Reviews

"Wonderful everyday moments"

"Bakebake" is my 39th asadora watched. I've been highly anticipating this asadora since it was announced due to my love for "Massan" which has a similar cross cultural romance. In my anticipation, I decided to read a biography on Lafcadio Hearn (renamed Lefkada Heavin for this asadora) titled "The Outsider: The Life and Work of Lafcadio Hearn." This way I was able to relive my first asadora experience with "Hanako to Anne," for which I read the biography on which it was based. Of course, "Bakebake" is more based on the life of Lafcadio's wife Koizumi Setsuko (renamed Matsuno Toki) so I consider the biography to be background reading since a majority of it focuses on Lafcadio's life before Japan.

As an asadora, "Bakebake" is unique in many aspects. Firstly, it is set roughly from 1875 to 1905. Very few asadoras are set entirely pre-WWII. [The majority of the storyline also takes place in 1890-91.] Secondly, "Bakebake" is able to maintain a light-hearted vibe despite also dealing with heavy topics like poverty, death, and sickness. Sad episodes are often punctuated with a joke or two, causing me to laugh through my tears. Thirdly, the asadora is more of a slice of life story in the same vein as "Hiyokko." Simple day to day life and the residents of Matsue are given the focus instead of a goal/career like in other asadoras.

"Bakebake" is also what I call a "couple asadora," meaning that it focuses on a couple as the leads. Though this isn't unique, it's been since 2014's "Massan" that a non-Japanese person was the co-lead. And really we were truly blessed with Toki (Takaishi Akari) and Heavin-san (Tommy Bastow). Their easygoing chemistry makes for one of the best asadora couples put to screen. Personally I'd put "Bakebake" slightly above the other best couple asadoras, "Massan" and "Yell," while also having the romance on par with my favorite in "Asa ga Kita." Toki and Heavin's romance is the ultimate slow burn romance full of anticipation and sweet, heartwarming moments. Several moments made my heart flutter.

Toki is an endearing heroine because of her loyalty towards her family and her love for ghost stories. Unlike other heroines, she is not pursuing a career instead being motivated to work to pay off her family's debt. Despite her circumstances, Toki finds the joy in little things like eating dinner with her family or sleep paralysis(?). It's truly a joy to just watch Toki smile. As for Heavin, Tommy Bastow plays him wonderfully but I feel the writers do him a disservice. I wish the story had shown more of Heavin before Japan instead of just the brief snippets. His personality and motivations could've been explained and fleshed out more. (Fun fact: Lafcadio's volatile personality is heavily sanitized for this asadora.) I wanted more scenes like the ones with the maid Ume (Nouchi Maru), in which he was insistent on going to the eye doctor since he was self-conscious of his.

A few more grips with the story. I feel like the flashback with his first wife, Martha (Meisha Brooks), could've been handled differently. Something about it didn't set well with me. Also, I was highly disappointed with the character of Eliza Belsland, played by my beloved Charlotte Kate Fox from "Massan." I wasn't a fan of her dialogue most of the time nor that she was in love with Heavin. However, the clincher was her yelling at Toki in the final episodes. It was completely unnecessary. For those curious, Eliza was based on Lafcadio's real-life friend journalist Elizabeth Bisland, whom doesn't appear to have had any romantic feelings towards him.

Now for the section where I praise all of the side characters. My personal favorite was Sawa (Marui Wan), Toki's best friend whom wants to lift her family out of poverty on her own. Her romance with Shoda (Hama Shogo) was sweet. Nami (Sato Honami), a prostitute in the red light district, also had a cute friendship with Toki and Sawa. As for Toki's family, they're all lovable even Toki's father Tsukasanosuke (Okabe Takashi) and grandfather Kaneimon (Kohinata Fumiyo) who cause her troubles while they hold on to a bygone way of life. Kitagawa Keiko plays Toki's aunt/birth mother Ushimizu Tae with an understated gracefulness. Lastly, I can't move on from this section without mentioning Nishikori-san (Yoshizawa Ryo), the unofficial third main character for much of the story. Yoshizawa is truly a great actor because his characters always leave a lasting impact. I still remember him so clearly as Tenyo in "Natsuzora."

Lafcadio's best known book "Kwaidan" was written shortly before he died, a fact I had forgotten as I waited in anticipation for it to be covered. The homage paid to the book was very much worth it. I particularly loved the reference to "Hoichi the Earless." I'd highly recommend watching the 1964 film "Kwaidan" if you're curious about Lafcadio's stories.

In the last episode of the asadora, Toki's mother Fumi (Ikewaki Chizuru) uses this phrase "Simple truly simple, wonderful everyday moments" while talking about Toki and Heavin's life together. For me, this phrase perfectly encapsulates this asadora. It is made up entirely of the simple moments in life that make it worth living. I'll miss "Bakebake" so much though I'll continue to hold it in my heart.

My Asadora Ranking: https://mydramalist.com/list/LAlqpp21

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Finding Their Way Back

This drama is a slow burn, and I felt like we were overwhelmed with their history because the first ten episodes focused so heavily on their past. I think the story would’ve benefited from showing glimpses of their history as they reunited and allowing the audience to slowly understand what happened between them. A drama that executed this approach well through flashbacks was The First Frost. If this drama had been condensed to around 25 episodes, many of the slower parts could have had a stronger pace and emotional impact.

I really liked seeing Miao Jing return as a strong and confident woman. I appreciated that the writers showed she had dated after Chen Yi because it proved she genuinely tried to move forward instead of simply waiting for him. Her life continued after their separation, and she grew into someone independent. I think this was important because many dramas tend to write female characters as if they are only defined by their first love. When Miao Jing reunited with Chen Yi, it was clear her feelings for him had never truly disappeared.

Chen Yi was a character I found especially interesting because his biggest conflict was never whether he loved Miao Jing. His feelings were always clear through his actions. His struggle was whether he believed he deserved a future with her. He carried so much guilt and responsibility from his past that he convinced himself he was holding Miao Jing back from the life she deserved. His growth was not about becoming a different person, but about learning that he did not have to carry everything alone.

I don't know if I'm one of the few people who feels this way, but I liked how the drama ended because it showed Chen Yi's growth. Leaving Teng City represented him finally letting go of his past instead of allowing it to define what he deserved. He was no longer running away or letting it control his future. Chen Yi telling Miao Jing, "I love you," was one of the biggest moments of growth for his character. His love was always shown through his actions, and he often hid behind the excuse that they were "family" instead of admitting his true feelings. Hearing him say those words meant he was finally allowing himself to be vulnerable and accepting that he deserved to love and be loved in return. While a proposal would have been nice, what Miao Jing truly wanted was certainty. She needed to know that Chen Yi was choosing her and choosing a future with her.

My favorite scene was when they had to follow the red thread through the obstacle course and meet in the middle. The way they looked at each other throughout the scene said so much without words. To me, the red thread represented their connection and how, despite the misunderstandings, pain, and years apart, they still found their way back to each other. Miao Jing choosing to tie the thread felt symbolic of her choosing Chen Yi and moving forward with him.

Song Wei Long and Zhang Jing Yi had such great chemistry. Their performances carried the emotional weight of Chen Yi and Miao Jing's relationship, especially the tension between their unresolved feelings and the years they spent apart. They were able to portray two people who still cared deeply for each other but had so much history and hurt between them. Their chemistry was not only shown through romantic moments, but also through their quiet interactions, lingering looks, and the way they understood each other without needing many words.

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Strong potential, alas, left me disappointed

I'm conflicted on what rating to give this drama. On one hand, it made me stay up until 3am, unable to stop watching even though I had to wake up in an hour for work. It made me go into fits of giggles, laughing in public like a madwomen.

On the other hand, I had to completely skip 10 episodes to be able to continue and, at the end, it gave me such a disdain towards the Lin family and it's brothers-in-law that it made me begin to doubt all my previous feelings towards the show as a whole.

I found the plots overall to be highly entertaining and well done. I don't care much about cliché or out of pocket stories, I think complaining about that is like if I were to complain about murder being in a thriller or magic being in a fantasy movie. That's simply the genre of the show. I liked the acting and the chemistry of most couples.

However, as I mentionned the cons of the series just were so big it truly turned such a good experience into contempt. I love real characters, characters with both flaws and merits. Yet, when a show portrays a flaw as a merit, it is unacceptable to me. Throughout the show, the Lin family is known to scheme. And a lot of the time, it is for good reasons or for a good moral cause. But not all the time. And when they hurt people and cause harm with the schemes, the show still portrays the scheming in a good light, telling us they had good reasons to do so. After a couple of uncomfortable moments, the way they handled Yang Xian was the final straw. It just made the whole family extrenely unlikeable, to the point that I wasn't rooting for them. I needed at least one scheme that showed them a lesson that they can't just play with people's feelings and lives just because they are uncertain about them.

Then there are smaller negatives about the show, such as the 2nd cp that was unlikeable to me as their foundation seemed very weak to me. A proud man who denies any women for his focus on his career and who is unhappy with the marriage, going as far as openly disrespecting his wife, changes his whole character once he glances at his wife. I know they slid in a "he read her poetry so it's not only about her looks", yet he didn't actually change his attitude until his eyes laid on her. Another one, is how we don't see much of the couple's dynamic after their episodes end.

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more fun than deep, but the chemistry and chaos make it worth watching

Flex x Cop is one of those dramas that doesn’t try to be overly complicated, and that’s honestly part of why it works. The plot is pretty predictable at times, and some cases feel more interesting than others, but the show knows how to balance crime, comedy, action, and character development without becoming too heavy.

Ahn Bo Hyun absolutely carries the drama as Jin Yi Soo. He could’ve easily been just another rich, immature chaebol character, but he makes Yi Soo genuinely funny, charming, and surprisingly lovable. Park Ji Hyun is also great as Kang Hyun, and their dynamic is probably one of the strongest parts of the show. It’s more slow-burn and subtle than romantic, so don’t go in expecting a lot of romance, but the chemistry is definitely there.

The supporting cast adds a lot too, and the team slowly starts to feel like a real unit. Some emotional moments hit harder than expected, especially when the story explores Yi Soo’s family and why he acts the way he does.

The biggest weakness is that the drama can feel a little formulaic, and the main mystery isn’t always as exciting as the character moments. Still, it’s entertaining, easy to binge, funny without being ridiculous, and has enough heart to keep you invested.

overall, Flex x Cop isn’t trying to reinvent the crime drama genre… it just gives you a fun, charismatic lead, a lovable team, good chemistry, and a satisfying mix of comedy and action. not perfect, but definitely a good time.

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Just Fine for What It Is

I’d say I liked this drama, but it’s the kind of show you watch once and that’s it. I understand the themes they wanted to explore and how they tried to handle them, but sometimes I just couldn't fully understand the characters. In the end, it’s a pretty standard office romance. I enjoyed the moments between the leads, but beyond that, there isn’t much else to say since I didn’t even like the second couple.
Still, that’s just my opinion, and I think plenty of people might enjoy it because it’s a simple, easy watch. So I think you should check it out for yourself.

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