Tengoku ni Ichiban Chikai Otoko (1999)

with episodic dramas in a villain, case, conflict or phenomenon of the week format, i see the diverse and creative scenarios as the interest, and the characters as what bind it all together and keep me coming back. so super symbiotic! in this case, after encountering a man who claims to be an angel, amakasu shiro receives one trial from god every friday over the course of eleven weeks, under the threat that if he does not complete his mission by the designated time, he will die. what is asked of him is not as impossible as something like saving the world—be hugged and thanked by an older woman, cry real tears by 6pm, overcome your greatest complex, kiss the girl you like, kiss a man...?—but for someone like shiro, who never learned how to be a confident or socially and emotionally secure adult, the right way to go about these things is a mystery he had no drive to solve. up until now, his indifference and "who cares?" attitude was unsatisfactory, but serviceable. what will become of him once his life is on the line? over and over again, he's pushed outside of his comfort zone

the god presented is therefore both benevolent and mischevious, sorta like how life throws situations at you that are seemingly ask too much from who you are now. with every challenge, shiro takes a step towards becoming a person who can face the next. this is nutured by the people around him, and quite uniquely, the "angel" tendou. ultimately, i felt that my struggles could also be lessons, and the value of them can be my choice

this show was not re-released on streaming platforms alongside its sequel (which was). i don't know the specific reason why, but it wasn't too hard to imagine while watching. it's got a bit of a cynical edge to it, but it's very human. there's also fun cinematography and an incredible soundtrack. i think i counted a new track every single episode, and "oh! heaven" by tokio and its remixes are addictive. i do recommend this if you enjoy acting that is more stylistic, and can tolerate some immaturity. for me eccentricity wraps around and makes it more realistic. on a side note, the same-gender crush was great

i could never predict where this show was going! it was so funny. i loved it so much. i think this watch will be precious to me forever

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