Bara no nai hanaya eps 7 & 8

I'd love to see Takeuchi Yuko in sailor fukuu.....

In case you haven't heard, Hirosue Ryoko just divorced. In other words, my chances of getting with her just increased from 0% to 0.000000000000000001%. I shall refrain from enjoying other's misery (yes, she's single again!) and wish her best of luck as a single mom. On a side note, two of my favourite actress, her and Takeuchi Yuko are both single moms. Maybe I've got a single mom fetish from working at the Family Court. :)

If there's one unrealistic thing in the show, its that the nurse uniform is too long. I mean, it always short in JAVs.

Anyways, on to Bara no nai hanaya. As I said, this show has gaps in logic, like how there's no difficulty for Mio 'adjusting' to seeing again. She need to do a better job at faking it. Still the show is less about Mio pretending to be blind and more about her deceiving Eiji and the repercussions. Its like the writer is saying 'I don't have time to explain every thing cause there's an interesting story to tell here'.

Someone is obviously a fan of Space Channel 5. As long as Space Michael doesn't show up...

And what a great story. Eiji's decision to give up Shizuku gave me flashbacks to 'The Champ', one of the most heart rendering movies ever. The whole class wearing paper bags thing is weird but its purpose was to show the depth of Eiji and Shizuku's relationship in light of the huge revelation in ep 7.

As good as Rick Shroder's performance in 'The Champ.

And what a whopper of a twist it is. It really shifts the story into high gear and completely changes what the audience's perception of events. Should have seen it coming but I just love how they leave it to the audience to figure out what the reveal itself meant instead of spelling it out in big bold letters. This enhances the WTF factor and Takeuchi Yuko's acting just makes it even better.

Shaku Yumiko about to unleash a bitch slap.

The big reveal also leads to an interesting ending in ep 8 where once again the rug is pulled off the audience's feet. This show is turning out to be a very fun and well written ride. I love how Anzai sensei seems to be the one who is losing everything instead of Eiji. The Eiji/Mio tension is still there and I was so wanting him to ask Mio 'WTF did you do with my money?!!!!' Now that they both know that each of other know they know the truth, isn't it time for them to have a proper sit down? I just want to see them shouting and accusing each other. This show has loads of despair, we just need more anger. :)

EDIT:

After having more time to digest the last two episodes, I realised what impresses me the most about this show is the thoughtfulness that goes into the script. For example, look at Eiji's childhood as a namonaki senshi. It is something that has so much influence on his behaviour. The writer allows the audience to infer what being a namonaki senshi means to Eiji through his present behaviour. Through him helping an abused kid and through his conversation with Master after Shizuku ran away. Eiji is more than just your typical nice guy with a dark past. He is someone who has gone through something horrible in the past, developed mechanisms for coping and now lives by those defensive mechanisms. And the ending for ep 8 brings the whole namonaki senshi theme full circle.


Another example of the planning that goes into the script is that every character has a theme. Eiji's is obvious. Mio's is despair. Naoya is looking for a place to belong. Shizuku is about acceptance. Maybe deep down, she actually knows the truth. The whole paper bag mask signifies blending in, becoming just another average girl. And Anzai sensei's is most definitely about how revenge can blind someone figuratively. Wow, this show has turned from being a decent soapie melodrama into well written deconstruction of the genre.