Kamisama mousukoshi dake

I must admit, I first watched this out of a desire to gaze upon Takeshi Kaneshiro's sculpted loveliness ... but I was unwillingly impressed with, if not the drama itself, at least some of the issues it attempted to tackle. Let me just say that it is definitely a melodrama with a capital OH COME ON! ... but it didn't waste time trying to unnecessarily white-wash the heroine or overly dumb-down the issues it seemed determined to deal with. And let's face it, an HIV positive schoolgirl as the protagonist (who didn't conveniently contract the disease by means of a fated blood-transfusion)in a prime-time Japanese television drama is an edgy pick. Despite the fact that there was not one episode where Masaki wasn't crying, or Keigo wasn't running (or when Masaki didn't utter a weak "Keigo" as her dominant form of conversation) ... it was engaging. And yes ... the need to gaze upon TK's sculpted loveliness was indeed satisfied ... but the brain matter stepped up to bat as well. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I loved this JDrama. It is one of the best dramas I have seen to date. Though it has one of the most depressing plots, I still enjoyed it. Kyoko Fukada and Takeshi Kaneshiro played well together and really help to make this series a success. They seem to really delve deep into their characters to make the audience feel and see their pain and grief throughout. They loved each other so very much, till the very end, and it makes you appreciate life with all its joys and tribulations. It is my hope that perhaps these two wonderful actors might reunite to make another movie together (I know that it would be a MAJOR long-shot for Takeshi to do another drama as he has become such a huge star, but I hope that he might consider doing another movie in Japan again!). These two should really do another film together as they really do act well on-screen together(their chemistry is phenomenal!).

Doing a Japanese TV show about a school girl who has AIDS sure is risky, specially in the time it was made,in 1998, but for me it really worked. I really cared a lot for what was happening with Masaki, the protagonist, and her love interest, music composer Keigo.More than anything, this was a magical love story between 2 broken souls, the girl infected with AIDS after selling her body in order to buy concert tickets to see Keigo, and Keigo, the rich and lonely man,who composed music but didn't had no one to love until Masaki shows up.Masaki suffered the consequences of having unprotected sex, and even that later on Keigo learns about Masaki s problems,he still stayed with her until the very end.

This story is about love and compassion, as Masaki was trying to live her life even if she knew that she didn't had enough time to live.Very touching,very inspirational.The music performed by SENS also managed to provide the adequate atmosphere of uncertainity and confusion.

Even that what Masaki did was wrong, she could understood what life is about and she did her best to fulfill it, no mater what. In the end, a love story that told us that even with problems and obstacles,love can prevail beyond the gates of Death. I really loved this show!

In true 90's jdorama style m, this is heartbreaking, beautiful, funny, and powerful ( with all of the cheesy drama to go along with it) I will always recommend it.

Also best opening song ever!!!

OK, so we're supposed to take the side of a girl who turns to underage prostitution basically on the spur of the moment just to get some concert tickets? We're supposed to take the side of someone who has sex at an age when she is more likely to catch a sex disease (as her vaginal walls haven't fully thickened yet)? We're supposed to take the side of a girl who had unprotected sex with multiple people and infected the very hero of hers whose concert she wanted to see? The entire purpose of gender is reproduction (notice that most of the physical differences between men and women are baby making related), not money and we're to to take her side? In any case I had to give up after watching the whole first episode and part of the second. She has the money for the tickets but then loses it so she turns to prostitution to get the money but after having done that it turns out that somebody had found the money and was giving it back as soon as possible anyway so it was pointless and what do you know, both her and her hero have HIV and as I've gathered from other people she is pregnant. Supposedly there's a not catching AIDS message here (I've got a not catching AIDS message; the best armour is to stay out of the gunfire) but really it just comes across as being sadistic. Another reviewer here said that it was bad of her to keep the baby that it might have HIV as well. There are people out there who want children but can't have them naturally.