9/10]
So often main female characters really piss me off in dramas, and this was no exception. I absolutely hated michiru, and i don't know if this was the target reaction to the character or not. The rest of the actors were awesome. Eita is always wonderful, and Ueno was really spectacular. Except for michiru, the characters really endeared themselves to me. The actor playing Sousuke did excellent- he really made me hate the character.
For me, though the drama was really melodramatic, I quite enjoyed it. I agree it is messy in places but when i watched it I really got into it and it had my emotions in a frenzy the enitre time- a really good response. I couldn't wait to watch it every week (wednesdays at 10!!) Of course, it was the first drama I watched while in Japan, so some of my judgement may be clouded due to this emotional attachment...! | | Reviewed by idiotcat on 11 January 2009 | | 9. | CAN IT GET ANY BETTER??!!?? [Rating: 10/10]
this dorama is intense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ITS SO GOOD, i had like 30 fangasms from it, its so fuking good. Its like crack, thats how good it is
here are the characters, lesbian, confused girlfriend (cgf), cracy boy friend (cbf), and a gay guy
now the lesbian loves the cgf, and the gay guy loves the lesbian (turns out he isnt gay), but the cbf is using domestic violence agains the cgf, and she runs away from him, to the lesbian, who then tries to protect, who then tells the gay guy that she is a lesbian, and then has the cgf overhear it, and the eventually the cbf comittes suicide
ITS SO GOOD
so many turns and twists, and plot twists, w/e its soo fuking good.OMG im gettin goff just by talking bout it. | | Reviewed by benderoftheelements on 29 September 2008 | | 10. | Strong at the beginning, weak towards the end [Rating: 6/10]
This jdrama dissappointed me a little bit, because it started amazingly good, the first half of episodes are amazing! the cast is great, all the episodes were really intense and extremely good, but the last 3 or 4 episodes it started to get too cliche and predictable, the characters had so much depth, but at the end you don't get to know their past very well which is something that you linger to know since the series started, and also it felt like there was not enough time at the end and tried tl squish everything in a bad way, in the few episodes left.. =\ I recommend it because it's a very different drama (at the beginning..) , very mature, but u will be dissapointed with the lasts episodes | | Reviewed by deedlitmurata on 2 July 2008 | | 11. | Controversial topics in a classic dorama [Rating: 8/10]
Yes there are so many controversial topics in this dorama. But they all fit in a rather classic plot about friendship and people overcoming their differences and their past.
I thought that the plot was good, with a lot of twists. The acting was mostly very good (OMG Ueno Juri what an act), despite some situations being a bit awkward (there were some shortcuts, particularly on trying to explain why Michiru so easily submits to his violent boyfriend).
All in all, a dorama of very good quality and excellent casting, definitely worth your time, even if despite the attempts to make it different with all of these difficult topics, it remains something classic that won't make it to my Top10. | | Reviewed by Jackykero on 4 October 2008 | | 12. | could have been better [Rating: 9/10]
i give 9, almost 10 for juri and eita alone. but it could have been really great, it's just there were too many heavy issues to be dealing in one drama. i'm still wondering what really happened with takeru, eita's character. it wasn't really explained. and the way they handled ryo's sousuke at the end was just a little too convenient. that made me upset a bit. but over all, i did enjoy last friends. the maturity level on the drama was refreshing considering i mostly watch high school dramas, light stuff. | | Reviewed by weetzie_bat on 20 April 2009 | | 13. | Serious issues, true friendship... and more [Rating: 8/10]
A simply incredible cast in this drama and it really deals with so many important issues that are prevalent in society I thought it did really well in this aspect. It was just missing something for me though and I can't place it. I think part of me was just not able to really understand some of the motivations of some characters. It is certainly interesting and encourages a lot of dissection and discussion. | | Reviewed by MonsterZero-65 on 26 October 2009 | | 14. | kinda disappointing [Rating: 4/10]
Maybe de combination of brilliant artists and de unusual storyline have given a high expectation for dis drama..It looks quite good at de 1st eps...but den gettin draggy since ep3 til eps 8..the story didnt progress much.. everyone in de de show is so problematic which is quite disturbing.. Takeru n Soskei 's problems r not explained well and there r quite few scenes which served no purposes.. | | Reviewed by hirowei87 on 16 June 2008 | | 15. | Very Disappointing [Rating: 6/10]
Fine performances by Ueno Juri and Eita (or else it would've scored much lower) are ruined by the DV-obsessed story and poorly developed characters. The writer(s) blew an opportunity to make this drama really special. Also, the DV-related violence was excessive and gratuitous. Don't bother watching the SP: it's mostly just a recap of the previous 11 episodes... What a joke. | | Reviewed by bmwracer on 26 June 2008 | | 16. | Oh my gosh... [Rating: 10/10]
This is the most suspenseful drama I have ever seen. The great story is followed up by a terrific cast, and I don't think anyone could have acted it out better. I also like that it deals with issues like domestic violence and gender identity disorder... Issues that usually don't come across in the dramas I've seen. | | Reviewed by terra-kun on 9 June 2008 | | 17. | interesting [Rating: 8/10]
i did't find any synopsis abt this drama..and when i watched it, kind a shocked coz never thought it will be 'that' story...also,so impressed watching ueno juri, at 1st im try to look out where is ueno juri, then wow she is ruka... so different from nodame... | | Reviewed by rossoneri on 16 May 2008 | | 18. | AWESOME!!! [Rating: 10/10]
i loved this drama from the start. seriously, everytime i would watch an episode, i couldn't wait to watch the next one. juri and eita are extremely talented actors. without them, this drama wouldn't be the same. i highly recommend this drama!!! | | Reviewed by judochick on 26 October 2008 | | 19. | controversial issues [Rating: 9/10]
complicated dorama about controversial issues like sexual violence and gender.. amazing story and the actors played their character so great especially ueno juri, nishikido ryo and eita, | | Reviewed by ester_grace on 7 December 2010 | | 20. | Don't watch that if you're in a bad mood [Rating: 7/10]
That show is difficult to rate. The main triangle relashionship is interesting but it's some kind of slow and depressive story. The Ueno Juri play is awesome as Ruka. | | Reviewed by harusamesarada on 19 October 2009 | | 21. | ep5 [Rating: 8/10]
definitely cutting edge in its portrayal of reality...
and superb acting from ueno juri :D
masami doesn't impress that much here, but i still like her anyway | | Reviewed by jynkang on 18 May 2008 | | 22. | so good [Rating: 10/10]
i love the drama.. its not like any other drama.. its different and very interesting.. i always want to know whats going to happen next.. :D | | Reviewed by jdoggxd on 12 May 2008 | | 23. | Awesome [Rating: 10/10]
Must watch it!
All the actors and actress do well in this drama..
Really like it =) | | Reviewed by eiza on 10 September 2008 | | 24. | Complicated [Rating: 9/10]
Heavy and complicated story | | Reviewed by ester_grace on 14 December 2010 | | 25. | much better one could not imagine [Rating: 10/10]
a friend can not buy | | Reviewed by jed_ka on 19 April 2009 |
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| Comments From Users (184) |
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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 poopiefish [Rating: 8/10]
As many others have pointed out, this drama "deals" with issues that many other dramas seldom touch on: domestic violence, homosexuality, child abuse and loneliness, but imo, it didn't really say too much on those issues.
As someone who has never experienced or knows anyone who has experienced DV, I fail to understand Sosuke and Michiru's relationship. It simply didn't make sense to me why would Sosuke hit Michiru so DAMN hard if he really loved her from the bottom of her heart. Neither did it make sense to me that Michiru keeps going back to him despite violence so serious that it could threaten her life.
Ueno and Eita's parts were enjoyable to watch though, and I think here is where the story really shines -- when Ueno finally gains recognition as a "person" instead of a "woman". This has spoke out against the social stereotypes in our society, and I felt that it really did make a statement, perhaps even a lasting impact on me.
The ending was also... interesting, to say the least. *spoilers alert!* I would refrain from saying too much, but I really wanted to comment on how unconventional the ending was to me... a relationship that is a combination of friends/husband+wife/lovers/family? Yes! That is how some human relationships can be! Not all human relationships have to be defined and fit nicely into presets of the society! And I love the drama for acknowledging that fact.
Other than that, for those who just enjoy suspense and dramatic plots, I think you will also definitely enjoy this drama. It always kept me up on the chair and I didn't find myself fastforwarding parts of the drama like I usually do.
Oh, and I must also give praise to Ueno Juri and Eita's acting! In fact, I was so impressed by Juri that I went and watched Nodame because of her performance in Last Friends! (I have always been reluctant to watch Nodame due to the hype) She has truly brought the character to life... | | 2. | Comments by Kitsuchi [Rating: 8/10]
Interesting. Very interesting. In fact, one of the very few series I've watched up until now that I found so extremely interesting and exciting to constantly wanting to watch the next episode. This fact impressed me very much from the first episode. At first, I hadn't much expectations about it and thought it would be some "cliché"-series about different kinds of friendships and their difficult days/pasts and so on. But I was really surprised and got "owned" as I kept watching. :)
This series is one among the few which takes up questions and subjects that are quite rare, and making the whole thing stay dramatic, sweet, romantic and depressing at the same time.
Not to mention the choice of OST's, that was like sugar in a cake! The perfect choices added the extra feeling. I was highly satisfied and was always happy as I was watching this series, because it was a great match! There are often cases when I watch a new series and hear their OST's I think to myself, ".. what kind of music is this.." but well, slowly, I would get used to it and like it in the end. But regarding this series, 'Last Friends', it was like opening the door from hell to heaven in one single move; everything was spot-on immediately.
I loved 'Prisoner of Love'. Throughout watching, I always thought that it was words matching the protagonists. They are "prisoners of love", if you think about it.. :)
Do I need to comment about Ueno Juri? Excellent acting to the max. Surprised me like this: 0: after her acting in Nodame. Like, wow! What a change!
Of course, this series had it flaws as well.. Like, how come Sousuke changed behaviour out of the blue, Michiru going back and forth to him even though it's obviously dangerous, etc.. But whatever, I didn't think about these very much because the feeling I got while watching this series overwhelmed me and manipulated me. :)
Watch now, for my sake, kk? ;) | | 3. | Comments by Di@na [Rating: 9/10]
Well, "LAST FRIENDS"...its awesome.. its so mature..its exciting..its dramatic..its shocking...its touching...its intense..its
definitely one of the best dramas I ever watched! Love the actors and the
story. Every episode is great.
Ryo-chan (Sosuke):
Ok ok..Ryo-chan was since "NEWS" debut (2003) my favorite member..so
probably I cannot be really fair when it comes to his acting skills BUT I
watched all his dramas and he extremely improved. I have even more
respect towards him because he decided to play such a HARD role like in
"LAST FRIENDS".. its not easy to play a guy who hurts his girlfriend in
such a horrible way. The most Johnny's boys always play the lovely or
cool character in dramas..but you have to be very brave to take a
negative role as a brutal bad guy because Ryo-chan could lose a lot of his
japanese female fans because of the role he is playing in LAST FRIENDS.
I think Ryo-chan does a great job, I did not expected him to be THAT
good, so I cannot agree with people who says that he is not a talented actor.
Ueno Juri: What can I say.. SHE CAN ACT. The best actress of our
generation. I just love her since "Swing Girls" and "Nodame Catable" and
now she again proved what an amazing and talented actres she is.
Juri and Ryo-chan were the main reasons why I started to watch
"last friends"..and I really do not regret it. They easily steal the show
from other actors. The main focus is on them.
Nagasawa Masami (Michiru): Well not bad..I watched her in 3
Doramas so far and I am very impressed by the way how different she is
in ever role. The most actresses can only play the little cute girl but
Masami can also play mature characters. | | 4. | Comments by Sorata [Rating: 9/10]
First of all i have to say that this dorama has tons a plot holes, i think that the writers were on crack while writing this, i was really pissed because they messed up a story with huge potencial. I rate this with a 9 because even with all it�Ls flaws i was highly entertained, because if i was impartial about this i would rate it a 5 or a 6.
The first 3-4 episodes were great and i tought i was in for a classic, but after that it really didn�Lt live up to other episodes quality.
Sousuke(Nishikido Ryou) was an ok character and i think he did well in his finality has a over jealous guy and all the beating and rage fealings were all very well played but the character lacked some development and his second face(the good guy one) was very bad played by Ryou with his one sided expressions, a better actor could have done much better with character; Michiru(Nagasawa Masami) was the worst character, i think Masami did her best with it but the character was just awuful.
Ueno Juri and Eita saved this dorama and made it enjoyable till the last episode(at least for me); i allways said that Eita was a good actor but allways chosed to do the most ediotic and boring parts, and now he finally showed his great hability.
And it�Ls hard to believe that 3 people in their twentys agree to live a platonic relationship for the rest of their lifes.
Overall it wasn�Lt a great dorama but if you are a fan of Eita or Ueno Juri you have to watch this. | | 5. | Comments by yurifly [Rating: 9/10]
A sensitive and thoughtful approach to address real life issues that most people are not comfortable talking about such as homosexuality and domestic violence all the while maintaining the hopeful tone of true friendship. The story is heavy and I could not watch more than 1 or 2 episodes at the time bc I got really depressed afterward. (I usually like to do a marathon when watching drama) Ueno Juri once again amazed me with her versatility and she is truly an actress with class on her own....not even Masami could outshine her here. I applaud Ryo for branching out of the typical Johnny's roles. There are times I felt that his acting was a bit awkward but overall he gave a heartfelt performance. All the characters in this drama were well developed and they had great chemistry with each other though I wish they had given more insight to Sousuke's mind...after all he was the catalyst of all the events. I don't know if I would rewatch this drama just because it's so heavy, but I would recommend this to everyone and not just because Ryo was in it. | | 6. | Comments by phlargo [Rating: 7/10]
The verdict is in. A hotly awaited, all-star (or close enough) cast, a compelling premise. A personal favorite return of a good section of the Nodame cast.... and? Well, sadly, it was unfocused and hasty. It covered too many stories and provided far too little detail on any one of them. The director was pretty weak - there were a few really good episodes in the middle.. but they were lost on the second quarter and final quarter of the episodes (not very good at all)
To give it credit, it was really fun to watch at times and it was very exciting at others. I really enjoyed seeing Asame, Eita, and of course Juri in it.
Ryo's character, Sousuke, was really a disappointment. There wasn't much for him to do.
Masami's Michiru was generally boring and repetitive.
To avoid spoilers, I'll avoid the story. Just be warned - lots of promise - not so much on the return.
Was it a decent show? Sure.
Can I whole heartedly recommend it? Not even close. | | 7. | Comments by ChapstickMurMur [Rating: 7/10]
I think it was really brave and ingenious for them to have made a drama that tackled so many controversial issues. I was absolutely hooked by the first episode but sadly the first episode alone. As the drama continued it started to lose focus, it didn't feel like any of the characters actually dealt with their issues and the way ryo ended things just seemed more like a means of escape.If you watched the drama you're probably like 'good riddance, he deserved it,' but i don't think that's sending the right message so the producers succeeded at presenting the issue but failed miserably at showing the best means of dealing with it.
In short, beginning was great, middle got boring, ending was total bull****. But all in all, ueno juri looked good with short hair. | | 8. | Comments by joychin [Rating: 6/10]
It isn't boring but i didn't like it. Everything was arranged accordingly...exp,takeru finally told what happened at the last episode. The one thing i didn't like was why weren't there any police involved. I mean,if your friend gets abused,hit, gets his hand broken,stalked,raped,slapped,punched,cut,kicked,aren't you supposed to report it to the police?? I mean,how stupid can anyone be to NOT report it O_O. They just let it be so when i was watching the show,i was like "serve them right" . Sigh...i don't like shows whereby the characters are like so dumb and can't think of themselves...sigh...
For Ryo,i was really surprised that he actually convinced me that he's a really bad guy. LOL. I can't believe i was actually pretty scared of a Johnny's member. | | 9. | Comments by sanctuary1210 [Rating: 10/10]
If I were to choose, this drama would be amongst one of the few that I would consider my #1 choice. The plot's very nice, and it takes a look at a lot of different problems in society. What I like the most is how it considers love - both the different kinds that people are searching for, and the different ways of expressing it.
Above all, the actors have done a very good job of carrying the message home to the audience. I wasn't particularly impressed with the main female lead, but Ueno Juri's performance was spectacular!! She completely immersed herself into the drama, and acts completely different from normal. I would say that her acting is what makes me love this drama so much. <3 | | 10. | Comments by nishishi [Rating: 8/10]
The dorama is marvelous.... but the ending is a big let-down! The actors puts a really good Job (Ueno Juri really deserved all the awards she got by her work in Last Friends). The plot is quite good (dealing with so many issues at the same time...) But they throw all that away in the last 2 episodes. Last Friends could be one of the finest doramas ever but its almost look like the writters got lazy in the ending. Its so weak... some side-storylines doesnt quite get a ending.... Some r not even developed (Nishihara Aki character for example). Nways... i really recommend this dorama, but dont expect a good ending... the ending just dont stand on the same level as the dorama. | | 11. | Comments by oonqy [Rating: 9/10]
can't help but realli think the Love r/s supersedes the friendship cos the latter can be easily concluded as they are important in ur life Whereas the love r/s can be pretty subjective.
towards the end, i really pity Sosuke. He really loves Michiru but choose the wrong method.
Ryo as Sosuke, i really haf to say is good acting.
The next one will Takeru, i think he acted the role well , mayb becos can understand his character better while Ruka, had done well portrayin her dilemma but there are some parts which i dun understand too.
the minus point will b towards the end, the story gotten abit boring and too draggy. | | 12. | Comments by dekatrain [Rating: 7/10]
I remember watching the first episode and being like "wow, this is intense" - great selection of cast, excellent choice of theme song, original storyline - it seemed like it was going to be memorable. But it all ended up as one big melodramatic mess. My hat goes off to nishikido - he was genuinely terrifying and believable as the psychopathic lover (so different from ichi littoru), but im sick to death of nagasawa masami. She bores me and her acting is often cringeworthy, weighing down what is otherwise an excellent cast - juri, eita (excellent as usual) and mizukawa is a breath of fresh air. | | 13. | Comments by occultangle [Rating: 9/10]
Yes it is super melodrama...and yet it totally works. sadly they couldn't simply allow someone to be a lesbian without making excuses ( a problem in many anime as well ), but even then I couldn't stop watching. The OP is a work of art, "Prisoner of Love" is one of Utada Hikaru's best songs, and the ending was perfect, not too much, not too little. It's not the sort of thing you would consider greatness as a novel or film, and overdone melodrama is the most common complaint I have against J-drama, but Last Friends uses it to create an emotinally intense drama that somehow ends up fun. | | 14. | Comments by chibichan [Rating: 9/10]
before watch it, i already read in some forum about the story , so i already prepare for the violent scene and gay issue in this dorama.
I found out this dorama is really great. with great cast, and great plot. Ueno Juri plays Ruka perfectly, i'm amazed the way she impersonate man's voice, so different with her previous role. The other role is also good, the way Nishikido plays as a violent person, really scary, Eita as a weak man but with a great heart.
After watching this, i feel somewhat miss my bestfriend, person you can share your thoughts and your deepest feeling without worry. | | 15. | Comments by Smitster [Rating: 4/10]
Such a great cast went to waste here. The first episode is most probably the best of the series, because it's a great episode. Really, it is. The characters are slowly crossing paths, secret traits are appearing, and the picture of things to come is slowly being painted in. Frankly, I thought the first episode was genius. But after that, it all falls apart. Minimal character development, and cheap bait-and-switches at every episode preview. This could have been great, but it failed miserably. Oh, and did I also mention that the theme song was used way too much!! | | 16. | Comments by dirtypink [Rating: 8/10]
I guess I really liked this drama because of Ueno Juri and Eita's performances, their characters were superb. However, I felt Michiru's character did not reach to the same standard, michiru's character was cliche and expected. I wish the drama could tell us more about Sousuke and explain him better. The ending was probably the only way the drama could end, if you watch it you would understand, but I did not felt as touched as I thought I would have. Nonetheless I really liked the idea for this show, and i love eita and juri's characters and their acting | | 17. | Comments by �ؓގq [Rating: 8/10]
This is a great portrayal of a emotionally dependent and struggling woman stuck in an abuse relationship with an emotionally unstable man. I was so annoyed at the female character going back to the man over and over again and emotionally draining her friends, yet that is a true portrayal of someone who is going through this lack of confidence. It loses 2 whole points because the ending was rushed and crappy, but it will not take away how realistic the drama was in my mind. Ueno Juri was also amazing in this drama. Learnt a couple of life lessons here | | 18. | Comments by rikastar [Rating: 8/10]
I felt like the story changed abruptly from it being about Michiru to a lot about Ruka (although you can argue that it's all related but...), partly because Ruka's storyline is much more stronger and worth rooting for and also because Ueno Juri is just so darn good. The whole story feels skewed as a whole to me. Still, this is a very oshare/trendy drama that I feel is worth watching, despite the occassional frustration that one might feel when things are left accounted for or not explored further. The SP is a complete waste of time by the way. | | 19. | Comments by Susan [Rating: 9/10]
This is the best dramatic drama I have seen yet. The cast was amazing, especially Eita and Ueno Juri who have such chemistry together and made their characters stand out even when they were not the focus. The biggest drawback to this drama was the focus on Michiru (Nagasawa Masami) and her indecisiveness. I would have preferred more background on the other characters, especially Takeru and Sousuke. I would have also liked it if the producers did not shy away so much from the more controversial topics of homosexuality and pedophilia! | | 20. | Comments by x_XJules [Rating: 4/10]
I was really excited for this one. I thought, "YES! Finally! A Japanese show with a lesbian!" Japan really looks down upon lesbians. For some reason guys can be gay (i mean it's not totally accepted but its more accepted than girls being gay). But of course.. the girl ended up having Gender Image blah blah blah disorder. Whatever. The series is super dramatic and it's painful to watch... you know.. due to a terrible storyline. I watched it anyway though. Ending sucked pretty bad LoL. | | 21. | Comments by serebi [Rating: 8/10]
I became tired of the repetitive pattern of violence that the drama depicts towards Michiru from her boyfriend,(this slows down the drama and tends to make it boring at times). She is almost stupid at time regarding this. On the other hand the series shows a pretty relationship among all the members of the house, and develops well all the characters' troubles, findings and outcomes. The theme song blends perfectly with the drama's theme. Eri is a drop dead gorgeous looking character. | | 22. | Comments by abelcmcr [Rating: 8/10]
I became tired of the repetitive pattern of violence that the drama depicts towards Michiru from her boyfriend,(this slows down the drama and tends to make it boring at times). She is almost stupid at time regarding this. On the other hand the series shows a pretty relationship among all the members of the house, and develops well all the characters' troubles, findings and outcomes. The theme song blends perfectly with the drama's theme. Eri is a drop dead gorgeous looking character. | | 23. | Comments by michimaru [Rating: 3/10]
i only got as far as the second episode, not because i found the story dull, but because watching the storyline left a bad taste in my mouth. it left me with an uncomfortable feeling, and i was so annoyed at how the main character couldn't stand up against the abuse. i've heard it's a really good drama, so hopefully one day i can sit down and stomach it all. i want to give it another shot, especially since it has such an all star young cast. | | 24. | Comments by Inujun [Rating: 7/10]
It was ok, I expected more, and I do appreciate dark dramas, but this one went a bit too far. Not to mention the female lead was utterly weak and hateful...urgh I practically wanted to fast forward through most of her scenes. Other than that, Ueno Juri gave a splendid performance as Ruka, the rest were ok too. Yet again I'd blame the story being a bit 'trying' to be dramatic most of the time and not making much sense. | | 25. | Comments by Gloves [Rating: 8/10]
I think this has a place in my top three favourite dramas. At first the characters seemed to have the most black and white personalities in the world but their realtionships gave them a little depth towards the end of the series. The whole story didn't seem too long and had a nice, positive message but I do agree that the end was packed too full with solutions, especially when many things were purposely left unsaid. | | 26. | Comments by flamethunder85 [Rating: 8/10]
OK maybe I shouldn't give an 8, a little bit too high in terms of story plot and character development, but there are certain scenes that still impressed me, not to mention Juri-chan's wonderful performance, also Eita's. The story came up so strong at the beginning, but failed at the end, imho. If you want to see the dramatic changes (versatility) of Ueno Juri as an actress, you can watch this.. | | 27. | Comments by ABINTRA [Rating: 6/10]
This drama deals with interesting themes - but it executes them in ways that are somewhat repetitive and trite, and falls far short of greatness. Sosuke was definitely the highlight for me; multi-dimensional, intriguing character, acted exquisitely by Nishikido Ryou. On the other hand, Michiru... one of the worst characters ever. It all evened out to a decent show, though nothing recommendable. | | 28. | Comments by aiscess [Rating: 7/10]
I could have given this a 6 but since it still had a happy ending I gave it a 7. Acting wise, it�fs average for Masami, I�fm not just fond of Juri and Ryo�fs characters although they acted well. Takeru is probably my favorite since he�fs the one that help both Michiru and Ruka in their problems. But the thing is, I don�ft really like the story, it�fs just that I like most of the casts in it. | | 29. | Comments by chinz [Rating: 10/10]
I salute you, Asano Taeko san for the great story. Touching on sensitive topics like forbidden love and domestic violence, yet causing a great suspense for audience to watch on! Who's going to die? Whose child is it that masami was carrying? Wont get an answer until ending... JURI-chan, you've once again amazed me by your acting... expressed thro Ruka, character of complexed personalilty. | | 30. | Comments by sw33t_laydee [Rating: 7/10]
I lost interest in the drama half way through...I think it got too intense for me to watch at times, however, it dealt with real life situations and i liked watching the portrayals of the different characters. Consequently, i did not like that only 2 of the 5 characters were developed in the drama...I felt there wasn't enough of the drama to go into the other character's lives and issues. |
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Read all 184 comments from users
| Users who voted for this drama (50) |
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| 1. | Patazilla
I just have to vote for this one. I love Ueno Juri and I love Eita even more and this dorama did a big deal to increase my liking. Both of them did such a wonderful job to act their roles that I totally fell in love with them and this dorama. All the other actors were perfectly chosen as well. They created such an incredible atmosphere with their skills and with the ingenious, surprising plot as well as the soundtrack. It often happens that I don't like endings too much in Japanese dorama and mostly always I can rightly guess how it ends at at least the next to last episode, but in this dorama they keep it exciting until the very end. And the end is a really nice, fitting and interesting one, which makes at least me think. | | 2. | occultangle
Yes it is super melodrama...and yet it totally works. sadly they couldn't simply allow someone to be a lesbian without making excuses ( a problem in many anime as well ), but even then I couldn't stop watching. The OP is a work of art, "Prisoner of Love" is one of Utada Hikaru's best songs, and the ending was perfect, not too much, not too little. It's not the sort of thing you would consider greatness as a novel or film, and overdone melodrama is the most common complaint I have against J-drama, but Last Friends uses it to create an emotinally intense drama that somehow ends up really memorable. | | 3. | howtwosave
It made me want to watch the next ep.
though afteryou watch it you notice its flaws like it could'vebeen really good if they ddidmore character development/back story/etc... i think they were too driven for ratings than good drama.and well itworked for me as far as entertainiment but quality is... I still recommend watching it cause it's fun to watch. well not fun cause it isn't happy, more like exciting. | | 4. | chibichan
i love the thrill part in this dorama, make me cant wait to watch until the end. actually i finish all the series in just 2 days. Ueno Juri plays Ruka perfectly, she is the main reason i love this dorama, the other casts are good too, but Ruka takes all of my attention | | 5. | 206
I'm not even done with this series but the story is so different compared to many I have watched. I can tell that something not good is going to happen. Maybe it's just that, being different, that makes it so compelling of a story. Great cast. | | 6. | Frits
last friends made me impressed,, many issues like gender and sexual violence became more interesting because of the nice plot and brilliant acting. ryo-kun and juri-chan once again proved that they were so talented. | | 7. | xerith
Although the last few episodes ended up a bit of an anti-climax to me... but overall, the story was quite interesting and different from the typical Japanese drama. Definitely worth watching. | | 8. | rossoneri
i watched these drama without knowing the storyline..and im so shocked and impressed with the plot......juri is so amazing,she really different from nodame....i can't believe ruka is juri... | | 9. | jekert
this one had me covering my eyes a lot. i hated sousuke! anyhow, i find the storyline very original and unique yet socially relevant. this one's pretty good. | | 10. | weetzie_bat
this drama is worth watching for juri ueno's acting alone. period! oh. eita should get a mention too. i swear, these two have one of the best chemistries. | | 11. | tetoots
watched it after nodame and had a difficult time dissociating the funny characters, but enjoyed nonetheless. that's how good the actors are. | | 12. | oonqy
the issues in the drama are quite controversial n sensitive, but nonetheless is nicely portrayed in the story. | | 13. | gwenny
Ueno Juri is great! this drama is very complicated but that just makes it all the more interesting =D | | 14. | w-kassy
have lots of great character and unpredictable ending. It's just AMAZING! | | 15. | kyunspark
Most complicated love triangle in a dorama I've ever seen... | | 16. | jdoggxd
good actors, very interesting drama.. :D love it so much | | 17. | pandaguitarist
Truly impressed and blown away by such a talented cast. | | 18. | Fate T.Harlaown
Euno Juri as Ruka is the one u dont wanna missed! | | 19. | judochick
juri and eita...that's all i gotta say :) | | 20. | difa
ceritanya beda dengan 6yang lainnya... | | 21. | lunarmiko
Ruka & Michiru are a cute couple! | | 22. | 5_lvis_20
is a sad story.....
but very nice... | | 23. | sanctuary1210
Awesome acting by Ueno Juri!!! <3 | | 24. | srius
Interesting story | | 25. | jenanas
���R | | 26. | Paine_kun | | 27. | juliana_phang | | 28. | daemon | | 29. | Jhvx | | 30. | leftleg |
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Read all 50 votes from users
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