Watashi no Kaseifu Nagisa-san (2020)

Very Satisfying

The final episode is really beyond my expectations. No wonder it is trending worldwide in twitter on its final episode. For me, it is just so good and very satisfying. This drama is very relatable in every way. I think the lesson in this drama is that there is really no perfect person, every one of us make mistakes and we always has our limits. That limits are just between good and bad. Every person has these one or two things that they can't be really good and we can't just push them to do something that they are so bad or not good at it. And if they can do it, they always have their limits and there are times they will need help from others. The very memorable was at the ending because you can tell that Nagisa-san really cares for Mei that he is really looking at the future. As for Mei, she is not really good at expressing her feelings to Nagisa-san but she knows that she really likes Nagisa-san. I think it is a good thing that they can both honestly expressed their feeling to one another.
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I'm really impressed with Nao Omori because I never thought he can be very versatile actor. I mostly watched his movies and dramas, and mostly of his characters were so heavy or hardcore but with this one. I mean WOW!!! He really changed his A game. He is very cute in this drama and also very funny. I can't stop smiling while watching it :) I'm just really shocked with Nao Omori in this drama because he showed another top notch acting. Tabe Mikako also showed her A game here. Tabe and Nao both showed a great chemistry in their acting that's why the drama is so very interesting and so good.
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For me 9 episodes in not enough and I think there can be more but Thank goodness there will be a Special Episode but still I want more :( I'm so excited for the Special Episode :)

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Bittersweet with a serving of cringe

I cried a little when I finished the first episode. I liked Aihara (FL). She was such a cutie in Kimi ni Todoke and Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen. Overall I liked the side characters, even her colleagues although Japanese dramas tend to exaggerate the positivity of a well-managed team at a salaryman's workplace. But it's fiction so we accept it.
And then came the end of episode 8.
*cringes**eyerolls**internal screaming*
I told myself to get over it because I only have 1 more episode. Can't be that bad. I can do this.
I understand why people gave it a 10 but I do think the FL is taking advantage of the ML. The tone was set to be fatherly, at least to me. He had more chemistry with his ex-MR colleague than FL. As someone who is lazy and doesn't do chores well, I am Aihara and I do think that men who are good at cooking, ironing, and sewing are a sexy bunch of MFs but I do think her decision is selfish, childish, and desperate.
I am also against friends that think they're wise. Not everything your friend says is the truth and can apply to your decisions in life.
There are so many things to discover but *sighs* whatever. As a writer, this annoys me the most. When you knew you saw a gem but the cutter stopped short or miscalculated.
Finished episode 9 while checking my Insta and skimming. Ah, but the cute trainee?

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Half a drama

So many weird feelings about this drama. Initially my heart skipped a beat when I heard the FL wake up to Deep Purple blaring out her phone speakers. Yes, the Japanese love DP Mk.II as much as I do. But that's as far as my love affair went before it became as flat as the nine episodes that followed. I came back several times after finishing it to ponder where Nagisa-san went wrong. The flaw was in the storyline and the writing... but where?

An uncompromising workaholic is suddenly surrounded by eligible bachelors the moment someone strong-arms her into contemplating marriage. She says yes to everyone and everything and then tries to blow them off. In order to achieve that she digs herself a hole of lies that are lame and annoying with no redeeming comedic value. Her choices occupy a spectrum between romantic and transactional but even the most romantic option is at best a mildly enamored 5/10 on the passion scale. Her love life gave me more anxiety than entertainment value. It was like watching a stock market ticker. It doesn't have a happy ending. It doesn't have a sad ending. The bell goes DING! and you can breathe out as you've broken even for the day. That kind of ending.

And here's what I finally figured out: What I watched was half a drama. This drama ends where a typical J-drama contract marriage story begins. The nature of the relationship that the leads enter at the end needs, well, a whole other drama to fill in and complete the story. The half-assed recap "special" only left more questions.

Should you watch it? With a drama that features so many well-acted nice people and green flags I really want to like it and recommend it for the characters. Unfortunately, even as the characters develop, the whole principal arc goes sideways and disappears into a parallel universe. I'd really like to say that you should watch it but... well... meh, do as you please. I dunno.

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Japanese stereotypes..

The story starts with a young women who has a good job and ends with her marriage with a 20 years older man. So heartwarming the story details may be, in the end the story turns out to be quite stereotypical and misogynistic,because the female protagonist has to marry an older man. The Japanese writers are manipulating the viewers with a heartwarming story to accept misogyny and it works quite well, so that the TV series was even trending on the internet, fully accepted by the female viewers. The criticism, that should have been there, was completely missing. And that´s how the society goes about 3 steps back from the emancipation, that metoo brings, into the misogynistic and for the 21th century outdated picture of a women as married wife with a man who is way too old for her. Japan has a long way to women's emancipation.

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Marie Kondo Would Be Proud!

My Housekeeper popped up on my Netflix feed and I had a feeling straight up I would like it - and I did. So much so, I finished show overnight.

So, what’s to like. Firstly, the characters. Each character is given room to breath. There is no over the top character, which is a welcome relief regarding this type of jdorama. The blend of senior actors and the younger actors works.

Secondly, the workplace. It seemed normal, supportive and deals with the current issues - psycho social health. We see how leading up to this, the pressure on workers, the lack of time and a key stress indicator - super messy apartments - it felt like home, actually!

Thirdly, I felt the story addressed a very real issue in Japan: that marriage is still valued and that age gaps are no barrier to this. I did have thoughts of papa katsu running through my mind but show is not that. We have two lovely people who somehow, bit by bit, fall into each other’s orbit.

Fourthly, it deals with family separation in an even handed way. It even shows how it is possible to mend fences, to bridge that gap.

Lastly, I liked how the focus was on that it was okay to have a job that suited you. There was no need for everyone to aspire to be a professional corporate, a lawyer, a doctor and so on. In fact, hiring a housekeeper is a smart move because it gives you your life back and room to breath, to be human.

Take show for what it is - it’s a nice show. Enjoy 😉

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