1
bbchops
Dallas, TX
This review may contain spoilers
Great chemistry between engaging leads failed by an inadequate script.
I would love to see a remake of this one with a rewritten script, or a second season with a completely different approach to the story. The premise is a good one: A quiet but youthful 44-year-old divorcee goes on a blind date with the 24-year-old daughter of a customer--at her father’s request, no less. The divorcee agrees to the blind date out of deference to the father thinking it will be a “one and done.” The daughter agrees to the blind date with the father’s assurance that if it doesn’t work out, she’s under no obligation to see him again. Neither go into the date with high expectations but are immediately drawn to each and wind up married three months later. The series goes on to explore the dynamics of a May-December romance, including coping with long established relationships in each other’s respective lives.
There is much to like about this short drama. The chemistry between nice guy, Harumi, and his cute young bride, Maiko, is quite touching. Harumi’s affection and respect for his young bride is clear from the start, and Maiko obviously adores her new husband. But their chemistry is failed by a story seems to lurch from plot point to plot point, not ever finding a consistent tempo. The episodes, few in number (8) and short in length (24 minutes) don’t provide much room to maneuver, and the attempts at creating tension between the leads and providing resolution feel ham-handed and forced. It was quite frustrating because I found Harumi and Maiko engaging, and I was eager to see them explore their new relationship.
The first hiccup in the new couple’s new relationship occurs when Harumi’s ex-wife shows up. Harumi handles the situation thoughtfully and respectfully to both women. He neither speaks ill of his ex-wife to Maiko, nor does he make any attempt to hide his actions or shelter either woman from the other. Harumi shows himself to be a stand-up guy.
The second hiccup is handled less gracefully. One of Maiko’s former college classmates shows up to consult on a design proposal. He is immature, arrogant and unfathomably rude when Harumi calls to check on his young wife when she works late. Although the situation eventually sorts itself out, I was left wondering why, of all things, did the writers choose *this* to explore Harumi and Maiko’s relationship?
Then the final hiccup is a fiasco. It arrives in the form of a cross-dressing, con man/boy, second cousin that had grown up with Maiko. (I could not make this up.) We meet Rion in drag when he tries to entrap Harumi in a compromising situation. Nothing that happens afterwards gets any better. When Maiko recognizes her cousin shortly after the attempted entrapment and invites him to stay with her and Harumi, Harumi should have immediately exposed Rion for what he was and been done with him. Instead Harumi struggles to defend himself and his relationship with Maiko from the furious assault of lies and innuendo coming from a jealous and immature Rion who wants Maiko all to him/herself. What were the writer’s thinking? A cross-dressing second cousin? With the wealth of topics opened to them by this engaging May-December relationship, they chose to explore *this* one instead. Mind blown.
Despite all this, the chemistry between Harumi and Maiko is almost enough to carry the show. The story touches on some interesting ideas even if the writers leave the exploration of them incomplete. For example, when Maiko finds some old pictures of Harumi singing karaoke from his college days Harumi quickly discovers that Maiko knows nothing about the music and bands that were so much a part of his life back then. Instead of riffing on this for an episode, the writers chose to have Harumi put a lid on his box of memories and gently encourage Maiko to look forward to their future together and not dwell on his past.
What about Maiko’s mom? She left Maiko’s father who was 12-years her senior, but why? Could Maiko and Harumi learn from the experience of Maiko’s parents? Blending the friend groups of a newlywed couple from two entirely separate social circles presents challenges to same age couples. What additional challenges do May-December romances face? What are Harumi and Maiko’s thoughts on having children? All of these topics would have been much more interesting than a cross-dressing con man/boy. It is a shame that they were left unexplored.
There is much to like about this short drama. The chemistry between nice guy, Harumi, and his cute young bride, Maiko, is quite touching. Harumi’s affection and respect for his young bride is clear from the start, and Maiko obviously adores her new husband. But their chemistry is failed by a story seems to lurch from plot point to plot point, not ever finding a consistent tempo. The episodes, few in number (8) and short in length (24 minutes) don’t provide much room to maneuver, and the attempts at creating tension between the leads and providing resolution feel ham-handed and forced. It was quite frustrating because I found Harumi and Maiko engaging, and I was eager to see them explore their new relationship.
The first hiccup in the new couple’s new relationship occurs when Harumi’s ex-wife shows up. Harumi handles the situation thoughtfully and respectfully to both women. He neither speaks ill of his ex-wife to Maiko, nor does he make any attempt to hide his actions or shelter either woman from the other. Harumi shows himself to be a stand-up guy.
The second hiccup is handled less gracefully. One of Maiko’s former college classmates shows up to consult on a design proposal. He is immature, arrogant and unfathomably rude when Harumi calls to check on his young wife when she works late. Although the situation eventually sorts itself out, I was left wondering why, of all things, did the writers choose *this* to explore Harumi and Maiko’s relationship?
Then the final hiccup is a fiasco. It arrives in the form of a cross-dressing, con man/boy, second cousin that had grown up with Maiko. (I could not make this up.) We meet Rion in drag when he tries to entrap Harumi in a compromising situation. Nothing that happens afterwards gets any better. When Maiko recognizes her cousin shortly after the attempted entrapment and invites him to stay with her and Harumi, Harumi should have immediately exposed Rion for what he was and been done with him. Instead Harumi struggles to defend himself and his relationship with Maiko from the furious assault of lies and innuendo coming from a jealous and immature Rion who wants Maiko all to him/herself. What were the writer’s thinking? A cross-dressing second cousin? With the wealth of topics opened to them by this engaging May-December relationship, they chose to explore *this* one instead. Mind blown.
Despite all this, the chemistry between Harumi and Maiko is almost enough to carry the show. The story touches on some interesting ideas even if the writers leave the exploration of them incomplete. For example, when Maiko finds some old pictures of Harumi singing karaoke from his college days Harumi quickly discovers that Maiko knows nothing about the music and bands that were so much a part of his life back then. Instead of riffing on this for an episode, the writers chose to have Harumi put a lid on his box of memories and gently encourage Maiko to look forward to their future together and not dwell on his past.
What about Maiko’s mom? She left Maiko’s father who was 12-years her senior, but why? Could Maiko and Harumi learn from the experience of Maiko’s parents? Blending the friend groups of a newlywed couple from two entirely separate social circles presents challenges to same age couples. What additional challenges do May-December romances face? What are Harumi and Maiko’s thoughts on having children? All of these topics would have been much more interesting than a cross-dressing con man/boy. It is a shame that they were left unexplored.
Was this review helpful to you?
