Majo no Jouken

I’ve been watching Majo no Jouken…which translates into Witch’s Requirement or Forbidden Love! And had I known one of its English alternative titles is something as sappy and trite “Forbidden Love” I would never have watched it. As it happens though, I didn’t know. AND because i am super curious about all the hype about Hideaki Takizawa (who is just about every Johnny’s favourite senior or something) and the super taboo premise, I watched it.

About its super taboo premise: basically, Majo no Jouken about the “forbidden love” *scoffscoff* between  high-school student, Hikaru (17 years old) and his 26 year-old teacher, Hirose Michi. Apart from the obvious problems with height and the embarassment of having the female bend to kiss the male (although they try and frame it such that this is hardly the point)… they also face massive societal pressures! Because, well, society’s an anal-retentive and illogically conservative bitch.

Ah frankly, I don’t like alot of things about the drama – much as it appears to be SO well received at JDorama.com. For one, it is truly truly trite and hackneyed. But that is to be expected, I suppose. Since Trite and Hackneyed becomes Trite and Hackneyed only because Trite and Hackneyed means commerically successful. I think it’s greatest offence though, is that the characters were so damned selfish and irresponsible and well – in the spirit of all that is cliched – “blinded by love” . And there is nothing (or at least, very little else) I get more annoyed at than completely-irrational behaviour in the name of love.

Obviously, I’ve already established that I have very little against deviant behaviour (unless it involves like, MUCH younger children. As in the case of paedophilia but 17 is 17) but if like, your family, friends and fricking fiance (ah yes, Protagonist Woman is also about to get married! Case of the Wedding Blues, perhaps?) are soooo emotionally scarred by such a relationship…wouldn’t you just give up? I would. Not least because my family would have been the people supporting me through 26 years of life and especially if the 17 year old guy I’m so hopelessly in love with is someone I’ve met only a week ago or something.

And yet I was absolutely, shamelessly hooked on the drama and few JDramas are actually addictive. (Digression: I vastly prefer Jdramas to Kdramas but if there’s one thing I’ll say in the defence of Kdramas like Goong and I’m 18 - its that Kdramas are so wickedly addictive). I think, maybe, its because the side characters were so deeply intriguing.

…Like 17 year old boy’s Mother who was totally Duchess-of-Malfi-Ferdinand-esque in her “motherly love” for her son. Part of the reason I stayed on was because I was just itching to find out if this daring drama would take the final plunge and conclusively establish her true incestual love for her son. But I think that would have made ratings and everything tank – if the drama even made it so screen. Still, it was so…THERE. And I’m not even the type to see sexual relations in every bit of literature that I read or every drama that I watch. Also, the Jun-chan character. And Michi’s mother. Fascinating people.

The point is, I suppose. That if you have to watch a show about teacher-student relations…watch Notes on a Scandal. It stars Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench – CATEBLANCHETTANDJUDIDENCH!!! Tell me that’s not enough reason to go watch Notes on a Scandal NOW. It was completely haunting, I tell you. And exquisite and really, really dark. BUT the sky is dark and heavy with clouds now, and we all need some really dark film to retreat into.

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HM. SO Many shows I want to watch I don’t even know where to begin. O.O