Last Friends

Engaging story filled with tension and human fragility

Recent Japanese drama series Last Friends is nothing short of probing social problems. Rich in symbolism, powerful dialogues and effectively moving characters, it is a poignant tale of a group of twenty-something’s coming of age.

Meet your “friends”

A unique opening of the story introduces a group of friends. Ruka (Ueno Juri), is an aspiring female motocross racer. She is insecure about her sexuality and knows that her love for her childhood best friend Michiru (Nagasawa Masami) is not just a crush. Michiru is clueless about Ruka’s real feelings towards her. She is bullied at work and moves in with her boyfriend Sosuke (Nishikido Ryou), a social worker, to escape from her alcoholic mother. When Sosuke reveals his hidden dark side, Michiru finds herself helplessly trapped in an abusive relationship.

Eri (Mizukawa Asami) is Ruka’s housemate. They live together in a share house. Eri, on the surface, appears to have it all; looks, a flight attendant job, friends, yet the thing she yearns for the most - to be loved - is missing in her life. Eri’s friend Takeru (Eita), is a talented makeup artist surrounded by beautiful models, yet he mysteriously displays a case of gynophobia. Ogura (Yamazaki Shigenori) is Eri’s colleague, a coward who won’t confront his cheating wife and ends up having an affair.

“Friends” you care to watch

Each of the six characters depicted in Last Friends struggles with the human emotions of fear, isolation and love, and confronts the eternal conflict between love and friendship. The salient feature here is you are exposed to characters you can relate; you may even know or have a friend that has these problems.

The over spill of social problems examined in Last Friends can potentially kill the dynamic storyline. However, the pace of Last Friends made it seem feasible. Although after the climax, it slowly unraveled to an exhausted dull pace and wrapped up with a sappy “feel good” closure to satisfy the viewers.

Missing attempts to explore more character development for Eri and Takeru was a disappointment. Last Friends reveals the problem of alcoholism in women, depicted through Michiru’s mother, Aida Chinatsu (Baisho Mitsuko). Aida Chinatsu is a single mother who struggles to make ends meet. Michiru self-blames for her mother’s neglect. A dysfunctional maternal relationship is probably the origins of Michiru’s problems.

It becomes a gut-wrenching drama, sometimes even an overwhelming experience, to view the gruesome domestic violence scenes between Michiru and Sosuke. Sadness seeps out to feel all of the emotions these characters are experiencing. Sosuke’s character irony is sharp and sarcastic, from scenes of him being the perpetrator of violence in his relationship with Michiru, to working as a social worker to save children from domestic violence families. Nagasawa Masami’s portrayal of Michiru is consistent. However, her acting pales in comparison to Ueno Juri.

Ueno Juri deserves to be appraised for her flawless performance as she handles the emotional turmoil of her character, Ruka, to perfection. She moves us by bringing heartfelt human qualities to Ruka. Sosuke is manipulative and violent, easily the most detested character in Last Friends. Nishikido Ryou pulls off a sympathetic villain with his powerful eye expressions. The theme music “Prisoner of Love” by Utada Hikaru makes its presence felt. Expect to be depressed when you hear the theme song.

The path of life is far from easy. Such is the premise of Last Friends. Fortunately, if you have genuine friends, you won’t be alone to endure the hardships. “My dear friends, you are my last friends” is a line that Michiru tells her friends in the final scene, and it is a perfect sentence to summarize the true meaning of friendship. Perhaps it is only fitting to end it on a happier note.

Last Friends, also known as Rasuto Furenzu (Fuji TV). 11 Episodes. Aired on Fuji Television Network, Inc. in Japan from April 10, 2008 – June 19, 2008 on Thursday nights at 22:00. Official Website: http://wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/lastfriends/index.html