Love Kome no Okite: Kojirase Joshi to Toshishita Danshi
or (Love Comedy's Rule: Kojirase Girls and Younger Boys)
This is a new 2021 drama that just finished airing and is currently my least favorite of the Jdramas that I'm watching.
Ruri-san (Chiaki Kuriyama) is the quintessential perfect woman. She is elegant, gracious, put-together, and spot-on in her job as a team manager for the manga company where she works. In her private life, she's a mess who wears sweatpants, doesn't clean up after herself so her little brother cleans her apartment weekly, and she reads scads and scads of shojo manga. She has no interest in romance. This is of course, exactly why romance gets thrown her way in the shape of Ryo Mamiya (Yuta Koseki), a subordinate in her office and several years younger. He's been wistfully loving her in that annoying "unrequited love" way for 2 years now, but finally works up enough courage to pursue her. Only he does it by asking her to be his relationship coach because he claims to be terrible at it. Because Ruri-san has a reputation as the "perfect woman" to maintain, she agrees to his request, and naturally, falling in love with him is the result.
I loved this drama through episode 5. It was cute since he was clearly trying to woo her, and she was clueless, and I just thought they were adorable.
Then Mamiya-kun started giving me creepy vibes. I disagree with pre-marital sex on principle anyway, but I've enjoyed many a movie/book/drama that features it because not everyone shares my principles. But I do feel like it's not asking too much to ask Mamiya to put on the brakes! I mean, he's been in love with Ruri-san for 2 years with all the yearnings that go along with it. She's only had romantic feelings for him for what, a week? As soon as he began pushing her for sex, he threw me off the series completely. She even told him she was a novice and wanted to take it slow, but nope, he's having none of it. And I'll be honest, I'm pretty sure that first-time sex for a thirty-something virgin would hurt like hell, so they just totally glossed over that reality. The drama just makes me feel icky at this point. I only have 2 episodes left (waiting on the fansubber) so I'll finish it, but the shine is off the rose, as it were.
To be fair, up to episode 10, it is not super-content heavy. They cut scenes when they should, so the actual "moment" isn't filmed. Just a bit of modest foreplay at the end of episode 9 and the morning after at the beginning of episode 10. Content-wise it's probably a PG-rating. It's not much, but it's something.
My overall star rating for Love Kome no Okite: Kojirase Joshi to Toshishita Danshi is probably a 2. Despite its prettiness, and it is very, very pretty and stylish to look at, I just can't get past the issues I have with Mamiya.
If you feel like watching it, Blitz Fansub has done a terrific job and deserves kudos for their work. It's not their fault that I don't like it, and even though I don't like it, you might love it.
Next on the list is Black Cinderella, a drama that's interesting but will probably end up being very stereotypical.
Black Cinderella
Another 2021 Jdrama that just finished airing, and I'm currently on the fence about it.
Manaha Kamiya (Riko) has always dreamed of being a beauty pageant contestant, ever since she was a small child, and saw the Miss Seiran high school beauty contest and met the winner. In other words, she's dreams of sparkling! In the first episode, her dream might come true, but an accident results in a large scar marring her cheek. Now she has to figure out who she is apart from that scar. Throw in the two boys in her life, the prince of the school Keigo Tachibana (Fuju Kamio) and the local weirdo Sora Shimamura (Mizuki Itagaki), and the stage is set for drama.
I'm really starting to dislike these types of high school dramas, especially when they're all about the love triangles and love rivals and all that craziness. I also don't like narcissistic male leads, so I'm afraid Keigo is out for me, even though he is the main male lead. I would never choose him and I would never wish him on any girl. He has a sweet disposition, yes, but his attitude of "love me, look at me" rubs me the wrong way.
This is why I'm on the Team Sora boat, all the way, and is also what is known as second lead syndrome (SLS). I rarely suffer from it, but I am with Black Cinderella.
The Sora fans will undoubtedly sink, but if the creators of Black Cinderella didn't want us loving Sora then they shouldn't have made him a Japanese version of Jughead Jones from Riverdale.
That's enough for any woman to choose Sora over Keigo. And they shouldn't have cast the gorgeous and charismatic Mizuki Itagaki. I like authentic male leads who tell the truth and aren't hung up on looks. Sora's fabulous, no one can convince me otherwise, so I'm frustrated because I'm anticipating the quintessential high school drama ending where Manaha and Keigo are together.
Now, yes, Black Cinderella has finished airing. BUT, the fansubber has only subbed the first 4 episodes. I never watch episodes ahead since I only understand, what, 5% of what's being said without the aid of subtitles. So currently it's a waiting game. I totally understand scheduling conflicts and real life, so I'm more than willing to wait.
Where I'm sitting now, my personal star rating for Black Cinderella is probably a 3. The ending will decide all.
If you want to watch it, which I do recommend, then IrozukuSubs is the place to go. They are a terrific fansubber and I am absolutely loving their work on Black Cinderella. I've watched a few others dramas they've subbed and been very impressed.
2022 Update: Viki picked up Black Cinderella, so Irozuku only subbed 4 of the episodes. To watch the complete series with English subtitles (or a large variety of languages, really), go to THIS PAGE on Viki.
NOW, on to Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru, the 2018 Jdrama that I am watching and absolutely 100% head-over-heels in love with!
Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru
JAN 2022 UPDATE: I have watched Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru through twice now, LOVE it, and you can find my official review here!
Kazuki Aikawa (Issei Takahashi) is brand new to his role as a university lecturer on animal behavior. Nothing he does is aligned with what anyone else does. He lives his life completely immersed in his love of nature and wildlife (including creepy crawlies), and loves asking and answering philosophical questions. His eccentricity is extreme, and he rarely lets people in for any sort of intimate relationship, but slowly his students begin appreciating his teaching ability in how he stretches them and actually makes learning fun. With Aikawa Sensei, every day has a little something unexpected.
I don't know if my tastes are changing or what, but I LOVE Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru. I'm 6 episodes in and it would take a major disaster for it to get less than the full 5 stars from me.
This drama is just so delightfully different on so many levels. It was actually on my to-watch list for July, but I got excited and started it early and I'm so glad that I did since it's just what I need right now. I can relate to Aikawa in some remarkable ways. He stops and looks up at the sky! He would prefer to be wandering through the forest than at a desk! He notices the flowers that blossom and the little animals that scurry past! He pays attention to nature and he's teaching his students to do the same, to not just keep looking down at the same old thing, but to look at the world around them. He walks to the beat of his own drum, and if you know anything about Japan, you know that makes him pretty weird. He's brilliant!
Issei Takahashi has got to be one of the wackiest Japanese actors in terms of his career. If you've ever seen Kill Bill, you've apparently seen him. I haven't seen that franchise, so I couldn't say. He has pretty much done it all, and my first intro to him was in One Pound Gospel with Kazuya Kamenashi where he played one of the boxers in the gym. I was impressed with him then and I am triple-time impressed with him now. He's not one of those actors, though, where I would watch every single thing he does. Because when I say he's done it ALL, I mean it. I will be very intentional about what I choose to watch of Takahashi-san's work. BUT, he absolutely has taken this delightful and quirky male lead that is Kazuki Aikawa and made him his own in all the best and most amazing ways.
I'm not anticipating any romance in Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru. If it happens at all, it will be very subtle. It's just not something that's on his radar. Like I said, he's an eccentric, and he has so many other things to do. His life is full and he doesn't need or want romantic love. Not even with the female dentist that his housekeeper keeps trying to shove him towards.
The fansubber is SuG on D-Addicts. This was their first subbing project and I must say, they did a terrific job! If you're into Asian dramas at all then I'm sure you already have your resources on how to join soft-subs with the mp4 downloads of the raw video. Or you have your resources of where to find hard-subbed dramas. Just know that if you're looking for something a little different with lots and lots of heart, look no further than Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru. It's totally worth every second spent.
Ugh hate that they had to go there with the first one. I've heard of the second one, seen it on some list, might watch it at some point. But Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the first one isn't worth it. I know the fansubber has episode 11 up and I'm just not caring enough to watch it. So ad.
DeleteThe second one, we'll see. It has some great messages about self-worth and learning to love yourself, but I can get those messages from a variety of other dramas too, including one of my top favorite dramas Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge. And without having to sit through the frustrations of a narcistic male lead.
And yes, Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru is hands' down amazing. I wish I could trail along behind Aikawa-san for the rest of my life. One of his students admits that he wants to by like him, and others chuckle at him a little bit, but he says that he thinks it would be fun. And I agree, the way Aikawa-san lives his life is totally authentic to his passions and hobbies and he doesn't care what others think of him. I respect that authenticity so much.