2
12
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Condensed and fast paced, but I wanted more storytelling
Completed - 7/18/2022
After watching so many dramas about Japanese occupation in China and South Korea, I finally watch a drama about war time in Japan when they're being occupied. No matter where the war is, ultimately, it's the common folks that suffer and have to live with hardships during and after the war.
"Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni" also known as "In This Corner of the World" follows the story of our female lead, Suku, as she marries into the Hojo family and moves from Eba (Hiroshima) to Kure. As with most Japanese dramas, the pacing of this drama is fast, and actually a little too fast for my taste. I don't usually ask for more episodes, but for this drama, I would have loved to have more, and have the drama spend some time exploring stories of the supporting characters.
Though romance is not the main focus of this drama, we witness the sweet romance between Suku and Shusaku. They get married after meeting once when they were little, and have to start a romantic and marital relationship at the same time. There are some heartwarming moments, and surprisingly a few kisses (which I didn't expect in a period drama). However, I would have liked to see the drama dedicate a little more time on how they slowly fall in love and how they resolve one of their first marital disagreements regarding Suku's best friend, Tetsu. In a way, I understand why Shusaku would arrange for Suku to spend time with Tetsu when he visited. On the other hand, it's not something that a wife would appreciate. Their reconciliation happened too fast without really discussing how each other feels. I was hoping for more. The drama also didn't spend much time on Suku's knowledge of Shusaku and Rin's relationship, and no discussion between the married couple about it.
We didn't see much of how Suku gets accustomed to her new life in Kure. In a blink of an eye, a month passed by and she made new friends. I've been told and saw a few of her absent-mindedness, but I wanted to see more of her struggles to fit into her new life. I am also interested in earning more about ML's sister, Keiko and her family life. We know she disagrees with her in-laws, but I would like scenes of her son and in-laws, and maybe flashback moments of her marriage before her husband passed away. Additionally, I want more of Tetsu. How was his life in the navy, and was he thinking of Suku before decided to stop by unannounced and visit her?
"In This Corner of the World" focuses on Suku's life before and after she got married, and struggles during wartime. The plot is predictable and very similar to other dramas and movies during any war time. I wanted more in-depth storytelling. 9 episodes are not enough to tell a story that spans so many years. I also do not find the modern day timeline to be very effective in telling us the story. I think I can live without it, and just have one timeline.
Overall, it's still a good drama with pretty good acting, nice cinematography and music, but not an excellent one.
After watching so many dramas about Japanese occupation in China and South Korea, I finally watch a drama about war time in Japan when they're being occupied. No matter where the war is, ultimately, it's the common folks that suffer and have to live with hardships during and after the war.
"Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni" also known as "In This Corner of the World" follows the story of our female lead, Suku, as she marries into the Hojo family and moves from Eba (Hiroshima) to Kure. As with most Japanese dramas, the pacing of this drama is fast, and actually a little too fast for my taste. I don't usually ask for more episodes, but for this drama, I would have loved to have more, and have the drama spend some time exploring stories of the supporting characters.
Though romance is not the main focus of this drama, we witness the sweet romance between Suku and Shusaku. They get married after meeting once when they were little, and have to start a romantic and marital relationship at the same time. There are some heartwarming moments, and surprisingly a few kisses (which I didn't expect in a period drama). However, I would have liked to see the drama dedicate a little more time on how they slowly fall in love and how they resolve one of their first marital disagreements regarding Suku's best friend, Tetsu. In a way, I understand why Shusaku would arrange for Suku to spend time with Tetsu when he visited. On the other hand, it's not something that a wife would appreciate. Their reconciliation happened too fast without really discussing how each other feels. I was hoping for more. The drama also didn't spend much time on Suku's knowledge of Shusaku and Rin's relationship, and no discussion between the married couple about it.
We didn't see much of how Suku gets accustomed to her new life in Kure. In a blink of an eye, a month passed by and she made new friends. I've been told and saw a few of her absent-mindedness, but I wanted to see more of her struggles to fit into her new life. I am also interested in earning more about ML's sister, Keiko and her family life. We know she disagrees with her in-laws, but I would like scenes of her son and in-laws, and maybe flashback moments of her marriage before her husband passed away. Additionally, I want more of Tetsu. How was his life in the navy, and was he thinking of Suku before decided to stop by unannounced and visit her?
"In This Corner of the World" focuses on Suku's life before and after she got married, and struggles during wartime. The plot is predictable and very similar to other dramas and movies during any war time. I wanted more in-depth storytelling. 9 episodes are not enough to tell a story that spans so many years. I also do not find the modern day timeline to be very effective in telling us the story. I think I can live without it, and just have one timeline.
Overall, it's still a good drama with pretty good acting, nice cinematography and music, but not an excellent one.
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