I've been sick over the weekend and finally binged this halfway through. Color me surprised at how genuinely offbeat yet realistic—and all the more engaging—this has been so far! I love how the writing doesn't shy away from presenting the flaws of every character, whether it's Minami, Yamada, or the men Minami has encountered during her marriage hunt. You find yourself rooting for Minami because you see parts of yourself in her, flaws and all.
Tomoe suggested that Miyuki, too, could rewrite—more like tamper with—the past, just as she did, with Yasuhiko’s pill and her own rage. Tomoe’s rewrite was tactical: a theft of narrative, a correction of being overlooked. But Miyuki’s unraveling reveals something quieter. We never hear what she tells her younger self, and maybe that’s the point. She’s not rewriting the past. She’s rewriting her relationship to it. To the memory of Yasuhiko. To the summer that was real only on her part.
That’s what sets her apart. Tomoe is driven by the ache of not being chosen until the end. Miyuki is driven by the truth of having experienced her first love, and grappling with its commodification. Her liberation lies not in changing the timeline, but in reclaiming the emotional truth that was never archived—the wind chimes that will remain a private memory between her and Yasuhiko. She rewrites not to revise history, but to honor the silences that shaped her.
I almost dropped this altogether because of the pilot episode and the awkwardness of having to watch the group and Oizumi Yo make the segments fun. (A bit harsh, yes) I came back to watch the episodes with Nagasawa Masami, TENBLANK, and Nanao--and I'm RELIEVED the members and the whole crew finally found their footing. The cooking, dynamic vision, and sense of size segments are well thought out. But what seems to be the thread that weaves all these elements together are SixTONES themselves. Their wits and humor are superb and have definitely caught my attention.
I felt conflicted when Makoto started to dress up normally, as a boy, upon confessing his feelings to Akira. It makes me wonder if he was unknowingly conforming to binary gender roles, especially when it comes to romance and dating. Can't fault him though given how rigid society is.
For some reason I can't quite explain, I find Ono Karin's acting subpar in this drama. I've seen her excel in other roles, both in dramas and indie films, and she undoubtedly has the acting chops. She was outstanding in The Pretenders and Hatsukoi Zarari, yet I find myself unable to continue watching this particular drama she's leading.
City Lives had such great concept and execution, especially in the first half. It really felt like a documentary for a segment of a program. The concept of a city as living organism also blew my mind. It was quite original for me as I haven't encountered a story like this before.
The world would be a better, brighter place if young women would just realize early on that there's no use fighting over a boy who doesn't have a backbone, and just men in general.
That’s what sets her apart. Tomoe is driven by the ache of not being chosen until the end. Miyuki is driven by the truth of having experienced her first love, and grappling with its commodification. Her liberation lies not in changing the timeline, but in reclaiming the emotional truth that was never archived—the wind chimes that will remain a private memory between her and Yasuhiko. She rewrites not to revise history, but to honor the silences that shaped her.