*short synopsis of ENGINE* Jiro Kanzaki is a daredevil racecar driver who feels no fear driving at speeds that even top racers dare not attempt. An unexpected trouble forces him to return home to Japan for the first time in years and until he finds a new job as a racer he has no choice but to stay with his hardheaded father, his nagging sister, the 12 children of the foster home his father runs, a snobbish male teacher, and a stubborn female teacher. Jiro's return home brings a breath of fresh air that influences the people around him. However, he is still unaware that he too will eventually be influenced to change the way he thinks and lives.
OMG! And I mean, O M G !!! this drama is simply …beautiful ! I don’t know how else to describe it …ok I’ll try. It’s the kind of drama that will simultaneously make you laugh and cry. The story is amazing and the storytelling is what I may describe as, exquisite and the cast …holy cow, too d*mn good! To think that this one has been on my hardrive for quite some time now and I was hesitant to watch it ‘coz when I read the story is doesn’t seem interesting enough even if it is a Kimutaku starrer. I guess, that’s precisely the reason why I delayed watching it, im afraid to be disappointed with a drama that starred him. D*mn, I should have known better, he sure knows how to always pick a winner! (please excuse the excessive use of expletives people, I cant help myself :D)
I have a weakness for simple dramas with no frills. In their plainness and simplicity, I have no other distractions and am more focused on what a particular drama has to offer, aside from the elaborate set and the fashion styling that is. In this drama, every episode takes you on a journey from a starting point of watching something good that turns into something better until it eventually turns out that, it could get even better. That is exactly the case in this one. It is rare for a good drama to sustain a certain level of excellence until the very end, in ENGINE it definitely succeeded in doing just that.
Kimura Takuya as Jiro is excellent as usual, no need to expound on that, no surprise there, at least not from me. The eyes, the body language, the rawness in his acting is classic Kimutaku. He’s the type that exudes COOLNESS PERSONIFIED without any effort at all, unlike some actors whose self image is way bigger than it actually is. And please don’t ask me who these people are, to me they have always been a big joke …haha, gomennasai. Back to The Man, he seems to excel in this kind of “sensitive guy” roles, even if the “sensitivity” is paired with brashness, immatureness, irresponsibleness, rudeness …whatever …‘ness …haha… Here, inspite his not-too-refined nature, and for somebody who once uttered the words “I hate kids”, Jiro finds himself the “accidental” hero of the children in his father’s foster home. How THAT unfolded is the brilliance of the writer and the director and where the beauty of this drama lies.
I was not too happy with the character of the female lead here on the first few episodes. How can I like her when she herself says “ I am logical, very ordinary and too uptight”. Precisely, her being too uptight is what drove me off the wall in the early episodes, BUT, I began to warm up to her by episode 5 because of her sensitive acting before that episode ended and by episode6, when she played “Do Re Mi” on the piano, she totally won me over :)
Im so used to seeing Kimura Takuya dominate a drama with his presence and he may be the star in this one, BUT, while he may have done his part in stamping his seal here, im afraid he would have to share equal billing and share the glory with the ensemble cast of kids in this particular project. They are the best group of kids that I have seen in any of the asian dramas that I have clapped eyes on. Each one has a story to tell and how heartwarming those stories are. Each one, was given their moment to shine and boy …shine, they certainly did! the tears, the laughter, the struggles, the pain of these poor young souls are so real, one cant help but be totally affected by them. They are capable of making you cry without even trying too hard, I would describe it as sensitive acting loaded with innocence. Watching them onscreen is like being taken on an odd mixture of emotions, one moment youre smiling and laughing and the next moment, there are tears in your eyes. Some of them so tiny and yet so good at their craft, my hats off to these kids :)
There’s the overweight kid who puts mayonnaise on everything that he eats, there’s the misunderstood violent kid who needs some anger management, there’s a smart teenager who’s afraid to dream because she’s certain it will never bear fruit, there’s another smart kid who is a first class cynic, there's the chronic liar who thinks the truth is so boring, there's the wannabe starlet, there's the cutest toddler, Nanae, and so on. There are so many wonderful scenes here but Aoi’s goodbye to Jiro is the cutest exchange ever and Shunta’s scene where he ran after Jiro and the minibus is one of the best scenes and exchange of dialogue in the entire drama.
I would have wanted to write about the result of the race but that would be a major spoiler for the others who may be thinking of watching this drama. How he finished the race though was wonderfully cheesy, but still …wonderful. Suffice it to say, there are lessons and reasons why the results are such and it is something we can all reflect upon. I admire dreamers mainly because it is someone ive aways hoped to become but not yet succeeded in being one. Here, Jiro is the dreamer, the optimist and his opposite is Genii sensei, not exactly a pessimist, more of a pragmatist, a control freak who wants to be prepared for every eventuality. To tell you honestly, more often than not, in real life, I have a feeling, the latter is always envious of the former.
Before rating this drama, lest I be accused of favoring this drama because i am fan of F1, lemme just say for the record that im not as gung-ho about F1 as I used to be …well because to begin with, my team Ferrari is not winning the constructors trophy these days and, I never liked their choice of Fernando Alonzo as their #1 driver. Besides, don’t be misled by the title of this drama, it is not at all about racing and sports. To me the ENGINE being referred to here is the one that runs the human body. Its what drives us to get up when were down ...its what drives us to go on after a failure ...its what makes us see the brighter side of things when everything else is so dark and gloomy. this engine runs not on fuel but thrives by believing in "never giving up against all odds" ...this engine is called, The Human Spirit.
what's not to love in this drama ...thought provoking, entertaining, heartwarming, optimistic, etc, etc, etc …Love the story …love the script …love the casting …love the music …love ENGINE, the drama :) :) :)
*rating: 4.99 out of 5
...the theme song from this drama...
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothin’ but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day…
