A live manga or 1990s Kdrama?
I've watched a lot of J-drama in my life but haven't for many years now. I now watch far more K-drama which is plentiful and accessible in terms of speed of subtitling. Thank goodness for Netflix. To be honest, I only watched this because it was on Netflix but I'm glad I did.Watching this show however you first have to suspend belief. The acting is over the top and the characters are very one-dimensional, and the plot is so stereotypically straight out of a 1990s Kdrama. The antagonists are evil and scheming without any redemption, the supporting characters are around to provide comic relief, and the tortured Tsubaki and Nao who have to grow and learn, are so tortured by their past that they can't function as normal human beings. You have to suspend belief and treat it like a manga with all its cliques. The relationship between Tsubaki and Nao is farcical and almost borders on abuse. In true manga style, Tsubaki has a one sided smile and hair covering one eye. The show has also taken Kdrama cliques and one-upped them. For instance, the signature guy slams fist into wall next to girl to make a point was borrowed straight out of the K-drama clique playbook, and similarly, the K-drama back hug clique. I have not seen these cliques in other Jdramas.
However, something about the show is strangely enticing and watchable precisely because it's so retro. It is very fast moving as there are only 8 episodes so easily bingeable in a weekend. If you have a spare weekend, it's worth a watch!
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Food, Flavour, Fashion & lots of Bittersweet Melodrama
FEELING:Love is Cursed truly makes the viewer feel that love is cursed. The plot is focused on 3 characters, Nao the FL, Tsubaki the ML, and the Evil Mother-in-Law. The relationship between the lead couple is riddled with misunderstandings and pride. It swings like a pendulum smoothly from bitter to sweet to bitter to sweet to bitter to sweet and so on. The sparks and tensions began since their childhood and lingers throughout the show. It was truly fun and frustrating at the same time.
SWEETS:
We cannot NOT mention the sweets! The whole premise is about sweets. In every episode, we see the leads create and present a fashionable sweet. I say fashion because these aren't typical sweets for them. It's ART. The sweets are not only beautifully crafted but also hold deep meaning based on the theme of each presentation.
CASTING:
Great casting! The leads are adorable and have a knack for portraying broken-heart faces. The support characters suit their roles too. But the main recognition should go to the evil Mother-in-law whose evil radiates 300 miles away ~
PRODUCTION:
I loved the production of this show. Despite having a modern-day setting, almost every character is in a traditional Yukata or Kimono. The entire set of the main sweet shop Kogetsuan is completely traditionally styled with paper doors, tatami mats, wooden verandas, and bonsai-styled gardens.
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Also, about the characters... I like how Nao actually thinks before doing something, unlike typical dramas where the FL is just reckless and rowdy. Also, I really commend how Tsubaki's character was written. He may have seemed arrogant at first, but every time he stood corrected, he always humbled himself, acknowledged his mistakes and did what was right instead of storming off in a rage of emotions. Oftentimes in dramas we only ever hear of MLs who only apologize when it's too late, but Tsubaki knew when and how to apologize, and even appreciate those around him, especially when they are being truthful to him.
Overall, I really liked this drama, I didn't give perfect scores because there's always room for improvement 😉 Anyways, if you decide to watch this drama, enjoy!!!!
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dramatic, strange, romantic
What a thrilling ride. A visually stunning melodrama that is dramatic, strange, intense, and romantic. It isn't without flaws, but certainly entertaining.We begin with Nao (Hamabe Minami), a young woman with nothing but talent and a hidden identity, blasting her way into Kogetsuan to search for the truth behind the death of its former master. Immediately, she becomes entangled with Tsubaki (the wonderful Yokohama Ryusei), heir to this establishment, and the Takatsuki family, whose perfect exterior betrays years of turmoil. Dysfunctional would be an understatement to describe this family. As she spends time learning the art of Japanese confections with Tsubaki and unraveling the mystery, she finds herself falling in love with him, a man she thought would be her enemy forever.
Characters in this drama dress in kimonos or yukatas and live in traditional homes. I'm fond of this part of Japanese culture so to see it here in the cinematography was a feast on the eyes. But forgive me for my lack of knowledge of Japanese traditions, because the most I know about Japanese desserts is mochi, so I had no idea there are families in the business of making these small but elaborate desserts they display in the drama for hundreds of years. Seeing the love and devotion, the craftsmanship involved in making these confections steeped in tradition was intriguing, and I quite enjoyed seeing that incorporated into the story.
The other part of the story I loved was the romance between the two leads. There is just something about the premise of an arrogant man brought to his knees by an unassuming woman and falling in love that always appeals to me. In that sense, their relationship progression was predictable, but nonetheless, compelling. Hamabe Minami and Yokohama Ryusei's chemistry is palpable. And he has such expressive eyes that could make any scene electrifying. There is also the added benefit that they look stunning together so it made for a fascinating watch. Also, the soundtrack fits into each scene and sets the atmosphere perfectly.
As for the drama as a whole, the editing can feel jarring; lots of things happen all at once, often at a fast pace. The tonal changes, especially, took some getting used to. But somehow, they make the story work. I was invested in the developments and tolerant of any lack of logic because I was too busy being entertained. There are some frustrating arcs in the story, but thank goodness for the traditionally short duration of Japanese dramas, because they do not dwell on these parts too long. Before you know it, we are back to focusing on our two gorgeous leads.
I don't have the same inclination for Japanese dramas the way I have for Korean or Chinese dramas because it's rare to find a plot that interests me when it comes to the former. I would have overlooked this one as well if it were not for the striking poster. It succinctly captures the look and feel of the show. I wish there are more like it and if there is, I'd get on that bang-wagon in a heartbeat.
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What in the world?
I started the drama with little expectations since Japanese dramas are usually very short, a bit rushed, the plot a bit too cliche, and the acting very unique.After watching the first episodes I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked that this drama focused on Japanese sweets, culture, and in general their meanings. The characters were also kinda relatable and interesting.
Nao/Sakura is thanked god portrait as a strong girl, who cares about people, but also follows her own luck and has her own mind. Sakura was powerful but secretly also vulnerable, which made her human and likable. You could always understand her intentions and feel for her. Tsubaki is the typical cold guy, who is secretly very sensitive and seeks for attention from his family, nothing new but also not boring.
All in all, I was really satisfied with their acting, it didn't seem fake or too much.
BUT OH BOY, from episode 6-8 everything went so rushed and I had no fucking clue what I am even watching. It went from one storyline to another? I don't want to spoil too much, but damn I cannot even process what happened in the second half of episode 8, it didn't even make sense to me. I mean actually a lot didn't make sense to me (e.g. Mr. Takigawa's reason to help Nao (before he got exposed)), but the whole Takigawa exposure and then Naos and Tsubakis cringy love scenes. I'm sorry, but episode 7-8 just ruined the whole series for me.
The beginning (ep. 1-4), had plot holes but was acceptable. The storyline was interesting and the love story was kinda questionable, but still at some point 'natural'.
The middle (ep. 5-6), had a lot of plot holes and you really could feel that the directors were under pressure and couldn't figure out how to put everything into 2 episodes.
The end (ep. 7-8), pure disappointment. You get your happy ending OK, but EXTREMELY rushed, nothing makes sense and in the end, you are left with one question ''why did I even bother if it'll end like that?''.
The soundtrack is really cute tho, it kinda fits sometimes and there's nothing to not like about it.
My advice is, watch it if you have no drama to watch, but if you have better plans, better skip that one. You can watch it but don't have to. Nice story bout Japanese candies, but you can definitely do better with other dramas.
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Hamabe Minami CARRIED THE HELL OUT OF THIS DRAMA
Watching this drama felt like I was watching some makjang kdrama at some points but my god was it addicting.I love revenge stories - plain and simple. Usually it's a male lead in these kind of dramas (unless I'm just choosing the wrong ones?) but I LOVE this female lead. She's not meek but she's not obnoxious either. The main actress is so damn good at acting and I felt the rage and hatred she felt in her heart. I love how although romance played a part in this drama, she wasn't blinded by it and turned into a complete different person.
In contrast, the male lead, although he is absolutely gorgeous, I'm sorry to say I cannot remember any scene where I think "wow he is a good actor". This may be because the main actress is SO damn good that she dwarfs him in comparison.
The food aspects of this drama were really interesting as I have no knowledge on japanese culture/food so it was really interesting to see the main characters SO into making sweets and the symbolism and the importance to them.
Some people say that this is a toxic romance but in reality, there were never TOXIC TOXIC to one another. It wasn't like they were yelling at throwing shit at one another. It was more of a intrinsic (?) hatred because of who the characters were as a person. I don't really know how to describe it. Now that I think about it, them being together was definitely not healthy in the slightest but sometimes, that's just how life is.
The plot twists in the drama had me turning my head and gasping multiple times.
Negatives?
LMAO There were some questionable moments where I laughed especially because the ML would do the kabedon thing and I would just laugh at how awkward it would be. The "main villian" - her acting was straight out of a telenovella at times and I would just shake my head in response. Additionally, the writing was questionable at times, but if you really look at it as a whole, it was like drugs to me. I could not stop watching this drama and my eye bags got considerably darker.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Complicated Love Story
Wow the story was so complicated, very manga like I think. There wasn’t a character that did not have some kind of past or issue, except maybe the two Kougetsu An apprentice who I don’t even know the names of. Most everyone was driven by obsession, revenge, desire to protect and sometimes misplaced as they mostly ended up hurting the ones they love. I kept thinking “if only if only” as I was watching, however towards the end, I realized that it was already complicated from the very beginning. I had thought there was one normal character that I could at least root for – oh well. The ones that I hated in the beginning turned out to be the more likeable ones – Jojima. I also do like Tsubaki and I felt sorry for him.That aside, the costumes were beautiful. The sweets were pretty, very detailed; you almost wouldn’t want to eat them. I wonder how good they are though and what it’s made of, it looked like fondant and I’m not very fond of fondant. The next time I visit Japan I’ll try to visit a sweet shop. I’ll wonder what stories there may be behind making them.
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You get a pretty dessert and YOU get a pretty dessert and you...
This was my first (and probably last) Japanese drama to watch (because they're not available in my country and I already had such a hard time finding this one) but if this will be my only experience with jdramas, I think I'll say it went perfectly well.This is a short, condensed, romantic but also with interesting side-plots show. It's not unnecessarily dragged out at all which I really appreciate. I never really got tired watching this show.
You should check this show out if:
1. You like shows about food
2.You like mostly drama-free romances
3.If that fusion of old and new is your aesthetic
4. You like Revenge stories
5. Enemies-to-allies-to-lovers
6.Pretty food
7.You don't mind soap opera level acting
Story: Basically when the main character was a kid, her mother gets accused of murder by her childhood friend. Now she's 20 years old and a dessert artisan and she wants to find out what really happened. Incidentally, her archnemesis comes to her with a proposition that helps her cause. Once she starts investigating though, things are revealed to not be as they seemed...
The story is very intriguing. It does have some moments that I didn't quite get how a character's brain arrived at their course of action but if you are willing to frown through a couple of confusing interactions, after a few episodes everything starts to make sense. I don't know anything about Japanese culture and I'm still processing the concept of red bean paste as a sweet-desert but this show was such a fun way to get a glimpse into it. One thing that was so interesting about this show was that it's set in modern times but then a lot of characters live in this rural style that seems like it's from the past if you glimpse at it a certain way. Like I'm pretty sure the house the main characters live in doesn't have electricity. Also, everyone wears kimonos and that just makes the aesthetics so good. I even liked the non-traditional outfits. The main character Nao's clothes are so pretty. The romance I think might not be something everyone will have patience with, the dude acts so odd at first and he slams his fist against the wall and glares down at the protagonist a lot. I frowned a bit the first two times he did it but then I started snorting when he did it because it was just so melodramatic and ineffective. Thankfully he stops once he gets his *~*~*~* Tragic backstory*~*~*~* so it was all in good fun! I liked the romance once they got their groove on. They were really easily into each other so that was really good. The development process was kind of a surprise too, definitely a different pace from the cdrama and kdramas I am used to. I really enjoyed it. I liked the murder mystery/whodunnit part too. Not gonna talk about the very end but to a certain extent, it all made sense. I figured some of the reveals before they happened and some not.
I would say it was slightly soap opera-ish? Like they definitely had that melodramatic music+weirdly widened eyes shock face close up and messy villain shenanigans but it was entertaining enough.
The acting...hmm. It was fine? Didn't love the mother's overacting. She reminded me of Snape from A Very Potter Musical sometimes!
The music was good when it was just soft classical music. It went well with the vibe of the story.
Overall, I liked it. It wasn't awe-inspiring but it was a very fun and quick watch. Definitely recommend.
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Best thing about this dramas is WAGASHI
When I started this drama and read the synopsis, thought this was going to be fun watch but to my disappointment that wasn't the case. Started of good and ending was good (last episode). The rest is all draggy.Even if you skip to last episode there's nothing you will miss out except for the delicacies and their meanings.
The best role probably was Kyoko (ML's mom) who was "poisonous butterfly" but maybe in the end you'd sympathize with her a bit...?
Romance wise there's no chemistry. It's almost felt bland, probably the whole drama felt bland to me. I wouldn't mind even if they didn't end up together. (Well by the end I wished that too)
And the mystery was okay or maybe good. Never expected the murderer would be him.
And coming to drag, with that story and pace and the number of flashbacks they used, they could have ended it with less episodes. They even left Cdramas(few) behind with the flashback scenes.
Don't know how her asthma got cured? Is still a mystery.
It was an okay watch. It's was more like a soap opera than a psychological thriller.
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I like both main character and I can see their chemistry especially the female one. Jdrama is known for having a cutie pie female character but this one is not. I love her so much. The male one has a fuckboy vibe and I totally like that. Wanna bite him so bad HELPPPP
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Soap opera with beautiful food (?)
To be honest the story was not my cup of tea - lost heir, family drama, etc. But you got to watch the beautiful wagashi and a bit of nice scenery in the drama. They managed to keep the main "mystery" until the very end, and I think it's the only thing that made me finish this drama. Acting by Minami Hamabe and Ryusei Yokohama are good for me, they were able to convey the emotion to the viewers. Alisa Mizuki who played Tsubaki's mother was successful in becoming your standard "soap opera antagonist". Yamazaki Ikusaburo also did well as a supporting character.There's not much I can actually say about the drama, but somehow it is good enough and I can finish it... Watashi wa douka shite iru? 🙈
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This review may contain spoilers
An engaging plot with high quality acting!
I had my doubts. The J-Dramas I have watched so far always have at least one (or even both) out of the two most common flaws; horrible acting or terrible storyline. I dived into "Watashitachi Douka Shiteiru" with no high expectations, even when I was drawn by the visuals of Ryusei Yokohama and Minami Hamabe.And thankfully, I totally was in for a surprise!
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The story opens with a tragedy 15 years ago, the young master of a major confectionary house, Kogetsu-an, was found murdered in his own home. The only witness was his young son, Tsubaki, who immediately put the blame on a female worker, who is not just anyone; it's the mother of his playmate (possibly even sweetheart) Nao! Needless to say, Nao's life shattered that very instant and her mother also died not long after the murder charge, leaving Nao as an orphan. In the end, Nao and Tsubaki separated with ill feelings for each other.
Fast forward to 15 years later, fate reunites Nao (Minami Hamabe) and Tsubaki (Ryusei Yokohama) once again. The catch? Tsubaki doesn't recognize her, but she does. And this time she will do the one thing she wasn't able to do when she was a kid; fighting for her mother's innocence. Nao has nothing to lose now as she has lost everything in literal sense 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Tsubaki seems to be attracted to her for real, so long as she doesn't expose her identity as his childhood friend whose life he destroyed.
A daughter of a murderer and son of the victim. Or are they?
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I was hooked from the very first episode until the last. Though I have to admit that halfway through the show I already had a guess who is the true murderer all along and it's proven right, I was still pleasantly surprised by how the mystery unraveled in a way that's unexpected. Minami and Ryusei are so brilliant with their acting, and there are no overreacting cutesy acts, a plain heroine who needs saving or a naïve one who is frustrating and infuriating (yes, Coffee and Vanilla, I'm referring to that disaster). Nao is a strong character who tries to demand what she is due; justice for her mother and closure to the tragedy that robbed her of her normal childhood and adulthood, and I love her for it.
The only flaw I think she has is probably how she could wholly forgive Tsubaki for all he did in the past. Maybe it's just because so many years has passed by, or it's because there are only 8 episodes in this show that everything seems a bit fast even with the three years time jump, or because they're just destined to be together, but yeah, it's a tiny weeny baffling to me how she selflessly forgives him. Why tiny weeny? Because at her core, Nao is a kind person and the past can't be changed. That aside, Tsubaki also regrets what he did and somehow even he got his karma mostly during the last episode of this show. The end is bittersweet, just like how I like it.
If you're like me, who has seen too many horrors of J-Dramas with domineering men and submissive women and is more or less fed up with the very fact, I suggest you to watch this show. The acting is superb, the supporting casts exist to create drama necessary for the storyline and the wardrobe is amazing! The vocabs about traditional Japanese confectionary are also helpful and unique. A totally worthy drama to watch in your spare time!
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