Furo Girl (2020)

Probably everyone and their grandmothers has described this show and it's female lead as quirky at this point, so I won't do that, but I'm honestly not sure that quirky is the right descriptor anyway. Somewhere between peculiar and bizarre is more accurate, in my opinion. You see, Sayoko's love of bathing occasionally borders on the side of concerning. She never does anything particularly out there or disturbing, but her love for the bathtub can be...intense and a little too all-consuming. Of course, that's the entire premise of the show, and it's definitely played up for both laughs and heart, I just think if we were friends in real life, I might be a little bit concerned for her and would probably make an effort to get her out of the house more.

This is why, I think, that while I got the humor and the message and appreciated both, I didn't always enjoy the drama. I don't think I experienced a true guffaw until the last episode when she threw a rock into her tub, and the waxing poetic over bathing and how important it is for life had no affect on me. I wasn't touched by her emotional connection to bathing like the drama clearly wanted me to be. But that might just be me. I personally prefer showers to baths, so I don't have that same relaxed feeling when I think about taking a bath, and while I didn't connect with the story in an emotional way, I can at least agree with the drama's sentiments about the physical, mental, and emotional benefits bathing can have for some people.

I do like Sayoko, of course. She can be every bit as self-absorbed as what appears to be her only friend in the story, but if we really were friends in real life, I would probably come to find her obsession with the bathtub endearing rather than weird, and I would probably appreciate her unique view on life and the bathtub, even if it's not a view I share myself.

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Word to the wise: if you approach this "Furo Girl" with any lewd thoughts (like how you're gonna watch Sakurai Hinako taking bath after bath), you'll be deceived; there's nothing even remotely lewd in this dorama, and believe me, it's probably better like that (besides, the main character being such a monomaniac simpleton with the mind of a small kid, it would be impossible to see her under that guise anyway).
Unfortunately, you'll probably be deceived (at least, so was I!) even if you approach this expecting it to be quirky-but-funny: because, well, quirky it is, all right...but funny...hmmm...not really, sorry; a coupla faint smiles in 6 episodes is all it got out of me...:/
Cast-wise, Sakurai Hinako does ok, all things considered. The kouhai is as annoying as they come (anybody else would have blacklisted her after the 5th "Senpai! Kiite kudasai yo!"), but then again, if that's what the actress was going for, kudos to her as well.
The music is kinda ok, but personally I can't help but associating Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" with that bureaucratic, neo-sovietic nightmare (all imho) which is the European Union (which adopted that as its anthem, in case you don't know) and, well, that's ruined that piece for me, like, forever.
The only reason why I didn't drop this and kept watching it till the end is that here and there it provides the viewers with some interesting and creative info/tip on bathing and, more generally, on "home ec" stuff like how to make inexpensive and environmentally-friendly cleaning products with baking soda and citric acid, and so on.
All in all, not enough to reach the passing grade, as far as I'm concerned. Not even close, alas.../.__.\

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Un bain c'est tout !

Les dramas japonais ont le pouvoir de vous envouter avec 2 fois rien. Prenons Furo girl, qui dès son titre annonce la couleur : l'histoire d'une jeune célibataire qui ... prend son bain ! Et qui prend son bain dans les 6 épisodes et cela pendant une bonne partie des 25 min de l'épisode !!! Je vous vois venir avec votre sourire en coin, mais rien de pervers là-dedans. Tout est filmé avec pudeur. Rien d'étonnant venant du pays de la grâce et du respect. On suit donc les aventures aquatiques de Sakurai Hinako dans son tout petit appartement, mais super bien équipé en cabine/salle de bain à la japonaise. Et pour cause l'héroïne de cette adaptation de manga est une Nerd du bain, nous rappelant tout au long de la série à quel point ce peuple apprécie ce moment de la journée (et moi aussi ;)).

Ne cherchez pas d'histoire dans cette série. Cette comédie compile des tranches de vie à l'intérieur de ce 2 pièces, salle de bain. Même si l'héroïne se retrouve souvent seule, ses monologues sont poilants et la voie grave de l'actrice colle parfaitement à ses situations qui devrait être extrêmement frivoles, mais qui les rendent empreints de gravité. C'est ce décalage qui créé des situations qui vous feront au moins sourire.

Sans être un chef-d’œuvre de l'humour, vous passerez un bon moment de détente dans cette eau à température idéale. Vous apprendrez surement des trucs et astuces pour égayer vos propres bains et "pour plus d'informations vous pourrez même consulter le site internet du programme" (mais je ne sais pas pourquoi j'écris cela). Un moment de bien être entre deux épisodes d'Alice in Borderland.

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