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brad6 Profile
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Re:Episode 48


I am sure this is the first time I ever fell asleep during a taiga. I did wake up before the end but I was sure I did not miss anything soul stirring.

I really will be happy to see the next historical drama.....
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


No worries, Peg-san. If you woke up towards the end, you caught the most important part! LOL.
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


The part of this episode I found interesting was when the opening visual and musical theme were tied together with the "blossoming" of the women of Gunma. Having learned to read and write, they were a force in writing letters to the government petitioning for their silk mill to remain open. One burning flower multiplied into a mighty field of burning flowers.

Kusaka's son visiting Fumi was very touching and rewarding. The casting was good, with a young man who looked and acted very sweetly and appreciatively towards her—a sharp contrast to the hateful encounters with Kumejiro.

I don't know how this story ended in reality but it won't surprise me at all if Fumi does not marry Inosuke. Her independent life has been immensely rewarding for her. Often times a woman who has remained unmarried for a considerable time is not that interested in remarrying. On the other hand, in that society back then, life for an unmarried woman could be very difficult. Of course, marriage didn't seem to be all that beneficial for the women of Gunma in general!

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brad6 Profile
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Re: Post by nchristi


Recently I was made aware that being unmarried was not a very good situation in Korea. Maybe the same culture existed in Japan/ It would seem that when elders were buried and services held no woman ever had her name put pn the burial stone. Only the men in a family were remembered that way. I wonder now if the unmarried women were not put in the family plot at all? It might be similar in both countries. I just wondered. I also just realised that both my husband and myself will not be having our names carved anywhere. We will be in a garden fertilizing the flowers I am sure. Actually Roy will be remembered on a Memorial in Pennsylvania, but that is a military one. There is also a wonderful Memorial in London for the RAF Bomber Command. I think all military men should be remembered.

I think Fumi will marry Innosuke and I am at least interested how they will appease that mean son who has no manners.
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Hiroshi66 Profile
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


Yes, I'm on the fence about Fumi marrying Inosuke. 1881 was not too far removed from the samurai period. A wife of a samurai was usually expected to not get married again. She would mourn her husband for the rest of her days, unless she was expected to remarry for political reasons/alliances, like when Oda Nobunaga forced his sister to marry Shibata Katsuie.

It was usually different for men, though. Men often had many wives or concubines, and even when monogamy was practiced after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, many widowers did take new wives after the passing of their spouse. Inosuke is the governor, and I can imagine the people of Gunma feeling it is only suitable for him to get married again. Fumi is the most convenient choice, since she is widowed as well and already lives with Inosuke.

Even if Kumejiro is opposed to the hypothetical marriage, he will not be able to openly defy his father's decision. What I am afraid of is how he will treat his aunt (stepmother?) in private. At least he lives in Tokyo and she is in Gunma so perhaps there will be little to no contact at all.

We'll see what happens. I could see both scenarios playing out!
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


<EPISODE 49>

I am surprised Fumi agreed to marry Inosuke. Then again, watching the flashbacks of Fumi and Inosuke together helped it all make sense. Everything has been building up for this big moment since the beginning of the show, but somehow, it all feels anticlimactic now. In fact, at the end, I wasn't even sure if they got married or not until someone mentioned that they were finally "officially" married. The whole thing just felt sort of rushed.

Well, I suppose this is for the best. Inosuke was able to realize his true feelings for Fumi, and Fumi was able to realize that she didn't have to replace her feelings for Kusaka with new feelings for Inosuke. After all, as Inosuke pointed out, he, too, was recently widowed and so he still has feelings for Hisa, his late wife, in his heart. In a sense, they are both in the same boat. Perhaps that made Fumi feel a bit more comfortable with the whole thing.

Fumi's mother handled her daughter's news of Inosuke's proposal so well. No wonder Fumi changed her mind so quickly. I think she realized that her family would not judge her and would support her no matter what her decision was.

The next story arc, which will most likely be resolved in the finale next week, is Inosuke's desire to build a railway from Gunma to the capital in Tokyo. He is trying to enlist the help of his old comrades from Choshu, who all hold key positions in finance and politics.

Perhaps the most interesting/entertaining part of the episode was watching Fumi and Inosuke try cutting and eating steak for the first time at Lord Motonori and Princess Gin's house. Beef had not been eaten in Japan prior to the Meiji Restoration, so it was considered fashionable and 'modern' to eat beef.

Things ended so well for Tatsuji and Kusaka's son. He is now officially the successor to his late father. It is nice to see how kind Fumi has been to Tatsuji over the year. She didn't have to invite Tatsuji, but doing so really demonstrated how she has forgiven her late husband and Tatsuji for whatever happened in the past. It might have helped her reconcile her own feelings, too.

Kumejiro didn't confront Fumi in person, but his conversation with Inosuke made me realize that he is ready to put his feelings of contempt aside and accept his father's future with Fumi. Hopefully he will reconcile his feelings with his aunt (now stepmother) in the future, too.

We're still in 1881. Episode 50, the final episode, airs next week.


Last edited by Hiroshi66, 1/31/2016, 10:09 am
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brad6 Profile
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Re: Above post


  I think you have written a more interesting precis of the latest events than the actual episodes. I really was not terribly moved by the quasi romantic efforts written for Fumi and katori. Even with all Japanese etiquette involved it was so dull. Not a marriage proposal that would enthrall me at all.
When I think of the upheavals happening in Japan through those years I think someone should write, or re write, the story of Fumi and finish it properly.

Last edited by brad6, 2/2/2016, 7:08 pm
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


Yes, after all that build-up over Fumi and Inosuke's relationship, I was left thinking... That's it?

Fumi lived for several decades after the 1880s (well into the 1900s) and I am sure she witnessed so much change in Japanese society. Will they cover all that in one episode, or will we just be told that she lived 'happily ever after' and leave it at that? The pacing of this drama has been one big disappointment.
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Mlle Irene Profile
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


Well. Here we are at the end, having invested a year in this drama. Episode 50 tonight - finally. Part of me has tried hard to give it the benefit of a doubt as the Meiji era storylines progressed, and I have enjoyed most of it, despite knowing about the leads' second marriage to each other quite early in the series, due to accidently reading that major spoiler on some English language Asian drama website. That made it harder to watch how slow things progressed, but I was not expecting it would take until Episode 49! Shame on them! Yes we were cheated of the romance, after all that buildup. I have to congratulate you, Hiroshi, for keeping that marriage spoiler from the comments, as it did create some tension, will they/won't they. Otherwise, how I missed seeing LA Channel 18 while I was out of reception quite a few times this year, we are so lucky to have these dramas, so I will overlook the slow pacing and praise their attempt to do it thoughtfully. Glad to see the younger generation caring about having "aspirations". But the producers could have done up to where we are now in 30 episodes only, and as you say, could have shown more of Fumi's later life, especially with her true soul mate Inosuke! So my take on it is, when the ratings at home started falling off - as I only heard about recently, here first- my theory is, we ended up with more "filler" on this one, because they decided to SAVE some generic & historical plot developments for another taiga, because remember, the other recent end-of-the-century drama, The Emperor's Cook, was extremely popular, and proved people want to see that era too. I predict another taiga for this end of the 19th century, just my hunch. Now for the fun part, you guys: I researched the two actors playing our favorite old married merchant couple (HOW GREAT ARE THEY! They should get their own TV show! What was that cute little animal mascot statue, a badger? What did it mean?) Anyway, the actress Mita Yoshiko playing Akuzawa Sei, she once played ChaCha, yes, Hideyoshi's Lady Yodo in NHK taiga "Taikoki" 1965, can you believe it! And the actor Emori Toru playing Akuzawa Gonzo, he once played, are you ready, Kuroda Kanbei, in another taiga "Kunitori Monogatari" 1973. LOL!! Plus - I missed catching this - he played Tokugawa Nariaki in one of our fave's "Atsuhime" 2008. So it was worth hanging in until the end, farewell Hanamoyu, farewell Fumi and Inosuke... and all.
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Hiroshi66 Profile
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Re: J-Drama: 花燃ゆ (Burning Flower)


Mile Irene, you are so right about how they could have covered everything we have seen thus far in 30 episodes. There was so much filler, especially for the events of 1864 (we must have spent 15 episodes on those twelve months!) and also towards the end, that they have ended up ignoring all of the second half of Fumi's life. Wouldn't it be nice to see the events of the early 1900s? I am sure Fumi and Katori had their own opinions of the events of the early 20th century, such as the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, or Japan's entry into World War I on the side of the Allies in 1914. Now, we'll never get to see it!

I think your theory will prove to be correct! NHK might have realized that the public wants to see Taigas about a more recent historical period, but with Burning Flower's already suffering ratings, they could just sacrifice this one and then devote another Taiga completely to this time period.

Personally, I found the story very interesting at the beginning, but the way they handled the second half of the drama was an unfortunate disappointment.

The only enjoyable part of Part 2 was the introduction of Akuzawa and Lady Sei! I hadn't realized Akuzawa played Yoshinobu's father in Atsuhime, but after you mentioned it, I finally made the connection!


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