Nobuta wo produce

Fascinating and quite realistic dealing with important issues in Japanese schools such as: popularity, social conformity, and trust. Not to mention some universal issues of friendship, and betrayal. Lots of plot twists in this series, and some unusual changes in characters.

I fully agree with previous comments about the great job Horikita Maki did as "Kotani Nobuko". She really inhabits that role, very convincing acting.

According to http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nobuta_wo_Produce this series recently won some major awards: 47th Television Acadamy Awards: Best Drama, Best Actor: Kamenashi Kazuya, Best Supporting Actress: Horikita Maki, Best Director, Best Script, and Best Music. Well deserved awards. As of June 2006 this series is apparently available on Japanese DVDs.

One word to describe the show: Genuine. This show is a rare gem. In many dramas (especially Korean dramas), acting usually feels forced. But not this one. Great acting. Maybe they picked the right people, maybe the director was really good, maybe it was the music, maybe the editing guy was a genius - I don't know how they did it...it felt very real. There were some over-the-top scenes and I personally found it funny. One major thing I loved about this show is how they expressed the value of friendship. I didn't realize how popular this show was until I googled it! The popularity of this show goes to show how many people value true friendship. Really gives me hope that having genuine friends is not a fairytale.

Nobuta wo Produce may not have the most original premise, however the characters are what make the show an original. They are the glue that holds the show together, they are what make you laugh and cry and then laugh some more. Nobuta wo Produce is written with a wit and intelligence rarely seen in television anymore. There are far too many shows that attempt to mask a rather cliché premise with "out there" characters who end up as 1 dimensional caricatures. Nobuta wo Produce knows what it is and that's what makes everything work so well. The three main characters are written with the utmost love and compassion and it shines through with their endearing interaction with one another. Nobuta played by the continually impressive Horikita Maki, is positively endearing and wonderfully acted. Akira Kusano is wacky, weird and awesomely played by Tomohisa Yamashita who manages to add a depth to his character, who first appears as the stereotypical funny guy. Finally, Shuji played by Kazuya Kamenashi is equally impressive, exuding an obvious understanding for his characters plight and projecting that through his excellent leading performance. All three actors give brilliant performances and all three have such a strong chemistry with one another that it feels like they really are the best of friends.

Nobuta wo produce is so impressively written that it breaks the mold of conventional high school dramas by developing the characters in such a fashion that they each have their own definable arc that lead to a beautifully written change in character. Nobuta wo Produce deals with issues of growing up without the overly sentimental hallmark crap, it is honest and true with its portrayal of high school life and how these characters influence upon each other is what shapes them to become who they are. It may not be written in the most realistic way at times but the characters that embody the story feel real, and you will undoubtedly be in fits of tears and laughter due to your growing attachment to them.

Nobuta wo Produce is an original but not in the conventional sense. It is an original because it has such a large heart, that makes you fall in love with the characters. Who are original in every sense of the word.

An excellent 11 part TV series featured in the fall TV season in Japan on NTV.

The show utilizes the typical teen school angst genre, but with surprising twists, and characterizations. Focusing on the storyline of a misfit young girl bullied by her classmates in a cruel way that has been the topic of many news stories in Japan. The young girl is saved by two male students who along with their new charge transform her, and themselves. The camera angles, music, and energy is quick paced with in-joke references to other Japanese pop trends. What could be clichés turn out to be fresh moments.

I've been putting off watching this series thinking it's just another one of those ugly- duckling-turned-beautiful-swan series -- but I was wrong! This is by far one of the best TV series on friendship I have ever watched. It's about a girl who lacks self-confidence that's why she is always being bullied -- she goes through a transformation with the help of two unlikely individuals: one, the most popular guy in school, and the other a comic outcast who is actually the heir to a multi-million company. What is so nice about the story is that while Nobuta undergoes some transformation, her character doesn't change too much. She is still the quiet type of girl who lacks self-confidence, but you see her struggling to get out of her shell -- to talk to people and even play a newscaster in her club! It's this struggle that makes the story so real. And while Nobuta is changing, all the others around her also change -- the people who bullied her, her classmates who make fun of her, and most importantly, the two guys who have started to "produce" her also experience change.

The three main characters are played by a brilliant cast. Maki Harikita played Nobuta so well, and made the character so endearing to the viewers. Despite being quiet and shy, you become empathic to the character and would cheer her on as she tries to change for the better. Kazuya Kamenashi is also a brilliant actor -- he made his character three- dimensional, showing his struggle between maintaining his popularity, and being true to himself. As for Tomohisa Yamashita (or Yamapi), he is my favorite of the three. He played the character so naturally -- a comical, nerdy guy who is extremely rich yet extremely loyal. At first, I thought he was playing an annoying character, but as the show went on, his antics become more lovable, that's why it has become the favorite of many people.

This is an awesome tale of friendship -- how three unlikely individuals will come together and form a bond that no one else in school ever has. There are funny and touching moments that will make you laugh and cry, and sometimes laugh while crying.