Ase to Sekken (2022)

if you enjoyed the drama, read the manga!

i'm a big fan of the manga, and the jdrama was a surprise; albeit a pleasant one. the casting for the characters were perfect even though a lot of characters in the manga weren't included, but the chemistry between kotaro and asako was as sweet and genuine as it is in the manga. at first i was apprehensive to the weird/wacky vibe they were taking when it came to portraying kotaro's scent fetish (the sniffing was so loud lmao), asako's sweating (so much steam/smoke), and the bizzare sex scenes, but after the first few episodes i embraced the wackiness for what it was and found myself cracking up at how bizzare those moments were.

my main disappointment is how short the episodes/drama is overall because the story ended up being so rushed, but towards the last few episodes i really liked how they portrayed those special moments of kotaro's and asako's relationship development and how they worked through their problems. the chemistry between these two actors were amazing and you could really feel how much they loved each other. their supporting cast of friends, family, and coworkers was very nice as well.

TL;DR the jdrama is short, cute, and fun to watch, but i highly reccomend viewers to read the manga to experience the full love story of kotaro and asako (with regular sex scenes lmao). sweat and soap is definitely one of my favorite josei mangas!

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Good different.

I have to say this oddly turned out to be one of favorite Japanese dramas.
Japanese dramas tend to start off nice and normal then they veer off into some highfalutin pretentious concepts, in my opinion going for “trying to be different” pathway, that inevitably turns into jumbled up mess (I’ve dropped more JDramas than I have watched)

This show on the other hand takes that inevitable turn that most JDramas do and some how manages to pull it off.

It’s simple and old fashioned, but modern and edgy at the same time. It’s not something I’ve quite seen before.

In summary I recommend this because it actually manages to do different well.

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(10)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(7)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe/Costume-Design/ Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(7)

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A story about your own UNIQUE love.

Before you watch this series, I will say it is unique and can push boundaries. Which shouldn't be a surprise if you are at all familiar with Japanese films/series since they are known to have shows like that.

Once you get past the sweat focus, its honestly such a sweet love story about two people who are a building their own happy, loving relationship which may not conform to the norm. I will say the series is fast paced and cuts out A LOT of the background information/characters that you get from the manga (hint hint: read the manga!)

So, the female lead is a shy, anxious woman who was incessantly bullied due to her sweating as a kid - which as we all know when your stress, you only seem to sweat more -. She is intelligent, working as an accountant at a soap company but you can tell from the start she is unsure about her own body and what her value is as a partner/woman. Still she works hard to communicate to the male lead and doesn't rely on the stereotype that "he will guess the problem".
The male lead oversteps social boundaries but it can be overlooked somewhat due to him being a bit eccentric and utilizes his sense of smell to create new scents for soap. I would describe his personality as being similar to an odd painter who sees a new muse and begs for them to sit and model for them so they can create a new piece of art. He is very compassionate and hardworking, he shows his love to the female lead in all the ways he can and even shows his own vulnerability when he is scared he may be losing her.

All in all they work together to build each other up, overcoming insecurities and embracing each others uniqueness. I love the message of "I know I couldn't be there to have shield you from the pain you suffered, but I can be here now to share the painful memory of it and help you learn to heal".

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Not as good as the source material.

The acting is alright. It isn't the shining star to this series. I tried watching it because I liked the manga. But they tried making the live action too 'cute'. Anyway, it isn't my cup of tea, I'm not invested in it. I'm dropping the series after episode 2.

The manga is better than the live action. I would even take an anime adaptation over this. It's a cute idea, but the whole point of this series was the wholesome mixed with smut. There's a lot of wholesome, but no smut, really. I'd say the actress has to put more of herself out there in some scenes, wearing only her underwear. It makes me think she was only viewed as eye candy, personally, I felt hella uncomfortable. Maybe it was because of her personality? She's very clumsy and wants to run away from everyone because of her insecurities. She doesn't know how to keep her cool. Compared to other J-dramas that highlight those qualities of the female/male lead, I feel as if her movements in this live action are too animated. They shouldn't have make this series, that's just my opinion. It would have been better seen as an animation, not live action.

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Drama très cute et très nipon

Sweet, sweet Japanese romance between 1 FL very self-conscious about her excessive sweating and its smell, and 1 ML "nose" in the same Company, who loves this smell. He will "tame" her and heal her.

This series, very very cute, is short (Japanese format < 10 episodes).

The realization is very dynamic:
- no downtime, nothing useless,
- some scenes are even a bit too brief,
- no secondary character development.

BUT (the bonuses):
- The ML is "the one we all dream of": handsome, attentive, understanding, ... And, for once, we are also in his head or in his fantasies, and not only in the FL's head !
- the very well done and comical sex and fantasy scenes. Nothing really daring or immodest, but the special effects let the viewer imagine what is really happening. ??????

The OSTs are very Japanese (it sound like animes ... lololol) (so not for all tastes).

I will watch it again with pleasure (I must admit that the very short format helps ?). ???

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Sweet sweet romance à la japonaise entre 1 FL super complexée par son hypersudation et son odeur, et 1 ML "nez" dans la même Compagnie, qui adore cette odeur. Il va l'apprivoiser et la guérir.

Cette série, très très cute, est courte (format japonais < à 10 épisodes).

La réalisation est très dynamique :
- aucun temps mort,
- certaines scènes sont même un peu trop succinctes,
- aucun développement des personnages secondaires.

MAIS (les bonus) :
- Le ML est "celui dont on rêve toutes" : handsome, attentif, attentionné, compréhensif, ... Et, pour une fois, on est aussi dans sa tête ou dans ses phantasmes, et pas seulement dans la tête de la FL !
- les scènes de sexe et d'imagination très bien faites et cocasses. Rien de vraiment osé ou d'impudique, mais les effets spéciaux laissent le spectateur imaginer ce qui se déroule réellement ???

Les OST sont très japonaises (donc pas pour tous les goûts).

Je le regarderai à nouveau avec plaisir (il faut avouer que le format très court, ça aide ?)

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