LIFE

yes i finished 2 dramas in 1 day :)

So we have LIFE, which basically depicts a pretty exaggerated example of high school bullying. We have Ayumu Shiiba, oh what a sad tale this girl has to tell. She enters a school she should be proud to enter scarred, having seen her best friend attempt suicide because she failed to enter but Shiiba was able to. She is s oafraid of that happening again she tries to please everyone, so as to not make anyone sad again, thinking it is better to not make friends, as that way she won't disappoint anyone. However, she does make one friend, a girl named Anzai Manami, initially depicted as a wonderful girl, the most popular in the school. However, this is a pamered spoiled brat who will get her way and is used to getting wahtever she wants. When she doesn't like someone, she has a group of friends who aid in her bullying the person, and Shiiba is dragged along for fear of disappointing the one person who helped her enter the high school social circles. However, her conscience prevails and she does indeed act against Manami, only to find herself the new target for bullying. However, she manages to befriend Hatori Miki, a student who obviously has not succumbed to the bullying against her, who inspires Shiiba and realize that rather than try to prevent a dark future, she should work to ensure a shining one, that action speaks louder than passivity. With a newfound determination she sets out to fight back against her bullys, to show that she is no longer fazed and to turn their world upside down when the bullied suddenly is not intimidated anymore. Just as Hatori inspired her, she begins to break through and inspire others. All the while Anzai Manami slowly sees her control fall away and as most confident/bordering on arrogant antagonists, the tables are turned on them when the truth is let out for the whole world to see, and she finds herself the target, experiencing firsthand the torment she inflicted against everyone, by the very people who helped her, alone, as her victims once were (how's that for poetic justice)

While things probably would not escalate to the level they did in this drama, it does show a stark realit of how cruel bullying can get and the psychological effect it has, especially the mob effect, people joining in or succumbing to prevent themselves being the target. The song choice for the theme of the drama is appropriate, LIFE by Nakashima Mika, the plot mostly consisted of people new to me, but then again, there are many actors and actresses i haven't seen in movies or dramas yet. They played their parts quite well, and to a believeable level. The drama really sucks you in, you wish to cry out in defense of Shiiba whenevr something happens to her, and cannot feel pity for her unfortunate happenings and inspired by her decision to fight back against a force that is quite grand to oppose. I can see why i was told to watch it, it's a nice break from the romances i've found myself watching as of late, a very nice plot that winds and flows quite nicely. The ending was a bit cliff-hanger, but still seemed to bring a slight closure to the story.

9/10