Zettai Kareshi

Finished watching the last episode of Zettai Kareshi dorama. Thanks to SARS-fansub for subbing the drama.

As a drama, Zetai Kareshi is so so. The first couple episodes don’t really hook you in. Plus, if you already read the manga, you are going to be disappointed by the changes in characters, especially Soshi’s. Half-way through, the drama turned out to be okay, providing the typical comedy and emotions. As usual, there is no “happily ever after” in J-dorama, giving the usual tears here and there. So, it’s an ok drama.

However, if we look Zettai Kareshi as a sci-fi, it’s awesome. Despite being a drama, there are plenty of science fiction in this. Do robots have emotion? Free will? Can a robot fall in love? Is it right to scrap a robot that have a free will? These are all hard core sci-fi material. You gotta hand it to the Japanese to handle anything robot related properly. This is an awesome sci-fi experience, especially the last episode, disguised as a dorama based on a shoujo manga.

Disappointed with the mess of Will Smith’s “I, Robot” movie? If you can get over the dorama factor, Zettai Kareshi is probably closer to the idea and spirit of Asimov’s “I, Robot” than Will Smith’s movie. Unfortunately, the chance of a western sci-fi fan watching a Japanese dorama is pretty slim (I’m the exception).

 

Duel Love

Duel Love
Stumbled upon this from kotaku. It’s a Nintendo DS game. It’s obviously a shoujo/yaoi game. From the CM, looks like you’re a girl with a bunch of skinny pretty boys that are apparently in a fighting tournament of some sort. There are 4 bishounen boys, and of course 1 shota. So as a girl, what do you do? You cheer them when they’re down during a fight (Note that the DS has a mic), you treat them after fights (treat injuries, massage, wipe sweats), and see the guys enjoying your treatment and then follow the love-sim gameplay. Sounds weird? Watch the CM. LOL. The guys talk and moan too!

This is a game that only the Japanese can come up with. Oh, note that the characters are done by the same person that did Hanakimi. So yeah, finally a touch game for girls or yaoi/shota fans.

This is why I like Japan. They’re not afraid in releasing games like this. In the US, instead of creativity, we have recycled FPS games combined with a paranoid-Jack-Thompson community of idiot parents and lawmakers.

Here’s a bunch of screenshots from the CM.