Transition to success

I have to mention this before I address something else.

2 years back, while not having anything to do, my Sister introduced me to a series of english subbed Japanese drama. Back then, thinking that I would love sentimental, emotional dramas, my sister made me watch One litre of Tears, a drama about a girl who goes through spinocerebellar degeneration. Its a journey of an active teenage girl who slowly loses the ability to move and becomes bed bound within a few years of diagnosis. Eventually dying in her early 20s.

This drama was based on a diary of an actual patient of this disease, and so 50% of the story line was based on real life incidences. I think this drama had 20 odd episodes, and by the time I watched ep 13, I was starting to curse my sister, because this show was starting to be so depressing to watch. Aya, the main character, as she loses ability to first walk and then hold things and eventually loses speech and the ability to see kept an active diary, she wrote about how painful it was to go through the pain but at the same time she was thankful of her life, thankful for surviving each day so she could see her family and friends, so she could tell them how she treasured them. What was painful to watch was when she experiences her first love, her crush finds out about her disease and he ditches her. And when she attends a wedding, she realises she can’t ever marry. It was painful to watch.

In the drama unlike in the diary, Aya does find someone who returns her love, but when she finds that person, she also finds it painful to be in a relationship simply because she knows she doesn’t have a future. Afterall she’s a teenager, she wants to experience what other normal teens experience but knowing she doesn’t have a future, it hurts her to even to want those experiences.

So like I said, I felt depressed watching the drama and half way through, I would fast forward to certain parts of the drama.So I don’t keep crying.

But that drama opened my eyes to the culture, to the entertainment of other races. Since watching that drama, I have periodically watched other asian dramas. Like Korean and even Taiwanese. The culture of these races are obviously different from mine, but I do find similarities at times. Certain emotions and messages apply to humans at large so it doesn’t really matter if you’re watching a drama of a different language.

One such drama would be CHANGE, another Japanese drama. One of Madonna’s latest songs, “Miles Away” was used as the ending song for the episodes and Takuya Kimura, plays the main character of the drama. Apparently, Kimura is a rather popular actor in Japan. I didn’t know that before watching the show but after starting to watch the drama, I could understand why he was popular.

Anyway, what is CHANGE about and why would I recommend it? Because, its a show about Politics. And rarely do you come across movies or dramas with a Political Setting. Maybe it is common to find such Dramas in hollywood, but I don’t think I have watched that many asian drama or movies about Politics.

I am aware that I might not have had the chance to watch every single asian drama out there. So I am not generalising, I am merely talking about a show I watched.

CHANGE,  is similar to Mudhalvan, a tamil Movie taken sometime in 1999 which was even re-made into a hindi film. And since I mentioned the song, “Miles Away” for Change, I must mention Shakalaka Baby for the indian film. I like that song. In the indian version, the story is basically about a ambitious TV cameraman who gets himself into a spot during an interview,  with the PM. The protagonist who is played by Arjun (who due to some turn of events becomes the interviewer) poses a series of questions to the CM who seemed to be uncomfortable to answer questions regarding some fighs caused by class clashes. And the CM, in reply to the questions challenges the TV cameraman to become the CM for a day.

What is similar about Change? Change is also about a amateur who becomes the PM of Japan. Similar sorts of story but executed differently, obviously the cultures differ and you can’t expect them to be the same. The indian movie was superb I must say because never before had I heard of such story at that time, in 1999. An amateur average Joe becoming a CM, was rather unheard of, atleast for me. And it was a movie, an entertainer  that had a social message as well. How this TV cameraman becomes a CM, how much reform he does in a day and it was a believeable story.

Change is different, its about the son of a Politician who is a elementary teacher who is asked to take over his father after his Dad and elder brother dies in a tragic accident of sorts. He has to campaign for the Job and when he becomes a Member of Parliament, he is then asked to run on behalf of the Seiyu Party for PM when the current PM resigns due to a sex scandal. He becomes a PM and soon due to his Personal Assistant and friends he finds along his journey and hardwork he finds a way to represent his people to the best he can. Soon he learns he was used, he was supposed to act as a Puppet for the “real” leader of the Seiyu Party and because he had different thoughts for the betterment of Japan, he is challenged and framed for a mistake he had not been part of.

Both stories are about a reluctant amateur who becomes a PM/CM, the highest post of the country or state. The journey may differ but both stories relayed very well to the average joe who pays television bills/movie ticket. I found the Japanese drama to be more realistic probably because the journey to the top wasn’t instantaneous but gradual. But I loved the indian movie because of the songs and because I relate better to the langauge. At the end of the day, despite the similarities these stories represent very different cultures and its difficult to pick a favourite.

There are people who donot vote in some if not most countries and these dramas help to bring the importance of a good leader across to the general public. And I just realised something, the first PM of our countries were most probably educated people who had the theoretical knowledge to run a country but had no practical knowledge to run a country. They were probably like any other human being, only with a university degree, a few letters behind their names.

I have written 1151 words for this post, too long. I will continue my thoughts another day….