I remember when I first saw "Bijo Ka Yajuu~Beauty or Beast" up on a forum, and saw who the two leads were, I was astounded that I had never heard of it! Nanako Matsushima AND Masaharu Fukuyama in a duo-starring drama? That HAD to have been super-popular, right?
But it came out right in the middle of my J-drama withdrawal where I really thought I was giving up Japanese shows. There were sooo many shows that passed under my radar at this time, sad that it took me THIS long to FINALLY get up and WATCH IT!
Gotta, say, been reallt GREAT so far!~This is PRIME Nanako Matsushima, and I don’t think I’ve EVER seen her look so SVELTE and CAPTIVATING! As the stylish and confident Television Producer Makoto Takamiya, she simply commands the screen whenever she’s on and you believe every word she says!!
Takamiya’s only fly in the ointment is the newly acquired variety producer Hiromi Nagase, and, playing with relish by Masaharu Fukuyama, he’s the one who counters her cold, steely eye and forces her to see things in a more warm and humane way! A perfect pairing!
Aw man, This is a drama that I wish so much that I had seen while it was airing, I have no doubt that it would have been a BIG favorite, and who knows, might have even taken me out of my slump that much earlier!
PS: great cast full of those J-drama regulars, Sasaki Kuranosuke, Ikkei Watanabe, and OOOH, pretty Miho Shiraishi as well!!!
Also was really sweet seeing Kanako Fukaura again. She was SUCH a mainstay back in the golden days of my J-drama viewing, and it wasn’t until I saw her here that I realized I had not seen her in decades. Looking her up, I found the reason why: she had passed away in 2008 due to cancer.
That was bittersweet to learn, but she lives on in these classic dramas, and n fact, in a strange coincidence, appears in a couple of the other older dramas I’ve been watching, Change and SP!
Always nice to go back and watch these classics and see some of my favorite actors and actresses when they were in their prime!!!
