This drama is very refreshing, very well written and highly entertaining. The synopsis might not really attract you, but just watch it, you'll get drawn into the series in no time at all.
Hiroshi Abe is definitely at his BEST here! He plays Kuwano-san, an accomplished architect who is rather quirky and sarcastic and definitely not a people's person. And I gotta say... Abe did a BRILLIANT job portraying this character. His acting here is SUPERB, really. His character is a mix between Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets" and Hugh Laurie of "House M.D."
It is very interesting to see how Abe's character tries to interact with other people in different kind of situations as portrayed throughout the series. I especially love the interaction between him and Ken-chan, the neighbour's dog. If you haven't seen it, I'm telling you, you'll fall in love with Ken-chan, because he is the cutest thing ever!
The actress that plays Hayasaka-san is also amazing. She's able to "balance" Abe's Kuwano and they succesfully created a perfect on-screen chemistry together.
This drama is totally a must see!
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The acting was clearly very good in this drama. even the younger one, kuninaka did very well with her role. not excellently but very well. Abe hiroshi was at his excellence though. clearly he was by far the best in this.
I do not remember the music but i think it complimented the scenes in a way and it fit.
Since this is not a suspence drama and such I think rewatching it would still be entertaining. I have only watched it twice though.
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When I read the summary, I didn't think that the drama would be this interesting or fun to watch. It was highly entertaining, light and funny (not over-the -top comedy) and it wasn't boring at all.
Abe Hiroshi did an excellent job in portraying Kuwano-san. He was able to get the perfect slouching posture and the awkward facial expressions without overdoing it.
Although Kuwano-san tends to hurt people's feelings without realising, it's not possible to actually hate him cause he has a soft side. And you can see how his character gradually develops when he interacts with people (and Ken-chan) more. I especially like the scenes where Kuwano interacts with Ken-chan...it's just too cute to watch. ^-^
I also like Natsukawa Yui's acting a lot as well. The chemistry between her character (Hayasaka-san) and Kuwano-san was brilliant. ?
I would definitely want to re-watch this drama again someday! :)
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This drama is great, because for me, it's different. It doesn't have your usual "doki doki" moments, your super melodramatic moments. It's lighthearted throughout.
The acting, especially the main male lead, is definitely one of the best. If nothing else, watch it for him.
Overall, it's not your typical rom-com drama. But it is well written and well acted.
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No doubt Abe Hiroshi is a wonderful actor. He is funny without overacting, he really WAS Kuwano Shinsuke: his slouching posture, his funny expressions. In every one of his scenes, he attracts the eye of the audience. Although it may also be because he is so tall and has such a nice figure.
Hayasaka Natsumi, as Dr. Natsukawa, was as good as Abe Hiroshi was. Both of them were amazing together, and they had a nice chemistry. I love her smile (two dimples!), she was a very simple woman in terms of clothes and haircut, but I found her lovely and very pretty. I love when she forced herself to keep smiling when Kuwano has been mean to her.
One of the reasons I decided to watch this dorama was because the plot seemed similar to "As good as it gets", one of my favorite movies. And it was in some ways, but again, completely different. Yes, Kuwano is a kind of grumpy man who does not like people. Yes, there is a dog. But that's it. Kuwano is sarcastic and tends to hurt people's feelings without meaning to, he is more sympathetic. He has OCD but not too extreme. He smiles more than Jack Nicholson's character; he socializes more too. He is likeable; so likeable that two pretty women fall for him eventually.
The dog, Ken-chan, has a minor role for 7 episodes; in Episode 8 is where they get closer. I wanted Kuwano to be more affectionate (like, more petting than glances and smiles), but it was cute nevertheless.
His owner, Michiru, played by Kuninaka Ryoko was cute but I think she overacted a little bit here. She is better in "Hotaru no Hikari". And her falling for Kuwano was a bit out of nowhere. For 10 episodes she finds him rude and tries to avoid him if possible, and then, one good action and it is all "oh no, I've fallen for him".
The soundtrack was OK, the OP was OK, nothing outstanding. The whistling whenever Kuwano was doing something very-him, was funny, and it suited him perfectly.
I love to learn more about Japanese society, and this dorama taught me a great deal about its food, the pressure to single people to get married (not very much unlike my own country anyway). Poor Kuwano, he really was not interested in marriage and people keep nagging him, specially his mother. But he was never upset about it, he only made sarcastic comments and ignore them later.
So it is a funny dorama, very recommended. Light, no misunderstandings (not annoying at least, cuz when people thinks that Kuwano had a girlfriend was hilarious), cute, a bit romantic (without being really romantic. I love to read people getting to know each other, making a bong, before starting a relationship), and the end was perfect.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best drama
Hiroshi Abe deserve to win the best actor award for this drama. His performance here is really splendid, so much of depth, layers and details. Its a blessing for the audience when we get to watch movie-quality acting performance in a drama like this. This drama is all about him and he carried the whole story so well. I was so immersed in his character that I can really feel him all the time. The drama production was superb too. The scenes and everything are all very well-written. Everything was carried out so naturally that there's not a single moment which I would feel awkward. And I love watching Yui Natsukawa, she's one of the sweetest FL I have ever came across. The chemistry between them are just so sweet!!!!! Throughout the whole drama I laughed, I smiled, I cried, I teared. Its just so good. The only complain I have for this drama is the super short happy ending! aaarrghhh I wish they would have shown the life after Kuwano-Hayasaka got together or until their marriage!!! And the worst is when there's a season 2 but the original FL is not in it! Please tell me, why oh why???!!! T_TWas this review helpful to you?
BEST COMEDY OUT THERE
This is a classic GEM.
The most outstanding drama I've ever seen . Who could imagine a 2006 drama to be this awesome ?
It's NATURAL to the point you start questioning whether the protagonist is acting or is he really like that ?
The whole cast is just phenomenal .
The chemistry is mind blowing .
This drama is a great learning experience .
I mean you would rarely come across such natural plots ,
Why ?
Coz it's very difficult to show daily life progression of an eccentric person .
The characters are super fun to watch , ironically all of them have like equal screenplay time which is just super rare to see .
All of them have their own importance .
And talking about the direction , Goodness me even the direction is legend and even the script writing .
So much witty scenes , I bet you can't find these anymore .
It's at times like a SIT COM ,
But even in those you might feel that the dialogues are unnecessary but not here .
Everything makes sense . They just feel natural .
It has depth in it , you can take out various things from how it went or simply enjoy it .
The choice is yours .
It's a Seinen category though .
Not for kids or people who aren't into sarcasm .
Anyway ,I've just finished it and I'm still in an Awe of how to define this spectacularly phenomenal drama .
Coz it's so hard to define it in such a small Rhytm .
Go watch it ^^ Coz You're missing something big .
PS : It can't be rated , it's that phenomenal ^^ . Just imagine if this were an ANIME . F**K I'm drooling how Epic it would be.
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So when I started watching Kekkon Dekinai Otoko, I assumed that it was just another drama about a man who will go though trials and change his ways in the end. However, the wry humor, simple situations and quirky characterizations made for an incredibly effective story-telling combination. It was just about a man who couldn't get married. It didn't try to be more, and because of this the show was fun and enjoyable to watch.
I've seen Abe Hiroshi in Hero and Dekichatta Kekkon; both were not main roles (I have yet to start on Trick but I'm getting there). Kekkon Dekinai Otoko is the first show I've seen that really utilized his talents. One word describes the key to his success as Kuwano Shinsuke: subtle. He doesn't rely on wacky, over the top action, or even what would seem normal, everyday behavior. His simplistic but well-executed gestures allowed the portrayal of his character to come into its own. It seemed masterful in a way. Natsukawa Yui was one of the more powerful additions to the cast as Hayasaka-sensei. Her emotionally charged, honest reactions complemented the subtly and cynicism of Kuwano-san perfectly. The rest of the cast were decent but nothing noteworthy to speak of. That sounds somewhat negative, but I will say that no cast member made a negative impact on the show. This is actually quite rare (for me, anyway).
The writing was decent. All of the situations in the show were built from the "blocks" created from the first episode. On one hand, this made each coming episode familiar and inviting; on the other hand, seeing the same sets over and over made it feel somewhat constraining, much like watching old situational Friday night comedy shows like Family Matters and Step By Step. Each episode in Kekkon Dekinai Otoko has its own story to tell and each episode tells its story well. I really like how each episode opened with Kuwano-san revealing something new about himself. The episode opening where he works on the Titanic was hilarious. Regardless of the recycled building blocks, the show manages to remain fresh and quirky thanks to excellent acting.
The music in the show is unfortunately forgettable. While the intro performed by Every Little Thing will always remind me of the show, there were no pieces that stuck in my head, despite the fact that, like the majority of doramas, Kekkon Dekinai Otoko uses the same pieces many times over. Shows like Orange Days and Jyoou no Kyoushitsu have distinct scores that are very memorable, so I know it's possible. The music here felt more like an afterthought -- it works, but that's it.
So, Kekkon Dekinai Otoko is very enjoyable. It has its strengths and weaknesses, but the former far outweighs the latter and thanks to the strong acting from the two most prominent roles in the show, there wasn't a single episode I didn't like. Anybody who loves simple, subtle but effective humor will no doubt enjoy this show.
(Originally posted Janary 9th, 2007.)
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Excellent acting in a fun slice-of-life.
This is more of a comedy than a romance, despite the title. The ML, Kuwano, is SO WEIRD, but it's great fun to watch his weirdness. His family and co-workers are fond of him despite it, help him out with the situations he gets into because of said weirdness, and hope that someone will come along and love him and sort him out. There are a few candidates for this: a nice doctor he meets, the nice manager in his office, and his neighbour, who has a dog called Ken that's probably the best character in the whole thing - Ken and Kuwano have a dog-mance which is utterly adorable. It's beautifully shot, laugh-out-loud funny and marvelously acted. I thoroughly enjoyed it and downloaded its cheery intro theme. If you're looking for something light and funny with no angst, this show is for you.There's a sequel series - Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko, the man who still can't get married! - which is also pretty great, definitely worth watching if you liked the first one, and has (maybe!) a slightly more romantic end.
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Vlog
Cảm giác xem bộ này cứ như coi blog vậy, không có quá nhiều chuyện xảy ra trong mỗi tập, tập nào cũng khung cảnh ấy, từng con người ấy tạo nên từng câu chuyện cho mỗi tập phim nhưng tất cả đều không nhàm chán một chút nào.Kuwano là kiểu người hơi độc mồm, chanh chua một chút nhưng tâm chú lại vô cùng sáng và tốt. Mình cảm giác nhân vật này ban đầu có hơi khó chịu nhưng dần dần qua từng tập thì tính cách tốt lên rất nhiều. Nhưng càng xem mình càng hiểu ra rằng người như chú thì tốt nhất ở một mình đến già cho nhanh, đừng lấy ai làm khổ người ta ra :))))
Nhân vật mình thích nhất trong cả bộ phim là cô bác sĩ Natsumi. Diễn viên đóng cô bác sĩ có đôi mắt lấp lánh như sao trời vậy, quả là một đôi mắt biết nói và chứa chan cảm xúc. Cô bác sĩ là người thay đổi chú Kuwano hay có thể nói là người chịu lắng nghe mỗi lần chú có tâm sự hay gặp rắc rối. Ban đầu là cô có ghét chú nhưng cô lại thấy được con người thật của chú đằng sau cái mỏ hỗn kia.
Thật sự mình cũng có đổ một chút con người chú Kuwano này nhưng chắc không có kiên nhẫn như cô bác sĩ để thấu hiểu và chung sống với chú.
Đây thực sự là một bộ phim hay, hài hước đúng chỗ chứ không hề lố, thích hợp để xem sau một ngày mệt mỏi ❤️?
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