The acting is in my opinion exceptional. Both Kimutaku and Matsu Takako did an amazing job, their chemistry was simply amazing. The other two actors were also very good.
The music is just like the story, simple and beautiful. The main theme by Ohtaki Eiichi and the song by Cagnet really gave me the goosebumps in every scene.
I've already watched it twice in a very short amount of time and still want to watch it once more.
I find myself smiling like an idiot everytime I recall this dorama.
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Oldie but goodie ...
This one is old Japanese drama from the late 90s but I decided to write a review because not only it's still one of my favorite Japanese drama of all time but I also miss this type of Japanese drama. Not so much about the story line but more about the acting and the realness to it. Kimura Takuya was still so young here but his acting was already good even back then.More recent Japaneae drama series are mostly very awkward with unnatural acting, and disappointing flow! specially if you compare it to korean, Taiwan, or Chinese drama production.
I still hope Japan can keep up because Korea, Taiwan, Chinese, and othernAsian countries used to copy Japan's entertainment everything ... but now they surpassed Japanese so much, it is almost painful to watch any recent Japanese drama.
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So once the shock of watching such a LQ dorama passed, I was hooked with the story. It has a Mexican soap opera feeling; the angles of the camera, the old soundtrack, the clothes... Even that apple in the middle of anything was so soap-opera-ish. I did not understand what it meant, although after half of the episodes, I kind of understood (the banner says "True love never runs smooth"; and it is obvious Teppei's and Riko's is True Love).
The story is a slice of life, a romantic one with several misunderstandings. Because the dorama has 11 episodes only, the misunderstandings don't last long (thankfully), but they happen one after the other.
All I can say is that the script was so well done I was immediately hooked, and it did not matter that I did not like most of the characters. Out of 5, I liked 2. I disliked the others intensely.
Who I liked?
- Riko, played by Matsu Takako. She can act, that is a big plus. Besides, I liked her personality. I like that she was so different from Sanae, that she was so easy-going and mostly annoying, but at least, very honest. Every time she cried, I was tearful. Poor girl, she suffered so much, but she never gave up! I admired her, because if I was her, I would have given up since episode 3.
- Eriko: Her best friend, interpreted by Fujiwara Noriko. She was a cheerful girl who was always there to support Riko-chan.
Before I start with the "who I did not like", I want to say that Kimura looked his best here. Not only he is younger (duh), but once he cuts his hair (or it is cut by someone else hehe) he looks really good. Nice haircut, simple but very sexy.
So...
Who I did not like?
- Teppei: while it may be true that KimuTaku looks his best here, it is also not his best role. Sure, Teppei is a "kakkoi" guy, he is a hard-worker, a nice friend and co-worker (what guy would be so nice to not have yelled at the girl who cut his glorious hair?). He also has his moments where the female audience would go "awwww" (such as when he hugs Riko from behind.. or when he runs to her hometown once he hears she is having an omiai). I had Shingo in mind during these scenes. There was a corner in SMAPxSMAP where the guys had to decide between A or B, which action is best liked by women? And according to Shingo, he had Kimura's characters in mind to decide, because Kimura's character are like, the epitome of Hero in a Romance. Well, not really. Teppei is not only a lecher, but an awful boyfriend. He makes Riko suffer constantly; he plays two sides. The only option Riko had was to trust him, and how could she? Even I had my doubts whether he really loved her or not. And once he hurt her, and she ran away, he went after her to do, what? To stay in front of her and be quiet? Say something, damn it!
Another thing I hated about him, but I guess it is all Kimura's, is that bad habit he has to smoke every damn time. In the office. Inside the taxi. At the bar. In his department. I hate smoking, and I hate that Kimura has, in that time already, smoker mouth (gray lips, stained teeth). Not appealing at all.
- Soichiro: what can I say, the Katagiri brothers are the worst. After he commits the worst crime a man can do to his fiancee, he has the nerve to ask for forgiveness. What an ass.
- Sanae: although she is nice and does not have ill intentions towards Riko, I could not stand her. The main reason is that I hate her type: perfect ex-girlfriend, perfect housewife, soft-spoken, always there with Teppei even when they have broken years ago. So fragile she needed Teppei (Te-chan **sneer**) always there for her (and the stupid guy who had to comfort her even when his Girlfriend was there suffering). Besides, first she "loves" Soichiro; then turns out, she has always loved Teppei, and at the end, she wants to try things over with Soichiro. Make up your mind, woman!
To me, the story was somewhat similar to Inuyasha (I love that manga/anime). Teppei is like Inuyasha (although Inuyasha was more sensible, and he truly appreciated Kagome), even their personalities were alike: serious, rescuing whoever needed him. Riko is like Kagome, suffering because her love one cannot forget his first love. And although she suffers and cries because of him, she cannot go away. Better to suffer than not being with him. I cannot say Sanae is like Kikyo because she is not... at all.
There is not a single boring moment on these 11 episodes; true, there were times where I was biting my nails because of certain misunderstandings (although I was always rooting for Riko, and if she misunderstood something, it was for a good reason). I would recommend it to people who likes or liked to watch Latin soap operas.
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay??
I don't know what to feel about this drama. The build-up romance parts were lacking in a way that although the first 4 episodes revolved around them being acquainted and slowly having feelings for each other, it felt too fast yet slow. I honestly enjoyed watching this, but that is mainly because of the cast as I recently finished "Long Vacation".Other than that, I think that the characters of the two leads are toxic. First, the FL actually slept with the ML before her supposed fiancée called it quits. Second, the ML keeps accepting any women who flirt with him while he is in the middle of a relationship like wtf. Third, the ML did not end his past lingering affection for his ex before entering a new relationship, leading to constant misunderstanding, mistrust, and arguments between the two of them (which is the focus of the last 4 episodes). Lastly, I think the FL should have realized that ML still hasn't totally moved on from his ex and I am aware of why she gets jealous, but she should have known that some things will happen no matter how much she gaslighted herself. I see she chose to trust him and was happy that he confessed but what can you expect from a guy who looked quite happy when he saw a girl (who is also her friend) inviting him in his bed?
So, I understand why she wants to break up completely because as they say, "a broken trust is hard to recover" and like what the FL just experienced, she keeps overthinking that something happened between the ML and his ex even though he already apologized for what happened previously.
Anyway, I am surprised by the FL acting here because her character differs from "Long Vacation" and also their chemistry! It's also good.
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