Welcome to the house of horrors
This drama is about Mio Meguro, who experiences an extremely bad turn in her life by being fired from her job, kicked out of her house, dumped by her boyfriend and harassed by debt collectors all at the same time. In the darkest moment of her life, she finds solace in a kind soul who offers her refuge in a quaint little traditional share house. But, not all is as it seems….As far as the usual J-Dorama eccentricity goes, this show is not even half as weird as most of the same genre. Although the premise centres around the “youkai” (mysterious creatures of Japanese myth and folklore), spiritual/ dark arts themes with (minimal) elements of horror, this is pretty much a light hearted, comedic and well-acted production.
Koshiba Fuka plays the FL, Mio Meguro and her performance fits the role to a tee. Much like her previous role in Tokusatsu Gagaga, she is adept at playing the shy, timid, soft spoken and unassuming character that makes you want to protect this poor unfortunate soul who gets trampled on by unscrupulous boyfriends, bosses, and basically all other bullies. In addition to the fragile wimpiness, she projects the perfect blend of dramatic acting and comedic timing, thus making her well-suited to such humorous roles.
The supporting cast of the various Youkai are equally fun and entertaining, with the fantastic monster makeup and get-up, which comes across as more adorable than terrifying, during the transformation segment of every episode. This motley crew comprises monsters from tales as old as time, with Oiwa-san, Shutendoji, Zaishikiwarashi, and Nurarihyon as the primary share house occupants. Guest appearances by their comrades in arms come in the form of Okiku, Yomotsushikome, Yamauba and Amabie. Witnessing each of them with their uniquely strange and awesome powers truly is hilarious and mind-blowing.
The OST is provided by Miwa (who guest stars as herself in the final episode) who composed the distinctive J-rock piece, Daitan (check out the MV, which was produced with a unique “Youkai” concept).
I was honestly caught by surprise at how entertaining this show was. The ending was astonishing but hugely satisfying as well. Youkai Sharehouse is a light and easy watch if you’re in the mood for some laughter and fun, with the added insight into traditional Japanese folklore and myth of how the Youkai came into being. Running at only 8 episodes, it won't take too much of your time to indulge and you'll be positively relishing every moment of it.
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Easy watch, Enjoyable Plot
I really enjoyed watching this drama. It was quite nice and I liked how it ended. Each episode introducing and explaining the story of a Yokai was very nice for those of us who do not know much about them. And then came the last episode. I really liked what was done in it and I did not expect it to end that way. However, it felt right. The actors also were quite good. I had seen other work from Koshiba Fuka and I was excited because I liked her acting and this didn't disappoint. Really liked who the main character turned into in the last episode. All the situations she lived with the Yokais built Meguro Mio's character to do what she does at the end and that is what feel right.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
..4-9, ARANAMI, ARANAMI-KU, TOKYO..
..a story of a girl who is a bad luck-magnet - moneyless, jobless, homeless, loveless relationship...
..the moment she lost consciousness, a group of yurei and youkai saves her, stay on their house - these historical creatures who lives on the present time with a respective job helps her to avenge on her misery life..
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..the story covers her current job where she is working, even the love triangle she has..
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..a balance of comedy, love, and yeah a suspense that will make you shout not by fear but by fun..
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..a story that we may learn the importance of loving our work - to love and be productive, the build trust and teamwork, to learn to balance how to please people, to learn the importance of time in our workplace, our own time..
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..to be confident in one's self to be positive and reject all the negative we may see, hear, or encounter..
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..to love who we are..
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..this series is a one of a gem for me, the casts and staffs are so cool - I've watched this because I'm a fan of Marika and a first time to see her in comedic way - I do love this series so much. . .and yeah, I'm ready for the season 2..
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Meguro Mio (Koshiba Fuka) seems to take the lead through this series, and that is how it's written to be her story! However, after watching it throughout in its entirety, I've come to believe that this show is really about a handful of characters and not only one person or youkai.
To watch each episode play out is nothing short of amazing! Each character has their own story and throughout the series you get to watch them grow from someone scared, tired, sad, angry, (for lack of a better word) stupid, or even prejudice to be their true selves. The comedy is a bonus!
Most of the reviews on here seem to say (and correct me if I'm wrong!) that this show is a completely hilarious comedy tory, but I promise you beneath all of the comedy it is most definitely a life lesson for everyone within each episode! This show is a very good way to beat the Covid-19 Quarantine blues!!
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CATCHY AND REFRESHING CONCEPT
Although mid-episodes were filler-ish, I still able to have a good watch. It was fun and hilarious. I love every character — youkai and humans. It's my first youkai drama and it's catching my interest in it. Also, the sub-plots were brought meaningfully!The last episode was the best. It had all my attention despite being conscious to end this series as quickly as possible. I can relate to almost every gist and point of it. So attached. The What's Wrongs are my favorite line, especially mentioning breaking stereotypes. Yes, Mio-chan! You go girl<3
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The Yokai Family
La famille Addams a marqué plusieurs générations. Certainement par le fait que beaucoup d'enfants se retrouvaient dans cette famille. Les psychologues diront que c'est un effet cathartique pour les enfants et les ados qui se sentent comme des étrangers aux milieux des adultes. Et c'est l'effet qu'on ressent quand on suit les aventures de notre héroine au milieu de cette "famille" recomposé de Yokai en pleine déprime. Complètement GAGA de légende japonaise et de Koshiba Fuka depuis Tokusatsu gagaga, ce drama était pour moi. Encore une fois trop court et peu approfondi ( comme Gagaga) je ressors un peu déçu du visionnage. 8 épisodes pour présenter un yokai à chaque fois et sa légende mêlés aux activités très banales de l'héroïne (c'est vraiment le pitch de Tokusatsu gagaga, finalement ...) ce n'est absolument pas assez. Les épisodes sont longs, certes, mais le triptyque : "situation de drama (m'aime-t-il vraiment ?) , lien avec la légende et résolution du problème" est à mon avis, trop rapidement expédié pour qu'un européen comme moi puisse être satisfait. Les acteurs sont bons dans leurs rôles de yokais un peu fragiles, mais la mise en scène pâtit du manque de moyen de la série. Certes le temple est bien mis en avant, mais l'intérieur bien trop moderne et surtout les maquillages et costume ne sont pas à la hauteur de ce que j'attendais. C'est une comédie, d'accord, et les acteurs nous font bien rire, mais les effets spéciaux aussi et je ne suis pas sûr que c'était voulu. Quoi qu'il en soit on passe un bon moment, mais sans se tordre de rire non plus. Les légendes sous formes de dessins pas vraiment animés (comme le théâtre de papier traditionnel) en rebuteront certains, mais évidement pas moi qui en suis grand fan. Et j'attends à chaque fois le moment du "mukashi mukashi ...". Il va me manquer maintenant que la série est finie. Heureusement l'apparition de Miwa dans le dernier épisode rattrape tout, j'aimerai tellement la revoir sur scène (comme beaucoup d'autres d'ailleurs...)Was this review helpful to you?
