Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru (2020)

A wild ride from start to finish.

Words cannot describe how over the top this drama is, in the most entertaining way possible. Every time you think the plot could not possibly get more insane, Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru blows past your expectations. This is not a drama that likes to milk its pivotal moments; instead of dragging out conflicts or straining your patience with filler love triangles, it strings events together in such a way that every shocking revelation serves to set up the next one.

The drama throws the viewer into its dark, unapologetically manga-esque universe from the start, when Tsubaki first tastes Nao's confections and proposes marriage to her on the spot in a dual bid to recruit her to his side in the war of succession at Kougetsu An (the traditional Japanese sweets shop at the heart of the drama) and to thwart the marriage his mother has arranged for him. All you can do from that point onward is hold on to your hat.

Nao is, of course, the daughter of the woman Tsubaki's testimony condemned as the murderer of Tsubaki's father many years ago, and she has decided to infiltrate Kougetsu An for her own purposes, i.e. to unmask the real murderer and destroy the sweets shop that ruined her mother's life. Obviously. But several shocking developments complicate this simple plan...

Birth secrets, hidden identities, forbidden love, cold-blooded seductions, childhood trauma, fires, pregnancy, jealousy, secrets, revenge plots, deathbed confessions, organ transplantations, tragically mistaken identities, etc.: WwDS has it all! I'm not kidding. And you'll love every second of it, or at least I did.

Amidst all this extremely entertaining nonsense, the dark romance between Tsubaki and Nao develops quickly yet without compromising on emotional and psychological complexity. The two waste no time in getting physical, but the real drama only begins once they've acknowledged their feelings and have to confront the impossibility of turning the twisted pretence between them into a real relationship. I actually found the romance between them to be very fun and sexy, and delightfully free of cliches (except where the drama leans into them in the campiest way possible, e.g. angry kabedons galore--and, well, fine, I can't lie; there is a time skip in the last episodes and it sucks as usual).

The strong character work is part of what makes the romance so good. Nao in particular, as a strong-willed, talented woman who hides painful secrets and is hell-bent on revenge, makes for a charismatic female lead and is easy to root for in both love and her quest for the truth. Tsubaki, too, falls in love with her in front of our eyes and we sympathise with him over his emotional turmoil, his sense of duty and loyalty to the oppressive Kougetsu An, his complicated relationships with his mother and grandfather, and the impossible situation he finds himself in.

The secondary characters are also well drawn and while some of them, like Yusuke and Shiori, at first appear to be stereotypical love rivals/spanner-in-the-wheel obstacles to Nao and Tsubaki's relationship development, their arcs are not drawn out, their character development is done well and we (or at least I) come to root for them as characters in their own right, which isn't something I often say about secondary love interests in jdramas. Tsubaki's mother is a solid villain too: cartoonishly vamp but entertaining and vulnerable... and even sympathetic in defeat.

The soundtrack greatly contributed to my enjoyment of the drama as it always matched the craziness that was taking place on screen. The director was not shy about using moody and dramatic instrumentals to highlight ridiculous scenes, of which there were many. Every time the angsty rock opera music kicked in while the camera panned to an innocent-looking flower-shaped dessert, I couldn't help but cackle at the nonsense the drama managed to get me to care about.

I was prepared to give WwDS a perfect 10/10 purely based on my level of enjoyment up to around episode 6, when things slowed down a little bit and the drama entered a slightly more conventional final act. I wish there had been a few more interactions between Nao and Tsubaki in the final 2-3 episodes, but [SPOILERS] worry not: their love remains strong throughout and they make several very good love confessions to clear the air in the end. And yes, of course there is a happy ending! I just wish we had been given a few more minutes to bask in it, but I'm still very satisfied with how the drama ended. [/SPOILERS]

Overall, WwDS is a masterpiece for carrying off its wacky manga premise with panache and conviction for 8 episodes of live-action TV and building a very satisfying romance around a solid revenge plot set in the dark world of... well... traditional Japanese sweets. It delivered everything I never knew I needed from a romantic jdrama.

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Interesting plot that is well executed!

The overall style is way too "soap opera"-ish to my personal liking, but the plot and the twists make me able to overlook all that.
It is quite dark at some points but somehow is also really wholesome. The main and supporting characters all have great chemistry with each other and really perfectly casted.
I love how in the end no one was ever really evil, every characters have their own resolution arc.

This show has it all: great plot, terrific acting from the casts, subtle but nice comedic touch and a perfect ending.
Give this a watch if you're into mystery with a touch of romance!
It's an easy 8/10.

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Really good!

Honestly when I saw that there was only 8 episodes I was kinda disappointed but now that I've finished it, it's actually better as a it is. The plot was really good and the story made me want to know more about everything that had happen. Chemistry is also amazing. I don't really watch Japanese dramas and I've been trying to get into it lately and this one really made me get into it. The girl wasn't cringy, or annoying imo and the guy wasn't annoying either.

Anyways I really enjoyed it and I wish there was like a movie or something to see the aftermath of them and how they keep the shop. :)

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I started watching this drama because I was bored. I guess sometimes from dramas that you don't expect anything, they tend to be a big surprise! And this was it. Pleasantly.

From the beginning i'm was hooked and although there are situations that made me laugh because they were absurd, I was still hooked to know what would happen with Nao and Tsubaki; who had really killed Tsubaki's father and if Nao was willing to forgive him, despite everything.

This drama has so many twists and turns that you don't really expect what will happen, which makes it unsure if Tsubaki and Nao would finally stick together. Not because they were a toxic couple but because the circumstances that surrounded them + like both of them, willing or not, had injured each other a lot, it was not known if they were capable of forgiving each other.

That part was very realistic because they loved each other but they still had in mind what was happening between them and that it would not be easy for them.

The soundtrack was very good and the acting was great too so I highly recommend it.

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The romance mystery with the twists, sweets and kimonos ?

The background of the story is very interesting, related to japanese traditional confectionnery which will make you eager to taste those sweets 😁 plus you ll have the chance to see casts with hakamas and kimonos, feast to the eyes 😍
A mystery romance genre. Kind of complicated ones. I was really curious to see how the two main lead with reasonable and understandable love and hate relationship would lead their story and to see the one who started to ignite the long trail of messy tragedies. It is really a cursed love.
I watched 3 episodes with enthusiastic, however kind of dissapointed with eps 4 plot, I even consider to drop it. But then I decided to continue the eps 5. The mood was coming back again and the story went greatly after that.
I really like the fact in eps 8 the duration was longer than previous episodes to accomodate the need. So it's not feel rushed. All were peeled off in the final eps very satisfactory.
For the casts, the actors are the power of the dorama I think, such as Tsubaki, Jojima, Takigawa all were played well. Their acts and body gesture were great. For the actress I do agree that Madam kougetsuan chara was powerfull act in the dorama. I like the personification of Nao as well, but I was hoping she could be bolder than that. While actually in the beginning of the episode, she did bolder but in latter episodes the character was a bit of off the hook.
Overall it is still a very highly reccomended dorama to watch, enjoy 🥰

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A psych-thriller drama made aesthetically beautiful by pretty foods.

Cursed in Love is the English title of the show. But why? It has a happy ending, so why is it cursed? Why not Sakura? Or Bitter Sweet, or Blood and Sweets? Or even something else. Or it's just me being picky.

This is a psychological-thriller drama made aesthetically beautiful by pretty foods with just a pinch of romance. Pretty food plus pretty actors. The Psycho-Thriller can be rated as 3/5 stars. Drama wise it is also a 3/5 stars. While romance is just at around 2.5/5 stars.

This show gave the viewers a glimpse of japanese culture when it comes to food, family, marriage and traditions. And then the story turns dark with deceit and death. Deceit by loving someone else spouse, like our main characters parents. Or death and destruction as a form of revenge.

At first, I dont like the ML that much as he was harsh with the FL. The FL is a sweet girl with a thrist for justice, she's even willing to enter into a marriage without love just to give her moms name the justice it deserve.

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Captivating drama

🌸🌸 CURSED IN LOVE 🌸🌸

Here is another Jdrama that stand out for me (not just because ryusei yokohama is one of my babyloves in Japan) and I recently enjoyed watching. A little bit fast paced series that made me excited what will gonna happen next, it thrilled me too and doesn't got me bored coz the story is quite interesting.

🌺🌺 Although I am irratated with the evil matron but in the end of the story she gained my sympathy. I also have a special attention to Mr. Takigawa (mysterious man,who is the main key of the murder case) who has been all out support to Nao.
🌼🌼 Ryusei Yokohama (as Tsubaki) and Hamabe Minami (Nao) looks good together, and im looking forward for them to be paired up in another drama in the future.

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Man, how the hell did they manage to make me actually feel not-so-angry at the dude's mother by the end of this? It takes one hell of an actress to pull her off, and Mizuki Alisa stole the whole damn show. Main characters who? I literally had shivers every time she sang in that beautiful, somber voice. God.

I will admit, her incredible performance overshadowed the rest and really exposed how...bland...some actors were, Hamabe Minami in particular. That's not to say Minami was bad- in fact, both her and Yokohama Ryusei were actually quite good on their own, maybe Ryusei more than her, but definitely nothing really obvious. A large part of this show is about their romance, which is admittedly very good, if a little frustrating. By the end, the push and pull started getting really old and I really wanted them to just sit down and have a nice conversation instead of assume random things, cry, and then separate (order might vary).

They have great chemistry, which I honestly attribute more to Ryusei than Minami in typical J-drama fashion where the male lead is usually a lot more enthusiastic than the female lead in kissing and the like. It gets really old, really fast when Japanese heroines find it perfectly okay to just stand still like the national anthem is playing in the background while the male lead goes to town on their mouths. If I could tell these directors one damn thing before I die, it would be to ensure both the characters act like WILLING participants and show equal passion. Alas.

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Definitely recommend !

This review contains spoilers from all episodes so beware.

This drama is so so good and Def did not regret watching it. To be honest, I think it is too short for 8 episodes and Def should be longer. This drama has all sorts of genres like mystery, romance, suspense etc. I love the chemistry between the female lead and male lead. Aside from the romance, the revenge and murder mystery plot line is so interesting. It never fails to make me keep watching.

Now on to the spoiler zone and brutally honest review.

Love love love the plot line of murder mystery, hiding identity, childhood best friend and romance elements. It is so freshing compared to other jdramas. However, as other reviews call "soapy" or "soap opera", this drama tend to have soap opera elements so it was kinda cringy and cheesy in some of the scenes, not only acting wise but also production. Like sir I do not need a recap of your shocked face twice. Also, I feel like the storyline after ep 5 was a bit rushed. I personally think that it is ok to drag the episodes a bit since there were a lot of plot twists. It feels like every plot twist was packed at the last few episodes. I think that should have been unpacked slowly little by little and continued with the aftermath of it.
I'm quite surprised when Tsubaki and Nao just suddenly agreed to the idea of marriage on ep 1. Plus Tsubaki doesn't even know her identity yet! It feels quite weird to just jump straight to the "fake marriage trope" when you didn't even saw eachother more than twice. Also, even though the chemistry of the main characters were spot on, there were NOT 👏ENOUGH 👏SCENES👏 OF 👏THEIR👏 ROMANCE👏 DEVELOPMENT. What do you mean you liked eachother after two days and now you're kissing. (Well I'm not complaining tho) Isn't Nao supposed to hate Tsubaki or sm? Why is it that when he seduces her she suddenly can't back up for herself?? Yeah I can't get Tsubaki at first too. Like literally why is he hugging and kissing her when he knows he's in a fake marriage with her. Well maybe they're downbad, idk. I think they should have more scenes when they don't like eachother initially but gets more interested later on. Lastly, I wished we got to see what they're up to when they are reunited in the end.

Well that's all for my review, ik it's long but this is how much I wanted to say. Nonetheless, this is such a great story and I literally can't stop thinking about it the day after I finished it 😭💞. Their chemistry is sooo good and I hope they cast in another drama soon.

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Vous prendrez bien une petite douceur ?

Voilà un drama qui donne faim rien qu'à l'affiche, pour tous les amoureux du Japon et des Japonais en particulier. En arrière-plan des Wagashis, pâtisserie traditionnelle japonaise alléchante par l'aspect esthétique autant que par le gout et au milieu deux acteurs chers à mon cœur. Hamabe Minami aussi mignonne qu'excellente dans ses rôles (Emma dans The Promise Neverland, quand même) et Yokohama Ryusei (Anata no ban desu , ...) surement un des acteurs le plus doué de sa génération, à mon avis. Certaines diront le plus beau, bref .... Les deux en costumes traditionnels, de surcroit, cela envisage un excellent drama et on est clairement pas déçus. Les critiques étant nombreuses et le manga "surement" connu (comme d'habitude je ne l'ai pas lu) je m'attacherai vraiment sur les personnages et la mise en scène. Mais l'histoire vous prendra aux tripes et les nombreux rebondissements vous tiendront en haleine jusqu'à la fin. Les acteurs sont formidables et pas seulement les premiers rôles. La matrone fait bien flipper comme il faut dans ce genre d'histoire et seulement quelques ficelles scénaristiques ou de mise en scène mal menées viennent gâcher le plaisir (ahhh, ses flashback et ses regards noirs qui manquent de subtilité...).
Si on propose souvent une mise en avant des pâtisseries, on regrettera que la confection ou les petites histoires sur les gâteaux ne soient pas plus détaillées. Surtout pour moi, petit européen qui a encore tant à découvrir. Mais la tradition est si bien mise en avant dans la série qu'on pardonne ses oublies. Costumes, lieux aussi magnifiques que bien filmés (Ah ses jardins et ses cadrages, on dirait des estampes) et traditions familiales à la fois horribles et magnifiques. Tout est magnifiée. Peut-être à outrance, je pense par exemple aux kimonos portés en permanence (on comprendra la symbolique dans le dernier épisode) même pour pâtisser. Mais quelle plaisir pour les yeux. Si on me redemande pour la centième fois : " pourquoi j'aime tant le Japon ? ", la réponse sera maintenant : Regarde les 8 épisodes de Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru et tu comprendras.

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A arte de fazer Wagashi + romance

Fazia tempo que eu não assistia uma série japonesa e essa foi viciante. A história é uma trama que mistura mistério e romance, trazendo elementos da cultura japonesa como os doces tradicionais (Wagashi), cerimônia do chá e os lindos kimonos e yukatas. Achei bem original como esses elementos foram colocados!
O casal principal é muito fofo, gosto de como eles vão evoluindo no decorrer da série. Os eventos vão desenrolando aos poucos e conseguem prender a sua atenção até no último episódio. Fora que a produção é um show a parte, adorei ver o conceito de criação dos doces, as roupas tradicionais japonesas, as casa, tudo muito bonito.

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