Rich Man, Poor Woman (2012)

I wrote this review while watching (and immediately finishing) the series so it's a little detailed (no spoilers though, I promise) and a little lengthy, too. Plus, I seriously seriously SERIOUSLY loved the NY special so I'm overloaded with feels right now.

Just like how everybody else who have watched the series said, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the whole story, and thank God for that.

"Money is more important; we'll do any job for it... But we won't sell our soul."
To lay the plot out in a non-spoiler way, Rich Man, Poor Woman's (I am terribly uncomfortable whenever I'd mention the title) central theme is ambitions. It's what puts everything together. How, on the one hand, ambitions combined with pureness and sincerity could "change the world" and serve as an inspiration to others, while on the other hand, when combined with greed, could be self-destructive. Ambition is a seed that grows along with the intentions of the sower. It could flourish and feed the good, pure-hearted sower and propagate the dream, or it could grow into a poisonous plant and kill the evil, greedy planter. But in the end, no matter how evil, the purest heart pollenates and prevails. Story revolves around Hyuga Toru who, as the story has drawn, would somehow be an IT superstar, a little like Steve Jobs.

This drama is definitely, DEFINITELY, one of my favorites. I just love eeeeeverything about this drama. It made me feel all kinds of emotions, which is my favorite thing about dramas. The reason why I only gave it a 9.5 is that I tend to reserve the perfect 10.0 to life-changing existential dramas (which I associate highly with melodramas like Boku no Ita Jikan). But overall, Rich Man, Poor Woman is indeed a good product of its genre (career focused, romance) and it has its way of sprinkling viewers with the morals it would like to covey. It is indeed in my Top 5 all-time favorite dramas in my 9 years of being a drama fanatic. So I highly recommend this to everyone.

As I've said, I love everything about this drama but let me highlight what I loved about the series:

1. IT FELT HUMAN. This was the best and refreshing aspect of the story. Given the plot and the background of the characters, the show had an excuse to be extra flashy with a company president as the male lead and several other characters as rich and privileged people but I was absolutely pleased with how they kept everything believably modest. There was small emphasis on materialism and more on character depth so I got more interested in character development and less on the drama technicals, which was a good thing. Which leads me to the next thing I love about the drama.

2. CONSISTENCY. Dramas focused on character growth tend to have inconsistent characters, and rather than having a story about them, they become mere plot devices which makes things boringly predictable. This drama though, had well-thought of characters and their consistency made the character growth more relatable and heart-warming, and the story was a lot easier to follow. It's quite hard to explain, but the story unraveled on its own with the characters being themselves rather than the characters being merely tailored for what the writer intended the story to be. There were times where the story was a little bit predictable, but in a good way. This is because you already know the characters and not because you had the whole story figured out (I hope it makes sense).

3. ROMANCE. I don't jump into drama OTPs so easily but oddly enough and contrary to some other reviews here, the romantic storyline was definitely my most favorite part. It was what got me watching everything in one go. Probably, the fact that I loved the main leads' characters was a factor. Watching the trailer, I thought they didn't have the chemistry to keep the romantic storyline going but as I watched, I found their scenes cute and adorable. I might be a little biased, but I could say I was pleased with the romance. It is common knowledge in drama fandom that jdramas aren't the best players in the romance genre. Maybe because the romance is usually kept low-key and subtle, giving more spotlight to character growth. Personally, though, I found pleasure watching the little sweet things. I found it more realistically appealing for a company president to focus more on his work where several jobs and lives are at stake than to waste his time solving his own love life's problems. Most fangirls wouldn't agree (coz duh, love should be a man's topmost priority) and several years ago, I would have been severely pissed with a guy holding back because of his work obsession. But having watched plenty of dramas, plus aging lol, I grew out of love for the lovesick male leads and had an inclination towards practical guys who looked much more dependable. And this drama nailed it for me. Surely, Hyuga-san is a rude temperamental jerk I'd want to kick in the ass but I still understood why the heroine fell for him and why she decided to stay in love with him. And more than being a side story, work storyline had EVERYTHING to do with the romantic storyline so I believe the story was able to maintain cohesion of both sides which created the larger picture, which again proves its consistency.

5. OGURI SHUN. As if I hadn't said it enough, Shun was one of the best parts of the drama. Aside from his romantic side, I also liked how he suited his character so much. His rough untamed manly appearance went well the the eccentricity of his character. Plus, Hyuga Toru's business presentations gave the Steve Jobs feels and I find myself in awe that sometimes I have to remind myself that Hyuga Toru is a fictional character. "He's Oguri Shun, he's Oguri Shun!!"I had to remind myself several times. Plus, his teary-eyed, "I-am-deeply-touched-but-no-I'm-not-crying-I'm-a-big-boy-now" expression is just priceless. It kills me. Every. Freaking. Time. Don't get me wrong, I don't find Shun stunningly handsome (my favorite ikemen is, and will always and forever be, Miura Haruma) so I'm not one of the fangirls who follow him blindedly just because I think he looks good. But there's something about how he carries the role that I find endearing and this is where my Shun fondness roots from.

6. SATOMI ISHIHARA. I'm definitely fan now. To be honest, I thought her character was going to be annoying but I found her really cute, and Satomi Ishihara carries her role so well. She and Shun looked so natural with their roles. I haven't seen other works of Ishihara so I don't know if this is her signature image but I am extremely satisfied with her acting. Actually, everyone in the cast was a perfect fit.

7. COMPREHENSIBLE. If you're not the techie type and you dread jargons, you don't have to forego watching this drama just because it is set in an IT workplace. Although it involves a lot of workplace scenes, they focus more on the incidents that create ideas rather than the creation of the system itself so no technicality involved aside from the usual business talks we get to see in the usual dramas (stocks, shareholders, investments, etc.). If I may compare, it's like those American TV series, House or Suits for example (though a lot less complicated), where even though you don't really understand the technicalities, you still understand and have a full grasp of what's happening.

MUSIC
They had one song playing almost all the time and I barely noticed the usual instrumental sound effects but I honestly didn't care. The story was engaging by itself so the little support it got from the music department was surprisingly enough.

Having loved it this much, I'm pretty sure I'll watch it again some time in the future.

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This drama is very exciting in every episodes, it's not only because it's funny and romantic, but also it show's how eccentric Touru is and how the friendships grow and betrayed after success.

I was touched when lead man Touru (Shun Oguri) forgive his friend, so guys watch it how he did it and why some trusted friend betrayed you on the time of success! I am inlove with the love story of the lead man and the leading lady in this drama. I feel like I am the lady!

It is like a drama about Mark Zuckerberg eccentricity and smart pants but it's totally different! It's a must watch! i cried at the ending part!!!

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I've seen a small amount of dramas, and little of them have actually left me a moral to think about. This one did, and so nicely, that I think it's why I gave it a 10.
If you haven't watched this drama, you're probably like, "What?! This left you a moral?!". And that's because you're guiding your first impression of this drama on that sappy and misguiding name. (Seriously. The person who chose that name apparently did not know what the drama was about).
If you thought this drama was some cheesy romance, you, my friend, are wrong. Yes, it's got some romance. But not that kind. And it's also balanced with life lessons... and it has such a positive ending.
The acting is surprisingly good. You probably expected an exaggerated performance from the actors, judging by other Japanese dramas. But, again, you're wrong. (It's ok, I was too). I think it has to do with the fact that this drama is more realistic.
The OST is lovely. I personally loved it, but some people may find it annoying because it's so repetitive. Aside from the instrumental OST, I think this has only one freaking song. They switch it up to the acoustic version once in a while, but it's the same.
Anyways, give this a shot. Don't think this is the best drama ever because of my review (for me it was), it has its flaws. But it's good. It even convinced me to give other Japanese dramas a shot.

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This drama shouldn't have been called Rich Man Poor Woman. Because of the title, I already had so many assumptions going in, and I was just putting off watching this because I wasn't in the mood for something overly cliched. My sister actually saw this first, and made me sit down and watch the first episode with her. Needless to say, I marathoned through that sucker and now I'm here writing a review. All of this took place today.

Rich Man Poor Woman exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I thought it was gonna be average with the typical "poor woman" and "rich man" falling in love. And why does the woman always have to be the one who's poor. Even though this is what eventually ends up happening, this is a refreshing drama about a young man who started his own company that's now worth billions of dollars and a young graduade student (or undergraduate - i don't even know her age) who desperately tries to land a job with numerous companies. Obviously, their paths cross and what ensues is a tale of hard work and devotion. More than the love story, I enjoyed the business aspect of the drama. And I never enjoy those parts in dramas, but in this one I did. It was also really refreshing that the main leads were likable. The acting was great. I enjoyed Oguri Shun in this so much omg. And the female lead, omg I love her, she is so cute. Their chemistry was on point. And the music was fantastic! It went so well with the drama, I'm still humming hikari e. I think tht song will be in my head for a while, and it'll be in the heart forever, it's so sweet. I can't say I love this drama as much as I do the other dramas I've rated a 10, but it's so damn close. I'd recommend this drama to anyone in a heartbeat. It's sooo good, and it's actually pretty funny. It can definitely tug at ur heartstrings. Episode 2 is probably my favorite lol. Anyways, I definitely recommend.

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I don't often come across a romantic comedy that makes me excited to see the next episode each week, but that seems to be the case for me with Rich Man Poor Woman. I think the main characters have depth, and their interactions with each other seems to make each character grow a little bit, even though so far there have only been 4 episodes. The plot is quite interesting really, I like the quirkiness of Hyuuga and the sporadic spunkiness of the female lead. The supporting characters are generally fun to watch as well, though I think their roles seem to only accentuate and deepen the main characters. Anyway, I love this show quite a bit already, and can't wait to see what happens next!

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CUTE OFFICE ROMANCE

I started watching this for oguri shun. I have watched the Korean remake of this beforehand (not knowing it was a remake until after I watched) so I was kinda skeptic of how this one would go as the Korean version was AWFUL. However, I was pleasantly suprised! Oguri shun played the main role very well, the role of hyuga can be seen as undesirable unless its acted out properly and oguri shun showcased hyuga perfectly!! Hyuga was seen as a rather blunt individual (rather than straight up rude) and had a cute charm to him. Hyuga also had a great character arc which was satisfying to see how he tried hard to become a better person alongside the members of next innovation, their interactions were so sweet. Main girl was a very hardworking great character as well despite the fact that she cried often she wasn’t showcased as annoying but rather it seemed like a strength of hers to be so empathetic and I adored the interactions between her and hyuga. The romance was quite slowburn but very satisfying with how it played out, the airport scene was so so cute and I enjoyed how their romance concluded very much. The second female lead here in contrast to the Korean remake was much less insufferable and was overall a decent character as well as the second male lead. I enjoyed this drama much more than I expected to despite being a drama that centred around business (which I don’t care much for) I will probably rewatch some of the romance scenes again cause they were so cute. I recommend watching this and definitely staying away from the Korean remake cause it RUINED this original masterpiece

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Going into this drama, I expected from the title of "Rich Man, Poor Woman" that the major focus would the romance between the two leads as well as their differing statuses within society... But this is not what this drama is about - at all! This drama is rather about a man, Hyuga Toru, who built his company from the bottom up alongside his friend, and a woman who is currently struggling to find a job (hence why they label her as poor). Throughout the series, the four main leads mainly deal with events surrounding Hyuga Toru's company. While character development in this drama is incredibly heartwarming to watch, the events which lead our four leads to the final episode are heart wrenching. If you are looking for drama, this show has it. If you want romance, it comes later in the series however is sprinkled throughout all 11 episodes. The most romance happens in the second half of the drama, but because our leads always made me feel the chemistry and made me excited for their future, the wait was worth it. Believe me! As someone who watches drama mainly for the romance, this drama truly does not disappoint. I dare say the couple in this drama is now one of my favourites!! The pacing of this drama is also wonderful and there is not a single episode where the story feels as if it is dragged on - action is always presenting itself. Lastly, the soundtrack is beautiful and comes in at the perfect moments, although can often be repetitive.. I give this drama a rewatch value of 8 as I see myself going back to watch certain scenes that I especially loved, but the experience you get watching "Rich Man, Poor Woman" the first time is special and cannot be relived to the same extent.

(Oh, also! The last review I remember writing was on DramaFever in 2014, but this drama has gotten me so excited that I needed to write my first review on here!)

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Being the old socialist that I am (though much less old and much more socialist than Bernie Sanders, LOL), you might understand I would've never watched anything with such a classist title, hadn't it been for a friend who wholeheartedly suggested it. And when, upon watching the first episode, I got so angry at the male lead for his behavior and actually thought about dropping this dorama, it was that same friend who managed to convince me not to do so. This is why, now that I've watched the dorama till the end, I feel the need to publicly thank that friend of mine. Hadn't it been for him, I wouldn't have watched this dorama that, albeit not being the best of all time, still has one of the best characters ever (namely, the female lead, masterfully portrayed by Ishihara Satomi, who managed to make me laugh one moment, and move me to tears just a few minutes later). The lovely message conveyed by this drama, in a nutshell, could be that love and goodness can change even the worst people and make decent human beings out of them. A lovely message indeed, albeit maybe not such a realistic one, let's admit. Anyway not in the big business world (where I have the strong impression only the scum rises to the top) and not in this Kali Yuga we're living in! Anyway, a great performance by the whole cast - and particularly by the leads - and the afore-mentioned message get this dorama a well-deserved 8/10 ^___^

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Its a great watch

This drama was really good, i watched it recebtly after seeing the korean a few years back, i honestly didn't know that there was a Japanese version that came out before the Korean. I loved the Korean version very much, so when i saw this *original* i realised there was some difference but i loved this.. the cast was just great, the growth and character development was great for the MC, i loved that a lot. Seeing your flaws and changing to be a better you, wonderful message.

The romance was just so awkward but soooooo adorable, man... trust me, you'll fall in love with how adorable the ML is too... hahaha

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I'm having a hard time writing up a review for this drama. I certainly did not hate it. It has much to commend itself. But the romance was so incredibly slow, and I found that to be a very draining viewing experience. I wanted them together so bad, and the writers were just like 'Yeah. Maybe later.'

Of course, some drama lovers really enjoy the sit and wait style of romance, and if that's your thing, then this drama is for you. I just couldn't figure out why these two people who clearly were in it deep for each other couldn't learn to use their words and Say so.

Luckily, where the romance sort of left me hanging, the rest of the drama was quite enjoyable. I loved the whole office battle plot line and the heavy focus on friendship and what it actually means to be a friend. I definitely consider that part of the drama's plot to be one of its major strengths.

And while I found the female lead at times infuriating, I didn't hate her. I just wanted to prod her with a stick sometimes, lol. I quite liked the male lead and his tenacious go get it attitude about basically everything. Except when it came to romance, and then I wanted to be like 'Look. The drama's not giving me a clear justification for your behavior here, so how bout you help a sister out and tell me Why you aren't making a move on this girl already? Please and thanks I love you bye.'

So like I said, if you enjoy the sit and wait style of romance story, you will like this drama. If you like your romance to move a little faster than a snail, you might find this drama a little frustrating at times to watch.

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Incredibly boring. There was probably only one episode where it made me want to watch the next episode. The story is so cliche and generic. Female lead is like any female lead in a girl's manga. She wants to support the man and would sacrifice her own opportunities for him because she's in love. She's passive and quiet. I finished 10 episodes in a day because I didn't bother to process any scene, I usually like to take my time and rewatch if I missed something.

I'm glad it isn't like a kdrama focusing on social class clash but I felt this story could have been more original. Everything was predictable and expected, and there was no romantic development that made me swoon.

I thought the main lead was the most interesting, though. Eccentric genius who didn't back down.

Maybe because I've watched a lot of dramas. Maybe because I watched this right after finishing Shitsuren Chocolatier. Maybe because this is an older drama so it stayed to its traditional storylines. Man is powerful, lady is his helper, she falls for him first.

I would not rewatch this again because i could find this anywhere else but probably elsewhere more interesting than this.

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I dont think I can say anymore than what's already been said (for AAGGEEES) and I watched this pretty much only right now. After finishing this drama, 4 years and 150 dramas after I had started watching East Asian dramas at all, my only question to myself is: WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG?

To anyone else not watching this for whatever reason, what is taking you so long??? Admittedly, this drama isn't perfect. Ishihara Satomi's character is really, really fickle and it can get on your nerves how many times she passes up a great opportunity and chooses to be pushed around by Oguri Shun's character. Oguri Shun's Hyuga Toru is often an asshole (needlessly) and can come off as insensitive and pushy. But, from the beginning, you love the characters for these very reasons.

I dont really remember the music, so eh. Nothing remarkable.

I love Ishihara Satomi and Oguri Shun as actors, they are amazing and I will watch anything of theirs anyway.

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