During the heyday of TV dramas in the 1990s, the "Monday 9pm" dramas were all the rage with trendy romances like "Tokyo Love Story," "Long Vacation," and "The Beach Boys." However, with the development of social media and the trend of people moving away from TV, TV dramas as a whole have been losing their place to entertainment and have been in a slump. Meanwhile, the "Monday 9pm" dramas are changing course and regaining viewers with unique works with their own concepts, such as "The Confidence Man JP " and "Forensic Pathologist Asagao." And the first drama of 2022 that is attracting attention is "Hyouka," starring Masaki Suda. The original is a mystery manga by Yumi Tamura that was first published in "Monthly Flowers" in January 2017. The protagonist, Tono Kuno, who calls himself an "ordinary college student" and has an impressive natural curl, solves one mysterious case after another.
What is characteristic is that the protagonist, with an extremely emotionless expression, talks at length and reveals the truth of the case. As a young man, he makes deductions not from a wealth of experience, but from his outstanding memory and powers of observation. In fact, at his first yakiniku restaurant, he was at a loss, saying, "There are too many menus, and I don't understand the ordering system, so I can't choose." By the way, he loves curry, and his routine is to make half Java curry and half Vermont curry roux, and he only uses salt for Sapporo Ichiban, not miso. He also shows his commitment to food, saying that the best thing to eat is without any toppings, just the flavor of the "sesame paste" that is enclosed. The author recalls that when he was a graduate student, a junior who had joined the doctoral program (although he was younger than him) had a very picky eater, and when he asked him why he couldn't eat it, he replied, "Because he had no experience." "Well, you can't tell if you can't eat it unless you try it," the author said.
The theme of family is thought to play an important role in the cases that the protagonist solves in this drama. Rei's first love, Laika, is the last remaining personality of a woman who was sexually abused by her father, suffered from severe dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder), and was hospitalized for a long time. Rei also has burn scars on his chest, suggesting that he was abused by his parents. In criminal psychology, this crime is caused by what Lacan calls a "family complex." Is there any other young actor who can play such a complex character other than Suda Masaki? He is not as handsome as Yokohama Ryusei or Kamio Fuju, but he has a unique presence as Suda Masaki.
For example, this has given rise to the so-called "Suda-ra", followers who live by Masaki Suda's famous words, and copy everything from his clothes to his diet to his thoughts. The representative of this group, Masaki, became the number one host at a Kabukicho host club and has even appeared on TV. He has even published a book entitled "Why I, a shadowy NEET and idol otaku, became the number one host in Kabukicho and started selling water", which reads "This is the way men live these days".
So, what are the key points in Masaki Suda's lifestyle? Musical activities and fashion. You can find out the origins of this lifestyle by watching "Jonetsu Tairiku" broadcast on March 20 , 2016. I have also covered this in my lectures on "Bidanron". This episode was not filmed by the usual production staff, but by a film director who knows Suda at his request. Rather than a documentary with a specific purpose, it is a record of Suda's daily life as it is. In it, Suda rents a room and works hard at making clothes with his friends. In addition, as the lead role in the movie "Kiseki - Ano Hi no Sobito" (released January 28 , 2017 ), which is based on the true story of the birth of GReeeeN 's song "Kiseki", he plays the vocalist of a band, and was also filmed practicing in the studio with his fellow bandmates Ryusei Yokohama, Ryo Narita, and Yosuke Sugino. This unit has also released a CD as "Green Boys". It was around this time that Suda began to take his career as a musician more seriously.
In fact, this March, when the drama ends, the album " COLLAGE " will be released on the 9th, and the book "Embezzlement History," which features snapshots of the staff over the past five years and coordinated outfits for casual wear, will be released on the 25th. Moreover, the photos used on the cover and obi of "Embezzlement History" were taken by actor Nagayama Eita. Nagayama, who previously went by the name "Eita," also appeared in "Hyouka" as Inudo Garo. Moreover, his straight blonde hair is full of surprises that make you wonder "Who is this?" when you first see it, and it is also extremely beautiful. In fact, I was a big fan of Mine Ryutaro in "Nodame Cantabile" ( 2009-10 ), who also played a blonde role during the Eita era, and I love Eita's blonde hair.
Not only Nagayama, but all the people involved in the case in "Hyouka" are unique and attractive. Starting with Kadowaki Mugi who plays "Leica", the beauty of Saotome Taichi, the "Angel of Fire" in white robes who sets fire to a house to save an abused child and burns his parents to death, is also admirable. Emoto Tasuku, who plays an amnesiac bomber who threatens to blow up a house using a poem from "The Poetry of Tatsuji Miyoshi", is also truly wonderful. Suda Masaki's unique acting does not dominate the stage, but rather makes the other characters shine, or even highlights them. Suda's presence as the main character is unwavering, and he brings out the charm of the guest actors to the fullest. In this way, "Hyouka" can be said to be a truly fulfilling work.
Finally, what made me happy was that literary works played an important role. The Bomber Man always carried a copy of the "Meditations of Tatsuji Miyoshi" with him. And above all, the conversation between "Laika" and Sei was conducted in code using the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, but Sei carried the Iwanami Bunko edition of the book, which led to the paperback edition being reprinted. The life lessons of an ancient literary Roman emperor ( 121-180 ). In terms of philosophical history, this work belongs to the "Stoic" school. The translation, published in 1948 by psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya ( 1914-1979 ), who is also known as an advisor to Empress Michiko , and released in paperback in 1956, a quarter century ago, is being revived in modern times. I felt a little strange when I saw a photo of Sugata of Sei on the dust jacket of the paperbacks stacked in the bookstore. I guess even the prestigious Iwanami Shoten can't help it. For me, Iwanami Bunko's true strength lies in its simple style, with translucent wax paper covers.
Either way, it's clear that the Masaki Suda phenomenon is playing a part in various areas of "current" Japanese culture. We can't take our eyes off Suda any more.
This month's recommended wine
"France's Germany: Alsace, a treasure trove of diverse white wines"
"Les Princes Abbés Gewurztraminer 2018 AC Alsace
Domaine Schlumbage: 3,800 yen (excluding tax)
Last year, in the fourth installment of the course, we introduced French white wine. This year, we will introduce its variations. Burgundy, the "king of wines," is located in a place where the terrain produces excellent wines, both red and white, and has obtained the optimal grape varieties, Pinot Noir for red and Chardonnay for white, and has created a diverse world of wines using only a single variety. In terms of latitude, white wine is dominant north of Burgundy, and red wine is dominant south of Burgundy. Therefore, the first famous white wine producing region in France other than Burgundy is the wine of the "Alsace region" on the border with Germany. In fact, the Alsace region has a history of changing affiliation every time a war breaks out over the border with Germany. Although it is now in France, the producer of this wine, Schlumberger, is pronounced Schlumberger in German, and as you can tell from the fact that Parisians pronounce it Schlumberger, it is clearly a land inhabited by people of German descent.
Therefore, the most important variety in Alsace wine is Riesling, just like in German wine. However, in Alsace, there are four other varieties that can be called Grand Cru: Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat, which we will introduce here along with Riesling, and other varieties such as Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner are also produced as single varieties. Of course, blended wines called "Vins d'Alsace" are also produced, but wines made from single varieties are still more luxurious.
This time, we chose "Gewurztraminer" because it is extremely unique and is mainly produced in Alsace. Its uniqueness lies in its "aroma." It is probably the most fragrant white wine in the world. It has a truly memorable fragrance with a perfume-like fruity base and a spicy floral aroma, and once you experience it, you will be able to identify it just by smelling it next time. Most wines are dry, but Alsace also has rare sweet wines. The dry wines have a richness that matches the aroma, a smooth mouthfeel, and a slight salty taste.
Schlumbage, which we will introduce this time, is one of the most historic Domaines in Alsace, founded in 1810. The current owner, Alain Paydon, is the seventh generation of the family. The wines are grown organically. Half of the vineyards owned are Grand Cru vineyards. This time, we will introduce a reasonably priced standard cuvée, not a Grand Cru, but one that also uses grapes from young Grand Cru vines less than 15 years old. In Bordeaux terms, it is the equivalent of a second wine. Their motto for winemaking is "richness without heaviness." They also have a diverse lineup of other varieties and Grand Crus, so if you are interested, please try their other wines.
For inquiries about the wines featured,
To AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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