Uuuuuuugh. This movie frustrated and angered me to the point that I quit it about 30 minutes from the end. (It's about 2 hours long total. I read spoilers for the ending in order to know what actually happened, because I had no plans of actually watching the ending myself.) I really hate teen movies (adult movies too) that do the whole back and forth, back and forth, back and forth thing for the sole purpose of there being some kind of drawn out conflict rather than simply writing a compelling and relatable story. (It makes me want to burst my own eardrums.) This movie...is one of those teen movies. The writers take an infinitely fascinating premise, a Heroine who's not actually the heroine of the story she thinks she is and has to figure out her true story, and then scrap it probably less than halfway through for your standard, uninspired take on teen romance. (Which I guess isn't actually the movie writers fault as this is based on a manga so they had to write based on the source material, but I haven't read the manga and don't know if it does the story any better or not, so I'm just gonna be mad at the film's scriptwriters for now.) Some of the more egregious plot points include cheating that goes unpunished and pretty much treated as not a big deal, a teenager with a history of dating an adult that the movie never makes any kind of declarative statement on how grossly inappropriate that is, a character faking an illness to trick another character into not leaving them, and just generally selfish and stupid behavior from the majority of our characters.

The story also starts with these honestly quite interesting characters (aside from the second male lead who's pretty much a card board cutout of every bad boy character ever) and then ruins pretty much all of them. (Maybe not the female lead so much, since she does stay pretty consistent throughout the movie, but that consistency isn't always a good thing. And again, the second male is a cardboard cutout, so there's not much there to really ruin.) I'm most upset though with how the second female lead is treated. She is this beyond sweet and selfless character until the very end where she's turned into a villain for the sole purpose of the leads having an excuse to be together. It's a disservice to her character and is used as a supposedly 'valid' reason to excuse both leads of being incredibly selfish themselves multiple times throughout the movie.

If you're a young teen/pre-teen, you will probably find this movie really romantic. As a 31 year old adult, I found it asinine and annoying. This is just not a good movie.

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This drama is truthfully quite silly. Much of the viewership in dramaworld is past stories about female leads chasing the male lead around hoping he'll fall for them. I'm not really over this type of story as long as it can be done in a way that's not over-dramatic or requires a truly awful male lead or a female lead with no worthwhile personality traits (or worse, Both). But I don't necessarily gravitate towards these stories anymore either. But as silly as this drama can seem, it's also quite charming. And swoony. And cute. And laugh out loud funny.

Off the bat, you have to respect the female leads determination and drive, both in love and in work. This is one of the things that keeps this drama from being totally grating. The female lead has a major crush on the male lead, and she pursues him doggedly. But she also takes being a nurse seriously, and cares about doing well at her job.

The male lead is perfect, and I will not complain about him. (Look. Kairi is just way too good at being smoldering and brooding and adorable and unexpectedly moved by Nanase all at the same time. Also, the kisses are on point.)

The only thing that would have made this drama better would have been for the writers to ex the secondary couples. I didn't enjoy anything about them. They felt like the writers trying to shove as many age-gap couples in as they could, whether they should or not, and neither couple really has any reasonable story or plot reason for being together.

So in conclusion, An Incurable Case of Love is quite silly, but it's also a whole lot of fun. And now I want to read the manga, lol.

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This is such a feel-good, pick-me-up, give you hope in life story, which is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for a lot of the time right now. It addresses the 'pandemic' very lightly (although I wouldn't have minded if it had touched on it a little bit more), but chooses to keep it's focus mainly on the simple, heart-warming, sometimes challenging lives of it's characters.

That's not to say that there's not some real trauma and pain (unrelated to the pandemic) to be processed by some of our characters, because there is, and the drama never shies away from it. Instead, it highlights this trauma and pain and then offers an antidote. It offers hope. It's obvious this drama was made with the intention of giving it's viewers a reason to keep trying in what has been a trying time for many. And while I can't speak for the Japanese audience, I can say that for myself, it succeeded.

It tackles some deep, heartbreaking issues while never losing the heart and joy and wonderment that makes the story special. If you're struggling to keep hope right now, give this drama a shot. I don't think you will be sorry.

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For the most part, this was nothing more than a goofy, honestly quite stupid, but still lighthearted and funny film with a delightful female lead and some great romantic chemistry.

That is until possibly the stupidest scene I have ever seen in all of Asian media happened.

We watch the female lead be lured to an empty building in the middle of the night where she is then bombarded by a group of dancers gyrating in a semi-choreographed fashion to a song about literal twerking while the male lead plays the drums (which is apparently a new skill he developed between this scene and the last one) and then when this mess of a non-sensical performance is over, he confesses his love to her complete with a flying drone.

Because what every woman wants is for the man she loves to confess his love while people twerk in the background to the equivalent of a bootycall song.

Yes. That is a sentence...that exists. And that is a Scene...that also exists. *metaphorical throwing my hands up in utter mystification*

The side of my brain that wants stories to be logical and well-thought out can't fathom why anyone would choose that song for such a moment or want twerking dancers involved in a love confession, but then the part of my brain that stores all of the information I've collected about Asia over the years through their dramas and films and music understands Exactly why that song was chosen. Because Someone on that production team heard it and liked it and didn't know what the Literal Hell it was about.

But I'm digressing at this point, so let's get back to the actual review.

Truthfully, I wanted to quit watching the movie after this scene (it's so cringeeeeeeeey), but I went ahead and finished it anyway for review purposes, and the story ends...pretty much how you would expect this type of movie to end. There's a tragic reveal, followed by a big romantic gesture, and finally, the leads accepting their feelings for one another. I will admit the reveal that Min's 'boyfriend' is actually dead and what happened to him made me very sad for her character. The accident is emotional to watch, and you definitely can understand why she's been so traumatized since. The big, romantic gesture, on the other hand, didn't do anything for me, most likely because 1/3 of the way through the movie I'd already stopped being invested in the male lead because he stopped being interesting.

If you take out the ridiculous love confession, this is a really fun, if pretty stupid, movie with charming leads, and it does some interesting things with it's premise, even if I didn't personally find all of those things all that enjoyable or interesting. (One of the better parts of the film were all the little animated sidebars. They go a long way in helping you connect with and like the characters.)

I think a lot of people will probably like this movie and how goofy it is. Heck, me from 5 to 10 years ago probably would have really liked this movie. But me today? I'm not ever gonna watch this again, because I refuse to give that stupid confession more of my screen time, lol.

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This drama was an emotional ride, joyous and heartfelt and at times, bittersweet. I hit the halfway mark, and it became unusual for me Not to cry during an episode. The characters are so real and so easy to connect with, and the topics the drama explores are handled beautifully with thoughtfulness and sincerity and honesty.

It was eye-opening getting a glimpse into Shizuka and Papa's lives, and I was pleased with how natural and consistent the drama was at adding little things here and there to illustrate just what it's like to be deaf or have a loved one who is. Shizuka using little bean bags as a way to get Papa's attention, the flashing light in the photography studio to alert Papa when a customer comes in, Shizuka leaving the sound off on the television even though she doesn't have to since she can hear, a young Shizuka signing her class' song during a performance so her father can experience it. Just so many things that really bring home to the viewer how deafness can affect your day-to-day life.

It was also heartbreaking to watch both Shizuka and Papa struggle because of the challenges that come with deafness. Papa's early life was sad to watch, although not surprising, given the historical context. Imagining how difficult and demoralizing it must have been for Papa to work so hard to learn how to speak and please his mother only to disappoint her because speaking is just not something Papa's able to do was very affecting. That would have created some deep wounds that wouldn't be easy to overcome. Shizuka faces her own set of troubles from others finding her demeanor and mannerisms offensive and being mean behind her back or excluding her to her intentions being misunderstood because of the straightforwardness she developed through communicating with Papa. Of course, Shizuka internalizes all of this, something most of us would probably do, and it becomes a reason for her to not truly live her life.

On this note, I'm very glad this drama didn't shy away from giving Shizuka legitimate problems relating to Papa's disability. I'm not a fan of the current narrative you sometimes see that the loved ones of people with disabilities shouldn't struggle or complain or ever say ever that caring for someone with a disability can be hard, because their problems aren't legitimate, and they're just shaming the disabled person or 'speaking over them' or any other number of critiques. This drama doesn't do that. Instead, it chooses to be honest and show that it can be a struggle for those who love someone with a disability. They may not face the same hardships, but they face ones of their own, and those hardships matter.

This is a drama that stirs up deep emotions as well as a lot of food for thought. It presents you with an opportunity to think a little bit deeper about things you may not often think about and possibly even examine some of your own thoughts and ideas and behaviors around certain topics. I certainly felt stretched as a person while watching.

I'll end this review with a drama suggestion. Shizuka was a very similar viewing experience to Neechan no Koibito, so if you've seen Neechan and are looking for something similar, Shizuka to Papa is a good choice. Conversely, if you've already watched Shizuka to Papa and you're looking for your next drama, Neechan is definitely worth checking out.

You should really just watch both, lol.

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What a satisfying watch! I haven’t been this thoroughly impressed with a drama in a while. The action was actiontastic. The police work actually looked realistic. (No silly 'drama logic.') The writing was witty and the story tightly plotted. I didn't even mind most of the hammy acting you typically see in a lot of Japanese dramas. It actually Enhances the drama! Does part of me wish the romance had been developed more? Yes, but that’s only because I’m a sucker for a good romance. The drama didn’t actually need it. My only complaint? That villain. He was incredibly smart, but I couldn’t take him seriously because of the actor’s acting. (What was with that goofy smile?!?!) But that father son bromance was everything.

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This is the third version of this story I've seen so far. (First being the Taiwanese and second the Korean.) I can't say that I have a favorite as each version has things I like and things I don't, but I think I can say that this is probably the easiest version of the three to get through. The Taiwanese version was my first ever drama, and it holds a very special place in my heart, but I absolutely cannot get myself through it again. (And I tried.) It's biggest flaw is it drags the main conflict out (the male lead trying to have his cake and eat it too) far longer than necessary, and I'm enough of a drama veteran now to not put up with that anymore if I don't want to. And while the Korean version is a much lighter, easier version to watch than the Taiwanese, it still pulls a trope or two at some really unnecessary moments (amnesia is thy name) that pulled down the middle part quite unfairly (I think it might have received an extension so they were trying to fill time). This version, however, while flawed in it's own right (and I will get to that in a moment), is still an easier viewing experience, and the main reason for that is that this drama just gets to the damn point.

The first couple episodes serve as a nice little diversion from the source material. It's still the same basic story, but they tone down some of the more outlandish aspects and make how the two leads end up meeting and 'being' together much more believable. (As believable as it can be with this sort of set up.) Of course, once you're 3 or 4 episodes in, it becomes a true remake, losing some of that believability as you go along, but I also went in knowing what sort of story this was and wanting some of that unbelievability, so that never bothered me.

The only part of the drama that had me scratching my head is the way the writers chose to deal with the abortion consent form in the final ep. I understand Aya deciding to leave after seeing it and being told it's from him and thinking about all she's been through and just not wanting to do it anymore. It makes absolute sense for her to want to heal and move on and become a braver, more confident version of herself. I even understand Kei letting her go without trying to convince her to stay or offering any sort of apology, because he feels guilty over how he's treated her and knows he has no right to hold her back or maybe even speak on his behalf. He didn't give her that form, but he didn't exactly give her much reason to believe he wouldn't have. What I don't understood is him letting her go without clearing up the misunderstanding about the form. I get feeling like you've hurt someone so much that you have no right to say or do anything anymore, but letting them continue to think you did something that horrendous to them when you didn't makes no sense. Take ownership for your choices, but don't take ownership of someone else's.

And this is where we come to the ultimate flaw of this version. The pacing is way too fast. All of the key moments are done the right way. The accidental 'trist' on the boat, stopping the abortion, Kei and Anna Actually breaking up, the terrible accident, crafting a logical misunderstanding through which the leads are pushed apart, it's all done as it should be. It's just building up these characters and their relationships with each other and filling in all of the gaps In-Between all of the key moments that is not done well. Not really done much at all, in fact. When it's all said and done, I genuinely liked the leads together, and I wanted them to fall for each other, even believed that they had by the end. But we got to see so very little of them actually falling and getting to know one another and having those little moments, and that really hampered the story. I could quibble some more over the issues around the abortion form, but it's this right here that ultimately lowers this versions rating for me. If there had been more build up to their relationship, I could have completely forgiven the writing misstep around the form, but there wasn't, so I can't.

This is very much the most fluff, lighthearted version of this story (minus possibly the Thai version, which I have not seen and can not speak on) mainly due to it's pacing, so if you want to check out this story but don't want a lot of angst, then this is definitely the version for you (followed by the Korean version). It was apparently quite popular in Japan, and I can see why.

Oh, and for anyone reading who's confused by the ending and wondering why I haven't addressed it in this review and if there's going to be a second season to finish the story, I didn't address it because I got caught up in crafting all of my points and forgot to even mention the strangely open-ended ending, but for your answer as to whether there will be a second season, it seems likely there will be as this was advertised in Japan as only telling half of the story, and it has apparently been quite popular, popular enough to warrant another season to tie everything up.

And now any of you who are reading this review in the distant future will most likely be very confused because there will probably already be a second season out at that point and everyone will have forgotten that us western drama viewers had no idea why this drama ended the way it did and now I'm rambling for no reason so have a nice life and thanks for all the fish.

Links to my reviews for the other versions:

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22006

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22004

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/274737

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This movie does almost all of the right things for an Asian romantic comedy. The leads have great chemistry, the story is grounded and fun, some of the humor is surprisingly dark and hilarious (which I know isn't common for rom-coms, but it most definitely works here). If not for a misstep towards the end, this movie very well could have propelled itself out of the rom-com genre entirely into something deeper and more substantive. It does make a misstep, however, in the last fourth of the movie, where the writers decide to pivot the story into a more dramatic (and quite tonally different) direction. Of course, this is not unusual for Asian films or dramas. It's the genre's bread and butter. But I found myself missing the movie's earlier humor and lightheartedness, and even a happy ending didn't totally put out that disappointment. Still, despite this misstep, everything else about this film is superb.

And the best thing? How realistically compatible the leads are with each other. They both love inappropriate jokes, are unafraid of expressing their feelings and opinions, enjoy trying new things, and are willing to trust each other enough to spend two to three days touring a foreign country together.

I love stories that make me believe their characters are suited for each other, and this story most definitely does.

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What a wasted opportunity for bromance and female friendship and a crazy, amnesiatic murderer.

Everything the writers promised, they ended up letting us down on. The romance was infuriating/incredibly boring. Instead of exploring the idea of friendship and betrayal and forgiveness, we just walked in a circle for 20 episodes. (I REFUSE TO SAY IT WAS 40 BECAUSE THIS NEW NUMBERING SYSTEM IS STUPID!!!!) And the one and only time I've actually been Excited to see amnesia in a drama (wait. it's not one of our leads who gets amnesia? it's...the murderer?! what a fascinating idea. yes please!)...it turned out to be basically a non plot-point. Why'd they even try to market the story around it if it was going to be that insignificant???

I hate this drama. I hate it with every fiber of my being. My actual rating is negative 100.

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I binge-watched this in one sitting and....I kind of regret it. It had a great start, really fun opening on our main characters, who they are and their contract relationship. Things happen a little too quickly in ep 1, but the first 5 eps overall are solidly enjoyable. But then....choices are made in the story, and not all of them are the greatest.

First, there's the fact that the male lead has an unrequited love for his brother's wife. The backstory of how this happened is very believable and realistic, and I certainly feel for him, but...that's your brother's wife, man. The second the two of them became serious, you should have dealt with those feelings and moved past them. Not hid them in your heart so you could 'love her in secret'. That is not appropriate. There are a couple of moments that are particularly uncomfortable and concerning, because they lean dangerously close to him trying to turn his 'secret love' into not so much of a secret. Thankfully, that does not happen, and by the end of the series, he has made the decision to move on. But he should have made that decision much sooner.

The story also has no consistent message on marriage, whether it's for it or against it, and that makes the latter half of the drama completely confusing. I personally am for marriage and commitment, and I would have been very happy if the story had ended pro-marriage and commitment. But even if the story had ended up saying 'Marriage is not for everyone', at least it would have said something. As is, I couldn't figure out what message they were trying to convey.

Lastly, the male lead is a confusing character. He starts off very brooding and serious, which works well, but halfway through he becomes this inexperienced shy guy, and it feels like a 180. It's not that I have a problem with him being inexperienced and shy, but it doesn't feel natural to his character. They definitely could have done a better job of revealing this side of him.

I think some dramas are great at creating forward motion in their stories, keeping you watching even when you start to question the writing choices. This is one of those dramas. I was invested almost the entire time, but I was also increasingly more confused by the story in the second half. So while I'm sure some people would enjoy this drama, it wasn't for me.

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