Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru (2020)

watched on a whim and now has me hooked on j-dramas

And I still can't find any that compare! Only certain dramas compel me to watch beyond the first episode - this was one that made me binge it all night to completion! The chemistry between the two leads being electrifying since their first encounter is my number one reason. My only complaints are how dated some of the filming/editing feels to me - like something out of 2005-10 - but maybe that's why I love it so much, it has that nostalgic melodrama factor for me complemented with cheesy twists., along with a villain you just love to hate and a FL you root for to succeed! I'm a fan of fast-paced shojo mangas and this was based on one so I'm quite obsessed with it!

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Caught me by surprise

Wanted to watch a new Jdorama and saw this on Netflix. Netflix showed me a snippet of it - Seems to be something about people making Japanese desserts. I thought that was it and I was wrong...

Story: I just started it at random thinking that it was just an ordinary story about the artisan(s) who made Japanese dessert but then, I ended up binge watching it to the end. It was frustrating in the first 2 episodes, like I needed to know more. It feels like you learn new things in every episode. There's just more to this drama than just dessert making. Of course the story revolves around the business of making and selling the desserts but it also shows what happens to the people involved and their stories. I love how they showed the dessert with the explanation and illustration.

Acting/Cast/Production: I love the directing for this drama! The way the scenes were shot, the angles, I love it. This drama has an interesting plot but if directed wrongly can be very messy. The timeline is very important. Also, props to the screen writer! For the acting, I think I've found a new actress to love which is Minami Hanabe. I've seen her in Ano Hana and Kakegurui. She can really bring out the emotion of the character. Overall, all the cast in this drama did well. Special mention to the Arisa as Tsubaki's mother. The way she sing all those poems? or songs? has that horror vibe. Anyway, she did well in this drama.

Music: Love the main theme song by Tokyo Jihen. The OSTs are good, too.

Rewatch Value: It's really good the first time you watch it because there's many things to uncover. As for a rewatch value... I might rewatch it again as it was quite enjoyable but not sure if I'll get the same feelings I got the first time I watch it since I've already known how the story unfolds.

Anyway, I love this drama. It caught me by surprise but it was a good surprise. I'm recommending my fwens and family to watch this as I typed this review. If you like psychological thriller with a sprinkle of romance and lots of food (desserts), give it a try!

Thank you for reading till the end.

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In a bubble....

I love a good melodrama and this one was one of the best: short and to the point.

This drama takes place within the world of japanese sweets makers, bound by the rigid rules of japanese society. It is a world unlike any I have seen previously: it is apparently taking place at this day and age but their behaviour and the way of life is out of another era. They are wearing kimonos all the time and I have not seen a single mobile phone anywhere: when they needed to talk to someone at the distance, they used the old fashioned land line! Even the characters themselves admited to be strange: "There is something wrong with us!" they say repeatedly!

So into this world comes a young woman, an expert sweets maker with a revenge on mind and shakes everything up!

The story is a usual melodrama one: betrayal, lies, murder, fight for inheritance, back stabbing...everything is there and is so much fun to watch!

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9/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Japanese suspense mystery, romance drama with 8, 37-52 minute episodes. Also known under the Japanese title Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru which translates to We Are Not Ourselves.

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
Fifteen years ago Hanaoka (Okura) Nao’s (Hamabe Minami) mother was a talented baker at a family owned sweets shop. The son and heir of the highly successful confection shop, Takatsuki Tsubaki (Yakohama Ryusei), was Nao’s playmate as she lived in the staff area with her mother. The two young children learned to make confections together and Tsubaki fondly nicknamed Nao “Sakura”. That all changed when Tsubaki accused Mao’s mother of killing his father. After 15 years Nao is no longer the child TsubakI remembered and the two encounter each other through a confection competition. Not realizing the mysterious girl is his childhood friend whose mother he believes killed his father, Tsubaki asks Nao to marry him to get out of an arranged marriage. Without missing a beat, Nao accepts the proposal to be close to the family and location where she feels her mother was falsely accused. She keeps her true identity hidden as it is clear Tsubaki would not be okay in proximity of the daughter of the woman he believes murdered his father. Can Nao determine what really happened in the past without suffering a similar fate? Can the fragile love between the former childhood friends endure when they both discover the truth?

Review
Thus was eye candy in the beautiful Komono they wore and bright imagery. The sweets they created were amazingly detailed and it would have been worth it to watch just to see the artistry of making the Japanese sweets. But there was more to it than that. The mystery of what happened in the past was woven through well and it kept you guessing as new details were slowly revealed. The leads had great chemistry and their romance was believable, The villainess was well cast as I felt foreboding whenever she was on scene. It is a bit dark but still has a nice romance. I recommend this and would rewatch in the future.

Spoilers*
There we’re times when it was like if you would just let them both run it or select them both it would solve so many problems. Lead girl let the mistress get away with a lot as she would do something violent or despicable and she would not tell anyone else.

#CursedInLove
#WatashitachiWaDoukaShiteiru
#MinamiHamabe
#RyuseiYokohama
#IkusaburoYamazaki

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Romance with a plot twist ahead

The story were super intriguing and the cast totally hats it off. The depth of the character was quite good as well. Totally not a usual romance drama but it's really worth to watch.

The beautiful cinematography, kimono and wagashi (Japanese Sweets) will also get you hooked.

I keep guessing in my head in each episode who's the killer and near the end I also try to guess who's tsubaki's real dad.
This drama also portrait human character really well, like tsubaki's mother who's antagonist but in the end it was revealed she's not always bad and really care about tsubaki.

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Came expecting more...

To be honest, this was one of the first jdramas I watched, and it left me feeling like a lot happened without a lot of emotion behind it. The lead actress ended up being one of my favorites after watching other dramas she starred in and the ML is pretty popular, so I won't say anything to that. Here was my impression after watching it:

Pretty good, but similar to the other jdramas I've seen thus far, the pacing feels too fast. even tho the eps are ~1hr, it's too fast and not enough character moments. I don't feel as if the mains really do love each other, even with a few flashbacks and scenes of pining over each other. I did really enjoy the candy-making scenes, though!

Take this with a grain of salt, I don't tend to fall in love with melodramatic stories.

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An honest review

I believe that this drama is not bad, but not so good either. It’s more like a drama where you just want to watch something and anything.

To me it had some real major issues in it (u can avoid them if u try). Which r the story line (plot) and how they filmed it.

For the first part i just couldn’t feel any depth in the story, they didn’t really give the characters a great backstory to feel and understand their emotions better. Also the plot wasn’t smooth, many scenes were full of nonsense and didn’t make sense to me, and the just didn’t flow into each other, u would just feel like u don’t know y this is happening in the first place.

For the second part the somewhat filmed it like an Indian drama, and it felt really like it was a 2000s drama although it is only recent when they filmed it.

I really liked how they portrayed the sweets in this drama, they gave a very nice view to something not all people would think of every day or never, but yeah it was a really nice thing to include.

And that’s all, so if u just want to watch something for fun u can watch it, but if ur looking for a good story I wouldn’t really recommend.

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Must watch if you like romance jdrama

For 8 episodes it's amazing drama.
Acting is quiet good, female lead does always look a bit surprise face but it's ok.
Has a great story. Lots of romantic scenes if you like that.
For live action adaption this is a really good one. Sometimes live action adaptions are bit strange, especially if you've read the manga or novel.
It wraps up well. no time wasting. The rating I gave is 9/10 for it is a short drama.
The pacing of each episode is good. Again it only has 8 episodes and I think it didn't need more and I wouldn't go less.
Definitely worth watching. Even if you don't think it's that great it is only 8 episodes of your time.

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A "Sweet" Thrilling Ride.

I've known that several Asian countries preserve certain forms of art and even have generations of the same family take it up, thus continuing a legacy. Once the family falls, the art dies down. Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru/Something Is Wrong With Us strongly portrays the importance of such traditions.

-- - When 5-year-old Okuro Nao (Sakura) came to the legendary sweet shop Kogetsu An with her mother, she never expected that her entire life would get turned upside down after her mother is framed for a murder that she did not commit… all based on the words of Tsubaki, her only friend and the one who made her love the art of sweetmaking. 15 years later, she decides to go back to Kogetsu An to find out the truth and clear her mom's name in the hope to enjoy the art of sweet-making freely. She hides her true identity and gets entangled once again with Tsubaki, discovering secrets that could turn her world upside down.

--- The story: is very Makjang style. But, not too much over the top - everything came to a believable conclusion. The murder and sweet making go hand in hand. I kept waiting for unfortunate events to befall Nao, but she faced them with all the might she had and learnt to survive in the deadly kitchen of Kogetsu An. She has to sort out her priorities: her mother's truth or Tsubaki's trust? The term suspension of disbelief becomes unsuitable once we realize how much of a big part the sweets play in the drama.

--- The Sweets: Like the title of my review, the art of sweet making itself seems like a more scary job than performing a surgery. And no sweet was simply a sweet. Each one had unique meanings and descriptions that would make ancient poets weep. It looked as if everyone made it with their heart and blood instead of flour and sugar. The carving, colouring and the effort that went behind a single one makes me want to frame them in a glass case instead of eating them.

--- I absolutely loved Nao's character. She had guts and a lot of willpower. Although appearing frail and powerless, she is ready to go headfirst into several situations that one would usually dare not go close to. Particularly, someone like her who must be avoiding suspicion. I loved her journey. I loved how her character grew into someone who could stand on her own and be a worthy opponent.

--- Tsubaki was no exception; he was the one person whom I felt had a distinct character growth. He had his own emotional baggage to hold up and simultaneously prove that he was worthy of his father's name.

--- The supporting characters and even the ones who are to be labelled as villains were all pitiful and three dimensional. Everyone were just pure humans in the end. I didn't hate a single person. I had a particular liking for Takigawa-san and Jojimo-kun, who impressed me with their performance and characters.

--- The time skip: I have yet to see many dramas that can portray a proper timeskip without making things seem like complete nonsense. This drama in particular had two to three timeskips that had a natural flow to it. Characters grew and evolved as individuals during them, making the next set of events nerve wracking to watch. It is a well paced drama.

--- The aesthetics: Japan rarely goes for flamboyant display of beauty and this drama was no different. The grace and poise in every character and the craft were so well portrayed that I can't recall a single moment where I was bored out of my mind.

--- The OST was the downside for me. While I enjoyed the simple BGMs and the opening credits, I did not like the song that popped up usually right before the episode wrapped. It sounded more suitable for some anime or heroic movie. This might also be due to the language barrier; I didn't understand a single word.

It's definitely worth a watch. And also, one of the better dramas that does not disappoint.

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Well, at least, they acknowledged it - that something is wrong with them. Look, these guys were aiming for a certain aesthetic, and they got it. Namely, that aesthetic is Japanese culture (as in pretty sweets, nature imagery, beautiful kimonos, & Japanese architecture) with a side of murder, infidelity, and conspiracy. The drama has a darker tone to it. I adore the aesthetic, but I have to admit, I don't really agree with anyone. And if I met any of the main characters in real life, I would run in the other direction. I also think I could stick around for all the plot twists because it was on the shorter side. I was actually able to enjoy the drama and dark tone in this one. If you can ignore pesty moral conflicts, this one is hella fascinating. I really enjoyed it!

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A dark love story with a sweet ending

The main couple will pull you in with their chemistry and restrained acting. The beautiful kimonos are as much a visual feast as the traditional sweets depicted. I loved the descriptions of these confectioneries as they are presented it added depth to the the story as did the emphasis on their world of politeness and manners.
Another surprise addition is the evil mother singing Gothic tales as she plots her next evil deed.
Plot twists and reveals kept the tension up as the pieces of the murder puzzle and accusation of Hanaoka Nao’s mother Yuriko are uncovered.
Takatsuki Tsubaki is depicted as a severe, focused person trying to win over his grandfathers approval in a bid to be the successor. Hanaoka Nao is just as focused and determined to discover why her mother was framed for the death of Takatsuki Tsubaki's father.
The love hate attraction determines the push and pull of their relationship.
This is a complex story of traditional mores in a conservative Japan and the tragic consequences.

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