Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Joshi wa Watashi no Moto Kano (2024)

Mixed Feelings

I was super into this series at first but it really lost its spark. I love a good exes to lovers trope so that really pulled me in and when that was the main focus I found the story amazing. It started losing that spark after Itsuki and Fuyu got together and I blame this all on the writers, specifically their gender. You can tell they are missing women writers. The only good part of the latter half of the show was the chemistry between the main actresses. I didn't care about anything that happened in their work problems and some "humor" was just horribly done, especially with that old man, it really didn't hit for me and I saw a lot of people having the same opinion. If we were to get a season 2 I would need it to be fully focused on Itsuki and Fuyu, take out every male character, and have women writers.

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Kinda weird and bad

I hate to say it, but this show isn't great. I know I shouldn't be expecting much for a production that is relatively low budget but the GL tv series scene is seriously lacking and I hate that viewers have to get used to sub-par GL dramas. Anyway, rant aside, if you're not into GL, there isn't any point in watching this.

First of all, the plot is so strange like what even. Right off the bat in the first episode Itsuki gets SLAPPED in public and alcohol poured on her head by Fuyu and yet she doesn't react at all. The other characters and extras gawk at them but no one does anything. This incident isn't even addressed after that WTF? It's a fictional show I get it, but this reaction (or lack thereof) is so far beyond reality I was literally laughing at the ludicrousness at it all. Some of the lines said by the characters were also so out of left field and bizarre it made me think I was watching a black comedy. Not to mention the random and vaguely stereotypical comments about China that were peppered in the show ... ummmm ....

Acting was kinda bad, but I feel it's more of a Japanese drama thing than an issue just limited to this show. I'm not a fan of the over the top acting and expressions in Japanese live action dramas so I honestly could not stand how some of the characters acted (especially Chief Ro, horny illustrator guy and to a lesser extent the 2 main characters).

Music was so bad and cringey. BGMs veer suddenly from one song to another. Non-existent cinematography, unless you count the violent shaking of the camera in some scenes (wtf? why!). The only redeeming quality is that it doesn't take itself seriously and has some entertainment value from the cringey lines and plot points. Oh, and it's 23 mins per ep so it's not a total drag.

Conclusion - watch only if you are fan of GL. There is really a lack of decent quality GL shows compared to BL which is sad. I've never watched a Japanese GL before so had high hopes for it but yikessss I think I'll stick to Taiwan and Korean dramas for now.

Edit: I have since finished the whole series and WOW, it actually ended way worse than I expected. I was trying to look past Fuyu's blatant cheating as it seemed that she was forced to marry her husband due to family pressure and cultural reasons BUT NO. In the last episode, it was revealed that she married her husband out of love! what even. Isn't this supposed to be made by a company that specifically makes lgbt shows??? WHY ON EARTH would they want to force some sort of hetero-normative relationship right at the end???? and portraying both Fuyu and Itsuki as cheaters/affair partners isn't the way to go for GL dramas... like gay people are perfectly able to have relationships that don't involve cheating y'know?! I'm not even sure what is on with this show.

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This drama is really bad

I really kinda in the story about ex-girlfriend, but this drama disappoints me. The story has many holes. In episode 1, why doesn't anyone comment on Fuyu pouring wine on Itsuki? They should have discussed their relationship, but they did nothing. Moreover, I don't understand why Fuyu kicked Masaki out of the team. When she returned, she helped the team a lot, even working better than Itsuki, who didn't contribute as the team leader. Furthermore, why did Itsuki decide to quit the company in ep 8? She didn't make any mistakes.
Additionally, the most disappointing aspect of this drama is that Fuyu married her husband out of love, making Itsuki and Fuyu's actions clearly adulterous. Isn't this drama promoting adultery and propagating a distorted ideology? There were many ways to develop the plot, but they chose the worst one. Moreover, I had hoped Itsuki's grandmother would help with plot development, but she disappeared after episode 2. Why bother creating such a meaningless character?
In terms of acting, Fuyu's actress is good. However, Itsuki's actress isn't as skilled; her acting feels quite awkward. In the love scenes, I didn't find her acting suitable for a couple who have been together for 4 years.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a good GL drama, this one isn't suitable for you.

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Review up to episode 5

This review isn’t final as the full series hasn’t come out yet, but of the episodes that have been released, I’m really loving it. Although the story starts off quite predictable, as it develops, you really are counting down the days until next Monday to see what will happen next. Yuuka and Yurika have done an excellent job portraying Fuyu and Itsuki and their complexities. They are very multidimensional characters which is refreshing to see. The music for the show doesn’t overshadow the actual scene, and the theme song by imase is very catchy. I know that Japan is very conservative with queer media, so a show like this must very important to the Japanese audience, as over here in the West, we have much more openminded media. Sadly it is only 8 episodes, but the show overall is very entertaining to watch and I’m very excited for the next 3 episodes.

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Not bad until the end...and maybe if you think to hard about it.

Watched this whole series in one sitting and just came here to review. So everything is very fresh in my mind.

TLDR: If you're watching this for the GL aspect - its good! Lots of cute kisses. I thought both main actresses were pretty and cute and both acted well~ the side characters were fun and got their own little time to shine. There are weird plot holes and things they could have left out, but if you're desperate you can easily overlook them. The antagonist ( not Fuyu, the angry boss lady ) was SOOO good at being horrible, I HATED her lol.

Surface level it was a good fun watch until the last episode...the weird whiplash of "they're together - they aren't - but I don't want to leave you - but bye - but...hi?" iykyk. Kind of ruined it all for me. I left frustrated. They could have done something MUCH better with the last 10 minutes than emotionally play with the viewers. Everything was already wrapped up in a bow, the two leads were going to be together. The husband wasn't treated well anyways, and he obviously wasn't happy in the situation. I just hated all the weird stuff at the end of the last episode. If you want to save yourself some heart ache or frustrated tears, stop watching at 15:50 ( on gaga ).



MAJOR SPOILERS:

Things I LOVED:

- I loved the parallels from the game character they are working on to the actresses clothing in the series. Itsuki always in white like the character pictured and Fuyu always in black. When their relationship is good they both start to wear a heavy mix of black and white. Then when things go down hill they are back to their solid colors. Really fun thing to notice~

- I loved that the father was a stay at home dad, he seemed like a good person. And I just love this representation of a father like this.

- Fuyus "Itsuki voice" I thought it was SO CUTE how alone Fuyus voice would get cute and high pitched with Itsuki.




Things I didn't like:

- That they didn't give the husband a "standing up for himself" moment. There was a really big opportunity here and they just DIDNT...sigh...

- The boss lady suddenly confessing that she liked Fuyu. She can JUST be a mean boss lady, like its fiiiine. Sort of pointless if you ask me.

- Aoyama trying to give the pictures back ^^ same scene as this - the whole scene didn't need to be there. lol

- The reason that Itsuki broke up with Fuyu and HOW she did it in the past. Just didn't feel very thought out. I understand the scary pressure of a parent coming to ask you something like that, but...no threats? No money needed? It just didn't feel like enough incentive for her to completely break Fuyus heart. Also hated the whole cold scene where she pretends to be with Aoyama, felt very off...I dunno...

- Nitpicky, but the fact that they had one ( maybe two?) outfits in all of the flash backs. We are suppose to assume they were together for FOUR YEARS ? and all we get are two outfits and flashbacks from a few days of college. I know they had time restrictions or money restrictions, this doesn't seem to be a huge project. But they could have asked the girls to bring a few change of clothes from their own closet to at least make it feel like more time was passing.

- Making Fuyu literally CLULESS when her husband leaves. Like girl, you are 27, you're telling me you never cooked one meal? You drink milk every night, you NEVER made yourself a glass of milk? I dunno - felt like a littttttle to much, I was sort of getting annoyed at her. But I know they were trying to portray how out of the loop in her own home she was...

- The whole ending but...you already knew that lmao.

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Chaser Game W: A Delightful GL Drama That Leaves You Craving More

Chaser Game W delivers a refreshingly complex take on the GL genre, especially within an Asian context. If you're a fan of Asian GL dramas, this one is essential viewing. While it might lack the intense emotional turmoil often found in Western GL, it offers a more balanced, nuanced perspective on relationships.
Sugai Yuuka (Itsuki) and Nakamura Yurika (Fuyu) exhibit wonderful chemistry, anchoring a story that juggles workplace dynamics, cross-cultural challenges, marital issues, and the complexities of child-rearing. The limited series format slightly hinders its ambitions, but ultimately leaves you wanting more.
The ending hints at potential continuation, but feels somewhat rushed as a conclusion. I'd love to see a big-budget remake that explores these themes further while maintaining the core cast and easing back slightly on the emphasis on cultural differences.

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Complex plot with many flaws but worth to watch!

PLOT:
I want to start off by saying that this GL might not be the cup of tea for many. It has a complicated plot with content that is controversial, and might not be enjoyable for some viewers, like cheating, slight harassment, and misunderstandings. However, this does not necessarily make it a bad story. This is what actually makes it interesting and develops it. And I do not mean "interesting" in a way to justify any wrong actions that take place, but in a way that these "actions" actually happen in real life and that makes the story more realistic with its flaws. It's not all perfect and that is why I enjoyed it. With a plot like this, you can not expect it to be all flowers and rainbows. This is more than just that. So, if you want to watch this series, or have already watched it, just keep in mind that these events do happen in real life and sometimes it's good for them to be in series too to make it more realistic and for people to feel related to it and not feel alone.

CONS:
One thing I didn't like about the plot at all is that there were a lot of extra scenes that made it a bit boring sometimes. By "extra scenes", I mean scenes that didn't contribute to the story much, and that felt unnecessary. Most of these scenes involved the side characters and it has nothing to do with the main leads, so, it's not too bad.

ENDING:
The ending is a bit open, but it also makes us wonder what will happen next. The production chose that type of ending were it leaves the audience thinking and imagining their own ending, if that makes any sense. To me is a happy ending though, cause the two girls do seem to end up together. Personally, I believe the plot is good, is not my favorite, but is good. I rate it 7.5 out of 10.

ACTING / CASTING / CHEMISTRY:
Anyways, let's talk about the acting and casting. Since the moment the main leads got introduce in the series, I was mesmerized by them! They have good visuals and are so freaking attractive! I couldn't help but to fangirl from time to time. The chemistry is on point and I love how their relationship went from lovers to enemies and from enemies to lovers. I also enjoyed the slow burn, and how it was not too explicit. Don't get me wrong, I love mature content in GL, but I believe that with a complex plot like this, it's better to keep things sweet and subtle. I really love how their relationship developed, and how the child in the story brought the two girls back together. As for the acting, well, for me it was very good! Especially in the crying scenes, you can feel their emotions. I love it. I rate the cast and acting 9 out of 10.

MUSIC / REWATCH VALUE:
I don't have much to say about the music. I mean, it does not stand out to me, but it is not bad either. It is nice like most Japanese songs I have heard in BLs and GLs. So, 7 out of 10. As for rewatch value, well, I do see myself rewatching this again cause I enjoyed it. So, for rewatch value a 8 out of 10.

Overall, I give it a 8 out of 10. I would definitely recommend this. Like I said, it might not be enjoyable for some because of how complicated that plot is, but that does not make it bad. I would not judge this for how many flaws it has since it has a lot. I would just enjoy it for what it is and accept that the things that happened are realistic, that makes it more likeable. My suggestion to those who have not watched it yet is to have low expectations just in case cause you won't find a "perfect" plot here, and have an open mind. Just give it a try! Thank you for reading! <3

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Disappointing

I pretty much only started watching this because I saw people talking about it online. I’m also a fan of the 48/46 groups so it was cool to see a couple of faces I knew. Mostly I watched it bc it’s gay lol.

The first several episodes were okay, the characters and plot are kind of cheesy so I didn’t mind when things were over exaggerated or when characters didn’t react in a way that made sense.

The plot with the company and the game production got really lost by the end. it’s really hard to follow.


I think my biggest issue with this is…. (spoilers below)

I do not like that we are meant to root for Fuyu and Itsuki despite the fact that Fuyu’s husband is a pretty good guy. He had every right to be upset in the end, but then it made NO sense for the both of them to agree to stay together despite Fuyu saying that she’s a lesbian. I get that they undo this in the last scene. But by that time, it’s so ambiguous as to whether Fuyu is still with her husband or not. I have to feel bad for him and for Tsuki. it’s awful when WLW/GL media do this trope where the one woman cheats on her partner. But yeah, why would Gou even agree to stay with Fuyu after all of that? Just very strange.

Another annoying thing was the very perverted men in the show, but it’s not too uncommon in Japanese dramas unfortunately, so I am never surprised when there’s a gross character.

Idk. Knowing the title, I wasn’t expecting anything amazing, but it still let me down lol

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A Scintillating Revenge Saga

All’s fair in love and war; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. These idioms perfectly capture the essence of the new Japanese GL Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Joshi wa Watashi no Moto Kano.

The drama’s initial episodes, led by Sugai Yuuka and Nakamura Yurika, set the stage for a captivating power play intertwined with undeniable love as it explores the intricate dynamics of a love-hate relationship between Harumoto Itsuki and her ex-girlfriend, Hayashi Fuyu. All set against the backdrop of a corporate gaming world where the Chinese company Fuyu works for and the Japanese company Itsuki is employed by are prepared to collaborate.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/25/chaser-game-w-power-harassment-joshi-wa-watashi-no-moto-kano-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

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