Well, I just finished watching Mirai Nikki in its entirety, and though there were patches that were convoluted and situations that seemed like they were written solely for the sake of taking characters from point A to point B, I have to say that it must have been a pretty good drama because when the show ended, it left me feeling melancholy and lonely when I thought about it later, and that only happens when I’m watching a show with characters I care about and have invested time with!
Of course, the MAIN thingh I got out of this was my re-introduction to Ayame Gouriki at her absolute cutest- her portrayal of Yuna Furusaki as the cloying, super overly-attached girlfriend of Masaki Okada’s character Arata just melted my heart with every scene she was in, and as they expanded the story and fleshed out her story, I got to see her more emotional side, and subsequently loved her even more!
I’ve loved Ayame ever since first getting floored by her sexy character in “W No Higeki”, and this was shortly followed by a stint in Asuko March as the extreme and troubled Momo.
One thing I noted while going through the older dramas was realizing that years before Yu Kashi and Sei Ashina were "Putting The Moves" on Ayame in Kurokouchi...
...Ayame herself was doing the exact same thing in Asuko March to poor Emi Takei!
And it's pretty funny that in both of these dramas, not only is Ayame the same sexy adversary to the main character, in both Asuko March AND W No Higeki, the beleaguered heroine is Emi Takei!
So my introduction to Ayame was decidedly on the slutty side, but it’s surely her sweeter role like Yuno that really made me fall for her. There’s something about her that reminds me of the classic 80’s idols- maybe it’s that poofy shag hairstyle, or (more probably) that Hikaru-Nishida-ish beauty spot on her cheek. In any case, she's a true idol type for MY tastes!
Funny thing about Ayame- I remember when Mirai Nikki had just come out, she was being heralded as the next big thing, or at least in the forums I visited…but there suddenly seemed to be this backlash of animosity thrown towards her, which I just couldn’t understand. And in fact, I think that even today, though she’s certainly successful, she still has that aura of an “Indie” actress more than a "Superstar" actress, y'know?
No matter, I still really love her, though I have mentioned already how she isn’t doing too many of these “cutesy” roles anymore, and as in shows like Kurokouchi and Tenshi To Akuma, she’s been doing more eccentric (re: weird and tomboyish) characters. Though both suit her well, it’s these girly roles that really do it for me! Sure wish I could see ‘em more!
PS, Yes, I'm just as surprised as you all are that it has taken this long for Ayame to become a "Crush Of The Day"...but think about it, if my J-drama folder hadn't been deleted in 2012, I would have finished watching the show then and would have SURELY fallen for her then! So let's just call this one a DELAYED Crush, LOLOL!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
