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My new fav Dorama
Jul. 13th, 2008 01:05 pmI realized that I have not squee'd over my new favorite dorama ever, Princess Princess D. (Called 'D' for 'dorama' to distinguish it from the anime).
The plot is basically this: In order to lighten the all-male atmosphere, the boy's high school has a 'Princess System' in which certain pretty boys dress up as girls (in Gothic Lolita dresses) to give little concerts, act as cheerleaders for the various sports teams, and otherwise satisfy the guys needs for a little romance, while keeping them from harboring 'unnatural' desires towards fellow classmates. Why not use real girls? Well, that could lead to some sticky situations, so the thinking is that using guys dressed as girls is more 'pure'. (Basically the same kind of thinking between the Takarazuka all-female revue)
But does that sound like it makes things *weirder*? Well, that's what Mikoto thinks when he's waylaid by the student council to become one of the three Princesses. Touru and Yujirou, the other two boys agree immediately, because the Princesses get all kinds of special treatment such as meal tickets, free books and uniforms, and a free pass to skip classes for Princess related activities. Mikoto is more reluctant, but ends up agreeing to it, even though he tries to run away before activities and basically thinks of it as a pain in the ass.
So when mysterious new transfer student Otoya shows up, planning to take over the affections (and more) of the school by starting a new trio of 'Black Princesses', Mikoto is relieved...at first...
The show is short, only 10 episodes long, but full of awesome characters. There isn't a single girl in the entire show, which is interesting, and also, while you'd expect slashiness to go on while the guys are dressed as Princesses, it all happens when they're just themselves. It's all very casual, for example, Touru and Yuujirou have a happen of group hugging Mikoto in the showers, which is never really remarked on, it's just something they do. The author of the manga also writes shonen-ai, which probably accounts for this.
The thing that made me fall for this series instantly is that it's really on crack. The good kind, but it's very zany. It's always breaking the third wall, having characters basically talk to the camera, there are random letter boxes that pop up, Otoya breaks into song in one episode, complete with karaoke style lyrics at the bottom of the screen. It's irreverant and a lot of fun, and it does a great job of making you care about the characters, in addition to being laugh out loud funny.
Tone and plot-wise, the dorama is a complete departure from the manga or the anime, even chosing a different boy as main character, which is sad, because this was definitely a world I'd love to go back to, even through a different media.
Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt that way, because I recently discovered that there are not one but four or five 'character' DVDs, and several character singles and CDs as well.
The plot is basically this: In order to lighten the all-male atmosphere, the boy's high school has a 'Princess System' in which certain pretty boys dress up as girls (in Gothic Lolita dresses) to give little concerts, act as cheerleaders for the various sports teams, and otherwise satisfy the guys needs for a little romance, while keeping them from harboring 'unnatural' desires towards fellow classmates. Why not use real girls? Well, that could lead to some sticky situations, so the thinking is that using guys dressed as girls is more 'pure'. (Basically the same kind of thinking between the Takarazuka all-female revue)
But does that sound like it makes things *weirder*? Well, that's what Mikoto thinks when he's waylaid by the student council to become one of the three Princesses. Touru and Yujirou, the other two boys agree immediately, because the Princesses get all kinds of special treatment such as meal tickets, free books and uniforms, and a free pass to skip classes for Princess related activities. Mikoto is more reluctant, but ends up agreeing to it, even though he tries to run away before activities and basically thinks of it as a pain in the ass.
So when mysterious new transfer student Otoya shows up, planning to take over the affections (and more) of the school by starting a new trio of 'Black Princesses', Mikoto is relieved...at first...
The show is short, only 10 episodes long, but full of awesome characters. There isn't a single girl in the entire show, which is interesting, and also, while you'd expect slashiness to go on while the guys are dressed as Princesses, it all happens when they're just themselves. It's all very casual, for example, Touru and Yuujirou have a happen of group hugging Mikoto in the showers, which is never really remarked on, it's just something they do. The author of the manga also writes shonen-ai, which probably accounts for this.
The thing that made me fall for this series instantly is that it's really on crack. The good kind, but it's very zany. It's always breaking the third wall, having characters basically talk to the camera, there are random letter boxes that pop up, Otoya breaks into song in one episode, complete with karaoke style lyrics at the bottom of the screen. It's irreverant and a lot of fun, and it does a great job of making you care about the characters, in addition to being laugh out loud funny.
Tone and plot-wise, the dorama is a complete departure from the manga or the anime, even chosing a different boy as main character, which is sad, because this was definitely a world I'd love to go back to, even through a different media.
Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt that way, because I recently discovered that there are not one but four or five 'character' DVDs, and several character singles and CDs as well.
