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| Synopsis |
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Etsuko Shinomura, at first glance, seems to be a courageous and active girl. Actually, she has low self-esteem but hides it by acting boldly. She's a typical teenager who is interested in boys. Etsuko lives with her family: her always cheerful mother, her father who runs a dry cleaning shop, and her lighthearted grandmother. Four years ago, her older sister entered the prestigious Kyoto University. Since childhood, Etsuko hated being compared with her smart sister. Although she successfully entered the famous Matsuyama High School this spring, she soon falls behind the others. One day, she happens to see four boys from the school's boat team rowing in unison. This sight lights a fire in Etsuko's heart, and she is determined to establish a girl's boating club. The problem is, not only does she hate sports, she also has anemia. Despite her difficulties, she actively takes part in forming a new club.
Hiroyuki Sekino is Etsuko's neighbor and a member of the boy's boat team. He used to be overweight when he was younger, but now, he's turned into a tall handsome young man. He has a lot of friends because of his friendly personality. Hiroyuki is always in a good mood. What his friends don't know is that when he was a member of his middle school's soccer club, the pressure caused him to have a breakdown. At home, his parents' attention always went to his smart young brother. Etsuko has an uneasy feeling when she finds out how much girls at school like Hiroyuki. When they were kids, Hiroyuki and Etsuko never got along. Always fighting and quarreling, Hiroyuki once pushed Etsuko off a jungle gym. What Etsuko doesn't know is that Hiroyuki always has had a crush on her.
Saburo Nakata belongs to the Rugby club. His tall figure and handsome looks capture the girls' attention at school. Contrary to his idol-like looks, Saburo is actually a serious and dedicated guy. Brought up in an all-female family, he's seen plenty of the negative side of women. That's why Saburo is a bit timid when it comes to romance. He's not only brilliant, he's also a great athlete and is hoping to enter the prestigious Tokyo University. His dream is to get a job that will touch people's hearts. Saburo's "never give up" attitude is a positive influence on Etsuko and the girls who tend to give up easily.
Rie Yano is the typical honor student. She shoulders the burden of her parents' expectations and is aiming to enter a national university and go to medical school. Rie is moved when she sees how dedicated and passionate Etsuko is when it comes to the girl's boat club, and decides to join the club herself. She has a tough time balancing her studies and club activities, but with her rich knowledge of Science, Rie makes a big contribution as a member of the maintenance crew. As the expert mechanic, she makes her presence on the team felt by all.
Taeko Kikuchi stands out in the boat team with her bright-colored hair and pierced ears. Before joining the team, her strong personality gave the false impression that Taeko was the leader of a group of juvenile delinquents. But when she became friends with Etsuko and was moved by her passion for boats, Taeko joins the team. Soon, she becomes an essential member of the team. Her only weak point is that she's short-tempered.
Hitomi Ohno was the star member of the award-winning girl's squad when Matsuyama High School previously had a girl's boat team. When Etsuko asks Hitomi to coach her team, she happily accepts, and teaches the girls the excitement of rowing. Hitomi's husband Ken, is the coach of the boy's boat club and still active in boat rowing. They've been married for four years, but Ken's worries about continuing the sport has created a gap between the couple.
Yukio Shinomura is Etsuko's father and the owner of a dry cleaning store. He takes pride in what he does and refuses to buy computers and other new equipment for his store. Yukio likes to do it the old-fashioned way. While Yukio is always displaying his love and affection for Etsuko's elder sister, he seems strict when it comes to Etsuko. He often calls her a good-for-nothing, but Etsuko doesn't know that her father says these things to hide his true feelings. Yukio actually loves Etsuko more than anybody and cares for her greatly. He soon becomes the leader of the group cheering for Etsuko's boat club. | | FujiTV |
| Soundtrack and Theme Songs (1) |
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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. | Give It Your All [Rating: 9/10]
I think of this drama as a spoof of "Waterboys". Suzuki Anne plays Etsuko Shinomura, a girl who wants to start a girl's crew team at her school. However, in order to do so she needs to find at least 4 other members. She is met with many challenges during each episode - ie. finding enough members, bearing the weight of being captain, going through training, and experiencing some setbacks. However, she and the rest of her team are still able to overcome them through hope, hardwork, and perseverence.
Along with the sports theme, the drama also has a few romance scenes. Nishikido Ryou plays Sekino, a boy who has grown up with Etsuko and has secretly been in love with her for the entire time, but Etsuko has no idea about it. The other character, Saburo is played by Junnosuke who in the beginning is Etsuko's love interest. (Side Note: Uchi Hiroki stops appearing in this drama as Saburo after Episode 2 due to some unfortunate events. That being said, Junno still pulls off a pretty good job during the transition between episodes 2 and 4).
In the series the main character faces many challenges - in sports, in friendship, and in love. It had a sweet and touching ending. I highly recommend it to others especially fans of Suzuki Anne and/or sports dramas. | | Reviewed by donna8157 on 5 August 2005 | | 2. | Anne Suzuki is better than this suggests... [Rating: 5/10]
This drama seems to be drained of emotion of something - it just seemed really boring, and anne suzuki is better than that as an actress. Of course uchi horoki's sudden departure would attribute to some of the conflicts apparent in the story's flow of events. What I mean is, it sort of skips time here and there and you sort of lose your way through the story. And then, every episode of the girls will run away crying for some reason, then anne suzuki would make an emotional speech saying how important every member is, followed by "let's work hard together" etc. and then suddenly everything is forgiven. Maybe I'm just being too cynical because I've seen too many of these types of dramas, but its just a bit dull...If you want a decent anne suzuki drama see "Stand up". | | Reviewed by dekatrain on 2 November 2006 | | 3. | Pretty boring. [Rating: 6/10]
oh... this show is the first j-drama that made me fast forward during those boring and really long scenes. i though it wasn that bad except the fact that they changed an actor from the 2nd episode that made me really sad. i cant believe they took uchi hiroki out! i mean he is the only really good lokking guy in the show but now that he disappeared from the 2nd episode...the show has nothing to look forward to anymore. one thing i like about the show is the cheers they say! | | Reviewed by JAP FREAK on 2 January 2006 | | 4. | Passable [Rating: 6/10]
A somewhat slow dorama without much driving force or storyline. Plot was rather straight-forward and predictable. In terms of the acting, no one really stood out for his/her acting but this is also partly due to the weak script. Lack of deep character development also made this harder to stomach, particularly in light of the lack of a good plot. | | Reviewed by Shindou on 4 August 2006 | | 5. | Inspirational High School drama [Rating: 7/10]
I found it to be a bit of a formula driven and predictable but inspirational High School drama. I thought the cast was enjoyable and it actually made me see rowing in a new way. I liked that about this drama. I was happy I watched it but can't say it was an amazing drama. | | Reviewed by MonsterZero65 on 23 August 2010 | | 6. | ganbatte ikimasshoi!! [Rating: 8/10]
the actor was changed one quarter way to junnosuke and i didn't really like it. BUT, the show was still good and touching and suzuki anne acted really well! worth watching. | | Reviewed by SUPERCHICKEN on 27 December 2005 | | 7. | Girl's Tale, Not the Best of Any of Them... [Rating: 6/10]
*will post comment later* | | Reviewed by Kirari Ililah on 14 April 2006 |
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| Comments From Users (136) |
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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 donna8157 [Rating: 9/10]
A touching and heartfelt drama revolving around Shinomura Etsuko, a girl who had the passion and love for boating. In a time where not many people would put so much effort into anything, Etsuko represents the coming of the age with her hard work, sweat and tears through her boating. Because of her, the other teammates around her begin to also feel the same passion for boating - that they do boating because they love it and not because they feel that they have to.
Suzuki Anne does a wonderful job as Etsuko Shinomura - her emotions were always clearly displayed, sometimes even exaggerated in a comic-book manner though always very believable. The other teammates did a good job too - the bond of friendship between the five of them could easily be seen and more oftentimes felt. I thought that the female coach however had a very, very small part in the scheme of things almost as if she did not have much of a role in the series.
Nishikido Ryou did pretty well in his debut drama, but sometimes his nonchalant expressions and monotone-like voice throughout was a little tiresome. On the other hand, Junnosuke surprisingly pulled off a great job as Nakata Saburo. His friendliness and openness (even though he portrayed it differently from Uchi Hiroki's version from episodes 1-2) is well-liked and is a nice contrast from Ryou's character as Sekino.
Overall, this was a great drama - it had all the sports drama elements and had hints of love. It's a drama that many could appreciate. | | 2. | Comments by michiru3 [Rating: 6/10]
Have to say, Suzuke An is really annoying.....luckily, she got better as the eps went on. The story was pretty corny, also a lot of it was too "perfect". Like, Suzuke An comforts the mean girl and SUDDENLY, they all accept her even though Aibu hated her. Suddenly they become great friends. It just went too fast to be believable. Also, the charas aren't fully developed, which is very disappointing. They're all very very typical stereotypes. Nishikido's cute as always, playing the same chara but still so likeable =) He smiled a lot more here, which was nice, and I liked the jealousy he showed. Stretching his acting abilities just a little bit, huh? haha. The last ep was the most enjoyable for me, altho I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed it or if i'm just glad it's finally over. Overall, don't watch unless you have nothing else. | | 3. | Comments by nishishi [Rating: 4/10]
OMG... I hope that rowing isnt as boring as this dorama... In the last episodes i was really bored! (skipping some scenes... playing Solitarie while watching it.... and so on)
And all those "ya... ya.. ya..." really got on my nerves!!! I dont know wich region of Japan ppl speaks like that... but i hope that i will never end up there... ("GanbatteYA..")
I dont quite understand how so many ppl enjoyd this dorama... Nishikido and Taguchi's chars were so alike.. i mean... they could use one "cheerfull" char.. i know its kind of "cliche" but at leat it would make "Ganbatte Ikimasshoi" more of a watchable dorama... The girls were ok... no bad acting... but the again nothing special neither....
But the worst point of this dorama is the plot... or the lack of a plot... Go watch Waterboys... its much better than this one!!! | | 4. | Comments by tkarmina28 [Rating: 10/10]
Oh what a wonderful story. It honestly made me want to go rowing and try out for our school rowing team. >.< That's how much the drama got to me. I love it so much!! Although one thing I didn't care for this drama was Uchi's replacement as Junno..but of course, it was unavoidable. Junno was a good replacement, he's kawaii boy, but man, if only Uchi stayed, that scene with his old girlfriend would have been so much hotter and more romantic. But anyhoo, that's not the point of the story! The friendship of those five girls really got to me, as I value friendship as much as they do, and so when they stuck together till the end, that was really emotional. At the end was the most emotional part for me, with Etsuko and her father..TT_TT I cried at that point. But anyway, it's definitely a must-watch! | | 5. | Comments by dekatrain [Rating: 5/10]
This drama seems to be drained of emotion of something - it just seemed really boring, and anne suzuki is better than that as an actress. Of course uchi horoki's sudden departure would attribute to some of the conflicts apparent in the story's flow of events. What I mean is, it sort of skips time here and there and you sort of lose your way through the story. And then, every episode of the girls will run away crying for some reason, then anne suzuki would make an emotional speech saying how important every member is, followed by "let's work hard together" etc. and then suddenly everything is forgiven. Maybe I'm just being too cynical because I've seen too many of these types of dramas, but its just a bit dull... | | 6. | Comments by icpmat [Rating: 7/10]
almost like an girls version of Water Boys. Instead of (a minority sport) of male synchronizing swimming, they are going for a girls rowing team. The only differences in set-up is that there is already a well-establish boys' rowing team in the same school (in WaterBoys the boys had to start from scratch). It is also slightly more serious than waterboys. Maybe to suit the 'femininity' of the drama. The make-up on the girls are awful! I always wondered how much make up they had to wear whenever I see a close-shot. The layer of their foundation is so ridiculously thick! (not to mention that after so much supposed workout under the sun, none of them were tanned at all!) | | 7. | Comments by Oba-chan [Rating: 7/10]
Yeah WaterBoys in woman version, Sometimes boring, i only interest with Aibu saki. Nakatsu character was changed in the middle with taguchi because uchi suspended(drinking underage). Uchi and Taguchi give really different Nakata image, Taguchi too easy to smile while uchi more in cool mode, this is make me a little confused about nakata character. Suzuki Ane play bad crying scene in episode 7. And Her make Up in first episode really thick, i mean she's the main role, but she's try too hard to become shinning over the other character with that make up. Fortunately at the other episode her make up are more natural.
Theme song: Kira Kira [AIKO]: 7 | | 8. | Comments by rikastar [Rating: 7/10]
Basically about the 3 years of a female high school rowing team, focusing on their team work and friendship. There's a male team but the main spotlight is on the girls. I personally find it a little slow moving, but I will watch it for Ryo. Everytime he says the line 'Don't call me Boo`', it makes me squee. ^^;;; A pity about Uchi not being able to continue; Junno did a good enough job and manage to portray a different kind of Saburo. After watching the dorama, it makes me want to join a boating team too~ :) Catch! Row! | | 9. | Comments by Tougen [Rating: 7/10]
I thought this drama was pretty good...my judgment might be slightly impaired by the fact that the fifth and tenth episodes had problems with mistimed subs...so i pretty much had to fend for myself during those episodes. The parts about boating were generally well done, but the main love stories seemed to be underdeveloped...I would say it is good to watch for young people who are trying to find themselves...but wish they had worked harder on the romantic portions of the story | | 10. | Comments by JAP FREAK [Rating: 6/10]
oh... this show is the first j-drama that made me fast forward during those boring and really long scenes. i though it wasn that bad except the fact that they changed an actor from the 2nd episode that made me really sad. i cant believe they took uchi hiroki out! i mean he is the only really good lokking guy in the show but now that he disappeared from the 2nd episode...the show has nothing to look forward to anymore. one thing i like about the show is the cheers they say! | | 11. | Comments by gopro [Rating: 6/10]
This is probably the worst of all the dramas Ive watched. Very very slow drama, nothing at all happens until the 8th episode. Very girly show. Irritating chars, only Dakko is good(HAWT).
I think in Epsisode 2 or 3 the main char acts very good in one of the scenes. I mean it looked like she was gonna explosde. A good thing about this show is that if youre learning Japanese watch this drama w/out subs. Its actually quite easier to understand than other dramas. (Summer 06) | | 12. | Comments by carina4 [Rating: 6/10]
A very good cheerfull dorama. I got a little bored at it, so it took time til I finished it all. I mean I love Ryo and Taguchi but man they sucked in the series. No maybe not, but it wasn't there best performance. (okay Taguchi I haven't seen so much) but Ryo! So boring non-romantic. but overall the girls had an inspiring teamwork/friendship. very good, they made something boring (boat) to become exciting. That's not easy to do (just like hikaru no go anime) hehe :p | | 13. | Comments by Lochly [Rating: 7/10]
This was a really cute series. I admit I was first lead to it because of Nishikido Ryou (as I usually am with Johnny's boys...don't ask). I will admit there are some slow parts...and the sentimental bits can get tiring after a while. Thankfully, as the show progressed towards it's last episodes, it help enough zest to keep me interested in finishing it. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys stories of triumph and overcoming the odds :) | | 14. | Comments by IniQx [Rating: 9/10]
Wasn't too keen to watch this initially, thought it was just some other typical sports-themed youth drama. But when I started on it, I got hooked! It featured some kawaii female & male leads & like all sports-themed dramas, it taught the spirit of endurance, patience & never-say-die attitude towards challenges in life, though cliche. Till now, i still can't forget "catch row! catch row! catch row!" =P | | 15. | Comments by kneehard [Rating: 10/10]
Loved this drama despite it being almost a copy of 'water boys' except they replaced synchronized swimming with kayaking. Great chemistry between Suzuki Anne and Nishikido Ryo, but a major disappointment was when they replaced the original person who played Nakata Saburo (I think the guy's name is Uchi-something) with the guy from KaTTun. The new guy wasnt half as broodingly kakkoii as the original Nakata. | | 16. | Comments by fuuberry [Rating: 8/10]
this drama was very good!
cute and motivational~��
I especially loved Ryo and Junno 's acting in this one. :)
(I have no idea why people are being weenies towards Junno's "take over"! I love Uchi as much as the next person, but I thought they were BOTH pretty good....=/ I guess everyone has their own opinions....)
"don't call me boo!"
the OST for this drama is beautiful as well. <3 | | 17. | Comments by Kirari Ililah [Rating: 7/10]
Didn't like it. After Uchi got pushed off, the characters didn't have the same feel they did before. Taguchi was not a good replacement and the love was way to predictable. I still like Hojo Takahiro in it, though there are some doubts to the actors they chose with the characters they were to represent, and what the relationship of some were to be if Uchi was still playing Saburo... | | 18. | Comments by Shindou [Rating: 6/10]
A decent dorama with your average ups and downs. The relaxed feel to this dorama sometimes takes a bit far making it a bit too slow for my taste (particularly in the earlier episodes). Acting is ok but the weakest link to this dorama was the script. There was not much tension or flow to this story and the character development was rather minimal and superficial at best. | | 19. | Comments by akane_MYV [Rating: 8/10]
At first I didn't like the main character, but after some episodes I slowly liked her, cause of her amazing character. I like this drama a lot, but sadly the love came too short, so that I think it is kinda sad....
This series let you know, how important our youth is....how precious. Every moment is wonderful....
The Ending was nice..but it was open...sadly sadly... | | 20. | Comments by aiscess [Rating: 8/10]
This is one of those inspirational high school themed series wherein students make a sports club that was not or did not exist in their school. But it became bittersweet towards the end and I felt so sorry for Etsune after putting in so much effort. So for me, even though it was stressed in the last episode, their best race was the qualifying round for the nationals. | | 21. | Comments by Susan [Rating: 8/10]
I wish that I could have had such a meaningful experience and made good friends in highschool, as Etsune and the rest did. This drama had some seriously cheesy moments, and there were times when I wanted to whack Suzuki Anne upside the head. But I stuck with it and in the end I was in tears. It's a good drama! Definetly not dissapointed. | | 22. | Comments by saya317 [Rating: 7/10]
in all honesty, i only wanted this because of Ryo and Uchi. i'm a little upset about how they completely edited Uchi out of ep 3, but what else could they have done? the competitions were intriguing, but the countless "speeches" annoyed me. Ryo's character was so sweet at times, and he was the only reason i continued on in the show. ^_^ | | 23. | Comments by idetakun [Rating: 7/10]
Don't judge this drama by its casts!!
It's a didactive and yet, touching dorama,.
I prefer Tanaka by uchi to Teguchi...
Uchi is better looking, act better and talk more fluently in kansai accent.
Anyway, Teguchi has improved alot towards the end:>
Well done to Nishikido kun!! He acts really well !!He's born to be an actor!! | | 24. | Comments by hurh. [Rating: 7/10]
It's not one of my favorites, but it wasn't bad. It was touching at times.
I really~ liked Uchi, even though he's only in it for a little bit. I liked Junno as well. Both Nakata Saburo's are likeable in their own ways. I still miss Uchi though.
I'm not really a fan of Suzuki Anne or Ryo, but I guess they were good too. xD;; | | 25. | Comments by Kitsuchi [Rating: 10/10]
I really liked this dorama ^_^. It's sweet and touching. The cast was great and acted well. I felt like rowing too when watching it. I never got bored and really enjoyed watching it..
There were the good themesong and the nice actors/actresses. I can't come up with something bad about this dorama. Definitely recommended ^_-. | | 26. | Comments by yurifly [Rating: 5/10]
boring and extremely corny. suzuki ann's character also annoys me. I finished it only bc ryo is in it. and i don't like how they replace uchi just like that in the middle. Either re-film the whole thing, or kill off the character completely. I have nothing against Taguchi but well...Taguchi's Nakata Saburo is..just Taguchi. | | 27. | Comments by Di@na [Rating: 7/10]
This Drama is like the female version of Waterboys ^^ I really liked it! Suzuki Ann proved again that she IS a great actress..and Ryo-chan played the role of a sexy-mysterious guy veeery hawt *aww*..Of course it's sad that Uchi couldn't stay and they had to put Junno on his place..but Junno did a good job ! | | 28. | Comments by minochi99 [Rating: 3/10]
Boring. Hate to say it, but Anne Suzuki doesn't cut it as a lead. And what happened to one of the main male characters. He liked disappeared after episode 2. The replacement was horrible. Didn't learn much about the sport of rowing either. Watch if you bought it. It will be challenging to just finish it. | | 29. | Comments by Nermal [Rating: 8/10]
A Nice little teen drama that had very nice moments. Suzuki An is as brilliant as always. Also a special mention for Junnosuke Taguchi for interpretting a role that was not destined to be his to start with. Came in halfway and still delivered a great job.
Makes me want to start rowing! XD | | 30. | Comments by AngelXing [Rating: 8/10]
Although I love Nishikido Ryo and Taguchi Junnosuke, I think this drama is kinda predictable. Something like Waterboys only its the girls who are presistent this time. But it's a great drama nonetheless and it's quite enjoyable to watch. Found it really amusing to listen to thier slang. |
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Read all 136 comments from users
| Users who voted for this drama (28) |
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| 1. | Ochibi
I got into this thinking it'll be some light stuff while I waited for 1 Liter of Tears to be subbed, but this drama went far beyond my expectations. It managed to bring the story far deeper than just a girl rowing team's wins & losses, and just watching the drama for the character interaction were enough. And Nishikido Ryo's character, Sekino, was one of the highlights - nice supporting character, and eye-candy indeed. The deep, lasting friendships that the characters strike up really makes one value their high school years. | | 2. | calico
Another teen drama about sports and friendship...yet I really enjoyed it. Not as mang-ish as H2 or Ace o Nerae, and I really like Suzuki Anne's acting. She has great screen presence, and chemistry with the actresses playing her rowing team. Plus, it has Nishikido Ryo, who just proves that he is a future star to watch. | | 3. | minilight1080
I am not reallly into sports and dont enjoy sports drama but this drama totally catch me..
its not like very good drama but its not a bad drama either. I think its an average drama. at times towards the end it was pretty touching. | | 4. | Evil_Ellie
This is a very encouraging drama, some bits seem really boring but altogether, it really shows friendship and sportsmanship. Junno and Ryo in it is just a plus :D They were great, i do wish uchi stayed in it though. | | 5. | iluvhyde
This is a really motivational drama that makes one really want to go "GAMBATTE IKKIMASHOI". And I'm very surprised I'm touched to tears in a few scenes. | | 6. | inessalenin
memoire of club leader many many years ago but I lacked passion and very low self-esteem! I would be inspired if this drama released at that time! | | 7. | 5_lvis_20
i like this drama....
it is funny n very touching...........
i like they r ganbate ikimas....
syoui....................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | 8. | buagie_goofybua
i never see this series b'coz thailand hasn't this series
i like nishikido and tagochi | | 9. | Yuna
2 primeros capitulos...ESTUPENDOS!!!!!!!
el resto...no sta mal ^^ | | 10. | tobu
Lots of great casts including Suzuki An and Aibu Saki. | | 11. | CWZ
The female casts are really outstanding in rowing. | | 12. | mabo
cute and sad sometimes... with Ryo-chan ! | | 13. | aku
NISHIKIDO RYOUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! | | 14. | mini_mint
Friendship is most beautiful | | 15. | mallepa
Thoughtful and touching~ | | 16. | eastyarn
i like ryo nishikido | | 17. | kenike1
ryo-chan kakkoi | | 18. | aki_chan
HOT SEKKI!!!! | | 19. | tEpijiN.07
ryo was der! | | 20. | hendry
Suuuugoooi | | 21. | staybymyside
Shoi! | | 22. | shannen | | 23. | jpnz-pride | | 24. | k1zuna | | 25. | kiwi | | 26. | koridesu | | 27. | sauerkraut | | 28. | JackClark |
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