Tiger and Dragon

The dorama tells about a Yakuza/Rakugo apprentice named Yamazaki Kotora (Little Tiger), and a son of a Rakugo master, Hayabashi Kotatsu (Little Dragon). Kotora is Kotatsu father’s disciple, a very passionate one, while Kotatsu himself – despite being a genius on Rakugo – left his family and rokugo to manage a small clothing store. Along the story, Kotora tries to persuade Kotatsu to return home and take his father’s name as a Rakugo artisan. It turns out that the Oyabun that Kotora served is his rokugo master’s friend in the past, and was a Rakugo artisan himself.

During his apprentice, Kotora live on his Shissou’s (Master) house who have 5 other apprentices other than Kotora, which called Donta (his biological son, Kotetsu older brother), Donkichi, Donkatsu, Donburi and the youngest one (who the shissou often forgot the name) Udon. There are also Sayuri – the shisou’s wife -, Tsuruko –Donta’s wife who was a famous Enka singer, Saya and Taro the magos.

Rakugo – it’s my interpretation from the movie, if you want further infos please googled or wikied it – is Japanese sitting down comedic act. The artisan usually told a funny story which occurred in Edo period. Each of the stories usually have a different moral in it and somehow, some audience is already familiar with the story at the beginning.

The artisans have to act out different characters that the stories tell. So he have to mind the head movement (which character facing which way in order to talk to other character). Voice tone, pace, pitch, mimic have to be different in order to differentiate each character. Sound though ya…. ^^

I watch this dorama after I know that the screenplay was written by the same person who write screenplay for Ikebukuro West Gate Park (which I love with all my heart). I was hoping the same gloomy and dark atmosphere like IWGP did, but I was wrong. I thought the movie will be full with Japanese cultural terms, assuming the main storyline is about Rakugo. But it turns out to be fun to watch; tho I don’t really get all the jokes. Just like IWGP, this dorama captured the audience (me) right from the start, unlike some other doramas that took slow pace at first.

As usual, Nagase Tomoya of TOKIO taking the role as good hearted Yakuza, Kotora, while his chibi friend, Kotetsu is played by Okada Junichi of V6. I don’t know why, but I found Nagase-san is very attractive in the dorama. Perhaps because his short hair (usually he has a longer hair). Dang! Who would’ve guess that Nagase-san is one of Jhonny’s boys with that Yakuza look. Oh, there’s also Tsukamoto Takashi who playing the role as Ryusekai Ginjiro, the Yakuza’s son – Kotaro’s apprentice.