The Servant Prince

An insightful subversion of the dom-sub trope

I did not expect to love this show the way I did. Naoya and Takaaki will live in my heart for a long time...

I loved that we were drawn in with this idea of your run-of-the-mill toxic power play couple, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath us in the first episode. I thought this was a really insightful exploration of dom-sub relationships, subverting the usual tropes & expectations (e.g. the richer, more successful partner as the dom, or the bottom as the sub.)

Takaaki was the more interesting character for me. In one episode he commented on how his high school relationship with Naoya was the perfect outlet for his desires, which he felt were shameful. (I interpreted this as a powerful metaphor for queerness.) Takaaki really blossomed thanks to his relationship with Naoya. Anyone on the outside looking in would think he was being taken advantage of, but it's exactly what he needed to feel safe enough to explore his own desire.

In later episodes, it warmed my heart watching him struggle as an adult to express his wants, outside of Naoya giving him orders. He was so terrified of becoming like Naoya's dad, so afraid that his passion was too possessive to be healthy. And even though this was never (or rarely) explicitly discussed, Naoya intuitively knew how to bring him out of his shell and make him feel like an equal in their relationship. Naoya's EQ is really high and he did a great job steering their relationship out of the hierarchy they'd been stuck in.

Don't watch this looking for sexy power play, cause I'm not sure you'll be satisfied. But if you're interested in a beautiful, healthy exploration of desire through the lens of power play, I think it's worth a look.

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A Unique Type of Love: The Prince Who Is Also a Servant To…

The man he loves.

This story has an interesting premise and the title suits it so well. It’s basically a CEO who is obsessed with his first love (now nobody)

The CEO is highly-respected at work but when around the man he loves, he becomes an obedient “love servant.”

I must say there’s something about this story that just hooks you in. I was unsure how to feel about it when I first watched the first episode, it wasn’t a bad watch, don’t get me wrong, but I just needed one more episode to know what the story is and where it’s going.

After watching the second episode, I can say now that’s it’s not even a bad watch. If you want to start it, START IT.

(I’ll edit as I watch)

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The Servant Prince has an interesting premise: although their social positions have completely reversed, the relationship between the "prince" and his "servant" has not. That's what makes this story so compelling. Seto Toshiki feels perfectly cast as Takaaki, while Ogawa Fuminori leaves me wanting to see a little more before making a judgment. I personally imagined Naoya as someone with an even more striking princely aura, but acting matters more than appearance alone. I also enjoyed the original manga, and I'm looking forward to seeing how faithfully the drama captures the dynamic between these two characters.

Currently available on TOKYO MX (broadcast), TVer and FOD in Japan. International availability may vary.

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Relacionamento estranho

"Eu realmente gosto de você. Quando perdi todo o meu orgulho, minha autoestima e a minha posição social, você foi o único que permaneceu ao meu lado. Ter que abrir mão de você doeu mais do que qualquer outra coisa."

The Servant Prince parte de uma premissa um pouco complicada: um relacionamento tóxico arrastado por longos anos.

Confesso que, para mim, foi bem difícil engolir esse enredo de início. Até tentei procurar o mangá que retrata a história original para tirar dali algum contexto a mais, mas infelizmente não o achei, o que acabou fazendo com que minha primeira impressão sobre a série se perpetuasse até o final.

Algo de que gostei bastante foi a forma mais óbvia — e impossível de ignorar — com que a série aborda o tema da depressão sem citá-la uma única vez. Goto Naoya passou anos sem ter vontade sequer de levantar da cama, de se cuidar, sair de casa ou trabalhar, dependendo completamente de Sato Takaaki para qualquer coisa. O mesmo Takaaki que ele destratava na adolescência, o mesmo Takaaki que agora era seu parceiro e o mesmo Takaaki que amava seguir suas ordens, mesmo as mais ridículas.

The Servant Prince realmente tenta sair de um enredo pobre para uma história mais “complexa” sobre superação, recomeços, autodescobertas e dramas familiares. Pois bem: ele não faz isso bem.

É difícil falar sobre esse drama quando o Japão finalmente larga a mão das — em sua grande maioria — histórias rasas, fáceis e clichês, porém continua grudado na ideia de “vamos contar histórias profundas, mas da forma mais porca e corrida possível”.

O drama não é ruim, mas também não é bom. Falha em entregar contexto, relações mais trabalhadas e personagens complexos. Entretanto, acerta na retratação de uma das piores doenças da humanidade e em tentar desenvolver a premissa da obra e seus cernes, que, se bem feitos, poderiam ter sido genuinamente bons.

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