Someone uploaded the latest episode of Tousouchuu (2010年11月23日 「逃走中2010～激動明治の大事変～」) on YouTube, and I checked it out since I’ve heard good things about the show and recognised some of the people participating in the latest episode.

逃走中 (Run For Money) is essentially a massive game of tag, which goes on for about 90 minutes (the time, rules and setting vary with each episode, and I’ll base what I type here on the one that I watched, but they generally don’t differ too much). The players have to escape from the Hunters, and with each second that they survive in the game, the more money they can potentially get. All players are given a cell phone (which cannot be switched to silent mode), a watch and a map.

Before the actual game starts, the opening game is carried out. Boxes enclosing the hunters are placed a fixed distance before the contestants, and the contestants take turns to play the game. Once certain conditions are fulfilled, the hunter box opens and the game officially begins.

The participants get to interact with other characters in the game, and they might be asked to perform some jobs, which they then have the choice of accepting or declining. Accepting the job earns them some “money” which would come in useful during the game, but also puts them at a higher risk of getting caught while they are working. There are also missions along the way, which tie in with a story that’s related to the setting of the particular episode. As with the jobs, it is not compulsary for players to participate in the missions, but being successful in the mission means that all players would have a lower chance of being caught.

In this game, the longer the players survive, the more their winnings will be. However, once caught by the hunters, the game ends for them and they will go home empty-handed. One way that the players can ensure that they go home with some money is to surrender during the game, and the amount that they get is then determined by how long they have been in the game until the point they surrendered. The players that manage to survive until the game ends will get the maximum amount of prize money available.

The concept behind the game is fairly simple, but the creators of the show have executed it well, which makes it entertaining to watch, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s interesting to see how the participants behave under such a stressful situation, and the range of behaviours that you can see is reflective of what you see in real life as well. In a way, the feeling I get when I’m watching this is similar to when I’m watching The Amazing Race (which I really enjoy as well!).

When I went to watch the Nodame Cantabile movie 2 weeks ago, the trailer for the Liar Game movie was aired along with other advertisements and trailers before the movie started. It caught my attention, as I had heard of the drama before, but didn’t have much interest in it at the time it was aired. To me, if a series is good enough to be adapted into a drama from the original manga, air for more than a season and extend into a movie, then there must be some merit in the story. After all, if the original story is no good, it wouldn’t have been adapted for another medium, much less get so much air time since it’s not profitable for those producing it. And since I’m not following any particular series lately, I decided to give the drama a try – and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

昨日一日中何故お前がこれほどムカつく奴なのか考えていたんだが、お前は私が必死になって走っているところをもうすでに走っていたり、余裕で走り抜けたりするんだ。そうして私の前を後ろ走りしながら、たまに私に声をかけてくる。私は負けん気が強いから、それがすけー悔しくてムカつくんだけど、今回はお前が前は知ってたけら、助かったんだよな。

- 鮎沢美咲、会長はメイド様！

I actually spent the whole day yesterday thinking about why you piss me off so much. It’s like, when I’m running with all my might, you’re jogging relaxedly a few yards ahead of me. And then you start running backwards right in my face, and say things to me every once in a while. I’m really competitive, so that made me really mad…　but I was saved this time thanks to you being ahead of me.

- Ayuzawa Misaki, Kaichou wa Maid-sama!

Despite not bring a competitive person (at least that’s what I feel about myself), I can understand this feeling all too well. Sometimes you’re trying so hard and running with all your might, and yet, even when you’ve reached your limit, you can’t seem to do that thing well. And then while you think to yourself that at least you’ve tried your best, you see someone else excelling at what you’ve been trying to do, without appearing to be putting in much effort. And it’s not just in that one thing – it’s the same for many other things as well! It’s honestly annoying, frustrating, and it just feels unfair as to why some people seem to be so talented in almost everything, and yet you struggle with many of them.

But you know, it’s because we are all so different, that is why the world is not a boring place to live in. And as long as the other party is not snobbish, then it’s all fine. I do have some friends who are very talented, and while there are times when I wish I were a little bit more like them, I’m just glad that they’re around. Even though I may not be as good as them in certain areas, seeing them excel motivates me to keep improving myelf.

No matter how old you get, comparisons will always hurt. That’s a fact that will never be changed.

Why is it that when given a sheet of paper with a tiny black dot on it, some people will only see the black dot, and fail to realise the huge, white space around it? Why does that tiny bit of imperfection seem to cover everything else? Words like “no”; words that express disappointment… it’s no good if these are the only things that someone is always told.

It’s easy to spot the flaws of others as we interact with them. But rather on picking on these things, isn’t it more important to see what’s good about the other party? Everyone needs some encouragement and affirmation now and then. When we complain about someone not being able to meet our expectations, maybe we should think about the very thing we are unhappy about first. There are things about the other party that they can change, but there are also things that can’t really be changed, and we just have to learn to accept that. Perhaps we should look at ourselves too. If we keep asking ourselves what can’t so-and-so be more like this or that, is it because we really hope that the other party will improve in this area for their own benefit, or is it just that are complaining because we want others to behave in a certain way just to satisfy our selfish desires?

When we over-emphasise on the weaknesses of others, it doesn’t help them grow as a person, but hinders the process instead. Comparisons don’t help, because we are who we are, and even if we change, we cannot become somebody else. Putting down others is what we tend to do too often, and we simply forget that it’s more important to affirm and encourage. We crave for acceptance and recognition, but we don’t want to give that to others.

Because I know how it feels to be on this side, I don’t want to ever become someone that only sees the bad side of others. I don’t want someone to feel this way as well. There are times when we need to point out the weaknesses of others for their benefit, and when such an occasion arises, I hope that we will have the wisdom to use the right words and tone, such the other party benefits from it, and not be hurt because of our comments instead.

Valentine’s Day might just be over, but if there’s any show that this holiday reminds me of, it has to be Tokyo Marble Chocolate. The anime comes in 2 half-hour OAVs, which tell the story of Chizuru and Yuudai, who had both experienced failed relationships, spending their first Christmas together. The first part, Zenryoku Shounen, is about Yuudai’s story, while the second part, Mata Aimashou, shows the events from Chizuru’s point of view. While the running time is not long, the story is developed nicely, and the characters are not difficult to identify with. It’s not often that you see a show that tells the story from both the protagonists’ point of view, so if you have some time, do give it a try (links are under the cut).