After that uncontainable gushing I did in regards to Yamada Yu’s smoking hot performance in the kick-butt drama SEIGI NO MIKATA, I thought it was only fair to give equal time to the awesome antics of Shida Mirai, the soooooo soooo cute actress playing the “central” character Youko, the beleaguered little sister of the crafty Makiko who holds the whole show together!
This is actually the first thing I’ve ever seen Shida in, but it’s safe to say she’ll be an actress I’ll be looking out for from now on! I can’t express how much energy and effort she’s put into her character- her actions and reactions to her sister’s dominance over her life are absolutely physical, her scowls and sighs and shocks contort her face and body into exact manga characteristics!
Older sister Makiko is constantly bullying her little sister into doing her work, (whether it be booking engagements, arranging a memorial service or even things like doing the grocery shopping and cooking dinner) and the thing that’s really amazing with Mirai Shida, is that you ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE SHE’S ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS, she comes across SO smart and efficient that not once do you think, “How could a kid know how to do all those things!”
And yet, when she’s alone or with friends, she’s allowed to relax and be a kid, and she shines even in this regard- SO often during the series, she’s be doing some cute kid-type thing like skipping down the street, gorging on crepes or pretending to swim on her bed(!) and I’ll think, WOW- she’s like a REAL-LIFE Ramona Quimby! That of course, being the titular character in Beverly Cleary’s “Ramona The Pest” series! And NO scene was MORE like what I'm talking about than this one particular passage where Makiko's future mother-in-law has bribed Yoko into sympathizing with her. Once outside, Yoko checks how much she's been given- and is happily stunned:"How much did Auntie give me?"
"10,000 yen?"
"10,000 YEN!!!"
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Just last night I was down at the local shopping mall, and walking past the theatre multi-plex, saw a Japanese movie playing called “Our Mother” , and I was happily surprised to see Mirai Shida, right on the poster! This girl is REALLY making her mark, and I for one am completely behind her!
Comments from Original Post
sangackt wrote:
Did you notice the karaoke they sing right after that scene where she gets the money? Zundoko bushi and Polyrhythm (two 2008 kouhaku performances!)
I translated a tanpatsu drama Mirai Shida is in. The group I'm in will release it in d-addicts eventually. I'll let you know when. It's a great, touching drama. Mirai is not as cute as she was in Seigi no Mikata but hey, it's still Mirai Shida!
Looking forward to your Scandal review!
zdorama replied to sangackt’s comment:
Ah yes,that was too cute with Youko and her friends lettin' loose at karaoke!
I'm looking forward to any more dramas with Shida Mirai, and it will be interesting to see her play a different kind of character! Please do let me know when You are going to premiere it!
Right now, i'm stuck on episode 4 of SCANDAL because for some reason, the srt soft subs stopped working for me after episode 3, and though I tried, it was really impossible to follow without translations!!
we're trying to see if we can get converted files of the rest of the series, and I am crossing fingers for that, the show was getting SO GOOD!!!!
Lindsey wrote:
Shida Mirai is amazing! If you want to see truly acting; watch 14 year old mother.
14 sai no haha. its about her playing a innocent girl who makes a mistake and ends up pregnant. It's so realistic, i cried.
-it cut me offff :( -
she was 13 when she filmed this O_O
Even her acting on her earlier dramas as in my queen's classroom (or something) when she is about 10... are amazing...
She also just finished filming a movie which won all sorts of awards and played in festivals in the usa.
zdorama replied to Lindsey’s comment:
Lindsey~
Hi! I JUST acquired "14 sai no Haha", and am looking forward to it, especially after your positive review! I am right now in the middle of watching "Dream Again", a j-dorama remake of "Heaven Can Wait" with Takashi Sorimachi, Shida Mirai plays his daughter, she is just fantastic in this, too!
sadacori wrote:
Sorry for posting on old entries (I might do that since I find your entries fun to read).
Shida Mirai is definitely one of my favorite actresses, despite her tender age. I first saw her in Joou no Kyoushitsu (Queen's Classroom) and already at that young age, she had the star quality and maturity that is comparable to the likeness of Aoi Miyazaki and Aoi Yuu, imho. And I totally agree that she did a wonderful job with 14-sai no Haha. I think one of these days (or months, in my case), I should try to watch Seigi no Mikata, especially since my fave actor Sano Shiro's in it.
zdorama replied to sadacori’s comment:
I think you will get a kick out of Seigi No Mikata, it's a fun, lightweight show you can just relax and enjoy!
Shiro Sano has a quirky role in this one, playing nerdy (but caring) dad to his two daughters. A big diff from what I'm used to, because though I first saw him as the weaselly boyfriend of Megumi Yokoyama in DOUBLE KITCHEN, in my mind he will always be "The Dude holding the knife trying to kill Etsushi Toyokawa" in Aoitori! AHAHAHAHA!!!
BTW, feel absolutely free to post comments on any old entries you care to! Truth of the matter is, most of the people who happen to read my posts are directed from search engines by subject, so I get lots of comments from people reading old posts for the first time months or even years later!
And Yeah, Shida Mirai is just awesome- she totally rocked her guest appearance in BOSS, culminating in an awesome tete-a-tete with larger than life Yuki Amami! One of the best Guest Villains, that's fer sure!
:)
sadacori wrote:
That's it, I'm sold! I'll be sure to check "Seigi no Mikata" after I watch the list of dramas that I told myself I have to watch. Ah, so many things to watch, so little time...
And I love Sano Shiro in quirky roles. I have to rewatch Double Kitchen! I remember watching it on KIKU way back, but I wasn't a Shiro fan back then. And he was just priceless in Aoi Tori. Crazy, but he looked damn good there! Just my type. :P
I think I'll comment on your past entries because it seems like we have a lot in common, even some of our musical tastes (JAM, obviously, but I loved 10,000 Maniacs too; I actually sang "These Are Days" when I first did my FIRST EVER karaoke thing this year!)
I haven't seen BOSS yet. Is it any good? And yikes! She and Amami Yuki together again? If you haven't watched Joou no Kyoushitsu, you should check out that twisted drama!
zdorama replied to sadacori’s comment:
Wow, another 10,000 Maniacs fan?! COOL! Wish I coulda been there for your Natalie Merchant rendition! :) That's one great group that's gone now...!
Joou No Kyoushitsu, is that the one where Yuki Amami is the teacher all dressed in black? Looks pretty zany, although I'm watching this other drama with her called "Enka No Joou" that's zany in its own right, as well!
As far as BOSS, it had its ups and downs, but in my opinion had a lot of good episodes and a solid end, and of course the show had Erika Toda and Michiko Kichise, so I was pretty happy throughout! But when you have episdoes featuring guests like Shida Mirai as a genius child murderer, Takayuki Yamada as a Serial Killer, and Takeda Tetsuya as a Mad Bomber, you know you're gonna have fun!
sadacori wrote:
Too bad we didn't go into Eigo mode the time that you joined us for the karaoke session! I probably would've sang another 10,000 Maniacs song or a couple of your other faves (ABBA & The Carpenters). Wanted to sing The Cranberries, but I guess I'll have to wait for another time.
And yup, Joou no Kyoushitsu is that teacher in black drama! She was wickedly scary and it was almost like a horror drama at times. That was the first Amami Yuki drama that I saw, so seeing her act so goofy in Enka no Joou was just mindboggling!
I heard that BOSS (or was it another drama?) had a dizzying effect. Hope it wasn't that drama because I tend to feel seasicky when watching shows like that these days. :( That Shida Mirai episode sounds really intriguing though. She looks like she could be that type. Or maybe that's how I feel about most child actors. :P I should check out that drama one of these years...
zdorama replied to sadacori’s comment: I wrote a few gushy-type articles on 10,000 Maniacs on my other VOX Blog (the one NOT dedicated to Japanese culture, don't you know), I REALLY love those guys! Awesome that you like them, too! And ABBA and Carpenters, too? Seventies music is alive and well here!!!
I still have both BOSS and Seigi No Mikata on my hard drive, and I'll be happy to make copies for you,(still gotta return your kindness for getting me those SCANDAL episodes!) if avi files are OK. I just don't have the equipment to burn actual DVDs yet!
"She looks like she could be that type. Or maybe that's how I feel about most child actors."
LOL!
sadacori wrote:
I remember reading one of your posts on 10,000 Maniacs, but at the time, I didn't have a Vox account, so I couldn't comment. I'll do that soon, especially since I have a slightly embarrassing story to tell regarding them. :P
As for BOSS and Seigi no Mikata, thanks for your offer, but I already authored the latter to DVD and I think that I'm going to try getting BOSS in a trade soon. The SCANDAL DVDs were a gift, so please don't feel that you have to owe me anything. :)
zdorama replied to sadacori's comment:
Arigatoo, Ne!
