This review may contain spoilers
While this drama precedes Chuugakusei Nikki, some people may migrate towards it to find something similar. Other than the ages of the main male character, it is a completely different drama. If you do not want to see explicit sexual scenes, then you may want to skip this one. Given the short nature of the episodes, this drama can be viewed in one sitting like a movie. It is very much like a movie with the artistic direction, atmosphere and music, and movies play a big role in the drama as well. The age gap in this drama is much larger than Chuugakusei Nikki. The woman is 32, while the boy is only 15. She could very well be his mother. With that in mind, the existence of this drama is morally questionable to say the least. Engaging in a sexual relationship with a minor is a crime in most places. In fact, it is Wako (the woman) who actually feels an attraction towards Iko (the boy) and makes the first move on him. Unlike other dramas with age gap relationships, this one gets explicit rather quickly. It can be quite cringey and disturbing to the viewer to see such an adult woman freely engage in a sexual relationship with teenager despite the appearance and actual ages of the actors. I can say that as someone close in age to Wako, I could not possibly imagine myself doing such a thing with someone so young. The drama does raise the question of morality in regards to the relationship. If two people like each other, should age matter? It certainly leaves you pondering the answer to that question and questioning your own beliefs.
Apart from that, the drama also addresses the same trope we have seen again and again: a woman who is around 30 years old who is under great societal and familiar pressure to get married and have kids. In Japanese culture, this pressure is quite extreme. The drama shows Wako struggling with deciding whether or not she wants to marry her long time live in boyfriend, and why she should even want to do that. In her internal monologue, she continuously tries to convince herself that she should stay with him and marry him because he was the one who chose after she had various failed relationships. I feel like her affair with Iko is her attempt to escape the societal pressures and experience freedom in her romantic and sexual life.
I have seen quite a few dramas that feature "older" women on the crossroads of life being pressured to settle down, and in many of those dramas the women are portrayed as virginal and void of any sexual experience or desires. This drama is quite the opposite, and it was a bit refreshing to see a realistic portrayal of an adult woman who has a varied past with relationships and actually experiences and acts on sexual desires. Many people who watch Asian dramas may scoff at this, but I quite liked this aspect, even if she the morals behind her desires are dubious. Many Japanese dramas tend to gloss over this aspect or pretend like it doesn't exist at all. Instead of an awkward kiss or limited hand holding, there is much more, which a realistic depiction of natural human desires.
This is definitely not a cute, sweet innocent love story. It actually portrays the consequences of such a relationship and the differences in maturity and mindset in the couple. While Iko has many years ahead of him to do as he pleases with his life without having to worry about settling down, Wako's time is limited (at least according to societal standards). The reactions of both when confronted with this reality is quite accurate. Also, movies and film making are a prominent theme and there is even a short movie woven into the episodes.
The only thing I did not like is how the drama sort of glossed over the gravity of the actual crime that Wako is committing. While the couple do face shunning from their peers due to their relationship, there aren't many real consequences. Iko's parents are barely present and their reaction to the relationship is not shown at all. Also, with many people around them knowing of the relationship and it's sexual nature, they seem to disapprove of it but not to the point of taking action. But it's a drama so it doesn't have to completely realistic. I found the ending to be quite decent and *spoiler* it is devoid of any tragedy.
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I guess I just couldn't drop it. This is the most beautifully shot drama at Netflix this year (and I watched "The end of the fucking World"). The color palette is lovely, and there are some truly inspiring scenes. All of them related to the sea, some of them part of a mini film inputted in the drama. Besides, a 12 episodes drama with ~25min each seems like a pretty tight story - and it was!
The story flows in unexpected ways, and it carries you seamlessly. There are many things going on with this drama, and not superficially. You will wonder how it was able to show so much, to affect so much, and be so short.
It's less than 6hours in total, but I couldn't binge watch it because I kept stopping to ~think~ about what was happening. It's not tragic, it's not violent (in the strict sense of the word), but it is a very ~heavy~ drama that makes you question your morals, society, pressure in women in particular, infidelity, and also how naive teenagers really are. Not light themes, eh?
Although the drama doesn't shy of showing the main character sexual relationship, never for once the drama will try to normalize it. Sometimes it can even be uncomfortable. And not only between her and the teenager but between her and the man as well.
In the end, I felt like I was following the life of a lost woman, a naive woman, maybe a good woman (?), who is passing through the single most important months of her life. Independent of agreeing or not with her, everything will be affected by the choices that she makes here - and she has just started to realize that. You don't find much stuff as interesting as it is going on here.
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Her being 31/32 and him being 15- I think that's the youngest age gap I've seen and at this point I'm not even put off by it anymore lol
There are so many movies/ dramas with an older guy and younger girl and never do I ever hear any complaints but switch the roles and everybody is up in arms. The pattern I'm seeing with these kinds of stories is that even though the guy is young, the girl is emotionally stinted; so in that aspect they are both the same age. In one episode Yumeaki tells Wako to stop acting like a child and that line genuinely took me off guard lol The child telling the adult to stop acting like a child even though his character... let's just say he has his issues.
Personally I think there is nothing wrong with a genuine friendship but lets leave the romantic stuff until they are at least adult enough to handle/ understand their emotions a bit.
I would recommend this but only for those who are mature enough to handle it. (netflix)
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This review may contain spoilers
An amazing outcome
When I was looking for something to watch on Netflix, I came across this series. At first, I was actually sceptical, as the description made me angry. However, I gave it a try, as I had too much free time ( I know, I need to get a life!).
From an artistic point of view, this drama is amazing! The colours, the lighting, the framing, and the camera angles (the cinematography in general), were actually to my liking. As for the plot, I must admit that I was frustrated with it. I do realise that its in the Japanese culture for women to focus on wedding and having children before a certain age; however, I find it rather harsh for having this type of mindset now. Women should do whatever they want, and if they don't want to get married and have children then that should be legalised! I don't understand why there are still people making women feel bad about those things. We did not come to this world to fit in the norms that other people have. Anyway, I am going to stop talking about this matter, as it really bothers me.
The acting was really good. All of the actors (lead and secondary) gave their 100%. However, I have to admit that I found the female lead as a weak and creepy character. I want to point out again how amazing the acting was, Tokunaga was able to express how miserable Wako was and how she tried to fit in the status quo. Now let me elaborate more on the plot.
Wako, is a 31 years old woman who is not happy with her life and how her relationship with her boyfriend (Fu) is. To be honest, she was right to not being happy with her boyfriend. He was someone who did not respect her, who belittled her, who took her for granted, who did not realise how much work and money she invested in their relationship. Did he deserve to be cheated? Hell no! Even though they tried to show us that Fu was indifferent towards Wako, I still believe that he loved her. His way of loving her might not have been a romantic one, but he was in love with her. Unfortunately, I feel that she was not in love with him. She was repeating that she does not have get to choose who he will be with, so when Fu came, she should be him as she might not get another chance. Her way of thinking is idiotic and she disrespected Fu's feelings for her. She was only being patient with him, as she wanted to get married.
That's when she meets Yumeaki, a handsome high school boy. This is where the real issue starts for me. Even though she knows his true age, and their big age gap, she still makes a move on him. In a way it is understandable, that she wants to fill the void from her relationship with her boyfriend; but he is underage! I felt that she tried to prove herself, through those actions as Fu was not taking care of her. What she did was wrong. In a way she seduced an underage boy and gave him a type of pleasure that he experienced for the first time. There were multiple times when she promised that she would end things with Yumeaki, but she always got back to him.
Someone could have been jealous of her, as a handsome young boy fell in love with her; yet, I think that this situation is not a jealousy worthy one. The difference between the maturity and the generation gap between them, could be seen. Yumeaki, had his friends at school, while Wako was feeling lonely at her new place. Furthermore, I felt that Yumeaki, was getting crazier as the episodes went by. He was possessive over her, he did not trust her talking to other guys, he feared that she would cheat on him with another man, and he was acting like a spoiled child that could not get what he wanted. However, the way he behaved was the consequences of their relationship.
For me, by the end of the series, Yumeaki changed from a handsome high school boy to a maniac boy who does not know how to comprehend the true consequences of his actions. This is a perfect example of "be careful what you wish, cause you might get it". Yumeaki was not longer who he was.
What really bothered me though, except the unrealistic expectations for women, is how Wako was never punished for her crimes. It was a crime to be in a relationship with a minor, and the only punishment that she got were some rumours at her workplace. No! It is illegal what she did. Love has nothing to do with that. He was 15 years old, she was 32. But, I felt the sexual scenes were needed in order to understand their feelings for each other and establish the character development of Yumeaki.
Love and Fortune, is a rather controversial series. You do understand why Wako is doing what she is doing, but that does not mean that you agree with her. This series presents a great ethical dilemma and puts the watcher into deep thought. Would I have done the same thing if I had the chance? Would I approach my problems with my current boyfriend different? Would I let the age be an issue with a person that I liked? It is a good series to watch in one go, as it is a rather short one.
P.S.1. To be honest, I am not a fun of an open ending; I prefer to be given an ending by the director, rather than leaving the ending to my imagination. I wanted to know what the end was really like.
P.S.2. I was rather invested in the movie that was shown on the last episode. I would totally watch that movie if it really existed.
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This review may contain spoilers
The age gap may deter you from watching this series, but I believe that this drama was much more than just a love story.First of all, the point of this drama is far from just condoning or justifying sexual relationships between a minor and an adult. The point of this drama was to masterfully exhibit the complex relationships between these characters and their growth through intentional storytelling. The way the story was put together and told made it so worthwhile.
All of the characters were so dynamic, especially the main characters (Wako, Fuuta, and Yumeaki). I found myself getting tired of watching so many dramas where the characters were never faced with any real conflict that would cause them to make crucial decisions that would shape their character. This drama was different. Wako, Fuuta, and Yumeaki were faced with real and applicable internal conflict that forced them to make decisions. I was able to understand who these characters were through action, rather than blatant dialogue telling me who these characters were. This is a perfect way for a director/writer to present a character's beliefs, morals, and personality; it made watching the show more interesting and worthwhile since sometimes, these characters do irrational things. But that is the point.
Wako irrationally fell in love with Yumeaki because human emotions are more complex than just believing in certain things. Even though Wako promised herself she would never cheat, she ended up cheating because humans are irrational beings that can sometimes be driven by emotion rather than their brain. Whenever Wako was faced with the opportunity for stability, she never took it, no matter how much it seemed to be the best decision for her. It's easy to be frustrated with Wako because she may not be making the "right" decisions, but I think that's what made her character so profound and refreshing from cliches.
Additionally, all of the main characters were flawed, flawed in a way where you possibly can't sympathize with them. Wako is easily swayed by men, Yumeaki is overly possessive, and Fuuta doesn't care about Wako's feelings in terms of her career. But we all have flaws in real life, it's just that we actually know these characters' flaws. If we in the real world knew everyone's flaws, we would probably hate everyone, too. Aspects like these from the drama made this show realistic, reflective of the real world, and purposefully accurate.
The fact that Yumeaki is 15 proves more that the stars just don't perfectly align when we want it to. Love is not always convenient nor paved in a way so that is was meant to be or an easy decision. That is why he HAD to be 15 for the sake of the story- it was utilized to make the impact of the story more obvious. Yes, the sexual relationship made me uncomfortable, too. But I just ended up skipping those scenes since I was in it for the storytelling! Also, I do believe the sexual relationship wasn't necessarily being justified or condoned. Nor is cheating. I believe the writers are using these as flaws to the characters, making the man-vs-self-conflict more apparent. The writers are not necessarily saying that it's good or that it's evil. They just want to stir thought and have you form your own opinion.
The production & cinematography was also extremely pleasant to watch, despite the harsh story. There's symbolism within everyday objects that were shot during this drama, like the capsule toy machine, a cup being overfilled with water, the ocean, and the socks that Fuuta leaves out at home. I appreciate how natural these objects were intertwined with the story while also enhancing the storytelling. It's not every day when these little details are added into dramas just for the sake of storytelling. Additionally, there were many beautiful shots, especially within the made-up film within the drama when the moon fell into the ocean. The music fit very well, as it perfectly hit the feeling of desire, nostalgia, and curiosity.
It's no surprised there are mixed reviews about this drama, this drama was MEANT to be controversial. It was written so that the audience can really think about the decisions of these characters and take away the fact that human relationships are complex and not as easy as sugar-coated stories make them seem. The writing wants you to reflect on what your moral beliefs are, what you would do, and what your social standing is. The drama is not forcing you to accept sexual relationships between minors and adults, it wants you to truly question it. To stir conversation.
Note: I've never written a review before, but I had to after watching this because it had moved me to realize humans are complex and we may never really understand ourselves. I'm sorry this is so long, I obviously got carried away, but I really wanted to try to provide a new perspective on Love and Fortune. If you read all of this, which I highly doubt lol, thank you and I'm sorry!!
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This review may contain spoilers
As an Asian woman around similar age as Wako(the main character), this was extremely frustrating to watch. Wako is a 32 year old who's got nothing (no backbone) but the hots for a 15 year old high schooler. I found her behavior in the beginning when she seduces Iko, very off putting. What a pedo. I know the actor IRL is an adult but he looks like a kid with peach fuzz still on his cheeks and I couldn't possibly imagine taking such intentional steps to seduce a boy like Wako did. Her behavior throughout the entire series is so annoying and infuriating to watch but I live in the US where gender and age discrimination isn't as prevalent as it is in Japan. However, I can't help but feel the series justifies her lies, cheating, and unassertiveness by blaming society and her partner. I really wish the series went on differently, with Wako alone as neither Iko nor Fu are right for her. Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
Just want to say this series is the cause of me creating this account The series was just amazing with the plot seeming to come from my own experiences minus me being a minor haha!
I was actually brought into the story and felt the decisions made by both main characters
the feelings of the older character being shown is amazing as it shows a different perspective of the the story than that of the usual youngers perspective
It looks into the womans fears and problems that come with age and pressure from others
We don’t really see the perspective of the younger Mc but it would be nice to see the story from his perspective would definitely see this series through his eyes.
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Beautifully done despite the difficult theme
Like most viewers, my initial thoughts about a romance with a large age-gap (and involving a minor) was that it is quite unconceivable. But this drama is so beautifully made that it compels you to comtemplate beyond the (obvious) morality and legal causes of such a situation.The actor, Fuju Kamio, is a good choice for the role of Iko and displays much maturity in the role which is obviously not an easy one (even though Fuju was 19 when he acted here and not 15). Actress Eri Togunaga is actually acting her age as she is indeed in her 30s, which further made her role very believable. And of course, the chemistry is amazing.
Being directed by female directors is also refreshing, and you can see the colour coordination throughout the drama (Wako’s clothing, her handphone cover, the walls of her flat, cinema facade etc etc). Such fun details!
In my opinion, Iko’s liking for Wako could have started as a teenager’s infatuation (of a first love) especially after he experienced sexual novelty from her. And as how most teenagers treat their first love, it’s intense and very micro-focused. And it’s this innocent and committed ‘love’ displayed by him that makes their story so sweet, and heart-breaking at times. Wako on the other hand, has many more difficult decisions to make. She had a 2nd chance to leave Iko (when her handsome ex-bf proposed, plus the fact that she knows he is at an eligible stage of his life) and viewers can just empathise with her struggling emotions. And yes, we do not forget about the precarious situation that she has brought Iko into and how this can turn his life upside down.
It’s good that they eventually took a few years of time-out, because Time is always the best test for any relationship. Iko also has the chance to know if he really loves Wako or if he will grow out of a (very strong) infatuation. Love the music too (but not the movie-in-movie which I found a waste of time). Overall I really like this drama, pity there is no season 2!
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P.S. If you are under 18 and not comfortable with explicit scenes, skip this.
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To be honest, this was actually gross. I had watched about 5 episodes got bored but at the time I didn't think it was bad, I just wasn't used to watching dramas like this. The production was beautiful, like that I can not lie about. I really liked the scenes and just the whole vibe of the show. Like the shots of the ocean and the movie clips. Also, I think the actors did a good job. But this was gross. Like I don't know how I didn't realize it in the beginning. She's 32 and he's 15. It's not love, its pedophilia. And honestly, her ex-boyfriend, Tsuchiya, was perfect. He was good looking, had a good job, and most important, he was OF AGE. Like I was really surprised that even after he found out that she was dating a 15-year-old he still wanted to marry her. Like he was the only character I liked. It made me upset to see that 5 years later, he still wasn't with anyone cause he is such a catch. I was really hoping to see Wako in jail 5 years later but whatever. ( I still don't understand why she would want to have sex with a LITERAL child.) Like there were wayy too many sex scenes in this, like does the writer have a thing for young boys or..?? Was this review helpful to you?
