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In episode 4, when Kanon first works at the restaurant, Kitagawa is playing a really sweet piece on the piano! It’s at the 7:40 minute mark. Thanks to kuroi_katzchen, the mystery behind the piece has been resolved! It is the piece, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’!! I have searched high and low (ok so it wasn’t that hard…=P) and I have found two versions – the first resembles the arrangement one in the drama more but the 2nd one is not a bad alternative either. Enjoy!~
It’s also worth noting that the viewership ratings have rebound slightly with episode 7 scoring a 13.4% from a low of 11.7%. Let’s hope that this continues to rise!!
Btw, for the Marimite fans out there, just to give you an update on my progress in translating that chapter of Sei and Yumi in the classroom – I’m ALMOST there! It should be out by tomorrow!! Look out for it! =)
In times like these, I find myself lucky that I can read Chinese! That way, I can watch episodes 2 to 4 of Innocent Love! Don’t worry – I’m still a supporter of Querbeet’s work – just that I don’t have the patience to wait! =P
Let the story begin…btw, please refrain from reading more if you don’t want to spoiled!!
After hearing that Kanon has now fallen in love, the brother breaks into a rage and is separated from his cell mates. Given the outburst in violence, he is unlikely to be released early, as was anticipated. Junya (i.e. Kitagawa) also notices the piano music box the following morning. He doesn’t know who’s it from so assumes it from another child admirer.
In the meantime, Kanon has found herself a job at another cleaning agency – she is still using her ‘new’ name. She’s also a bit of a stalker (haha) and walks to Junya’s place and sees him listening to the music box – she’s clearly over the moon!
We are also introduced to the darker side of Mizuki (the girl who likes Junya). She makes a confession, admitting that she sinned today by wanting a person to die and the thought won’t go away…
I have been putting off this drama for a while now. I guess it was the so-so reviews and ratings. Plus, I’ve been preferring to watch materials with lighter themes. A story on a girl with a tragic past just seemed too much!
Innocent Love starts off with nostalgic and melodramatic choir music with a flashback to when young Kanon is saved by her brother from the fire. The house collapses and we know that her parents have left her behind.
We then move to the present where Kanon (Maki now) is working at a cafe in a forest. We are welcomed by the rich and peaceful greens of the forest. Here, both the setting and music reminds me of another Japanese drama called Yasashii Jiikan (‘Affectionate Time’) that stars Masami Nagasawa. I never finished the drama but it looked very pleasant to watch but a tad slow. The OST is quite amazing.
Sorry! Back to Innocent Love…Kanon is a bright and cheerful girl but we are soon reminded of her tragic past. She lives alone and has only the memories of her parents to accompany her. As we all know, her brother is in a juvenile prison accused of killing his own parents. She tries to maintain a smile in life but she cannot hide the streak of loneliness and solitude deep within.
To make things worse, her past keeps coming back to haunt her. There are already FOUR examples in the first episode:
- Stupid cafe owner…dismisses her after knowing her past!
- 2nd employer – immediately starts discriminating her and accuses her of stealing. She had the guts to say, “there’s a proverb: he who lies, steal” – what crap is THAT??
- Two-faced lying BIATCH that she works with – accuses Kanon of stealing!?!
- D1ckhead reporter (honestly no better word to describe him…) that pops out of the blue to do a story on her brother’s crime…Dude…leave her A L O N E ! !
Seriously, talk about being original!?! This sort of stuff also makes me angry. Angry first that there are such discriminative and insensitive people around and secondly, because Kanon just accepts it and does not stand up for herself.
Now let’s go back to something slightly happier – we also catch a bit of Maki’s love interest! Kitagawa i.e. Jun-chan! I quite like his smile (though it sometimes look a bit forced) but his voice is a little weird. I had read someone complain that his voice doesn’t sound very natural so I was consciously noting it – it does sound weird. He seems to be too crisp and exact with his pronunciation?! Oh dear. I hope this feeling doesn’t last long!! Please no!
Anyway, Jun is a bit of a musician/composer and you will often find him playing at the church or restaurant. Something dreadful seems to have happened to him but we’re kept in the dark (well they tell you RIGHT at the end of ep 1 but I won’t spoil it! hahaha).
Oh and to finish it off, Kanon falls in love with Jun. ^_^ That pretty much covers the episode.
There’s definitely some similarities in style between this and Last Friends but I can see why people may be put off by this story line. It’s a little on the heavy side and Kitagawa is a bit inexperienced for the role. But honestly, Maki is SOOOOO pretty! Must see just for her! Definitely watching the next few episodes tomorrow!
Btw, the opening sequence for Innocent Love is AMAZING! Trust the Last Friends team to come up with another breath taking opening! It’s honestly a very pretty piece and with the support of Utada Hikaru’s Eternal Love just makes it perfect! This version is also better than the original! I hope we can buy it on a single or on the OST! I’m crossing my fingers that the drama will live up to expectations (at least mine)! I’ve stripped just the opening sequence for you to see. Querbeet’s hard subs are great! VERY pretty! Please support them over at D-Addicts!
The video isn’t perfect – there some jolts and stuff in it – don’t know WHY it’s doing that! I tried TWICE already!? Oh well. You get the feel. It’s good and go download it! LOL
Sorry – one final thing that I forgot to mention…I swear there’s something fishy between Jun and his friend, Subaru…hmm…are you thinking what I’m thinking? I could be wrong…
Guys – brace yourselves! I’ve heard that the ratings of Innocent Love have not been that great but I didn’t realise it was reaching such levels??! Seeing the trend?? Oh dear…I hope ratings pick up…
~ Episode 1 at 16.9%
~ Episode 2 at 13.3%
~ Episode 3 at 13.3%
~ Episode 4 at 11.7%
As reported from narinari.com and translated by the great people at Pori-chan.com:
Fuji TV’s newest dorama on Mondays 9pm (the most prestigious time slot for TV dramas in Japan) “Innocent Love” with popular actress Horikita Maki and popular musician Kitagawa Yuujin in the leading roles is fighting a very tough battle at the moment. The show already started with mediocre ratings of 16.9% and continued to loose more and more viewers, their latest episode only with a rating of 11.7%…
For the rest of the translation please visit Pori-chan’s post.
Yujin Kitagawa will take up the main lead!! He is from the popular folk song duo, Yuzu. He has been in some movies but very little exposure in dramas. This role will be challenge to him.
I’m personally not familiar with his name but he looks alright and with a sprinkle of Taeko’s magic touch (the scriptwriter of Last Friends), I trust there is much potential waiting for us!!
One cute remark he made was, although he’s older than Maki (he’s 31), she is really his ‘senpai’ when it comes to acting. So, “please take care of me”! hahaha!! CUTE! ^_^
Someone has already done the hard work of translating Fuji’s official announcement so I won’t double up the work. Find out more on the drama and the characters here!
Yasashii sekai... 
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