Usokon (2023)

A cute story with a unrealistic female character (and i know this is a fiction)

At first glance, 'Usokon' presents itself as a heartwarming romantic comedy that reunites two childhood friends who lost touch for ten years. Takumi, the male lead, approaches her with an unconventional proposition, to be his fake wife for six months.

As the story unfolds, 'Usokon' initially weaves a charming tale of cute and heartwarming moments, where you can witness how this lie gradually transforms into their truth.

However, as the plot progresses, the portrayal of the female lead character, Yae, raises some concerns. She is selfless and sweet but her naivety and unrealistic behavior can be hard to ignore. The central conflict in the story becomes ... bonkers? as it involves a girl who had a brief relationship with Takumi a decade ago suddenly resurfacing and demanding Yae to go away, so she can be with Takumi. And she does!!!! This development feels unrealistic, with the character seemingly disregarding everything Takumi did and said up until that point.

While I initially enjoyed the dorama despite some minor annoyances, the appearance of this new character marked a downturn in the plot. If a conflict was needed to drive the story, it could have been approached in an entirely different and more believable manner.

On a brighter note, I found Takumi, Shindo, and Remi's characters to be quite engaging. I look forward to seeing these actors in future doramas, hoping for a more compelling storyline that does justice to their talents. ♥

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When the characters regress and you are questioning reality.

After watching one episode one would think the female lead will get an amazing character development and slowly will learn how to prioritize her own needs. One could not predict she will infect male lead with her Jesus complex - and yet this is kind of what happens.

Not gonna lie, Takumi was adorable. The twist on the contract marriage and the initial presentation of him as a cold male lead was done perfectly and set my expectations for the rest of the show slightly too high. On the other hand, Yae was just frustrating. While at the beginning the situations she put others’ needs ahead of her own made at least some sense, later it was just too much to handle and the script was leaning into some ridiculous territories.

I think the writer just fails to deliver a character development. I know not all characters need one, but her behavior was truly pathological on a whole new level. If anyone needs character development, it’s her. What’s worse, I feel like her “giving up so others can be happy” persona started to influence male lead too, which led to at best questionable last episode.

That said, I did enjoy them as a couple and their scenes were adorable and blast. The actors had amazing chemistry and as a viewer it was clear to me how in love they are. I also really liked all the side characters - which, surprise surprise, actually got more character development than our leading lady…

Overall, a decent rom-com that is lacking in some major areas.

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