the life cycle of an affair
Tokyo Tower is based on the novel by Kaori Ekuni. This screen adaptation is not the first but I haven't seen the other productions to compare. And if there was an English translation of this work, I would definitely be interested in giving it a read. This drama is a very short series, 9 eps of 23 mins, which is suitable as it concentrates purely on emotions.The story is an exploration of age gap relationships. It follows 2 college friends, Toru & Koji, who embark on 2 different affairs with older, married women. Toru is a medical student who falls in love with a well known architect after a random encounter. He then discovers the degree of separation is far too small for comfort, & things get worse when she invites him to events that include people close to them both, such as his mother, as well as her husband.
Koji, who is more experienced, is fascinated by Toru's infatuation, & decides to conduct his own experiment by pursuing the mother of a high school student he's tutoring. Koji's story is an interesting contrast to Toru's. Koji is the one who initiates & thinks he is in control of the whole relationship & can end it anytime. However, he's shocked when he realizes the one on the leash is actually himself.
The story telling is mostly quiet & reflective, which brings into sharp focus the range of emotions that explode when both Toru's & Koji's affairs destroy all the other relationships around them. And in the aftermath, both men decide it's still worth pursuing what they started, after crushing the walls that surrounded and supported the women they came to love.
Ultimately, it comes down to maturity. Toru & Koji end up overestimating their own importance in an older married woman's life, and older married women come to understand that the only thing they can build their future on is themselves. But will the experience leave each of them with regret, or peace? That, too, also depends on maturity.
All in all, this show was an interesting exploration of the life cycle of an age gap extramarital affair, with nice pacing in the story telling & acting from all of the cast. The short episodes made it an easy, but thoughtful, watch.
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Tokyo Tower won't suit every taste...
When I first read about Tokyo Tower story I wanted to watch the drama because I love this kind of noona romance.I liked all characters and their developments and I couldn't wait for the next episode. Each character learned from pain and it was worth to watch their changes for better.
Ren Nagase was perfect for his role and the pain in his eyes for Shifumi was so intense I could feel it. I loved his character development! Watching Genta Matsuda and Megumi's performances was amazing!
Though I think last episode was a bit inconclusive and couples deserved a better ending, I still like much about this drama, including the beautiful song played in the last minutes of each episode sung by Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi (Halfmoon - King & Prince).
I know this drama is controversial and messy and it is sad in many ways but I like it.
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"The Air Around You."
I dropped this drama back in November 2024, but for some reason, decided to pick it back up as Nagase Ren's performance in another drama caught my attention. Writing a review for dramas such as this is difficult, not just because of the very controversial subject matter, but because getting to understand the characters play an integral role in how you view such a situation in general. I suggest taking a direct dive to see whether it suits your taste.Kojima Toru, a medical student accidentally stumbles upon Asano Shifumi, a married and well established architect, whilst on his way to college. Her kind nature coupled with her pleasant aura soon attracts him and he finds excuses to see her again, unexpectedly learning that both of their interests and thoughts overlap. Toru is finally happy to have met someone who understands him on a deeper level, helping him escape from his feeling of constant loneliness. However, Asano Shifumi knows the reality of her life.
His illicit escapade serves as a game for his childhood friend and roommate, Ohara Koji, who takes it as a challenge to seduce the mother of the girl he tutors.
My Thoughts? I don't condone or encourage such things, but I could understand why both Toru and Shifumi fell for each other. Moreover, Shifumi was no idiot. She knew where her and Toru's future lay. Her excuses are useless in the eyes of the society. For both of them, meeting each other gave them the impetus to go forth with their lives. There is a scene where Shifumi ponders as to what attracts a person to another. She describes "the air" around them was what it was. Well, sad truth -- such a version of attraction is very, very rare to find. This is also one of my favorite lines in the entire drama. There was something about their relationship that went beyond the superficial aspect. It exists, but the sense of ease whenever they had a conversation felt natural. Toru might be a boring character when put up with someone like Koji, but he was an instant favorite of mine.
As for Koji? The end of the drama clearly explains why his relationship with Kimiko-san was not my cup of tea, in spite of several viewers preferring them over the leads. Well, both the guys deserved a whack on the head as they themselves eventually admit.
Tokyo Tower meddled with my thoughts well. So, it definitely is a solid 8 from me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Two friends and their affair life
So basically this drama is about the two best friends from school time, there's Toru as ML and Koji as Second ML.Throughout the school life whatever ML does, SML tries to replicate that, so when ML falls for Shifumi as FL even thought she was double his age, SML also thought of experimenting this (yes, this was the term he used) with the mother of his tution student hana, he gets involved with Kimiko around the same time without letting his girlfriend know.
An affair is bad no matter the reason, we don't really see the husband of Kimiko, but I find it hard to understand what was wrong with FL's marriage, her husband seem ok and he cared about her a lot. I find her attraction towards younger ML awful, it's good from story point of view but it's not logical. She had everything a woman could hope for unlike Kimiko.
Kimiko's husband was neglecting her which is why she gave herself to SML (Koji) but the same cannot be said for FL (Shifumi).
Aside from all this, I honestly didn't see much chemistry between main leads, so it was awkward to see them together, but Koji had good connection with Kimiko, throughout the drama I was watching for his relationship development.
Anyway what happened to these two main leads (Toru and Koji) is a lesson to be learned.
I won't say I like this drama as I have mixed feelings about it. Do give this a try.
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L'exploration des sentiments à des âges différents…
Avec le temps, nos goûts et nos attentes changent. On grandit, on expérimente, on mûrit. C'est ce qu'explore Tokyo Tower au travers d'histoires interdites.Toru (Nagase Ren) est un étudiant en médecin lassé. Sa rencontre avec Asano Shifumi (Itaya Yaku), une architecte reconnue, va bousculer sa lassitude avec des sentiments nouveaux. Bien qu'Asano soit mariée, ils ne tardent pas à entamer une liaison. En parallèle, on suit aussi Koji (Matsuda Genta), un ami de Toru. Plus expérimenté dans les relations, il est pourtant curieux de celle qu'entretient Toru avec une femme plus âgée. Motivé par le goût du challenge et la curiosité, il séduit la mère d'une adolescente à qui il donne des cours, Kawana Kimiko (Yamano Megumi).
Peu importe le nombre de drames vus, j'apprécie toujours la façon dont la narration japonaise développe une histoire en jouant sur une large palette d'émotions. La curiosité, le plaisir, l'excitation, la fascination, l'amour et la peine. Cela dit, Toru et Koji peuvent-ils vraiment porter sur leurs épaules la rudesse des sentiments qui les attendent ? Aimer un est un joli mot, la pratique est toute autre. Pour moi, la relation entre Koji et Komiko est celle qui possède le plus de sens. Elle est passionnelle et sincèrement amoureuse, elle est réelle. En revanche, celle de Toru et Asano me semble illusoire depuis leur rencontre. Elle était terminée avant même d'avoir commencé.
Toru et Koji se retrouvent confrontés à la vie d'adulte et ce qu'elle implique. L'immaturité connaît des expériences qui alimentent la maturité. De l'autre côté, Asano et Kimiko ont décidé de reprendre le contrôle de leur vie et de leur désir. En réalité, la seule chose qui m'échappe est l'intérêt de Toru pour la Tokyo Tower. Je n'ai pas réussi à saisir les sous-entendus, mais je ne m'en formaliste pas non plus.
« C’est une bonne chose d’apprendre de nos expériences. Il n’y a rien de pire que de grandir dans l’ignorance. On ne serait jamais devenus de vrais adultes si on s’était accommodés de nos défauts immatures. En ce sens, nous avons tous les deux fait un pas en avant dans notre vie. »
– Kojima Toru
En bref, Tokyo Tower est une façon d'expérimenter et d'explorer ses sentiments, tandis que les uns grandissent et les autres reprennent le contrôle de leurs vies.
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