1The Yakuza was not mafiaing enough.
Instead of making the female lead less bland as the drama progressed, they decided to make the drama itself more bland to match her vibe. Why? No one knows.If you want to watch it for mafia romance? Don’t bother. Bad guy turned good for female lead? Don’t bother. High stakes and thrills? Don’t bother. I feel like what the show initially presents and what it actually delivers is completely different.
The mafia plot, even though central to the story, somehow barely exists and feels like it lacks impact. It’s the “good mafia” if you know what I mean. I did enjoy how puppy-like Odagiri Ren was towards the female lead, but when faced with danger and trash people, I wish he was more… mafia like. Otherwise, why is the yakuza even part of the plot?
I enjoyed Sugawara Makoto as a character at first, because I expected well delivered character development. And no, I don’t need her to become a confident extrovert, but girl needs to grow a backbone and learn some assertive skills. At the end of the day, she always had to be saved and could not deal with anything alone.
While the chemistry between them was great, it was the best when they were not kissing. Yet again - my man you are almost 40, playing a character who is probably in his mid 30’ - what is that fish kiss? What is this k-bl from the early 2010s? He is supposed to be madly in love with her, so why does it feel like they don’t really want to kiss each other?
Performances were decent. I think it’s hard for me to judge since for me the characters were weirdly written - a bit too juvenile for the age and circumstances they were in.
At the end of the day, the Yakuza aspect ruined the experience for me, because I kept expecting something else, something more. If it was just an office show with forced co-habitation, I’d probably rate it higher. Adjust your expectations and it might actually be a decent watch.
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1Everything but a Yakuza romance!
I dived into this as a Yakuza romance enthusiast, expecting the angst and romance to have me swooning. But what I got was a watered-down hotchpotch family drama without the thrill.Just after finishing "Lover's Revenge" and this drama, I realized that the FL, Konno Ayaka, chose two dramas with the SAME timid, lovely, easy to trample with and "mommy issues" personality in the same year. Felt like her character was teleported from the previous drama to this, no change, same old "help me" puppy eyes with "this world can't have another innocent person like me" face.
The storyline was mid, acting was okay, side characters are nonexistent in a way that they don't intrigue you at all, just some cartoons popping up here and there. The Yakuza ML was more of a office worker than a leader so won't be seeing him fighting, but some occasional glare fights and mostly (99.999%) being diabetic sweet to the FL.
This was a Yakuza romance without the Yakuza part. It means, you ordered chicken soup without the chicken, but it was still okay as it "got the flavor", so you ended up finishing the bowl. But you will definitely not order this again.
Personally I wouldn't recommend, but do check it out if you are really interested as everyone got different tastes. If you don't like this, just want to let you know, you've been warned.
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Yakuza boss, without the Yakuza part
I've watched the whole thing waiting for the ML to unleash his inner Yakuza heir persona, and aside from a very lame fist fight and a full back tattoo, I've seen nothing that suggests he is a Yakuza or in any way tough and violent.And No, my dear writers, having a resting b!tch face and being a meticulous boss doesn't make you a Yakuza, if so I'd be the first to be called a "Madam" and you'd see me walking in a lace dress with a cigarette and bloody red lipstick, with 4 buff guys around me...
The ML is a big softie and very kind guy ... Basically the inventor of the green flag classification.
Which is making the whole Yakuza thing a false advertising, but be that as it may, I'm actually happy he wasn't the conventional Yakuza boss, I believe the drama was perfect for my mood and pretty light and lovely.
I would have rated it higher if it wasn't for the few things that bothered me
1- the romance was too sudden, there is no back story of why or when exactly the Boss fell for Makoto, also no explanation on how or why she was homeless, I understand she was living with her BF but he was there for only 3 years, so up to the age of 26 where did she live? How did she survive??
2- the sudden appearance of Tora is kinda stupid, I mean he suddenly appear in Makoto's life after 9 years of losing contact, then BOOM I love you, and how exactly were they out of contact for 9 years yet he managed to know about her BF ?? Logic? Hello?? Are you still with us???
3- the sudden appearance of the bad guys, take two 😂 no hint whatsoever of any rivalry between Ren and anyone, yet suddenly there is kidnapping and stuff. I didn't like that, you should have hinted of anything instead of just squeezing everything in one episode.
There was another one or two illogical things like how did Aina manage to take a photo of his back tattoo... İn his own bar ... İn front of all his yakuza men... Also how did everyone in the office see the photo and totally ignore it...
I can go on ...😂😂 But weirdly enough, I actually enjoyed it, I can even recommend it but maybe you have to give your brain a holiday while watching ~
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1
1From Yazuka with love... Kinda, maybe, whatever!
The first half of this drama actually had me hooked. Messy breakup, moving in with the scary but sweet boss and a touch of suspense with its yakuza subplot...it was entertaining, light and felt easy to binge.Then the second half rolled around and instead of turning the heat up, it decided to put the stove on simmer. We got extra plotlines that felt more like filler than substance.
We got introduced to Makoto's mother subplot and as expected, her mother was scheming, didn’t understand the concept of boundaries and somehow had the notion that everything is about her.
It was so over-the-top that it almost crosses into comedy. The ghostly background music during her first entrance didn’t help. Instead of giving us real insight into Makoto’s past or adding something that actually enhances her as a character or give her a personality, it becomes kind of repetitive, with the whole “damsel in distress where the yakuza will come to save her” vibe.
Similarly, the second male lead, while very charismatic and handsome, was just introduced to bring in more cliché tropes. His role as a childhood friend and police officer could have added genuine conflict, but it ultimately feels underutilized and somewhat predictable.
The romance in this drama was… polite. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments that are undeniably sweet, like the forehead kiss, but beyond that, it sparks but occasionally. And the kissing scenes… well, I thought we were over the dead fish kisses but apparently not.
I wish they had focused more on the couple than on unnecessary subplots and maybe a bit more focus on yakuza content other than ML just having that back tattoo. Too many if's and why's with no clear answer.
The hinted tension between the yakuza and police also remained underexplored, which is a missed opportunity given how the setup was given in silver platter.
Acting-wise, it was okay. I found Konno Ayaka as Sugawara Makoto a bit expressionless in some scene. I don't know if it was intended. Totsuka Shota was good. I liked the switch in the tsundere role. And him in glasses was such a pretty sight to behold. I am not even exaggerating!
Overall, this did start strong but lost its flavor halfway through. Somehow, the lack of personality of FL and too many personalities of ML clashed and with unnecessary subplots, the ship set sail... only to sink!
Again wasn't expecting much out of 8 episodes, but this could have been easily an office romance with some underworld/ local mafia linking and i might have rated it better.
Will I recommend it? No. I feel there are better Jdramas but if you want to try for ML, go for the gamble. It's pretty bite sized. Not much to lose.
6.25/10
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From entertaining to super bland... Disappointing...
This drama was so entertaining with its first arc : it had everything for a fun watch...- Cold office manager aka hidden Yakuza-Boss? Checked.
- Unhinged and entertaining moments with an overall cheesy vibe? Checked.
- Entertaining story with a cheating boyfriend and devilish colleague? Checked.
- Hot shower scene showcasing a tattoo as well as glasses and office tailored suit fashion? Checked.
But then....Past the halfway mark, it became super bland... While the heroine was kinda a Mary Sue / blank canvas from start, the male lead became super tamed. From being a spicy and domineering Yakuza boss to a standard basic male lead from any average middle-of-the-road romance... I would have loved for the hero to remain on the ruthless outlaw side of Yakuza night life and to bring the (bland) heroine into the dark side...But the script decided to remove any darkness from the main lead and to absolve him with a conclusion that felt really too easy, which was really disappointing.
I would not recommend this to people as I found it to be so bland past its half-way mark. The heroine is kinda a wet towel of nothingness but it could have worked if the hero would have maintained a dark and unhinged yakuza side. Unfortunately, he became tamed and his hotness did not manage to save the series which became boring.
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The Yakuza boss is just so... nice
I would never have thought that the Yakuza bosses would be the ones to seem to understand the meaning of consent better than any one in dramaland. But here I am starting this review with these words as Mr Yakuza boss is just sp respectful and gets it waay better then the cops seem to do.The drama has a few higly annoying, highly evil characters, they do not get to much screen time but whenever we finnaly get rid of one annoying evil another one is seen....
The rest of the cast is just so nice, fine they made a guy pee his pants, punishing the evil protecting the less evil... making me just wanna give them a big hug... who cars that they have guns....
The drama it self is however pretty bland, there are a few kind of passionate scenes but the kisses between them feel kind of awkward and lack all sence of passion, making it an okay watch but nothing really memorable...
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The story itself is fine. A man with a hidden side that most women probably won’t want to be involved with. Though two episodes from seeing where this will end, it’s still a very nice series that touches on different themes that makes it likable. One theme that stands out is parent child relationship. This one has a very complicated one. I wonder what i would do in this one if in child shoes. Then the main one of course is the heart. Male lead does have a complicated life. It’s not complicated until the heart is involved. What to do? How to untangle?
You think about these things in your own reality and find that even in real life, it’s quite tough. So, it ends here so far as I await the last two episodes. I so want these two complicated souls to have the best they’ve found in themselves. I’m gonna bet it.
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Good have been something
The synops got me exited, but it's actually so bad. The acting is so bad, which is a shame though.The ML was not yakuza enough, al he did was something with his brows when mad but looked more confused than mad. The FL was too soft and gullible, which annoyed me.I would rather see the ML more tough and the FL more confident during the process. And the acting of the shooter, he acted more like a creepy clown than a yakuza maniac. I laughed at some point as it was so bad. It could've be something.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Yakuza but without actal Yakuza theme
I found myself somewhat disappointed by the lack of actual Yakuza action throughout the series. I had hoped that as the plot progressed, we would see more of the thrilling and intense aspects associated with this criminal underworld, especially in the latter half of the show. Unfortunately, the anticipated excitement never really came and so i didnt get the satisfaction with action in what I had hoped for. Although, the romance between the FL and the ML is very cute and undeniably charming, and all. One has to give it, their interactions are filled with sweet moments that highlight their chemistry between the two leads. I just felt like there could have been some more of the action side shown. Honestly I think the show could have benefited from a more balanced representation of action and romance.So, if you are looking for some more fast-paced romance for the sake of romance this Drama might be a fit. But if you're coming here for the Yakuza plot then you might be disappointed a bit.
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Yeah no
I was excited when i saw the whole yakuza storyline but it was so bland. The leads were all like “i never want to fall in love with anyone else but you” but like it’s been 3 days that they’ve been together + she broke up with her ex like a week ago?? I was so bored and i was glad that it only had 8 episodes. The yakuza part was not it bc the lead is so weak. He’s supposed to be the young boss or wtv idk if the subtitles fooled me but like (SPOILER) what kind of yakuza member gets blackmailed by a mere employee. I would’ve expected her getting punished heavily but she only got exposed for her weird affair with older men. That was NOT giving yakuza member.The leads were good looking but the love story was very quick and incomprehensible. They were also very quiet, i have a tick were i always press the “skip forward 10 secs” button and i pressed like 5 times and no sound were coming out of their mouths. Atp those scene were only for cinematography.
They couldn’t really showcase their acting bc nothing was happening like im actually pissed💔
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Very Kind Yakuza
I kinda enjoyed this but maybe because its been a while since i watched a Jdrama so i was expecting this to be good.. but it was an okay to watch kind. He is kind to her and only her well that part i guess cliche but i’ll take it. Overall, i feel like tho he is a yakuza, he is not really yakuza-ing, i dont know if yall understand but i’ve watched drama that really shows how yakuza is so maybe i was expecting too much?This is a short and quick watch so dont expect too much from it. Might wanna shut off your brain when watching so you’ll just watch it without thinking much haha.
Will i watch it again? No. Is it an enjoyable drama? Maybe but i’ve watched something better.
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To add the yakuza myth :)
PLOT: During a team dinner, FL discovers that her boyfriend of three years (selfish, arrogant, and contemptuous) is cheating on her. She runs away and ends up with her yakuza boss (ML), moves in with him, and they eventually become a couple. However, ML is really the adopted son of a yakuza clan leader...+++ Cute CL, subtle and very well acted by Totsuka Sotha and Konno Ayaka
+++ Lively direction and a coherent story. No Great Villain (or almost none).
### Too Japanese OST for me.
### Story with minimal violence, a bit "too soft", where the yakuza are polite, accept that people leave the clan, etc.
=> Light series, nice for spending an evening.
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Pr alimenter le mythe des yakuzas :)
PLOT: La FL s'aperçoit lors d'un diner d'équipe, que son petit ami de 3 ans (égoïste, arrogant et méprisant) la trompe. Elle s'enfuit et se retrouve auprès de son chef de service "yakuza" (le ML), habite chez lui, et ils finissent par être en couple. Cpdt, le ML est vraiment le fils adoptif d'un chef de clan yakuza ...
+++ Cute CL, subtile et très bien interprété par Totsuka Sotha et Konno Ayaka
+++ Réalis° vive et story cohérente. Pas de Great Villain (ou presque).
### OSTs trop nippones pour moi.
### Story avec un minimum de violence, un peu "bizounours" où les yakuzas sont polis, acceptent qu'on quitte le clan, etc.
=> Série légère, sympa pr passer une soirée.
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