majo saiban Ep.1: unimpressive (but toma's cuteness supersedes it!! ^_^ )

doumoooooo.
it's me. as expected.
it's the weekend!
HAPPY early MOTHER'S DAY!!

(i'm listening to VOICE's music right now
which is kinda clashing w/the majo mood, but i don't care. i just LOVE the music so much!!♥)

so, it's all about *toMAJO* today!
(gomen, i'm borrowing a phrase i saw 2bai or inseiko...some1 at the forum using it. i love it!! haha. btw, tomalicious has a cool new majo-themed purple/black layout that just went up a couple hrs ago!! and tomajo banners! check it out. *_* )

EH!! SO FAST!! JUST POSTED UP THE POLL A WHILE AGO AND ALREADY 3 PPL VOTED! thank you!! u can probably guess how i voted, right?

it's out!
the results.
ep.2's ratings: 7.7%!
=( well, it was golden week last week, so that's not bad, considering...

speaking of low ratings, at least VOICE didn't get the lowest ratings ever for a Getsu 9 drama! though it came super close to it!! nakai-kun's Konkatsu got the lowest ever for monday's episode: 9.4%. voice's lowest was for ep.9 which got 10.2%. it's cuz of Kusanagi's arrest that the ratings went down for all SMAP-related shows!! aiya...poor nakai-kun (u know he's toma's fav sempai!). read more about it HERE.

ja~ from the title of this post,
u know i was not impressed with ep. 1. *sigh* but then again, i didn't like the first ep.s of most of toma's dramas. lol. so maybe it's just me. aniki calls me "the most critical person on earth". xD SO DON'T GO BY ME! watch it for yourself, onegai!! =D (but to me...i think...if i wasn't toma's fan, i think i'd probably pass on this drama, u know...cuz though it's kinda interesting/exciting, but they overdo some things and those parts are annoying.)

but toma's cuteness alone~!♥
it is more than enough to make up for the so-so plot, annoying supporting characters, and the freaky evil guy!! lol. just sometimes his hair is distracting, but still, so much TOMA CUTENESS, and it's only the 1st episode! ahhh. i'm looking forward to watching more!! ^o^

mm...so far toma's character toru seems like quite a cool guy! though he's not totally a good good guy (his weakness is women & money!)...but he's enthusiastic, friendly, funny, and cute. so far, mostly just the usual cheerful toma, all pouts and smiles *_*, but there are some serious moments where u see tense, scared toma, too, with THAT serious look in his eyes.

so~ here are my notes. douzo!
(no spoilers. and i'm not including any other screencaps, cuz i know many of u have not watched it yet. don't wanna ruin the surprise for u...)

kate's -EPISODE 1- notes:

[toma: pick me, pick me, pick meeeee!! xD]

-only 36 minutes! nande?? about 10 min.s shorter than usual! shouldn't the 1st ep. be longer, not shorter than usual?

-the themesong. =/ for some reason, i don't like it now, though i thought it sounded pretty good when i 1st heard it. i guess it's not the kinda song that sounds good when u hear it over and over?? eh.... but the lyrics R pretty good.

-toma's paired up w/older woman again, kinda. haha. though she's only like 2 yrs older, but she looks like she could be toma's aunt or something, right?? she is pretty, though, of course, but...u know, she looks...actually, maybe kinda like a really older sister, possibly.

-toma running = love. *_*
(i miss naoto!!)

-toma's hippie look is growing on me...the bracelets R cool. =)

-i don't like kaori's voice/the way she tries to look cute!! it's annoying. and it's not natural. but she kinda looks like maki (cuz of her bangs, like mizuki!). but she's a little too...neat. u know, her creaseless formal clothes, with the perfectly pulled back hair, really neat and organized look. and a little too much makeup. blah!! -__-

-i'm surprised!! there are some big differences between usa's citizen jury system & japan's (at least the way it's presented in this drama. dunno if in real life it's kinda different or not). yappa, i like the usa version more. it's easier and less formal, less pressure! basically, everything is more out in the open, done together as a group. for instance, u are questioned by lawyers in front of all other potential jurors. and the lawyer will tell u right away if u are chosen or not. there's no suspense like when toru and the others were waiting 4 their # to be called. haha. and so u know each other's names from the start. i was chosen to be on a petit jury a few yrs ago, so i know the process pretty well. here's some basic info about jury selection in the usa:

Q. What will happen when I report to jury duty?
A. Upon reporting to petit jury duty, you will report to the Jury Assembly Room (Room M-10) which is located on the mezzanine level off the main courthouse lobby. Once you are checked in, you will view a brief video on your duties as a juror. You will then have to wait in the Jury Assembly Area until it is your turn to be sent to court. When you report to court, the judge will tell you about the case, introduce the lawyers and others who may be involved with the case at hand. You will also take an oath, in which you will promise to answer all questions truthfully. After you are sworn in, the judge and lawyers will question you about your impartiality and knowledge of the case. This process, known as voir dire, is part of the selection process used in both criminal and civil cases. [credit: http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/agencies/circuit/jury_duty_faq/selection_faq.html]

-lol, my sister is like toru, she actually wants to be a juror!! of course, not cuz of the pay, like him, though. she's just very interested in the process. (dunno about japan's system, but here in the usa, u get paid very little for jury service. and u only show up a day or 2 days each week, anyway, it's not like a full-time job!! lol.) she is going to court on monday. *fingers crossed* i hope they'll choose her. she also studied law, like BLUE-san!

-izumi...her face reminds me of the masculine look of that lady in LOTR, Cate Blanchett and that lady in Narnia, tilda swinton! but she looks more kind/nicer. but her character is way too nice/quiet, such a pushover!! it's a good thing that toru is there to help her out/be her friend. =)

-some of the jurors R really annoying!! the cabaret girl reminds me of the always too perky and enthusiastic hanei-kun's mom in VOICE. i like the serious-looking/kinda arrogant law student guy though. haha. at least he looks smart & knows what he's doing! and my fav color is blue, too. =P

-the manga character-like evil guy!! SERIOUSLY??!! why couldn't they make the evil guy more realistic and credible? but his assistant, she is pretty and cool, at least. his headquarters reminds me of something like an evil guy's place in a cartoon. haha.

-pervy toma. lol. only really the 2nd time i've see him act this way (1st time, gawking at girls/anime figures in @Deep)!! but if it's toma doing things like this, i can't hate him for it! haha. but he is surprisingly convincing at doing stuff like this ne. i thought his VOICE character would be like this, actually. but it's good that he wasn't. i prefer toma the good guy who won't stare at girls in short skirts, of course!

-toru talks too much sometimes. lol.
he's so curious about everything.

-the "pages" w/time, event description, and screencaps of them appearing sometimes is kinda annoying. i like it when just the time & a short description shows up though, kinda like how the X-Files show was. =)

-toru's apartment's ceiling is really small & low!! maybe that's how it usually is over there. but it is nicely decorated and neat. =) (PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HE LIVES WITH HIS GIRLF?! nah...such a small space, i wouldn't think so...?)

(FOR SOME WEIRD REASON, AT TIMES, THIS POST IS ALL IN PURPLE, THOUGH IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE. I'VE FIXED IT TWICE NOW, BUT IF U STILL SEE IT AS ALL PURPLE TEXT, THEN SORRY!!)