View topic - Suna no Utsuwa ~A Tragic Tale of A Little Boy~

Title: ~Suna no Utsuwa~
Other titles: Vessel of Sand, Sand Bowl, Castle of Sand, The Story of The Last Symphony
Broadcasts: TBS, January-March 2004
Duration: 11 episodes
Casts: Masahiro Nakai, Ken Watanabe, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Kyono Kotomi, Shinji Takeda.

Dark, tragic yet artistically beautiful. "Suna no Utsuwa" translates as vessel of sand or sand bowl.....a bowl which is made of sand....
Sand will always be sand, no matter how perfect and beautiful it is formed as a bowl, it will return to its original form.......blows by the wind....return as grains of sand.....

This sand bowl is constantly use throughout the drama to symbolize Eiryo Waga[Masahiro Nakai]'s identity, a very talented, successful and professional pianist and composer, who hides his dark and tragic past. For 26 years, he has worked hard to live and build a new identity, achieve big success as a famous and talented pianist....also has engaged with a politician's daughter, whom he never loved. He's willing to marry her only to achieve higher status. His life is almost perfect and he's about to bury his dark past totally. But an old man from his past, suddenly comes back to his life......and he kills him...

Adapted from a novel by Seicho Matsumoto, published in 1961, and have also been adapted to a big-hit and successful movie in 1974, starring Tanba Tetsuro[as Inspector Imanishi] and Go Kato[as Eiryo Waga], this 11-episodes drama has won Best Themesong & Best Music awards. Masahiro Nakai, who acted as Eiryo Waga, won Best Actor, acting in the drama. While, the Oscar nominee, Ken Watanabe of The Last Samurai fame, who acted as inspector Imanishi, won Best Supporting Actor award from this drama. And also nominated as Best Dorama last season, together with "Shiroi Kyoto", "Boku to Kanojo...", & "PRIDE". It also never fails to be on Top Five Average Rating last season.

This drama has many things that other common Japan dramas doesn't have. Some of them as I mention below.
First, its originality....while many JDrama inspired by Hollywood movies, Suna have such an original story, uneasy-to-guess plot...the pattern is not like any other dark mystery dramas.
Second, the use of breathtaking sceneries and great cinematography!! Many scenes are made as beautiful and as artistic it can and the sceneries blends beautifully with the scenes, dialogues and music!!
Third, the producer's boldness to cast an idol to act the leading role which is quite difficult to be act....a dark character with closed personality, a character with full emotion and so sensitive inside....yet, always look calm, plain expressions, and cold as an ice outside. Plus, this idol who has never learned how to play a piano before, have to act a talented, professional and successful pianist & composer!

Background musics use classic orchestra musics, with the tinkling of a piano and the bowing of a violin heard prominently. Very beautiful and well-composed musics by Akira Senju! The music "Shukumei" which is composed by Eiryo Waga(originally composed by Akira Senju) is such a beautiful, beautiful piece...really depicts the tragic and hard life Eiryo has gone through...the music sounds also depicts Eiryo's sad and hurt feelings too....

Suna no Utsuwa tells the story of Eiryo Waga(whose name used to be Hideo Motoura), 31 yrs old, who kills a man from his past. The police detective, inspector Imanishi[Ken Watanabe] and his young partner, Yoshimura[Masaru Nagai], starts to investigate the case. Which slowly, bit by bit, the mystery starts to revealed, and also returns the dark past to Eiryo. His childhood past, to be exact....

One day, the engaged Eiryo, meets Asami Naruse[Yasuko Matsuyuki], a stage actress, whom he intends to kill, at first, coz she was on the crime scene that night. But Eiryo gradually grow feelings for Asami, who also has her own dark past. This two lost souls meet, support and understand each other....and then....falls in love....

In the last 2 episodes, the audience is showed the tragic story of little Eiryo completely. How he loose his mother.....then his father.......to live as a beggar, and face such a hard life...in only 5-7 years of age....

The original book has the 1960s background for adult Eiryo, and World War II background for little Eiryo. But in the drama, the story has been adapted to recent era, with the 1970s background for little Eiryo.
The main character in the original book was actually the police detective, Imanishi, focused on how he solve the case. But in the drama, the killer pianist, Eiryo Waga is the main character.

Personal comments:
Suna no Utsuwa is a perfect 10, for me!!^.^ I love this even more, more than Shiroi Kage, Sleeping Forest, Ice World, Saimin, Sorakara and those other beautiful dark dramas!!!^O^ Sugoooi!! Its a tale of a father and a son! For me...parents-child relationship is always much, much more touching than love story!^.^

Usually, in touching dramas...I only cried on 2-3 scenes....but in Suna, I cried along little Eiryo's story!!!T_T And that's full 2 episodes! Poor little Eiryo.....

For the first time in modern Japan dramas I see the use of breathtaking sceneries. Soooo beautifully filmed!! Love it so much! Definitely a plus points for the drama. Great cinematography too! Reminds me of Shiroi Kage.....but Suna have even better sceneries...the vast mountains, the grassland, the sea, the cliff, the flowers in spring and autumn, the trees of winter and summer....sugooooi!!! Whereas SKage is just about the lake and the sea ^_^

Eiryo & Asami's chemistry is beautiful! Its blur.....but sweet relationship they has. In terms of compatibility, he looks best with Yasuko Matsuyuki. Coz her looks fit in to be a dark character, just like Nakai^^
The opening scene is so sweet...Asami held Eiryo's hand........ Another fave is when he saved her from commiting suicide, then he embrace her, and comfort her. It really left a deep impression.
I also love it, when Asami says his hand are atakai^^ And later on, Eiryo give her his gloves, coz her hands are always cold......sweeet!!^.^

For me...Masahiro Nakai's best performance is definitely in this drama! Hontou ni! Superb! Such a difficult character to be acted in my opinion....coz it involves alot of emotion and sensitivity.
I love Eiryo's character's complexity....no matter how he tried to form a new character in front of people...the cool, plain expression Eiryo Waga.....he is still the little boy Hideo inside....so fragile, full of emotions and such a sensitive person. Love how he sometimes, suddenly cries like a little child when he's alone in his mansion at one time, then being all-cool again at another time!
And also, how he panicked when a police car's sirene passing by his mansion....he thinks he's gonna be caught that fast! x)
And his anxiety, after Imanishi the detective exits his mansion...till he trembles so bad...some would think he exaggerate it...but i dont think so....it tries to tell the audience how fragile & sensitive Eiryo really is.

And its not easy for someone who just learned how to play a piano for few months, acting as a talented and professional pianist like Eiryo Waga!! Trust me! Nakai did it wonderfully!^o^ I'm amazed!!! Its as if, he can really play as great as Eiryo!
Plus, he plays it with kanashii expressions and hurt feelings, that's why, I love evry scene where Eiryo starts to play the piano...love the expressions in his face when he plays...full of feelings!!^.^ Hats off to Nakai!
Overall, Nakai did a terrific job! The expression acting, the charactarize acting, -playing the piano- acting.....all perfectly well-done and deserve a Best Actor award more than anyone else! I really respect Nakai now!! x)

"Suna no Utsuwa" is a wonderful production! Such a work of art... its really a must-see for evry JDrama fans...!!(well...actually, Nakai's dramas/movie for the past few years are all works of art...Shiroi Kage, Mohouhan...and this drama, Suna no Utsuwa... And these 3 has never fails to satisfy me to the fullest^^)

I even cannot believe my father watches this with me, which is believe me...RARE!! My father is NOT a JDrama fan, of course! x) But he got interested, coz he loved The Last Samurai...and Ken Watanabe is in this drama. And turns out, he love the drama too...^^ He sits thru the last 2 episodes...and he even ask me to pause when he has to go for a moment. He said, "Such a sad and wonderful film, terrific....just like the male version of OSHIN,"...^_^ Then abt Nakai, he said, "Heyy...that crazy guy from SMAP can actually act this good?? He can play the piano professionally too? So, he's a great actor, afterall...." Sweat

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