Motokare Retry

Ep 1-5 are the strongest. Light & easy watch with great chemistry.

Ep 1-5 (and 9-10) were better than comments lead me to expect. The story is simple and not that memorable, but if you want an easy watch with sensual, realistic making-out, some sweetness, and decent acting, then you might enjoy this. Or at least parts of it.

Viewing recommendation: If you like jumping back to see the ML's point of view, watch Ep 9-10 after Ep 3; it integrates well with the story at that time. Then Eps 4-5 would have been a satisfying ending to me, so you could stop there. If you want to see the leads navigating their life choices at the end of college watch Ep 7-8. Skip Ep 6 altogether (I explain why in general terms below). Eps 6, 7, & 8 aren't very well written and aren't needed to have a satisfying conclusion.

The intimacy between the leads is both hot and sweet. The kisses contain emotions and are realistic. And there are a lot of them (in Ep 1-5, not so much after that). Very satisfying in that regard.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

Notes for Ep 1-5:
The ML lead's revenge thing is short lived once he and the FL talk through their mutual misunderstandings from 4 years ago. They are uncertain of their footing but really sweet and do communicate (even if there are lags in communication it's not super drawn out or unresolved ).

I liked how the ML and FL never wavered in their affection, and really appreciated how the ML *didn't* get upset at the FL when he learned that the SML had forced a kiss on her. I was expecting all the usual unreasonable jealousy clichés, but the ML handled that whole scene/situation really well.

Kazuha (SML) and and Nina are horrible "friends" to Kaeda. Their one-sided feelings, for the FL and ML respectively, are obviously not reciprocated yet they do morally grey things because they can't accept that. They are the most annoying and trope-filled thing about this show.

Skip Ep 6 because almost the whole thing revolves around Nina being nasty in ridiculous ways. At the end she's given excuses and understanding and not only forgiven, but praised. I get the point they were trying to make, but she didn't deserve such consideration, and the writing was really ham-handed with it. It detracted from the story instead of adding value.

Ep 7-8 are full of telling vs showing and thus feel rushed, a bit empty, and not that satisfying (in my opinion). The writing is clunky and the time skips don't help.

I can see re-watching parts of Ep 1-5 (& 9-10) at some point, but I won't re-watch the rest.

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Not Good Enough

Japanese Drama "Motokare Retry" is a drama that is short but boring.

First of all, the couple was enjoyable. They had chemistry and plenty of romantic scenes.

However, the love triangle was predictable and lacking. The drama also got boring and had few surprises to offer in the second half. In addition, it would have been nice if the drama had presented the past of the characters more in-depth.

Finally, the drama had nice performances.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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Enemies to Lovers? More Like Speed-Run to Lovers

The second I pressed play, I knew this was a manga adaptation. You can just tell. The pacing, the reactions, the dramatic coincidences ! if you know, you know!

Plot*
The story follows Mitsu, who starts university determined to move on from the trauma of her first love. She’s ready for a fresh start, new life, new apartment… and of course, because drama logic never rests, her next-door neighbor turns out to be her ex-boyfriend, Kaede. They haven’t seen each other in five years. It’s awkward. He’s grown up, somehow even more handsome than in high school, and suddenly all the feelings Mitsu thought she had buried start bubbling up again.

Spoilers ahead***

Now here’s where I started struggling.
When it comes to live-action manga adaptations, I truly believe there are only two outcomes: really good or really bad. There’s rarely a middle ground. And unfortunately, this one doesn’t land on the “really good” side.

We’re told Mitsu was traumatized by her first love. But we never really see it. I kept wishing the drama had started in high school ! show me the relationship, show me the heartbreak, show me why she’s still so affected. Instead, we jump straight into her new apartment and are expected to emotionally invest in backstory we barely witnessed. It just wasn’t enough for me to fully buy into her pain.

Then there’s the whole “chase” phase ( more like 5 minute). Mitsu resists Kaede at first, refuses to get back together… but honestly? That tension barely lasts. By episode three, they’re already back together. Episode three!?!?.
Where was the slow burn? Where was the longing, the simmering tension, the emotional build-up? It felt like the story hit fast-forward and skipped all the parts that actually make romance satisfying.

The love triangle didn’t help either. Kaede’s friend confesses, sees her dating his friend, and just… gives up ( like what??) That’s it. No emotional struggle, no fight, no messy confrontation. I kept thinking, “Is that all?” The drama insists they’re adults now, but the energy feels very teenager like! rushed emotions, shallow conflict, quick resolutions.

In the end, it feels underdeveloped. Everything moves too quickly, which makes the emotions feel thin. What could have been a layered, slow-burn second-chance romance ends up feeling like a checklist of manga tropes executed at a microwave speed.
I wanted more tension. More depth. More time to simmer. Instead, I got a romance that barely had time to breathe.

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