Bhavna

A Most Beautiful Love Story of Loss

I just finished watching Beyond Goodbye or Sayonara no Tsuzuki and I was in a puddle of tears by the end. The thing is, what made me cry is not just that people die, but the depth, love, beauty, and sacredness that this J drama brought into the topic- it’s like something about it touches me so deeply that it brings me to tears. In the very first episode, when Yusuke was playing “I Want You Back” on the piano, and that scene repeats in variations two more times in the same setting, it touched me and I could feel the tears even in the first episode. I can’t explain it or why. And then as the series went on, Naruse, talking about how his own heart had reached its limit and so Yusuke’s boundless love and joy came into him to breathe new life into him, and how he was opened by it and it felt like the divine love of Spirit is just pouring through him and the whole series. What seemed at first as a love that was contained only in Yusuke, in the end was released from all forms and showed up everywhere. That’s what was so beautiful- it showed that forms are impermanent, but the love can melt anyone’s heart and dissolve conflicts and divisions, even if they’re not supposed to get along according to the world. I loved how emotionally honest and open the characters were in this J Drama compared to others that I’ve seen, and they expressed what was on their heart instead of holding everything in and that certainly helped to move the story along. The bond explored between Naruse and Saeko was truly something beyond words, beyond labels. It wasn’t “an affair,” in the classic sense although it could have turned into that. Neither party was looking for that, as noble as they were, and yet the love of Spirit brought them together in beautiful moments, to feel the divine love of God that wants nothing more than to see you happy and smiling, and never sad. That whole piano song of Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”, was the premise- it was the vehicle to deliver this message from Spirit to lift one up- the world is not so heavy and low, so smile. The whole series, the whole point of Yusuke’s existence as the symbol of love was to see that smile on Saeko’s face, and to wash away the tears of her sorrows. And this is the hidden message of the whole drama- to allow Spirit to wash away the grief of our sorrows and to bring the smile of God to our face, knowing that we are loved. “You are loved.” No matter what the loss, and how big the loss, even in the midst of it, in the heaviness of grief, “You are loved no matter what.” This is what the series points to. And love is bigger than all the people and forms in this world- it can appear as a rainbow, or berries on a plant, or a new life in someone’s womb. If you keep your heart open, even in the grief of loss, the Spirit will show you love and heal you from the inside out. That’s what this series did for me. It had a profound healing effect when I was going through my own losses and I allowed my heart to be opened up by this story.

The rewatch value of this series is high- the first 5 or so episodes are amazing. But at some point, it starts to drag a little, and the low point was when Saeko encounters a bear and ends up on the news … like why? That was so unnecessary. They could have cut that whole part out. But I’ll be forgiving and still say it’s one of the best J Dramas I’ve ever watched (I feel this way after watching each one, that every Japanese drama is even better than the last!).

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Unhealthy Obsession with marriage, family, relationships

Though I have normally enjoyed J dramas, something about this one didn’t sit right with me. I think it was rather poorly done. I get it that traditional societies value marriage and family etc, but seriously this series borders on obsession with marriage and finding a relationship that feels almost suffocating. It’s just obsessive and not healthy. Every conversation is about marriage and how can I get more married and get into a better relationship? It tends to define one’s self worth based on one’s ability to get married. It just made me sick to be honest. I didn’t like this series at all, but watched until the end out of obligation.

Pros:
- Scenery is nice and beautiful
- I like the yoga angle- as a yoga teacher, I liked that she brought in philosophies of self care into her classes. However, the yoga she teaches it highly westernized “white people yoga” which is divorced from real yoga.
- Shots and cinematography are nice and clean just like any Japanese series- beautiful colors
- Hayate was cool

Cons:
- The male and female lead have no chemistry and are generally unlikeable (actually I find most of the characters in this series to be rather unlikeable, lifeless, or meh)- the single dad looks old and constipated throughout the series. He can’t even express himself properly and for a grown a$$ man, that’s pathetic. If people are this repressed/constipated with their emotions, how on earth can they possibly carry on a healthy relationship that they obsess so much about? At least Hayate is open and honest with his emotions (of course it was totally one sided but anyways).
-After two meetings, the characters say these stock lines like “let’s date for marriage!” And then start holding hands, doing the statue kiss, and acting like a couple. It just feels so scripted like they’re playing a role. “Now we’re dating so we have to act like this…” it doesn’t feel organic, natural, or genuine. Just like playing rigid roles. The old guy (female lead’s dad) says to Hinata “Let’s date!” Then they start holding hands and going through the motions. It’s so robotic and unnatural to me. And the “sumimasens” were starting to get a little excessive. Seriously? Politeness is fine but can’t people just act a little more natural? The single dad main lead acts like every scene is a job interview, including the “romantic” scenes. It’s suffocating to watch.
- You have the nice older single woman trope who keeps griping about her age, menopause, and not being married, alluding to this idea that she’s a high achieving career woman, but ultimately has no value because she’s not married. I have seen this in another series- Full Time Wife Escapist- the older unmarried aunt who’s whole identity is that she’s an older career woman who’s single and unmarried and constantly complaining because she believes she is worthless. What a backward belief system that trains women to think this way.
- Hayate was young handsome, caring, loving, a great cook, and caretaker of the house, and successful but the female lead treated him as a joke the entire series. That was sad to see him literally trashed and taken advantage of. Poor guy.
- The English used throughout the series (especially by the fat yoga instructor) was soooo cringe, inappropriate, and awful. She’d just come out and say some random weird catchphrase and I couldn’t make out what she was saying until I read the subtitles.

So in summary, I didn’t like this series at all but finished the whole thing. I have an affinity for Japan, J-Dramas, anime, and Japanese culture, but this one was just excessive and annoying. Might be the first series that I’ve actually disliked. I think they should just rename the series to “Sumimasen!”

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Sakurako is a miracle woman!

You might call this a cliche drama- showing that there is something more important than money and that is love. Well it’s true. And there are many things about Yamato Nadeshiko that is refreshing and new. First of all, it’s the heroine Sakurako who’s obsession with finding a rich man and richer man borders on sociopathy when it comes to her behaviors in “relationships.” She really doesn’t get into any real relationships, but more like arrangements with rich men who just fall for her based on her looks and don’t see or want anything deeper than that. Because love is not part of the equation, she has no moral issues with jumping from one arrangement to another, like trying to find a better deal at a store, or more brand name person. She reduces people down to rich or poor, and this harsh judgment is a reflection of how she sees and judges herself. She grew up poor and thinks that is the reason for all her misery. So there’s a wounded inner child that mistakenly seeks out this one thing- money- in order to feel worthy on the inside. Sakurako doesn’t seem to even have an inner life as she just acts through a painted mask that smiles just like an air hostess (literally her job in the movie), so she initially has no awareness of this hurting inner child. She acts like a programmed robot, and I have known people like this in my own life (my own sister) who act like money, brand names, and status is the true measure of a person’s worth. It’s terribly sad to see, but the mask starts to crack as she keeps bumping into Oasuke, the poor man who she initially mistakenly thought was rich, and whom she hates for most of the movie. But instead of just glossing over things and saying “They’re in love,” the series touches on what made Sakurako in an money hungry cartoon character, going to one mixer after another, on the prowl for a richer man.

Sakurako’s obsessive pursuit of wealth isn’t about greed—it’s about survival. It’s the strategy of a deeply wounded inner child who was told, directly or indirectly, “You are ugly. You are poor. You are not worthy.” So she builds a mask to counter that narrative. And the tragedy, is that the mask becomes her identity. She doesn’t even know she’s wearing it anymore. She thinks she is the smile, the brand, the perfect image. It’s interesting to see the mask she puts on when she feels the pain of rejection, and uses this impressive beautiful mask throughout her “dating life” (if you want to call that kind of manipulation dating) as a kind of armor and shield. It’s not explicitly explained through the series- the wounded and vulnerable inner child vs her fake mask and how even the rich fiancé she got to become infatuated with her mask never knew the real her, the vulnerable true self that she hides from the world. It seems like only Oasuke has been able to touch that part of her, the vulnerable inner child that is wounded. I wish they had gone deeper into that and about her emotional healing and maturing process that happens in this relationship with Oasuke. That would have made the series much better in my opinion. It just glossed over that part, but that is crucial in giving the heroine a reason to change- because someone who is that manipulative and narcissistic in relationships to the point where she continues going to mixers to find a richer man even while engaged, and right up to the wedding, such a person would need an enormous reason to change. A true breakdown in their life where all of that illusion falls apart. And to be honest, such a person normally doesn’t change. It just so happened that this woman was a manipulator with a wounded inner child and a heart of gold so she ended up going for the “genuine poor man” in the end, acknowledging that any motives for dating the rich fiancé were false and the foundation was built wrong so there’s no hope in continuing that. But in this world, such people would continue manipulating and destroying people’s lives. So caution to viewers here- this isn’t exactly realistic. My sister hasn’t changed one bit in the decades I’ve known her, and unless a catastrophe happens that dramatically brings down the illusions she follows, her “rich people are better” programming will stay with her till the end. That is the sad truth. Someone like this doesn’t just change because of a nice man. A whole identity collapse has to happen. The ego’s scaffolding has to crumble. There has to be despair, not just discomfort. There has to be a total breakdown before a breakthrough is even possible. And in real life, most don’t reach that point. But I’m glad to see even one example, even if it’s on a show of a person who can change so dramatically like Sakurako. If God wills it, then it may happen.

One thing I didn’t like about the series (and many other J dramas) is that the characters don’t say what they came to say when they meet each other. Instead, they fly halfway across the world, put in so much effort, and then at one sign of doubt, they say “Ok goodbye then!” Without saying what they want to say. Is that pride? Is it fear? It’s so annoying! Sakurako flies all the way from Japan to NYC to meet Oasuke in the end, and says to him that she wants to be with him, and Oasuke’s like “I’m confused right now…” so she puts on her mask and is like, “Ok… goodbye then…” Like wtf? You just flew all that way and packed your suitcase and your whole life just for him and now you say goodbye and toss the conversation into the garbage so easily? Do these people not know how to communicate at all? It’s so frustrating to watch. And then I wonder at the end when they’re married, why Sakurako is not working- she could still be a flight attendant, why does she need to end her professional life that she was so good at just to be with him? It’s like now her whole existence revolves around Oasuke (after living such a different life before.. is that even possible unless you had a lobotomy?) and she’s not working. Wouldn’t her default mode go back to going to mixers since that’s what she’s been doing since forever? How does that programming collapse completely I ask? Or maybe the love with Oasuke is so powerful that it collapsed all that? I don’t know, I kind of don’t buy it, but if Sakurako was such a go getter, why not work to support herself and her husband so she can buy all her Fendi stuff? As for Sakurako dropping her job and changing her life instantly—that part strains credibility for me. Unless… something profound happened. Something offscreen. A total shift in identity, not just behavior. That’s where a slower burn romance can help and some of the newer J dramas do this better. And even then, the conditioning doesn’t vanish. You don’t change overnight. The old conditioning has to be faced, again and again. The desire to put the mask back on doesn’t just disappear. But now there’s something else present: awareness. I cannot imagine someone like Sakurako the way she’s been existing since childhood till now could pull a 180 like that and just live normally with Oasuke. Nobody even knows who she really is. She’s been fake since she was a child so how can she just switch to “being real?” Even she doesn’t know who that is. So I don’t buy that part at all. And even till close to the end, she’s still attending mixers, which shows that she’s still going back to old habits. Unless landing in a new country, she completely has to abandon her old self and live like a totally new person…

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Incredible story and satisfying ending

Just finished watching Marry My Husband Japan, and it was an incredible story. Takeru Satoh (as Suzuki Wataru) is incredible. I love his soft, protecting, loving energy throughout the series. He is a male lead with true integrity and remains faithful in his love and will to protect Misa. I love how the old timelines of evil, manipulation, sacrifice, and ego winning was flipped into the new timeline of innocence, love, and sacredness protected. Sometimes Misa’s naive behavior was annoying as she would walk into the lion’s den completely unarmed and inviting trouble and danger to follow her. That’s where Wataru’s protection was sorely needed.

The characters were believable and I have experienced people like Reina, and Tomoya, although I have not met a Director Suzuki Wataru before. I would love to meet him. As for Misa, I can personally relate to her- being the scapegoat and victim of being the sacrificial lamb. I was very happy for her when she was able to make friends with Miko (Suzuki’s younger sister), Tanabe (her high school crush), and Samiyoshi (her direct manager). The five of them in the new timeline really built up a solid friendship together and it made me happy that Misa was able to find people who cared about her and protected her. Something that really touched me about Misa and Wataru’s university life was how they described it as “a lonely school life.” I can relate to that too. Misa said how she never made any friends in university and Wataru had the same experience. Well I too had the same experience. The lone, inward life, introspection. With the innocent baby turtle Kamekichi as Misa’s only friend, and the silent protection of Wataru watching over her. Even though it would have been painful and lonely back then, the silent introspective life created a kind of sacredness in the atmosphere, even when they revisited it again. I know the feeling. It all paid off in the end. I loved how the series sprinkled in many moments of intimacy, a beautiful relationship, forming between Misa and Wataru instead of just clumsily plopping them together at the end. It made absolute sense that they would end up together, and it was only natural considering that their relationship had been blossoming since the beginning of the new timeline. Their relationship was truly golden, and I would’ve been heartbroken if anything had come to sabotage it in the end. But it was as if the spirits of their own parents bless the connection and allowed it to move forward into a fruitful and beautiful new beginning while saying, farewell to the horrors of the past..

Reina was truly twisted and evil and it just shows that some people when they are traumatized, they can end up being the worst evil on the planet. Instead of seeking healing through introspection, they seek revenge and Reina just callously murders and attempts to kill off anyone in her way. She didn’t really truly know what she wanted because all she seemed to pursue was what Misa had and she didn’t really know what she herself wanted out of life, except to destroy the happiness of others. Such people exist- with a kind of pathological envy for the innocent and sacred ones, and a desire to steal what they have. It was truly sad how the ego causes devastation and misery and suffering all around it- to make sure that everyone else is just as miserable as they are. So I am glad that those characters were eliminated in the new timeline. Thank God that true love was given a chance to survive and blossom in the end. As Wataru said, new life and greenery will bloom in the desert.

I have no interest in the Korean version because for some reason the K drama remakes or originals are usually such poor quality compared to the Japanese versions- I find them to be tacky and missing the reverent and sacred quality that I see in the J dramas. I have even tried to watch a remake or original K drama version after finishing the Japanese one and they are always so bad that I have to stop after a few minutes. If J dramas are a Michelin star restaurant, K dramas would be Arby’s.

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One of the best shows I have ever seen

This is the first Japanese drama I have watched, and I must say it is one of the most thought provoking shows I’ve ever seen. I don’t speak fluent Japanese but I can understand some of the dialogues. I am watching it now for the 4th time and every time it goes deeper and more thought provoking than the previous time. I notice things that I missed the previous time. It is very philosophical, introspective. I just love it and I’ve never seen a show like this before. I am so thankful to Japanese creators for having such sophisticated thought and a high mindset to come up with such amazing content. I feel it’s because of their mindful culture that is based on Zen and Shintoism, that there is so much wisdom baked into even their entertainment. I just loved all of the characters, especially the leads, Mukai-kun and Sakaido-san. They were all so lovable in their imperfections, trying to live in a rigid structure and system where things are changing. I find it interesting how women are the driving force behind the changing dynamics of these relationships - they tend to leave things more open ended, question the societal structure and systems, and propose to throw the whole thing out the window and live in the moment. I feel that this show is much deeper than just dating and romance. It is deeply philosophical, spiritual, and you get to hear the inner thoughts of the main character and how he feels like he’s failing as a human being because he doesn’t fit into society’s expectations. But just because some people fit into a certain mold doesn’t mean they are happy. They might just be trapped. So his journey is very relatable even to an American woman halfway around the world! I applaud the director, writers, and creators of this show/manga. It is incredible and I will probably watch it another 5 times just to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of these wonderful moments. I feel like I am living with the characters. And by the way the music is amazing too, very suitable for the vibe. Perfect 10 out of 10!

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Daimon Michiko is a national treasure! A Diamond! Protect her at all costs!

I’m back for the 3rd season of Doctor X, and Michiko’s back at it again- the stakes are higher than ever. She saves lives like nobody’s business, and is even personally requested by Hiruma, the previous hospital president, as he is dying of some stage 4 cancer (seriously everyone and their mom has cancer in this series!). He doesn’t even trust his own doctors that he raised him like Ebina, Haru, and Kaji- he’s like I want Daimon Michiko. When it comes to saving his life, he knows that she is the only one he can trust who will not fail him as a doctor. Other doctors have ulterior motives and their mind is not so pure. But Michiko is so pure- a pure hearted soul who doesn’t desire other worldly things that the corrupt doctors do, and so in the operating room, Hiruma is like “oh you are all like my sons, but I want my daughter Michiko, where is she??!” After all the image making and corruption, he knew that only she could save him. And she does not fail!

In this season, the issue of “Where is all her money going?” really started to bother me, as it did Michiko herself. It causes a rift (not quite a falling out) with Akira San, but when she finds out at the end of the season that he has some incurable brain cancer (everyone is just floating around with stage 4 cancers in this show geez!), a very touching finale ensues. Akira makes himself unavailable to Michiko and gives up on his own life, prohibiting Michiko to see him, but she perseveres. It’s heartbreaking to see her going to her usual spots like the bathhouse, or table tennis place or their eatery spots alone without her favorite teacher, friend, manager, and guardian, Akira San. She misses him dearly and cannot give up on his life.

Akira isn’t just her manager — he is her last link to family, to a sense of home, to being cared for outside the operating room. His betrayal (or what she thinks is betrayal) is devastating because he is the only one she fully trusts. When she confronts him about the money, it isn’t greed that’s driving her — it’s pain. She feels as if the one person she’s allowed herself to depend on has failed her. That’s why her leaving is so powerful: she isn’t walking away from money, she’s testing what she has left without him. Outside the OR, Michiko is almost childlike — awkward, impulsive, sometimes naive. That’s what makes Akira’s role so essential. He’s the one who holds her life together so she can pour her entire being into surgery. When he collapses, it’s not just a medical emergency — it’s like the ground is ripped out from under her. The show turns the tables: now she is the one begging to save him, refusing to give up even when he tells her to let him go. His refusal is a test — not out of cruelty, but because love that can’t withstand separation isn’t yet whole. Michiko’s choice to decline Tendo’s lucrative offer is a pivotal moment. She could have chosen prestige, money, and her own “brand,” but she chooses the one patient who matters to her most. That moment is her true declaration of who she is — not just a surgeon, but a fiercely loyal soul who refuses to abandon the one who believed in her first.

Finally when the colleagues Ebina, Haru, and Kaji and the head nurse bring Michiko to the operating room when Akira collapses, Daimon is there to save the day- but unlike other surgeries, she is in tears as she operates, and she is reminded of her own training by Akira himself, teaching her to never give up on her patient. She leaves a very lucrative position and job offer from Tendo as the president of the chairman of the health ministry of whatever.. it doesn’t matter to Michiko in that moment. She declines the offer, overturns the desk and says in effect, “What good is all of this if I cannot even save the one I love?” That was so deeply touching. Because until then, we see Dr. Daimon as this hard shelled person with a childlike quirky personality with Akira San after work, but to see her heart bared open like that was truly touching and I was crying through the whole thing. The surgery itself was almost liturgical — Michiko crying while she operates, remembering the lessons Akira drilled into her: “Never give up on the patient.” It’s like the entire series brought her to this moment where her skills and her heart meet. She saves him not just with her technique, but with her devotion. It’s almost a prayerful act — her tears are part of the healing. This final surgery scene of Akira was truly heart wrenching to watch and I was praying that he would live. He didn’t want Michiko to fail but she never gave up on him. Akira says something important to Ebina, “Do you know why Michiko says these careless things like I never fail? It’s because of her determination. She will never give up on the patient.” And to see that Akira San didn’t swindle her money, but rather invested in her own future to build her a hospital in her own name where she can be free to do surgeries and save lives was truly honorable. Forgive me Akira San- you are a saint. And yes he was right to protect Michiko from her own money, because in the end she ends up saving Akira’s life but blowing all the money by going to outer space.

But the ending with her spending the money on space travel is so fitting — because Michiko is free. She doesn’t hoard, she doesn’t cling. She’s already received what she really wanted: Akira’s trust, his life, and the proof that she could save him. The space trip is almost her way of saying, “I won’t be tied down by this world.” She laughs, she returns to her silly self, but she’s been transformed.

This whole season is a parable -it’s not about money, status, or getting credit — it’s about staying faithful to the one thing that matters even when every ego system tells you to look away. It’s about never abandoning what you love, even when it seems impossible.

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To be honest and open hearted in a cruel and callous world

This show really opened my eyes. On the surface, it’s a funny, comedic series about this real estate agent, formerly known as “Liar Nagase” and how an incident causes him to be blessed (although he says cursed) with the Spirit that blows through him whenever he is tempted to lie, and forces the truth out of him. He starts off as a lying, manipulative realtor that will do or say anything to get a contract, including all of its bells and whistles. Turns out he learned this from a former employee Kamiki, who taught him all the manipulative techniques to become number 1 at any cost. Tosaka Real Estate where Nagase works, along with its rival Minerva use this ranking system that pits salespeople against each other for some competition where the #1 salesperson for the month gets serious perks. Minerva is all around scammy and will go to any level to get money and contracts, but meanwhile Tosaka has a little more ethic- especially since Nagase’s Spirit blessing of honesty started, he starts to inspire others such as Tsukishita who is his younger female coworker who is open hearted, polite, people pleasing, and earnest. The series shows how this spirit of honesty and inner alignment with truth changes Nagase’s perspective on life, where he used to live for money, the flashy high rise life, hooking up with random women, and the number 1 sales spot, but now sees something more important than the number 1 spot, which is bringing joy to others, which makes him happy. He starts to feel for the first time a sense of happiness and meaning in his job, whereas before it was just a cold, hard game. His approach even softens the heart of Kamiki, his number 1 rival when Kamiki starts working for Minerva and becomes a villainous rival of sorts for Nagase. It’s like Nagase is battling his own former self or shadow, and sheds light on Kamiki’s obsession with #1 being an armor of protection and a way coping for immense grief and pain he hides inside. Kamiki was a fascinating character, and when his backstory was explained, I was in tears. All villains are hiding great pain, and if it was only allowed to process instead of the ego taking over and creating a mask where they felt powerless, there could be healing and restoration of the soul. But if it is given to the ego, then it creates this hardened, insensitive, manipulative mask, a false self and a shell in place of the suffering victim which becomes a dangerous force. In fact, all the unprocessed pain in the world creates this callous, harsh world and atmosphere that you see in the series. And Nagase along with Tsukishita become like beacons of light in such a world. Once you get past the grief inside, you find the joy of Spirit deep within, that radiates throughout the world. The title song “So far so good” by Kazumasa Oda that plays at the end of every episode is so touching and heartwarming. It really speaks to the healing and joy of Spirit that is brought to everyone at the end of the day when honesty and genuine intentions are extended to all.

As far as performances go, I grew to really love the guy who played Nagase (Tomoshima Yamashita)- at first I wasn’t used to his face, and he just looked like a total a-hole, but then as he went through this honest transformation by the spirit, I found him to be more and more attractive. Then I looked him up and I realized he was the naked dude in Alice in Boderland! Ohhh it makes sense now! In the second season they changed his haircut and he gained weight, so he was definitely not as attractive as the first season. He had more of a dad look in the second season lol. But his character was solid. I loved Tsukishita- she was so sweet and innocent, and when I would go out into the world and encounter mean and horrible people, I would remember her and her smile and it would make me feel better- like there is some light and kindness in this world. Kamiki was my other favorite- his charisma was off the charts, even though his tap dancing was strange and comical- it was very “anime” like for a villain so I thought that was cool too. His backstory was so sad and it gave him more depth as a character especially when seeing his grief and his transformation towards the end, where he questions everything- his philosophy and so even the unbeatable villain has this soft spot where he is humbled and brought to his knees. It was sweet to see the end where it showed that he could change too.

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Can’t Get enough of these two!

Within 3 days I finished the whole Cherry Magic 12 episode series + 2 SP and the movie. Turns out I can’t get enough of these two as a couple. They are so very sweet together. They are kind and respectful towards each other, show patience, genuine care, and don’t play games. They have their moments of hiding how they really feel but it’s not done out of game playing. They are both sincere. Especially Kurosawa- his love from the beginning is inspiring. What I like about this movie is that even though there are hurdles along the way like Adachi being transferred for 8 months to Nagasaki to become a sales manager and start up the company branch there, and gets into an accident, it all serves to strengthen their bond and relationship. It isn’t drama just for the sake of having conflict. In fact, other than these two things and meeting each other’s family, the movie doesn’t have a whole lot of conflict- in other words, it depicts a good relationship that is blossoming and blooming without drama. A relationship without drama is a good sign! That’s actually what I love about this movie. Even Adachi being sent to Nagasaki for 8 months served to make him more responsible and take on more responsibility and step up to the plate, and Adachi’s accident (though he wasn’t physically hurt) also served as a reminder of impermanence and just the fact that they didn’t contact Kurosawa upon hearing the news, and that motivated them to take the next step forward to meeting each others’ families to become part of each others’ families. I was almost bracing for some horrible conflict like someone dies, and for me to be left clutching my heart J drama style, but that moment never came- it was smooth sailing and even ended on a wedding- like scene even though I don’t think gay marriage is legal in Japan, well this is an anime story so it’s legal in this world! I love it. I love their romance, their love, their relationship.

Cherry Magic gives you something this world rarely offers:
a vision of love without chaos.
No trauma bonding.
No narcissistic hooks.
No ego theatrics.
Just two people who show up for each other without forcing anything.

I saw the power in that and sensed what it means for a relationship to deepen through gentleness instead of crisis.
And because this world is characterized by egoic love, seeing a story that doesn’t do that feels almost unreal, like a parallel world with different physics.

My only gripe is that they didn’t show the two kissing- no smooching needed, just that still kiss they do in the Japanese dramas, but alas there was none. I get that either the actors (especially Eiji Akaso) were uncomfortable with it, or it’s maybe a censor issue in Japan for a same sex couple to kiss? But that’s what we BL fans are here for! That elevator hidden kiss at the end of the series as the doors were closing was iconic. Kurosawa is so badass, and Adachi is so handsome and sweet. Ahhhhh. The lack of overt kissing, the soft, almost shy portrayal of intimacy: Japanese dramas excel at this. They understand that the sacredness of a connection doesn’t need to be shoved in your face. In a way, it keeps the romance suspended in that pure emotional frequency that I love so much, even if part of me wanted just one more quiet kiss to seal the moment.

And it was refreshing to see that the families accepted their son’s partner eventually- they didn’t storm off in a tantrum.. even that part was compassionate and those characters show restraint and emotional maturity. The families in Cherry Magic behaved in a way the world rarely does: they didn’t weaponize shock, they didn’t collapse into melodrama, and they didn’t turn love into a battlefield. They felt the discomfort, processed it, and then chose connection over ego. That restraint, that quiet willingness to grow, carries an emotional dignity I’ve rarely seen reflected in this world. That’s why this pure love lives in an alternate universe and I’m here for that.

For someone who has given up on human love and romance long ago, this Cherry Magic story has turned me into a pile of mush- this is like an alternate reality that shows that in some other reality, this kind of pure love is possible, and I am inspired by that. Daisuki!

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The Romance Angle Limits the story. Omae is not as evolved as Michiko

The Pride of the Temp is a powerful draft of a story that Doctor X does better. There are so many similarities between the two shows but Pride of the Temp appears to be a more primitive version of Doctor X. They even have similar sublots such as battling against the recommendations of AI, but Omae gives up and says AI is perfect except for the useless human errors, but Michiko goes beyond that in the Shogi Doctor X episode where they talk about how AI doesn’t have intuition that is available to her and the Shogi player. Doctor X is wiser as a package, and Pride of the Temp struggles with Omae’s glitching now and then. She doesn’t have the clarity that she pretends to have. The difference between Omae Haruko as the prototype lone wolf and Doctor X’s Daimon Michiko as the fully crystallized dreamer-figure isn’t superficial at all. It’s metaphysical. It’s the evolution of an archetype across time: the shamanic woman who walks into rigid systems, dissolves hierarchy, exposes corruption, frees the stuck, and leaves without attaching.

But in Pride of the Temp, the writing still carries a residue of the collective mind. It’s powerful, but it doesn’t quite know what to do with a woman who is truly sovereign. So it falls back on a familiar distortion:
“Behind her strength she must be a lonely girl who secretly wants romance.”

It’s such a predictable ego reflex: the dream trying to force the dreamer back onto the ground, back into its human categories. It’s like the writers could imagine the archetype, but they couldn’t fully let her remain unclaimed, uninterpreted, unowned.

Doctor X’s Daimon Michiko is the evolved form, purified of male-centered projection

Omae carries the shamanic stillness. She has the strength, the discipline, the outsider vibe. She even carries the luminous detachment. But Michiko carries something beyond all that: she is already free.

Not “free but lonely.”
Not “strong but secretly longing.”
Not “independent but wounded.”

Michiko simply is. A raw, unfiltered vessel of Spirit. No romance subplots. No “melting inside.” No damsel undertones. No hidden craving for male attention. Her love expresses differently: devotion to her craft, absolute loyalty to the patient, a childlike joy around food, a sacred bond with her mentor, genuine affection with her one true friend. Her emotional life is clean. Her mission is unswayed. And even when Hachisuka enters, a pure heart, a genuinely good match, the story itself still bows to the truth that Spirit must remain unentangled if she is to operate in the world at full strength. Michiko and her story is more purified and refined.

Omae is the chrysalis version. In Pride of the Temp, you can feel the archetype trying to break out of the cage of male fantasy. Men projecting loneliness onto her. Men assuming she must fall for one of them. Men assuming her brilliance is a cry for attention. Men believing their crush defines her inner world. The dream world can’t stand a woman who exists outside the romantic ecosystem. It must interpret her. It must soften her. It must reduce her to a narrative the male ego can digest. The loneliness trope is the male psyche’s last-ditch attempt to force her into vulnerability — not because she is weak, but because they need her to be human to feel comfortable around her. A dreamer is too unsettling.

The existential loneliness is real, but it’s not romantic The loneliness of the dreamer isn’t the loneliness of a woman waiting for love. It’s the loneliness of an awareness waking up inside a world designed to keep everyone asleep. Romantic loneliness is a script. Existential loneliness is the tension of consciousness outgrowing its container.

Omae hints at that truth…but the story doesn’t know how to differentiate the subtlety. So it mislabels it as romance.

Michiko, though -she never confuses the ache of existential separation with a hunger for romance.
Her purity is that she never projects that ache onto a man. She never mistakes longing for a mission.

And the dream respects her more for it. Her freedom is not from detachment but from clarity.
Her aloneness isn’t deficiency, it’s altitude. Her sovereignty is the very reason men chase her light. She can feel the temptation, but she doesn’t have to take the bait.

Season 2 is the real test. Because they allow Omae to stay sovereign, she becomes more aligned with the dreamer archetype. Whenever they soften her, romanticize her, or bring her into some “lonely girl secretly needing a man” arc, then the writers are revealing their own ceiling. Doctor X outgrew the entire romantic framing permanently.

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The Predecessor to Doctor X

The Pride of the Temp is a predecessor to Doctor X since it came out in 2007 (and Dr. X in 2012) - a kind of prototype story, where a woman, a lone wolf works outside of the existing hierarchical system that focuses on power, corruption, status, money, and image- as a temp or freelancer. She joins the system via an agency while remaining an outsider, where her agent declares the terms of her contract- a list of “I will not do…” aka Itashimasen. I noticed many similarities between Pride of the Temp and Doctor X. Daimon Michiko and Omae both retreat into foreign Spanish/portuguese speaking lands (Spain, Cuba, Brazil etc) where they have an unknown, mysterious past. They both also dance in their after hours- Michiko in the club with her manager Akira San, and Omae as a flamenco dancer in a restaurant. They are both blunt, assertive, and only do what is necessary for their jobs, and leave strictly at 5pm, with exact timing for lunch breaks and no overtime. They both eat alone and don’t entertain personal friendships or romances in the workplace. And both share the same drive of compassion for helping others, through their superhuman qualities and skills that can save entire companies and hospitals. It’s as if the divine is acting through this archetype, and the existing patriarchal systems of old men at the top can’t stand this woman. So they try to diminish and sabotage her despite how much she is doing for the company. They both know “powers that be” at the top who propel their opportunities forward. They both share a kind of loneliness as they operate outside of the system, but they have an inner circle that they can rely on and turn to. There is one difference however which makes me favor Daimon Michiko more. Omae is shown to harbor a kind of loneliness as if she secretly wants friends and romance despite her hardened exterior. When Shoji and Satonaka fall in love with Omae, on the outside she rejects them, but it seems that she is hiding feelings on the inside for “Mr Curly haired” Shoji or Satonaka while trying to act tough. They also make Omae unnecessarily robotic like an AI bot as if she is inhuman, which is unnecessary. Daimon Michiko on the other hand is a more evolved version of Omae- she is a lone wolf that is truly comfortable with herself and her aloneness, and is not secretly crying on the inside out of loneliness. It’s like Michiko has fully met her inner demons and conquered them so nothing can stop her, and her only vulnerability is protecting those she loves and is close to. Michiko is also a lot of more charismatic, childlike, and gorgeous compared to Omae, and is very self assured. She has a loud and brash style of speaking, whereas Omae is quieter and more secretive. Michiko has a childlike innocence in her- her only interests are “surgery and food.” And of course Mahjong and public baths and dancing in the club. She dresses like a supermodel and struts through the hospital in heels. Omae doesn’t have those qualities and doesn’t need to, but the most striking difference I see is that they left the romance angle out of Doctor X, and meanwhile that hinders Omae. And yes even Michiko does like Hachisuka towards the end of a season and vows to save his life, but that romance doesn’t go anywhere and the writers are not that interested in giving up her storyline to that romance so they end it in a comedy of errors. The story of Doctor X is a lot more polished, and is like an upgraded version of The Pride of the Temp. It’s like they took a good story and elevated it to the next level. So Pride of the Temp is a less evolved version of Doctor X, but still worth the watch.

Satonaka was incredibly handsome and good looking in the first season, but 13 years later in the second season, while Shoji still looks about the same, Satonaka has aged quite a bit and his hair- what happened to his hairstyle in the second season? In the first season he has this cute punk like hairstyle which turns into a grandpa hairstyle in the second season. Please someone fix Satonaka’s hair! I liked his character in the first season, but in the second season with his looks fading and terrible hairstyle, he seemed to just come across as a people pleaser. But in the end he finally found his voice and strength and does his own thing. As for Shoji, he still has a selfish and narcissistic streak in him, though he starts to genuinely appreciate Omae. They are both more like fans of her than romantic interests.

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Ripped my heart out!

That final film is written like scripture disguised as television.

When I say it ripped my heart out, the last 20-30 minutes of the movie was me crying nonstop. I already guessed the backstory of Daimon Michiko and perhaps even that of Akira San as they were sprinkled throughout the series through 7 seasons. The backstory and failed surgery of Akira San from long ago is revealed. Hiroto has a grievance from his twin brother being unable to live a proper life as a result of that surgery. Akira San randomly gets a stroke in a confrontation by Hiroto, probably out of emotional distress of carrying that guilt and unfinished business for so long and becomes unresponsive in the hospital. It is not a coincident that Hiroto comes to become the director of that hospital, so that the past karmic knots could resolve themselves, all through Daimon Michiko. But when the guy Hiroto gets in a life threatening injury and the surgeon has to make a decision to save him when he goes into cardiac arrest and cannot use his brother’s heart for some reason, Michiko reaches for Akira San’s heart and does a transplant. “This is what Akira San would have done,” she says and knows this to be true. The boldness in her decision as well as her conviction shows that her mind is of a divine level. Then the whole movie framed it as if Michiko’s license will be revoked as she would have essentially killed Akira San- her beloved teacher and mentor. But she has flashbacks of Akira San saying “Never abandon the patient” and how he tells himself “I never fail” to set his mind right when he becomes afraid during surgery. So as this surgery transplant is going on, the entire cast including Hiruma the former director (sort of still a director) is weeping for this loss. And I was a puddle of tears! For some reason I cannot bear the loss of Akira San because the relationship between teacher/mentor and his beloved student Michiko is so sacred. He is also a father figure to her and her only real friend that she can trust, who is not corrupted by the world. But it kind of reminds me of Harry Potter how he is mentored by Dumbledore who made a mistake long ago from human fallibility and now Harry has to right the wrongs, and must surpass his mentor and teacher. Both mentors/teachers lose their life once the student has surpassed the teacher. Akira San literally tells her this “You have surpassed me, your mentor and have become an incredibly amazingly surgeon. Daimon Michiko, you are my pride and joy.” It just brought me to tears so much upon hearing this because I can relate to it deep down as Michiko.” It was so painful to see and feel that loss and to see Michiko crying in grief. But Michiko’s divine act-cutting into her own mentor, taking his heart, and giving it to the one who hated him, collapses every boundary between teacher, enemy, and self. Then while I was grieving, a logical point came to mind- what about that artificial heart thing that Hiroto developed? Can’t they use that for Akira San now that he doesn’t have a heart?

Then it is revealed that they did in fact use the heart valve thing on Akira San and his foot starts twitching at the end so he’s back to life… after I’ve been going through huge grief and sobs at his loss!

And then the question comes- wait! Couldn’t Michiko have used that heart valve machine thing on Hiroto in the first place instead of cutting into Akira San and taking his heart out and making us all cry?! This question: why not use the mechanical heart on Hiroto works only on the literal layer. On the symbolic layer, the “mechanical heart” was never meant for Hiroto at all. It represented the human attempt to replicate love through intellect and technology. Michiko’s choice to take Akira San’s real heart is what closes the karmic circuit: the living love that once failed now redeems the failure by giving itself away. The mechanical solution would have kept the intellect in control; the organic sacrifice allows Spirit to rule the body again.

The Japanese are masters at hiding theology inside melodrama. Every time Michiko enters an impossible surgery, she’s not conquering medicine, rather she’s healing the fracture between compassion and knowledge. Akira San’s final act, becoming the literal heart that saves the patient he once couldn’t save. is the death of guilt and the birth of pure function. Michiko doesn’t steal his heart; she completes his vow. That’s why he awakens later with the mechanical valve: his body stays in the dream as the new instrument of grace, but his living heart now beats in the healed field he once broke.

Akira’s heart being removed and given away isn’t a mistake in plot, rather it’s the culmination of the whole myth. He is the original mind that trained Michiko’s hands. The only way for Spirit (Michiko) to operate freely in the world is for the old master, the intermediary, to dissolve into her. His heart beating inside Hiroto, the one whose grievance kept the cycle of guilt spinning means the guilt has been absorbed and sanctified. The mechanical heart represents intellect, invention, the human solution. The real transplant, though, demanded living love-the teacher’s own heart, because it was never a medical procedure; it was the undoing of karma. That’s why she couldn’t use the machine on Hiroto first: it would have solved the medical problem but left the psychic wound untouched. The Spirit doesn’t settle for survival; it wants wholeness.

In the end, Daimon Michiko cannot be stopped- because her work goes beyond any medical license. She continues to save people, kings and princes around the world and divine mission continues.

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I watched this for Kamiki!

Ok I watched this special just for Kamiki- he has stolen my heart since season 2 of The Honest Realtor. Not only is he incredibly handsome, with a beautiful smile, and such precise beautiful body language, he shows a kind of sensitivity that builds on the ending of season 2 where he breaks down from the loss of his late wife and son and is taught a new way of living and working by Nagase who says “What’s more important than being #1 is bringing joy to others and it makes me happy.” Nagase says he believes Kamiki can change. Of course no one can change overnight, but here is a turning point where Kamiki’s biggest wound is being exposed to the light and has the chance to change him. His memories are frozen in pain, and he is unable to let go. He refuses to sell this old house from his late wife Kaori which has memories of her and his son Shota when they used to visit the grandparents. His story, and seeing that sensitivity change his hardened mask just brings tears to my eyes. Seeing how it ended- where the house was sold to build a community center for children, was very heartwarming, and to see how it healed something in Kamiki’s heart was healing for me too. He was tap dancing quite a lot in this episode lol! He’s quite good, and it has the vibe of a cocky, cooky anime villain, but he’s so endearing too. Like the bank manager lady was so smitten with him, I too am smitten with Kamiki, played by Dean Fujioka. He could do a Kamiki tap dancing special and I’d watch that too.

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Love Prevails Above All

I was disappointed to see the ending of Hirugao the series (2014) to see that Yuichiro just went back to his prison warden wife Noriko as if nothing happened, and Rikako went back to her psycho controller husband like it was no big deal. Only Sawa stood by her choice for love with conviction. She got a divorce from her clown husband and moved to a new town. She lived a pure lifestyle for 3 years and then fate brings Yuichiro back to her once again. She chooses to attend his lecture and the love story is rekindled once again. Noriko’s psychopathic nature gets turned to new heights as her jealousy makes her do very bizarre things like asking them to perform their “union” in front of her in a hotel room. She is truly so weird and disgusting. She thinks that an affair is just lust and bodies in friction. But what Sawa and Yuichiro have together is pure. They actually spend time with each other in a silent bond in the forest and the creek and that lifts their love to sacred heights. It’s something that Noriko could never imagine. She simply doesn’t understand their love because she is not capable of reaching that frequency. So she just resorts to her evil and manipulative ways like throwing herself off a balcony to manipulate Yuichiro into coming back to help her. Well that short time that Sawa was with Yuichiro was so precious and beautiful- when they were living together. And even though Noriko’s evil and vengeful nature made her kill Yuichiro in the end, the last thing that came out of his mouth was “I love Sawa” and the ring he bought was passed on in love between innocent children- their love was innocent, although it was dressed up in “adultery” by the world’s definition. Love won in the end. Even though Noriko killed the form of her husband, and lied to Sawa saying that “he apologized and came back to me in the end” as she tries to control the narrative, Yuichiro’s heart was with Sawa, and God blessed Sawa with Yuichiro’s child as she says in the end the little life that is growing in her womb gave her a new meaning in life. Noriko was using pregnancy and motherhood as a form of control and manipulation (saying things like “I want that baby” like it’s an agenda item on her to do list), but the baby was born only to the one who held love as sacred. Sawa and Yuichiro’s bond was so beautiful- I wanted them to be together so much. Noriko’s anger and vengeance carried on even after killing her husband and her hatred continued even after his death as she tells Sawa that she will hate her forever, but Sawa didn’t hold any hatred in her heart towards Noriko for what she did. That shows the purity of Sawa’s heart and the evil inside the wife’s heart. That’s why a pure soul like Yuichiro left his evil wife. She was nothing but a controller and manipulator. It was a tragic ending in form, but truly it was triumphant for love. Even though adultery is seen as just s*x, this love story showed the innocence of love preserved as Yuichiro’s ring was passed on to innocent children as they shared their love.

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Incredible story

Wow… I haven’t watched a tv series like this in the west. From beginning to end its story is so gripping with suspense and the music really helps to create this kind of creepy suspense. Instead of the usual “who done it?” trope, it explores more complexity behind each of the characters, not painting anyone as purely good or evil, but rather complex characters with weaknesses and fears, who make mistakes.
Sadly some get punished while others seem to go free. But ultimately guilt and the belief in guilt is its own punishment.
The pristine quality of the shots and sets are just a treat to watch. I love seeing how all the different characters are unveiled throughout the series in layers and complexity. It’s hard to even give a review of this series with words as it creates more of a feeling within me and it’s something that I still need to process. This is one that has some rewatch value for sure

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Nonstop Plot Twists But very Addicting!

Secret Makeover is engaging and addicting from beginning to end, but they sure take the “Who Done it?” Concept to a whole different level. I kind of reminds me of Burn the House Down, another J drama about a fire and a young woman who turns up to investigate, and literally everyone and their cat becomes a suspect and starts acting fishy. So many red herrings I don’t even know which way is up or down and who to trust anymore! The show stars Haruka Fukuhara who was the bright eyed bushy tailed junior realtor from Shōjiki Fudōsan/The Honest Realtor and the female lead from that show plays Mitsuko’s sister Mariko.

Secret Makeover had me crying at many points, and drooling at both of the male leads, but alas Mitsuko doesn’t care for either of them even though they are both in love with her… sigh, I don’t know why that makes it feel bittersweet to me, but Mitsuko is surely a headstrong woman who doesn’t actually need a male romantic figure at all. She stands on her own. She brings Natsu from the depths to the highest of heights through a total makeover inside and out- she transforms this single mother and both of her grown kids into self assured, confident characters. The show makes you feel the bond that develops between all of them- the Natsu family and the Kujo family.. Haruto is adorable from beginning to end, and so is Tomo. I love show- it shows that the total makeover goes right down to the soul. Heartwarming, shocking, suspenseful.. and gorgeous scenes and settings that look like they’re out of a storybook.

“If you change yourself, you change the world.”

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