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I have to hand it to Masaki Nakao who plays the withdrawn and socially inept Hongyo though - the ability to deadpan some of what would be the most embarrassing lines under some of the craziest situations is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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This review may contain spoilers
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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And errr, probably another selfish reason why I wanted the show to go on is because the lead actor is quite possibly one of the most talented and handsome actors out there. And his CHEMISTRY, jesus. He and Aoi literally SMOLDER while together, the pure sexual tension between them primarily springing from how insanely sensual and sexually charged his eyes and body language are. Good lord, you need a fan to cool yourself down.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Give this gem a chance, it's really quite phenomenal!
I never write reviews, but I HAD to for this one. This entire drama is a RIDE. It put me through so many emotions, each episode bringing on a new perspective or insight.First thing, there are some *hella* spoilers about FL's and ML's characteristics below the next paragraph. Second, I *highly* recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys a lowkey but somehow also intense psychological mind fck. Third, KEEP watching. Power through that initial uncomfortableness you may feel after hearing FL's past. Fourth, it's pretty subtle in how it does it, but this entire series is explaining the effects of s*xual ab*se, so if you're triggered by that, find something else. Lastly, only the right audience will understand it's full value. At face value it seems straight forward with cliche MCs (an annoying FL pushover who gets used by the aloof, cold ML etc.), so honestly, a lot of people will or have given it a bad rating. As I mentioned, it's complex in an almost subtle psychological way and definitely not for everyone and there's no shame in that.
Dramas get a lot of crap for being stupidly dense sometimes, but this one takes it to a whole other level in a BRILLIANT way. The undertones of misunderstanding and miscommunication in this bsh is just *chef's kiss*. And somehow, it's really not a frustrating "just tell them and sort it out already!" sort of thing either. It's more of a, gosh darn, THAT's why you're like this--this makes SO much sense. It leads you to think one thing, and the next thing you know, your entire perspective has changed on it. It's just so *real*. It's maturity, mental health, s*xuality, ignorance, consequences, psychological healing, and all sort of adulty things wrapped up in a wonderful, ever-evolving-beautifully bow. Even the supporting characters are well done and not annoyingly evil or as manipulative as they usually are (although, I'd have liked to see a story to the female roommate since everyone else had a story that helped to really explain their characters). Also, go in with the understanding that the ML is most-likely neuro-divergent despite it not saying so. (Forewarning, he's almost too gosh darn attractive that dude.)
ML & FL characteristic and past SPOILERS & EXPLANATIONS (since there's no way to explain why I love it without describing certain important aspects... it's also gonna be longgg):
I'm pretty sure the entire theme of this show is that how we see things and think about things will ultimately dictate the future. And it's amazing how subtle they made this, despite proof of it being there in every episode practically. Also, as I said it's a big shoutout to s*xual abuse awareness and the mental effect it has on its victims. Huge bravo to that one; showing how even if the victim doesn't understand fully, it still leaves a lasting impression. That, again, is a silent yet constant theme in the series.
FL had an experience akin to someone who was s*xually abused (by ML). It changed her. After that experience, she felt the shame and embarrassment that is typically seen in SA cases. So, with this new mindset, she believed ML looked down on her afterwards etc. and continued to go through life with this mindset, hence setting her up for failure in love and life and most importantly, selflove.
However, eventually it shows us the ML POV and we see that the FL's way of thinking and 'truth' is different from his. He didn't look down at her at all, he lowkey worshipped her and felt unworthy of being with her. In his own weird way, he also had a traumatic experience. I highly doubt he understood the extent to how wrong he was (seems like there's sometimes a lot of cluelessness from characters about s*xual abuse in k, c and j dramas) but I think he understood that he did something not completely right to her (he showed this by confessing he wanted to apologize but also felt conflicted because he didn't want to say he regretted being with her). I think this is why he's always like... quadruple checking with her to make sure it's okay he's doing this and that. Honestly, this self-consciousness of his is probably why he was having issues in the first place: he didn't want to repeat the experience since he, as well, felt abandoned afterwards. But I get the feeling he still doesn't understand why he feels this way (it's more of a subconscious thing that's shown in his actions). Add on to the possibility he might be neuro divergent, it makes him all the more confused and quiet about it.
Overview of how this drama made me feel:
(1st) I was amused at the ML being FL's roommate and rooting for a blossoming love between them. And the sexual chemistry was off the charts. ML is so hot, stop.
(2) I felt betrayed!!! I was SO angry at ML after hearing FL side of the story and watching her being used so blatantly (I almost checked out, I was so uncomfortable... but, trust me, keep watching!).
(3) I was frustrated with FL for wanting to be with ML despite such a traumatic past with him, as well as frustrated at how she was so easily letting herself be used.
(4) I put myself in FL's shoes and realized that it's a normal thing SA victims go through--wanting acceptance and love from their abusers and those around them. She had experienced abandonment in her head after the SA and it made her feel like she was worthless and useless. Thus, being used was a good thing in her eyes--it meant she was useful instead.
(5) I realized (quite sourly) that FL's experience wasn't the ML's... his story was different, more innocent, and about his own self-consciousness of feeling like he wasn't worthy of her. Meaning, they both lived in their own head and never thought to check in on one another about how they were feeling. They both thought something self-deprecating and, as I said, it set them up for failure.
(6) It ended weirdly but I still felt like there was enough closure. Overall, it wrapped up really well psychologically (ending spoilers on their characters below):
- ML needed to be more considerate of FL and think about how she may feel in situations rather than always think that he was unworthy of her and think about his own feelings. He will probably always have issues talking about and understanding such things like feelings, but if the ending tells us anything it's that he won't just do what he thinks he should based on his own feelings, and instead consider what FL is going through and adjust based on that.
- FL needed to stop assuming how others felt about her and making that assumption become her personality/self-identity. She needed to stop portraying her insecurities and assumptions on the ML and instead trust herself--self love, baby. And again, because ML probably will never truly tell her his feelings, she will still go through insecurities, but she will just have to trust herself (and him) that much harder. With him also adjusting his actions to her, this should make it easier to do as they continue to grow.
Idk if it's a good or bad thing they aren't split up, but I do think they will continue to grow and heal with or without one another.
Moral of the show from MY perspective: when you have s*x, make sure there's explicit consent (!!!!!!) and make sure to check up on one another after (aftercare is important for all parties involved). Also, just because you feel a certain way about something or someone, doesn't mean it's really that way. There's so many other perspectives than just yours, so just ask! Think positively! Oh, and it's never too early to teach your kids safe sex and how to properly get consent... because who knows when they'll be in a situation needing it. In this situation, it hurt not just the victim, but also the one doing it unknowingly.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show is the perfect example of not sh*tting where you eat ie. to not date people aka the roommates you live with. Anyway, just got done watching the entire 10 episodes and here's are my thoughts. First of all, the opening song is great and Morikawa Aoi looks kawaii af in this. Now with that out of the way, I can ramble on about the show. What started out to be an interesting premise only turned out to be shallow love triangle. I mean, Moriakawa's character Terada is the epitome of your typical reserved and shy Japanese girl who's a pushover. Then you have Nakao Masaki's character Hongyo who's her childhood friend and is dense af to the point that he has literally no character development throughtout the course of these 10 episodes. All we know about Hongyo is that he's dense and emotionless for some reason and had sex with Terada in high school. Then we have the second male lead in Yuki Kousei's character Hase who wants to make Terada his wife because he sees something different in Terada from the girls he dated. The reason for why he wanted to be with Terada was left unexplored. Not to mention his mommy issues. Then we have Nakamura Risa's somewhat retarded-like character Akari who's weird to say the least. First she acts as if she liked Hongyo, then when Terada asked her whether she liked Hongyo, she acts as if she just discovered the very act of hugging or kissing someone out of affection. Someone get this chick to a sex ed class!Anyway, Hongyo and Terada run into each other after she ends up living in a sharehouse thanks to her friend and due to some reason, Hongyo can only get hard when he's rubbing against Terada. The plot seemed intriguing at first but then they added Hase as a second love interest for Terada even though you as a viewer know that Terada is gonna somehow predictably end up with Hongyo in the end. (They're both even on the cover of the drama for God's sake lol) Throughout the entirity of the show, we had minimal character developments for both Terada and Hase as they narrate about their childhood and tell a bit about themselves. Hongyo being the first male lead has literally no character development since we know nothing about him other than being a dense and emotionless writer who can't get hard and who had sex with Terada in high school.
Throught the show, Hase persues Terada to marry him despite being okay with Terada and Hongyo sleeping together and even having sex. Hell, he was okay with her having Hongyo's baby when Terada thought she was pregnant. That dude has some weird psychology and the reason for him liking Terada is unclear and unexplored. The best reason he gave on the show when asked why he liked her was because her hand felt warm as she was taking care of him while he was puking. Like I said, that dude has a messed up psychology.
Then there's the second female lead Akari who has the least amount of character development since unlike Hongyo, who slept with Terada in high school, we don't really get to know much about her other than the fact that she's crazy for Hongyo and thats it! She thinks she likes Hongyo (people on the show like each other for the most bizarre reasons on this show btw) and was just okay when Terada reveals that she liked her and that her and Hongyo have been sleeping together all this time. I honestly don't know what her whole admiration with Hongyo was all about since that was left unexplored as well. Her character was just there for the sake of it contributing nothing much to the plot.
Then last but not least, we have Terada who starts liking Hongyo after having a sleeping arrangement with him and eventually having sex with him. The one thing I just didn't understand was why she liked him in the first place and what about him does she even like? Even on the show, when Hongyo asks her what she likes about him, we never got an answer to that boggling question coz here's a dense dude (Hongyo) who's emotionless to the core having a sleeping arrangement with you and thats it. They don't have the sort of chemistry you'd expect in a romcom. Neither do they have anything in common. Its like Teraada's character was written to like Hongyo just for the sake of it. On top of being a shy and fragile pushover, she deceives Akari by not telling about her about sleeping with Hongyo when she knew that Akari liked Hongyo. And then, she sleeps and has sex with Hongyo anyway despite being proposed to by Hase. And she lies to Hase in the 9th episode about her not kissing Hongyo during their sleepover time when infact she did. In that way, I found Terada's charaacter to be all sorts of messed up and I doubt a metamorphical expensive price tag is gonna solve her problems.
I kinda felt sorry for Hase when we learnt that this was gonna be a love triangle since I already knew that the second male lead was gonna get rejected . But I knew he manipulated Hongyo when they don't show what him and Hase talked about in the 9th episode due to which Hongyo was cold to Terada which caused them to break up. And on top of that, the characters lack development and progression. Not to mention how they never talk it out with each other about what they have in mind. I guess that this is a good example of how reserved the Japanese can be in general. Either way, Terada sure does get around, having dated both male roommates of hers. I can honestly say that this show despite its shallow predictablitity and lack of character development teaches us to never sh*t where you eat ie. never date the people aka the roommates you live with coz things can become awkward as hell if things don't work out. Also, Terada is the kind of girl that would stay in a shitty relationship just because of a nostalgic high school connection. If I were the writer of this show, I'd make Terada leave the house and find a better relationship than an dense dude or a manipulative dude with mommy issues. That would be a better ending than the predictable ending we got in the end.
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I started watching this drama with high expectation. I thought the character will go through character development, as Aki was potrayed as someone with no goals,dreams and self confident in the 1st episode. But honestly speaking, throughout the entire series, she didn't change at all. Very disappointed. Aki looks like someone who just follow the flow, in a bad way. Like if Hongyo asked her to lose herself while loving him, it is okay for her , why? Since she like him so much that it doesn't matter. I mean girl , where's your self appreciation?! She just need to love herself more, before getting involve in any relationship. On the other side, why do Hongyo think that getting arouse is so important? If you got any health or (mental) problem, go seek for professional help. WHY ASKED FOR YOUR NEW ROOMMATE TO DO THAT THING WITH YOU DISGUSTING S***. Did he think that a human doesn't have feelings. I get it he had that kind of difficulties in understanding people's feelings but at least HASE SHOULD GUIDE HIM TO DOCTOR OR PHYSCHOLOGIST
Hase on the other side, another problematic character. I understand that his feelings for Aki is genuine but hey, he's a toxic as if his money and wealth can make people follow and love him.
In the end, Aki should just leave that house as it is not a good environment to develop self confident at all. She even was treated like a maid, and she didn't get mad at all when Hase talked down to her. He even criticise Aki harshly with that smile on his face. TOXIC THATS IT
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This review may contain spoilers
This japanese drama is not everyone's cup of tea. It touches the baser emotions of humans which many would find offending especially if one just read the story. However, I think that the topic has been dealt without obscenity. The wording is definitely strong but if one think beyond the sex and romance than it is actually a relatable topic. Many people in this world as they grow they lose themselves to the demands of life. Everyone wants good job, good life partner and a healthy life. But few manage to get it. Then there are those who get nothing. They just struggle to make through each day. This drama heroine is such a person. She wasnt born to money, she doesnt have exceptional talents nor beauty. All she has is broken trust.
At such low point in her life she meets her first boyfriend from school who is impotent due mental exhaustion and she decides to help him asshe reminds him of his school days (and he never got over her). Personally, I dont think that its something any normal person would do. But she did for plot's sake.Or maybe because they already were in a relationship once and the first love/other firsts are hard to be forgotten. So he held a special place in her psyche.
Anyhow, hero seems emotionally stunt old manga typical lead . He has the thinking of a young teenage male. He isnt mature. He isnt reliable in explaining anything. He is brutually honest and he is madly in love with her as can be read through the subtle hints. Yet, for heroine it is hard to read the cues. Not blaming her though. As the story reach its conclusion, we are graced with a happy ending and a nice feeling in heart that poor female lead finally manage to accomplish an important check point in life all by herself.
Note: I think second ml made the story weird. I mean if you know two people are involved why would you fantasize about female? His heart break was set in stone by himself.
Note 2: Actors have superb chemistry.
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I enjoyed most characters, Akari being the only one that I couldn't get on board with, but I enjoyed how every character had something that they were struggling with. Aki being a lack of self love and respect, Tomo not knowing how to decipher his feelings as well as putting himself in other's shoes, Taichi having "mommy issues," and Akari...I couldn't figure out, but maybe it had something to do with being the exact opposite of Aki with thinking she was better than everyone else.
Even though the drama was simple, yet emotionally confusing, Aki's feelings were relate-able. My heart hurt every time she didn't know Tomo's feelings or every time she thought she finally broke through and was finally happy, it turned out to be the opposite. I did enjoy how everything was from her point of view, so we got to witness what goes on in the mind of a girl in her mid 20's, trying to figure out what love means to her in reference to self love and the love she feels like she deserves. You know, what every girl goes through at some point in her life.
There were some/ a lot of parts where I wanted to slap her because she was acting extremely wild because of her lack of self love, but everyone has that cringy past, so I buckled up for the ride. Overall, I enjoyed the relationships she built with her shared-housemates. It was a journey they all took together, and even though their issues might not be 100% fixed, they realized that there were parts of their lives they wanted to change and they are taking the first step.
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Misunderstood show
I feel a lot of people jumped the gun with this series and misunderstood the whole point of the story.It shows an eerily accurate portrayal of a realistic situations when people who have some form of psychological issues or troubles with maintaining social and romantic relationships and how they deal with them. It's not black and white, but that's what makes the series interesting. This series portrayed the fwb in an honest way, and how one person finds it difficult to figure out their own feelings due to mistrust of of themselves and their own feelings. Though, the secondary characters I didn't have much interest in it was fun to watch the awkwardness of them figuring out what they wanted and what drove them to do the things they did.
Overall I think it's more of a mature drama that you have to focus on to really understand the reasons behind the characters actions and why they think a certain way and do certain things due to their own perceptions. Though the acting isn't anything fabulous, the actors get the point across.
Give it a watch if you don't want the basic lovey-dovey drama sex that has a more realistic portrayal of how messy and confusing putting sex into non-romantic relationships can be.
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My most favorite drama in the last 3 years
I rated 10 for actorr/actesses and the plot.Kaka fukaka = can or cannot
One guy being straightforward while another was too thoughtful. The latter was one of those real men in capitalism world. With odd plot and awkward ending, everything makes more sense if you understand that the lead actor had Asperger syndrome. He knows what he wants but not what others want. The writer tried to tell us in literally every episodes but most clearly in the last one through the book written by the male leader. Working with Asperger people myself, I appreciate how thoughtful the writer was.
The question that was answered in the last scene hit me hard. If you are open-minded and live your life in the way ‘This could be better’ way, I guess it might hit you hard too.
Being a semi-erotic drama, this movie really drives the butterflies in your tummy in a unusually pleasant way. To me, this is far from hentai. It is not easy for making this kind of drama without being called hentai but this crews nailed it.
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A modern take on young love in your 20s.
Judging by reviews, I see this drama is one where you either love it or hate it. I personally loved it and it will be my first review on here. I think if you like a show like sex & the city, then this drama is for you. It has fresh and open dialogue about love, obsession, traditonal values,...and yes sex! I've never seen a Jdrama quite like this. The first episode alone tackles a subject with the male lead that is usually never discussed. I will also say I loved the side characters as well in this drama. Plus, the opening song is hella catchy.Positives:
Characters: This show has basically only 4 characters and it focuses solely on them and their relationships with each other. I love that because with the limited time, the show is able to delve into past events/back story of why each person has their hang ups and makes the choices they make.
Female Lead: Terada is the main character and I found her so funny. There were moments where I was cracking up. She has a hard time after college and finds herself working at a grocery store part time barely getting by. She needs to find herself and find what is special about her. I liked how she seemed real and relatable.
Male Lead: Tomo is hard to understand at first because he doesn't know how to express his emotions, and at other times he's shockingly blunt and honest. He's a writer that doesn't write and has no motivation. He has a problem only Terada can seem to fix.
2nd male lead: Hase was one of the most interesting characters to me. He is confident and polite, but with a lot of mental hangups from his childhood.
2nd Female lead: Funny Akari. She's odd and quirky and is not your typical side female character. She idolizes and is a fan of Tomo because of his previously published books.
CHEMISTRY: The chemistry is off the charts with Terada and Tomo. Just the way Tomo would look at Terada with smouldering eyes in some scenes..ahh.
Love Scenes: If you are sick of the stiff kisses in dramas where the female lead looks shocked, eyes bulging outta her head, while the male lead barely touches her lips then Kakafukaka is for you. There are definitely some steamy heart palpitating scenes haha.
Negatives: Not much negative to say. This drama was a wild crazy ride. It was different in a good way. Rewatch value 10/10.
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