Kakafukaka (2019)

Screwed-up adults living in a screwed-up house

I'm probably going to get a lot of stick and downvotes on this review but I still want to share my dissatisfaction with this show.

STORY (No spoilers)
This show is about 4 adults with various emotional and psychological problems living together and, as a result, messing each other up with their screwed-up-ness. And fair warning: there is sexual content in this show with issues of a sexual nature raised. If you're in the mood for a rather disturbing, ambiguous show with heavy sexual content but with no proper character progression or story development then this show is for you.

With 10 episodes at around 30 minutes each, this show has very limited time to address any of the deep, fractured emotional problems and psychology the characters have. Unfortunately, this ambitious undertaking falls far short of its mark because seriously, nothing really gets addressed. The show never really delved deep into the psychology of our screwed up characters, nor into their healing process. It's a glorified 'slice of life' show about dysfunctional people being dysfunctional with a sexual twist embedded, period.

I personally thought that this show could be really intriguing and even ground-breaking with the kind of issues it raised in the early episodes but was sorely disappointed with the lack of development, growth and progression of the characters as episode after episode went by. There was no effort made by the show to address any of the problems the characters were facing in a healthy and considerate way. These people need help - serious help - but the show doesn't tell you how to get it. This drama came across pointless and aimless and I have no idea what sort of message this show wanted to send but I was certainly getting nothing positive from it.

ACTING/ CAST
Serviceable. Nothing particularly outstanding because each character seemed to represent an extreme end of the spectrum of dysfunctionality.

I have to hand it to Masaki Nakao who plays the withdrawn and socially inept Hongyo though - the ability to deadpan some of what would be the most embarrassing lines under some of the craziest situations is noteworthy.

MUSIC
Nothing particularly outstanding or memorable.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I personally disliked the show. I have no problem with shows that introduce dysfunctional people who suffer from emotional, psychological and sexual problems but I do have an issue when a show does that without really addressing the problems it raised and simply lets its characters mess about with one another, stirring up pools of muddy water for the sake of entertainment.

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One of the few dramas that I couldn't wait until it was all finished airing before getting started. I usually wait till a drama is all out before starting but this one could not wait. I just wanted to know more, I was starving to find out more about these intriguing characters!

Story: The plot was definitely a refreshing one and I was fascinated with all the characters. I wanted to know more about each of them! I don't know why this drama is only 10 episodes long with each episode sitting at around 25mins, but it wasn't long enough to flesh out these characters. I feel with more episodes or longer episodes, they could have shown the characters growth more and explained a few things better. Alas, with what we were given, we can only fill in the blanks and come up with our own assumptions - which in itself can be fun and entertaining...lol. I do like how we got to see what some characters thoughts were but we weren't privy to Hongyo's thoughts, which was the one I wanted to know and understand the most lol. It is only through conversations that we are able to decipher a bit of Hongyo. Terada was a character that frustrated me but at the same time I understood where she was coming from and her actions made sense with her character. Again, with longer episodes or high episode count, her character growth could have been so amazing instead of the sudden growth we see in the last few minutes of the last episode. Kuritani was a character I've come to really love and enjoy. She was logical and unintentionally helped Terada. Hase was also another intriguing characters that's got a bit of darkness to him. He's not bad in my books but manipulative for sure. I wish we got to know more about him too though lol.

Acting/Cast: I feel that the casting was perfect. I wasn't a huge fan of Morikawa Aoi at first but she really grew into her character and it just felt perfect. Nakamura Risa's quirkiness was perfect for Kuritani! Nakao Masaki's Hongyo totally pulled on my heartstrings a few times. Yuki Kousei's dimples are too cute! His charm adds another layer to the manipulation that goes on lol.

Music: The music was alright. The opening and closing songs didn't make me want to go find it right away but it served its purpose. The background music and sound effects were good - fitting for this drama.

Rewatch Value: I don't tend to have the patience to re-watch dramas but this would definitely be one of the very few dramas I would re-watch from beginning to end without fast-forwarding. For one, I would like to binge watch all 10 episodes as it's so short and easy watch. Second, watching it while it was airing took away from of the feels as a week had gone by since the last episode and I'd have to refresh my feels to continue the next episode if that makes sense lol. Also, now that I have basic understanding of each character, maybe I'll pick up other new things a second or third time around!

Overall: Although the way Kakafukaka was wrapped up left a lot to be desired, I still gave this drama a high score because of its refreshing story and also because it's one of the very few dramas where I feel invested in ALL the main characters.

So if you have interest after reading the synopsis, I'd recommend you give this drama a try! (And if you're like me, it'll make you really want to discuss with others!)

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