Love Is Phantom (2021)

From Manga to Live Adaption, What you need to know.

For those people who listed this jdrama as their first jdrama, this is what you need to put in mind when it comes in watching a jdrama especially in this kind of genre- the romance and was adapted in a josei manga. The pacing of jdramas can either be slow paced or fast paced but nevertheless they can still managed to deliver such a profound plot. So if you like fast paced story with tons of kissing scenes plus adult themed-age gap relationship, then this drama is for you. This jdrama was adapted in a josei manga with the same title and for those people who had read the manga before the drama aires were very much aware on how fast paced and how huge the age gap was between the characters. Furthermore, as one of those people who had read the manga, all I can say was that this drama stayed true to the manga and if there is one more thing that they have changed in the drama is that they toned down Hase Kei age from 40 to 38 years old and the manga is much more, let us say much more steamy compared to the drama. One thing that I liked about this drama is how our main couple communicates so well which lead their relationship to grew healthier regardless of how fast paced the story went and how steamy their kissing scenes was. Another thing that I liked is how they respect one another. I really liked how they were both mature on handling things and there is no contracdictive party between them. As per the characters, Hase Kei was such a loving, respecting, caring and a decent boyfriend. Plus he communicates so well and for Momoko, Hase-san didnt lie when he said that he will protect Momoko at all cost cause this girl is a gem! I loved how caring Momoko was and she noticed immediately what seems to be the problem and she is very kind. As per the actors, all I can say was that they were both perfectly casted on their roles. If you've seen Renn in a romance drama before, he was actually good in acting our romance scenes naturally and he is good in kissing scenes! And Sakurako who plays Momoko had done a mature scene in one of her movies before and their age in real life blends well in the drama so as per this drama, all I can say was that they both nailed their roles and it really seems they were both comfortable in acting out their kissing scenes lol. Also, I've heard that some people were complaining on Renn being casted on this drama because he was "too young" for this role. Let me remind you that he is 36 in real life and his character supposed to look younger than his actual age so for this set up, he is compatible. Other than that, the characters supposed to have 15 or 16 years age gap and Renn and Sakurako have 13 years age gap in real life so please put in mind that they cannot find an actors who have or close to their age and fake their ages in the drama. Furthermore, I hope you will give this drama a try since this drama was released in a legal platform worldwide and the cast were hoping (especially Renn) that you will enjoy this drama. BONUS: Both of the soundtrack are superb and I really liked how close the cast seems in real life.

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From 0 to 100 real quick!

Just finished this and I was left confused.
They legit kiss as strangers, and then the next day they are in love and dating like they've known each other for decades.
If the romance had any realistic progression whatsoever, it would be very normal for the main couple to share such an intense love for one another..but no.

Just a heads up, there is a 16-year age gap between the ML and FL. Although, that didn't bother me since they were both adults.

I guess my advice would be: If you want to watch this, don't try to make sense of what is happening.

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Short, spicy, and unique

The one thing I like about Jdrama’s is how different they are from all the other Asian dramas out there. I’m getting a little burned out on kdramas because they’re all starting to look the same. I’m so tired of waiting 10 plus episodes for the first kiss, seeing jealous second leads sabotaging the main leads, getting frustrated over silly misunderstandings that would never happen in real life, and enduring unnecessary angst. This drama was the total opposite of that. The main leads kiss on the first episode, and boy was it a kiss! There are no jealous obsessed second leads, no unnecessary angst, and the main couple actually talk to each other about their problems. It was so refreshing!

Kei (the male lead) is called the phantom because he never seems to leave work and can be seen all over the building both during the daytime and nighttime, almost like a ghost. He seems to be drifting through life without much purpose or concern for his health, often forgetting to eat and sleep. He tells Momo (the female lead) that he pushes himself like that because it’s the only way he knows how to keep himself going. He’s very lonely and no one seems to notice or care that he’s not taking care of himself. But Momo’s concern for his welfare touches him. And he’s instantly drawn to her kind sweet personality. He’s a very bold take charge type of guy that becomes very loving and protective of Momo.

Momo is a very simple sweet girl with a heart of gold. She is probably one of the most shy naive characters I've ever seen, especially with the opposite sex. But her genuine concern for others touches everyone around her. She’s hardworking and quite loyal too.

The romance in this drama was done really well. The kissing scenes are quite steamy and numerous. And if you’re easily offended at bed scenes then you should skip this drama because they spend a lot of time kissing, cuddling, and doing other stuff (ahem, cough cough) in the bedroom. He’s very straightforward and aggressive and even though she’s a shy virgin she makes it clear that she’s fallen for him. They are a super sweet couple with amazing chemistry.

The storyline doesn’t have much to it. There’s a mysterious aura about the male lead and his past that I found interesting, but other than that it didn’t really have much depth. But what made me give it such high marks was because it was so unique. Even though the male lead sees the female lead, who is now his girlfriend, embrace another man and even feed him a bite of cake, he doesn’t flip out with jealousy or misunderstand the situation. He actually understands her naive actions and trusts her. And the female lead trusts the male lead too. Imagine that! They actually trust each other without jumping to conclusions and misunderstanding things. It was refreshing to see a drama where the main leads had a healthy relationship.

Okay so let’s talk about what I didn’t like. I took off a full point because most of the other characters were just there to move the story along. There were no other couples and we really didn’t get to know any of the side characters or their stories. The entire dramas focus was on the main leads and no one else. I would have loved to get to know the male leads best friend Fukami a little better. I also took a half point off because we never got to see the female leads backstory. There were no family or friends or info on her past. The only people in her life were her coworkers and they didn’t seem super close to her. It would have been nice if she had a best friend she was super close to that could have filled us in on her past.

Overall I’d say this is one of the better Jdrama’s I’ve watched. It’s short, super sweet, spicy, and refreshingly unique. I loved how a good deal of the drama was filmed in low lighting that set this dark shadowy mysterious mood. It wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but I enjoyed how light sweet and refreshing it was. Don’t miss out on this hidden gem.

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A nice short drama to pass the time

If you want a not so serious short drama and you don't mind older man/younger woman with a lot of kissing, romantic scenes, & somewhat mild sexual scenes to pass the time then I recommend this drama.

I went into this drama for Kiriyama Renn and I came out loving all of the characters & cast. I found myself laughing out loud at times and I loved how even when there were misunderstandings the characters communicated well especially Kei & Momo.

[ SPOILERS FROM HERE ON ]

Even though their relationship was kept secret for most of the drama I loved how the two of them cared for each other, both at their place of work and at home. They really became better people when they were together. You have two very different people that in any other circumstance they probably wouldn't have met let alone fall in love and you get see their love story beautifully play out and how they grow as a couple and as individuals.

The chemistry the whole cast had with each other was great, I loved every dynamic that we saw on the screen and I found myself looking forward to each episode. I will miss not having a new episode a week to watch I'm not going to lie.

My only really complaints are I wish the final episode didn't feel too rushed but I'm used to that when it comes to dramas so I'm not overly fussed about it. Also I wish Fukami Yu & Sagara Junpei's storylines were wrapped up a little better because I feel like they focused more on giving Momo & Kei's relationship more of a conclusion as well as solving the conflict with Kei's step mum, which is fine I just feel like maybe one more episode could've given those characters a somewhat conclusion (especially since there were 2 special episodes that were mostly recaps). So it kind of felt like their characters and their storylines were somewhat forgotten about but it is what it is.

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Wow, bring on the heat!

What I loved:
1) After watching show after show of open-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights, arms-hanging-limply-at their sides kisses, this was a welcome change! The kisses were wonderful, realistic and full of steaminess. The only reason I rated this as high as I did was because of the chemistry factor.
Not so much:
1) Story - there wasn't one. They went from strangers to living together with no getting to know one another. If the storyline was just about sex, that would be okay, but we were supposed to believe that they were in love with each other why? The secondary characters were there to put some tension in the storyline I think, but that didn't work either.
2) Characters - male lead: he was the typical male character, nothing special about him. Female lead: I felt that she was not very bright. Her behavior was strange and she was overly friendly to everyone. She had no family or friends? I was, however, glad they portrayer her liking physical intimacy as well, and it didn't all just fall on the man. The co-workers: the men were creepy and the females were silly.
3) Ending - as Asian dramas almost always do, the ending was very rushed.
So, if you just need to see some good physical expressions of affection, this show is short enough that you don't have to make a very large time investment.

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A Nice Surprise

I love the story. A very romantic, cute, and more realistic view of a relationship. I liked all the characters but why did they have to make the lead female so dumb. I could handle immature, naïve and innocent but I felt like she was to dumb. I could see why the lead male character like her innocent and naïve ways and even her immaturity but it seem that unless he explain to her and she understood she became to much of an airhead. In some scene you could tell a light bulb would go on and she would become reckless and she would think of some kind of resolution. I like all the characters around her because even if they were jealous they still supported her. The relationship was very good especially all the test that were giving to the couple by the other characters and it seem more of a real relationship. The actors performance was very good and made this drama very pleasant to watch. Even do I don't agreed with the portrayal of the lead female character I would definite will watch it again.

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Quick Fluff.

This is adapted from a shouju manga and it shows. But, I still watched it anyway.

--- It's a really silly story, but I found this one much more bearable than Coffee and Vanilla. The leads actually had reasons to fall for each other, however ridiculous it was.

--- The FL Momo-chan, though appearing over excited, was definitely not dumb. There are moments I saw that she did have a serious side that she used her 'help everyone' attitude to hide.

--- There were a few amusing supporting characters whom I found interesting. Plus, all the cast had acting skills.

--- It only had 10 episodes that are around 22 minutes long. No need of brains to watch this.

I began this to get out of a drama slump. It served it's purpose well. So, it's a 6.5 from me.

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An alright drama.

This is an alright drama. You can binge-watch it after a tiring day. Less conflicts, less misunderstandings and no complex plot. If you were seeking for a complex plot and wonderful character developments, this is not for you.

Major plot is non-existent for me which I have no problem with it. I actually like this kind-of-drabble story because I need a light entertainment. Cringed? Yes. But I have seen too much over-the-top cringe romances lol

However, in term of characters, I didn't find myself invest emotionally on them. Yeah, the chemistry was there and really great but their characters were a bit off. Neither I love nor dislike.

Overall, it was fine in term of a quick watch. Since people brought this along with Coffee & Vanilla, I would say at least I managed getting thru this than Coffee & Vanilla.

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Not steamy, not racy, and definitely not worth it

When people said this drama was moving too fast, they weren't kidding.

Day 1 - FL meets ML for the first time on a rooftop of their workplace, and he kisses her without her permission or any indication at all that she's interested. They then proceed to have a full blown makeout session, since she doesn't complain, so there's that, I guess.

Day 2 - ML moves on with his life and tries to do his job, while this naive Mary Sue follows him around, harassing him in front of other workers, and generally acting like his wife - asking him if he's fine, then straight up telling him he's not fine, that he's overworking himself, and that he needs to eat something (after which she forcibly feeds him a candy). Keep in mind, at this point she has only known him for ONE DAY.
He, in turn, gets all raw and emotional (instead of weirded out, which he should be), and opens up about his struggles. Or he's supposed to, but you'd never be able to tell based on his stony expressions.

Day 3 - they sleep together, move in together (yes, really!), she tells him she loves him, he tells her he loves her, and that she's the one he's been looking for his entire life.
Reality check: you have known each other for three days, and there's seven more episodes to go!! Which they, of course, fill with an unnecessary love triangle, a jealous ex-gf, and a subplot of this guy being some mysterious phantom, even though everyone can clearly see him around ALL THE TIME.

Honestly, everything about this show was weird: from the way they pronounced Momoko's name, to all the characters being one dimensional caricatures - the female coworkers all had the same hairstyle and only existed to fawn over hot guys, while the guys were hot and only existed to try and steal the FL away from the ML.

And somehow, despite all of that, the FL still manages to be the downright most boring character of all. The most bland and insipid Mary Sue you've ever met.
She's timid, meek, and naive, and comes off as simpleminded, to be honest. Her face is stuck in a constant state of anxiety, and her only personality trait is that she constantly worries over people being cold and hungry, like an 80 year old grandma. She has absolutely no redeeming qualities to attract anyone ever (let alone this many male characters), and she's so bad at completing tasks that you'll wonder multiple times throughout the show how she was able to hold down any job at all.

Sure, compared to most J-dramas there was a lot of kissing scenes.
Were they hot/racy/steamy as the other reviewers seemed to imply? No.
Were they worth this high of a rating? Definitely not.

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Short fluffy romance done the Japanese way

In a nutshell this show is a workplace romance/age gap love done the Japanese way.
It is short, fluffy and pain/angst free. The meet-cute is, honestly, illogical but j-drama excels in carrying this type of setup forward and creating a whole drama around it. It worked but this is no high drama and it will not get your little grey cells working overtime.
What this show gave us are swoon worthy moments and skinship with the works. The cute and naïve FL trope is on steroids so we have the whole (cough) inexperience package. Thankfully, the experienced and much older ML did not exploit this but just ate her up with his love and lust.
There is barely enough material to last 8 episodes but they padded it out with lots of flashbacks. A few red herring subplots and a half hearted love triangle tried to raise the angst level but it was never going to be effective against the rusted on OTP and it is all about the OTP.
A decent watch in the end but goes down better with popcorns. :)

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AWKWARD, STEAMY & GUILTY PLEASURE DRAMA !

I feel the synopsis gives a fair idea of what to expect from this drama. I started this show under the assumption that I won't really like it that much....however to my surprise it wasn't "that" bad. Rather, this is the perfect mini series to binge after an emotionally draining show or when searching for something exciting. The following is my takeaway of what to expect from this show:

P.S: This show will only appeal to hardcore romance drama/shoujo manga fans. People who usually watch serious, action, thriller, melodrama etc kind of dramas might find this series silly. These people have been warned.

YUP :)

1) Steam Galore: Tired of watching prude-esque Korean romantic dramas? Worry not...jdorama to your rescue. This show will give everyone a good dose of skinship. The main charm of the show are the sensual scenes between the leads....and I must say I wasn't disappointed.

2)No Stress: There is no complication in the story line. Its rather a simple, straight forward drama with no antagonist per se. So audiences will be spared of angst.

3) Good Production: The show doesn't seem low budget, given that they did not have many site change. They definitely made the best of the budget they had.

4) High Re-watch Value: We only re-visit shows that are either memorable for how intelligent they were or the ones that made us feel nice. This show falls in the second category. It starts fast but by the end we are left feeling warm and fuzzy.

NOPE :(

1) Fast Paced: Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but people like me who enjoy witnessing a relationship bloom gradually might find this story on steroids. Its crazy fast and at times gave me second hand embarrassment.

2)TROPE-Y: The whole show is nothing but a mixture of tropes and cliches. If people are looking forward to something unique then this show isn't for you. This show is everything we have read in shoujo manga/rom-com shows hundred times.

3) Average Actors: I felt that the actors were average. Neither of the cast member will catch your attention. This doesn't mean that they acted bad or were cast wrongly, it just means that the script did not give them the room to show their acting chops.

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In-lust to in-crush to in-love. Physically affectionate & healthy relationship with steady feelings.

The Ep 1 rooftop situation is odd, but equivalent to kissing a stranger at a club. I think it's the unfamiliar context that throws people off of what is a fairly common event used in many romance stories. After Ep 1, it's actually a very sweet, trusting, healthy relationship with a TON of chemistry.

I also think some suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this story! But again, that's true with many rom-coms. This is a light, sweet, and steamy (but non-explicit) romance without much angst.

The age gap didn't feel fetishized because the lead characters felt so compatible (physically and emotionally). The way they get together IS super fast, but also believable as instant attraction. The physical attraction is what gets them started, but as they continue, they learn more about each other and go from in-lust and in-crush to in-love. Both characters try to take care of each other in actions as well as with words and make efforts to communicate. What's great to see is that both characters gradually grow through their relationship. As they feel more secure with each other, the FL grows more confident and relaxed, and the ML grows brighter and relaxed (less reserved).

The FL is 22 and very naive. VERY. But I don't think she's dumb, I just think there's a part of her social radar that is oblivious because life hasn't dealt her enough lessons yet for that part to improve. It's like a translation issue: she *does* notice shifts in people's moods (she's especially aware of the ML), but she can't accurately tell what those shifts indicate. She likes to be helpful and to see people be happy, and treats everyone with the same genuine enthusiasm. She can't see how she might be sending mixed signals to some people because the concept is so far removed from her intentions that it can't even register. The ML understands this, and though he naturally gets a little jealous, he is more worried about her being taken advantage of than he is about her feelings wavering from him (which was also refreshing to see).

I enjoyed the clever ways the script had the FL's naivete turn expected clichéd situations on their ear; some of them were pretty funny. In addition to that, there were multiple times I thought "here we go" when there was prime opportunity for a cliche to start, but the screenplay would do something different. Not in a groundbreaking way, but still different enough that I would be pleasantly surprised.

I also greatly appreciated that though the FL character was completely inexperienced with intimacy, that she had a desire for it and actively participated. The portrayal was, I thought, completely believable for a 22 year old virgin, and easy to understand why she would be physical with a stranger so quickly if she felt an instant attraction. Though she's eager she also has moments of shyness and I love how the ML is conscious of how she feels/reacts and never forces her past what she's ready for.

The ML is 38 and *not* standoff-ish to the FL after the first episode. His growing affection is steady, patient, and occasionally lightly teasing in a playful way. He tries to alert the FL to social dangers and though he steps in to disrupt some situations, he does not try to dictate her life. Ep 3 has a couple scenes where their dynamic is written a little uncomfortably/imbalanced, but thankfully that didn't continue. The ML didn't feel condescending or like a father figure (which would have been a turn offs for me).

Both the desire and feelings the leads have for each other remain consistant throughout the show. There is a ton of skinship and making out, and even a couple kisses with a little tongue. There's nothing explicit though. The passion, affection, and sweetness feels natural, comfortable, and realistic. It's more satisfying than most JDramas (or KDramas) in that regard.

The secondary characters were mostly fun too. Nothing memorable about the music.

I watched on Viki and they had the 2 special episodes included with the main series. There's Ep 5 then an "Ep 5 Special" and Ep 10 then an "Ep 10 Special". The specials are basically recaps but done as the couple reminiscing together about their relationship thus far. It was fairly realistic, as that is something that couples do, but I wish it had given a few more insights into their thought processes than it did. The specials gives a little extra information, but they are not that necessary. The recap after Ep 5 was too repetitive when binge-watching. For me, I would have preferred to watch both specials at the end as a way to extend the good feelings from the show before leaving it to figure out what to watch next.

The story and characters may not be the most unique, but it was an easy, enjoyable, and satisfying watch for me, and I expect I'll re-watch again.

I also really like dramadesciples review:
https://mydramalist.com/profile/dramadisciple/review/152525
They have similar thoughts but say different things and summarize the lead characters and their dynamic well.

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