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30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii japanese drama review
Completed
30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii
19 people found this review helpful
by celestialocean
Jan 11, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 6.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Heavy on sweetness, light on substance

Given that the entire series will only take up about five hours of your life, and there is far more good about it than bad for those looking for a feel-good romantic comedy between same-sex leads, I highly recommend giving it a shot. The ending is also mostly satisfying, but there were a few things I ended up feeling disappointed about as a whole.

I definitely didn't expect much realism when I started this, but aside from early in the drama when Adachi first discovers his ability, he doesn't ever overhear much that is particularly negative or hurtful, whether it be from a co-worker, best friend, or boyfriend - even at times when his own behavior is confusing or hurtful. I have a strong preference for fluff, and I haven't enjoyed it when other fictional media has gone too far the other way (because that's too cynical for me), but mind reading would definitely be a double-edged sword, so I found this to be a minor annoyance. Not enough in itself to lower my score, but I think that allowing other characters to have more varied, unpredictable thoughts would have actually made it more enjoyable, as it would have added more depth to the characters.

As the love interest in a josei drama, it didn't surprise me that Kurosawa, in addition to being considered exceptionally handsome, is also nearly perfect in every other way. However, it is strange to me that, given his good looks, intelligence, and charming personality, no one in his past ever managed to explain what they liked about him besides his looks. Obviously, there are many reasons to like him that have nothing to do with his looks. A couple of his superiors at work saying that he has nothing going for him other than his looks behind his back in a flashback doesn't carry much weight when he's regularly praised for his superior work by the majority of his colleagues, does it? His complex about people only liking him for his looks just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I'd much prefer to have had a little more time spent delving into the main characters' backgrounds and their reasons for having such low self-esteem than have had the side romance of Tsuge and Minato. While Adachi occasionally had comical overreactions, that was like 80% of Tsuge's role in the drama. For me, it was just annoying rather than funny. I also found his dynamic with Minato mostly off-putting, so I'd have liked it better if Tsuge had been relegated to an advisor/counselor role for when Adachi needed to talk things out. (Granted, that would have prevented Adachi from personally knowing someone else with the same ability, but I think there are other ways of getting to the same conclusion without that.)

Additionally, if I'm really remembering correctly - Tsuge and Minato have an actual on-screen kiss (as extremely chaste as it may have been), but we don't even get that for the main couple? And also, Adachi and Kurosawa essentially get engaged without (1) having ever kissed, and (2) without going on their 'official' date? The pacing of their relationship was just weird for me. And if there could only be one on-screen kiss for whatever reason, it should have been between them. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect too much in the way of physical intimacy, and I'm fine with that, but I did think they'd have at least a chaste on-screen kiss given that the subject matter (a romance between two men) is unambiguous.

But all of that said - there is so much that does work for me about this drama. In addition to being adorable and funny, it is also refreshingly absent of sexually predatory behavior, which in my experience is prevalent in BL media. Although I wouldn't have minded to see more variation in Kurosawa's thoughts, particularly as they pertained to Adachi (did he even think about anything else?), I was so, so glad that every time his actions or thoughts moved into jealous and possessive territory, Kurosawa was able to pull himself back and behave appropriately. I get that this is setting a low bar, but considering the genre, it does get a lot of credit from me for not ever going there.

Overall, the characters are likeable and enjoyable to watch, even if there's not much depth. Adachi and Kurosawa are an endearing couple, and the focus is the comedy and the fluff, so that's fine. Their co-workers are sweet and supportive. I particularly enjoyed Fujisaki; she is so lovely, and I appreciate that her asexuality is not presented as a defect whatsoever. I think the actors were all well-suited for their roles and performed well, even if no one in particular stood out to me as being exceptionally good.

This was an enjoyable drama and I'm glad I watched it, but it's also somewhat mediocre and forgettable for me. If I knew more about the main characters and their lives, maybe I would have been more invested.
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