Charles Perrault should sue
This show looked promising early on but ultimately it is a let down.What is bothersome is that this is not a bad show. It is watchable and mostly harmless, but it is surprisingly ordinary and has little substance.
Noona romance is hardly new to the drama-verse but this show has such a pedestrian script which is not aided by the large ensemble cast of one dimensional characters.
Don't get me wrong. There is a lot happening but the A-plot and sundry subplots are mostly inane and tropey. I won’t even mind if the show is super fluffy, but it ended up trying too hard to be funny, edgy and poignant. It is not a winning combo.
We are presented with an klutzy and naive FL right from the start. There is a strong hint of the Cinderella trope. You’d rightly expect her character to grow and transform over time into something special. To the contrary, her character stays gruffy and annoying for the bulk of the run. She acts like a 39 yo virgin but in the most cringey and awkward manner.
I also find it hard to ship the love triangle. It is just not convincing for me. To wit, ML1 is a hunk 15 years her junior with his pick of beautiful girls. Yes, he said that he loves her because she is kind, sweet and cute, really? Am I watching the same show? It is a hard sell.
Ditto, ML2 has a crush on her for years. Of course, they are the worse frenemies until it is too late. Once again, ML2 is mature, talented and handsome. He also has his pick of superior female admirers, but he is loyal to the FL to a fault. Go figure.
The stories related to her two besties are meant to be saucier, but it is so predictable. Plot by plot, they have a home in this genre, but the sum is definitely less than the parts in this case.
There is a mini breakthrough in ep.9 but the good times never last and we ended up with another about face before the episode is over.
In the end, this type of drama can work and there are fine examples out there. However, this show never really engaged me and I find it hard to ship the OTP. This is a kiss of death in my book. I felt detached for much of its run. I hung in there hoping it would get better. . .
OST is functional but I find it repetitive. Rewatch? You jest.
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Show did not live up to the promo visuals
The promo visuals looked sexy and fun. The show was super wholesome. The story was good. The secondary stories were cute as well, with the two best friends and their different experiences of aging as a woman.I saw no reason at all for the older ML and the FL to be into each other. Nor for them to bicker as they did at the outset. None of it made sense.
Younger ML was the star without a doubt, may he rest in peace. Stunning and charismatic. Who wouldn’t fall for him once he put on the charm?
The biggest thing though: WORST music of all time. If I ever hear “star loveration” again my head might explode.
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Let’s weigh this popular Japanese dorama and see if it is worth the hype or no.
Good Weights
Story Conclusion: This one show stunned me with its exceptional climax. Like a lot of Asian dramas, this dorama also had two leads. I wasn’t rooting for any lead because until the very end I could not figure out who would be better for the heroine. And this drama surprised me with a very unlikely ending. I always complain about dramas taking off well but then nose-diving in the climax. This one is an exception as it turned out to be completely different than any other drama I have ever watched. I read somewhere that the dorama’s producers had an audience poll asking which hero they would like to see the girl go with and they had filmed two endings. In the end, they showed the ending the audience was looking for. No wonder it was such a surprise.
Sisters Over Misters: More than the romantic alliances I loved the camaraderie that Sakura shared with her two friends Miki and Shima. Personality-wise the three women are poles apart but they still understand each other and trust each other.
They have each other’s back as they always support their friends to overcome difficult times. This is what I love about Japanese dramas. J-dramas do not just focus on romantic relationships but also show a development of other relationships.
Miki and Kohei: Couples who believe that they are meant to be together, also face problems and that is what happens to college lovers turned husband and wife, Kohei and Miki. Miki and her husband are facing the seven-year itch and Kohei does not find his wife attractive anymore. They both stray away from their marriage and almost break-up. Their relationship develops beautifully in the dorama and I liked to watch their story move forward.
Bad Weights
Lack of Chemistry: I liked Sakura and Hiroto individually but sadly they had almost zero chemistry. And it was not even because of the age gap. Actress Shinohara Ryoko and actor Miura Haruma played their roles to perfection but together they just could not complement each other. Despite their ‘passionate’ love-making scene, they did not look like a couple.
Unexplained Love: When a drama is unable to convince me of the love that the lead couple shares, then there must be something seriously wrong with the love story. Even after 11 episodes, I still could not understand when and why Hiroto fell for Sakura. She reprimands youngsters like a granny, grumbles like a grandpa and is clumsy like a baby. So, of these main qualities that she exhibits prominently, I don’t know which one did Hiroto fall for. I would have said the same for Sakura but I don’t blame her for falling in love so blindly. At an age where she has given up on love and has no hope whatsoever, falling for a guy who relentlessly professes his love is very natural. Hiroto woos Sakura and she dismisses the 15-year age gap and easily accepts his love. But Hiroto is 24 years old and he has no such reason to fall for Sakura. I am not saying that falling for an older woman is unbelievable. Just, in this case, it was not conveyed convincingly.
Almost Incestuous: As an Indian viewer I find it difficult (read impossible) to digest incestuous relationships. It does not matter how romantic a couple looks if they are siblings (related by blood or by parent’s remarriage) they ought to act like siblings. Period. In this drama, there is a scene where Hiroto’s step-sister Chiyoko tearfully reminds him of how he ruined her life by causing an ugly scar on her back. He feels guilty about harming her and ends up pulls her blouse a little low to expose the scar and then kisses it while apologizing for his mistake. There are no more such scenes between the two siblings but this scene was enough to make me cringe each time I saw them together.
Last Cinderella is not a regular romantic dorama but no Japanese dorama is ever just ‘regular’. There are several layers to this dorama that makes it an enjoyable treat.
This Japanese dorama is not outstanding but is thoroughly entertaining. There is no dull moment in the drama and it is not bad for a binge-watching session over a rainy weekend.
Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in
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I liked the length of this drama; it wasn't too short nor was it too long. It seems more and more I tend to drift towards J-dramas because they're shorter than K-dramas and there's usually not too many "filler" episodes.
The characters were great! I really cared about them, although there were a couple of them were kind of annoying.
I also prefer "adult" romantic dramas over "school" dramas, so again this was a great drama in that respect.
One of the best things about this drama was that it kept me guessing. I couldn't figure out who Sakura was going to choose until the very end...this is so rare with most dramas.
Finally, the ending was perfect. It didn't leave me disappointed or wishing I hadn't wasted my time.
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I loved the female lead. She was funny, clueless and adorable and a genuinely likeable person. I mean I know she supposed to be 40 (so old....God forbid) but she was really refreshing FL who was just living her life. Easy to see why Hiroto would fall for her. I loved the relationship she has swith Shima and Miki her 2 bestfriends and I loved the scenes with them just hanging out and being girlfriends. This is the first Asian drama I've watched with scenes like this maybe b/c it's an older drama or older cast? either way I really liked that.
The cast is really good and I liked both male leads but my obvious choice was Hiroto even though he lies you really can tell he loves Sakura. Tachibana is ok but I felt like he and Sakura were just really good friend and didnt undertsand why they couldn't just be friends insted of trying to make them lovers as well. Tachibana was too old school for my blood and some of the things he said were quite ridiculous. That being said Sakura gave as good as she got.
Loved the cameo by Yamamoto Yusuke with a nod to his Ouran High School character as a member of a host club!!
MAIN GRIPE:
I wish Shima didn't feel like she needed to be married or have children to have a fufilled life. I was rather enjoying the character living her best life and enjoying sex with whomever she chose. I didnt like the misfortune of her having a secret relationship with Miki's husband though.
The soundtrack was really nice and one of the songs I really loved and wish I knew the name of. Siri was no help!
Overall good series to watch at least once.
On another note, I am saddened to learn that the actor that played Hiroto passed away last year.
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This review may contain spoilers
Wish it ended without loose ends...
Interesting moments but something wasn't right...Usually, in life when a man and a woman are always arguing, sharing innermost thoughts and feelings, supporting each other and care for the other loves exists. Even the chemistry between Sakura and Rintaro is amazing. But...
STORY - A 39 year old woman who wants to have kids and get marry wants a relationship. And 2 guys appear. One is driven by a disturbed woman, his sister, who desires Rintaro. The one is Rintaro who loves her for ages but don't know that (I wonder how this Japanese man deals with love...).
And that's it.
Sakura has 2 great and interesting friends and their story is good
In the end, everybody has an happy ending except Rintaro who has an awful future ahead...
Even Shima ends up with that man...
How can a woman that was afraid of a relationship, had a divorce that hurts her chooses a man randomly? Does that make any sense? Is randomness the best way to find a partner?
ACTING - I think almost everyone did a great job.
MUSIC - didn't catch my attention. So...
REWATCH VALUE - it has funny moments, good side stories and a great, healthy and mature sismance. But the ending I didn't like it. Even if she could stay with any one of them, I think the chemistry was way better between the unlucky friend Rintaro than BMX pro Hiroto.
Where did go the Sakura that apologize on her knees?
Sakura's best friend Shima said to her that it doesn't matter how a relationship starts and that's why Rintaro fly to New York alone...
Maybe Hiroto saying sweet things to Sakura while having sex with Momo is a way of loving her...
Well, why Sakura was mad when Rintaro was placed in New York? Why did they act like that, supporting one another for so long and...
I think the drama lead me to think that both were in love without knowing or wanted to acknowledge that. But, in the end, Rintaro remains alone.
The J dramas are much more tough and realistic than K dramas for what I have watched so far. But I think this has lots of strange developments...
OVERALL
I don't care about age gaps but I find interesting the lack of experience of Sakura and the way that the 3 friends talked openly about that.
And I am happy if a guy that has a friends with benefits or something like that is payed by his sister to date another woman and falls in love... Hummmmm...
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Funny love story with really great cast
I really enjoyed watching this drama! Especially I really love the main chracter of Sakura, sometimes I see myself in her, haha. And the chemistry she has with her friends and Tachibana is just awesome! And I should also mention Miura Haruma's (Hiroto) acting, which is also great, I will really miss his acting skills. :( Generally the cast was the most awesome thing on this drama!The story is well written too and I like that almost no topic is taboo in this show.
I laughed a lot and until the end I was thinking I won't have the ending I wished for, but in the end it fulfilled all my wishes and I was really satisfied with the ending!
Don't hesitate to watch if you want more "adult" love story with lot of fun.
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Story 9/10:
I really enjoyed that the plot focuses on an older woman rather than a high schooler or something. It's a really fun take on the Rom-Com genre and definitely shakes it up a little. The main three women remind me of the ladies from Sex and the City if Carrie wasn't a character lol. The way the show was written left me guessing who she was going to end up with right until the last episode, and this is probably one of the only shows I've seen which was genuinely unpredictable.
I actually found myself quite invested in the plot between Miki, her husband and Shima, it gives a very different perspective for the life of 40-something woman.
I can see why some didn't like the ending but I personally would've been happy with her choosing either guy, they both had interesting story arcs.
I felt the villain was a bit weak and also her relationship with Hiroto was suspect but I wouldn't pay too much attention to it to be honest.
The first episode was a bit slow but it gets pretty wild from about episode 3 so stick with it.
Acting 10/10:
Miura Haruma is amazing as always, but I felt all the cast did an awesome job in portraying their characters. They were very convincing and a lot of fun to watch
Music 8.5/10:
The OST grew on me over time, I enjoyed it.
Rewatch Value 8.5/10:
A lot of cute scenes and romantic moments, I will definitely watch it again (though if for no other reason than Miura Haruma being handsome as ever lol)
Overall 9/10:
It is a fun, light-hearted drama with an interesting concept and an excellent cast. Definitely worth a watch especially if it's only 11 episodes long! Totally recommend!
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This review may contain spoilers
It's an okay drama. :) Although it was entertaining (because of the comedy and Sakura was just fun to watch lol) from the start, the first few episodes were a bit too cheesy for my liking lol. And I wasn't really fond of the stories of the side characters. Some of the characters were just too vulgar, especially at the beginning.However, the drama did get better after the first few episodes. :)
Also I get why Hiroto likes Sakura cause she's a pretty nice person, but their romance doesn't make much sense. Plus I didn't see much chemistry between them. I think Sakura and Tachibana had more chemistry and much more in common...but well whatever. :P It wasn't a perfect drama with a very sensible story to begin with so I don't care much lol
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