Bhavna

Interesting but…

I should have written this review right after watching the series instead of moving on to the special. The special single-handedly wiped out any of the good feelings I had at the end of the 10 episodes season. But I do remember tearing up at the wedding scene at the very end. Yes the show is unrealistic and naive, but showing someone as incompetent as Kahoko as capable of going to college and graduating and even finding a super hot guy like Hajime is just too much. The woman can barely tie her own shoes and falls asleep mid-conversation after dinner, like what?! At first I found it cute, but like I said, because I watched the Special and am scarred by the effects of it, my impression of the entire series has gone down. But I did enjoy the series. I thought it was endearing. The only trouble is that Kahoko has no chemistry with Hajime whatsoever and Hajime does an amazing job of acting like he’s attracted to her but it’s just an impossible scenario, because it just looks like a boy who feels sorry for a toddler who has lost its toy and is crying while wagging her hands up and down. His “love” is more like sympathy. Then Kahoko tries to get married or have babies just for the sake of making her grandma happy, or intervenes in her cousin Ito’s life even though Ito wants nothing to do with her and she basically forces her aunt and uncle not to get a divorce and get back together because “Kahoko sad!” What on earth.. I’m wondering if a baby actually directed this show? And what’s the deal with ”Kahoko always tried harder than anyone else but sucked at everything anyway!” I don’t get it. As someone with a helicopter mom myself with a very similar situation, I could relate to many of the things, but a lot of it was irritating too. Realistically, Kahoko would not be getting married to this handsome young man- realistically she would be in an adult diaper still unable to tie her shoes and falling asleep drooling in her mom’s lap while watching baby videos of herself. She’s unable to take care of anyone including herself, so unless she’s mentally or physically handicapped, artificially handicapping someone like that is basically abuse.

I wish they had explored more of the dynamic between Hajime and Kahoko and how it changed her at a much deeper level. Instead it focused on Kahoko’s annoying family and it just made it more boring. I didn’t care about Ito or her parents or the other two aunt and uncle and the aunt’s shoplifting tendencies. I didn’t care about the grandma dying or the grandpa. The parents’ dynamic with Kahoko was interesting enough, but what needed to be explored in more detail was how such a sheltered child developed a romantic relationship- kind of like Tangled. They needed to show more about Hajime, because this actor did such a great job acting like he was in love with Kahoko, but it still felt unrealistic because Kahoko was always running away and answering phone calls from her parents. Such a strong relationship cannot develop on such a thin foundation. They needed to build their relationship up a LOT more, because to deal with such an annoying extended family and overbearing mother/parents is not worth it unless the relationship is truly something deep. And they missed the opportunity to showcase that, so their relationship looked more surface level. If it wasn’t for the intensity of Hajime’s character and his acting, I wouldn’t have believed in their relationship at all, based on Kahoko’s stupid facial expressions and falling asleep mid-conversation. To me she seemed like an extremely self centered big baby.

I don’t like the message that “Family is the best and you must stick with them no matter what! Do not get a divorce no matter what! Stay together to live up to Kahoko’s ideal family fantasy!” I find it highly toxic. Family = dysfunction. The best part of the series is the “Family Song” that plays at the end of each episode.

Read More

Kahoko is a Hot Mess. Same old nonsense amplified

So after the wonderful birthday parties, weddings, and big moments are over, comes “Ordinary time” where Kahoko, Hajime, and the family have to live their regular boring lives. There’s only one problem- Kahoko talks a big talk but can’t back up any of her words with any real action that keeps her daily life or family going. Her day care business is a failure and in debt, she can’t cook, clean, or do anything except fall asleep like a big baby mid-task, just like the first series. And seriously what is up with her clothes? Why does she still dress like a cross between a 1 year old baby and a grandma? How does a fine young man like Hajime fall for a mess like Kahoko? Besides, the two have zero chemistry- they’re more like brother and sister than romantic partners.

This “Special” is dedicated to showing how life after the romance, honeymoon, wedding, “happily ever after” big dramatic celebration moments falls apart because it’s the boring mundane stuff of the everyday, which Kahoko and the rest of them are terrible at. After the “big wedding” or the “big birthday bash” is the time when they say “What now?” And they simply can’t sustain it. If the characters get bored for five minutes, they stir up drama like kahoko’s parents getting a divorce. Why? Just because! Every time Hajime is having a serious conversation with Kahoko, she gets a call from someone in her extended family who’s having a meltdown and she needs to run away mid conversation and give them a wide-eyed pep talk to make them come to their senses, and then all of a sudden her mom and dad who were hell-bent on handing in the divorce papers, are now lovey dovey again. These characters really resemble 2D cartoon characters and at some point -I think it was the airport scene with Ito and her parents, I realized that I don’t give a **** about any of these characters anymore. Maybe a different director made this special because it’s like the original series on steroids, but more annoying, superficial, and more unrealistic in a bad way. Kahoko gets more and more annoying and incompetent and big baby like and I really don’t see what Hajime “sees” in her at all- she’s totally self centered like a toddler and only cares about putting out ridiculous dramatic fires in her family one after another because her grandma told her to keep the family together and keep having birthday parties, without the regular care or need to tend to her relationship with Hajime- he’s essentially an afterthought and a side character in her extended family drama. She does things like get married or have kids just to make people in her family happy or “make her grandma happy” like in the series, and it’s ridiculous. Her mindset is so immature it’s annoying to watch. And for some reason, whenever anything in the show falls apart like the daycare center they started, or Kahoko’s parents’ marriage, or her own marriage with Hajime, or Ito’s plans to go to Vienna, or Tomatsu the foster kid- all it takes is for Kahoko to run over to each like like a large baby and start talking really fast about “how they should keep going because… ganbatte!” while hyperventilating like a toddler and either passing out or falling asleep mid-sentence and then all of a sudden the problems are all fixed. Kahoko keeps intervening in different situations that are none of her business just because she doesn’t want her idyllic world to fall apart, and she doesn’t want other people to get divorced because she will be sad! So she nags at everyone to keep going with whatever nonsense isn’t working just to keep her own mental ideal of them intact. What on earth am I even watching? And then she has two babies at the end, because they needed the perfect next big dramatic moment to punctuate the end of the show. This show is like a Facebook highlight reel of the “big moments,” where the little everyday moments are really not working at all and at the end of any “real” everyday conversation is “Well then maybe we should break up!” If Kahoko’s mother wasn’t there to take care of the entire family, the whole family would be f***d. Kahoko the overgrown toddler isn’t capable of sustaining a marriage, a family, a house, or anything for that matter. They should just call her “Incompetent Kahoko.” In the first season she was a bit endearing because the concept was kind of new, but to see her try to sincerely break out of her infantile state while succumbing to her impromptu naps was at least somewhat entertaining. But this special was just bad. It was the same Kahoko if she was a few years older and was the same and can’t do anything properly except fall asleep mid conversation. It shows how she’s utterly incapable of sustaining and relationship and should have never gotten married, but marriage to her is just a “big moment to make people happy!” What over-simplistic garbage. I say Hajime needs to find a better partner.

It’s funny because the series seems to be about “family is the best no matter what!” But it just shows how dysfunctional the whole family experience is, and is more like a cautionary tale to be careful when making the decision to get married and have kids instead of just falling into it because “that’s what everyone does.” In the very last scene, Kahoko’s grandpa (the dad’s dad) says to Hajime how much he is going to suffer with kids. The hint underneath the “wonderful family picture” is basically torture and suffering that people just “check out” like that grandpa.

The best part of the series is the “Family Song” theme song by Gen Hoshino- it’s very addicting and breathes life into an otherwise long dead story.

Read More

One Big Meh.. Could Have Been Better

Ok let’s get the good things about Silent out of the way before I air out my grievances. There are so many silent moments in this J drama of just talking in sign language and it forces me to focus on the conversation as if it’s happening to me, as if I’m really there in the scene. The use of silence is nice and oftentimes there’s either total silence or a soft piano in the background and it makes the experience feel quite real.

With that said, there were many cons I found in this series. The characters were very one dimensional, their relationships, conversations, and scenarios felt repetitive and shallow, and it felt like the story wasn’t really moving at all- not to say a slow moving story is a bad thing but a slow moving story needs depth, and this series was stuck in the shallow kiddie pool for 11 episodes. If I’m going to dedicate my time to watch 11 long episodes, I’d like some more deeper exploration like character development, maturation of the characters or deep changes to happen over time. I felt like the main characters especially Sakura-kun didn’t change much from beginning to end. They were terribly boring, including their contrived yawn worthy high school story. Yes Sakura kun started to open up and became a little happier and more expressive but it was all surface level and I didn’t feel anything while watching it. He also seemed quite rigid in his thinking and was fixated on hearing Tsumugi’s voice. Something about him seemed really wooden- was it his acting or his emotional toll from the loss of hearing.. I don’t know. I guess it’s unfair to expect a hero’s journey when he’s just a regular dude going through hearing loss where he’s stuck in the past. I didn’t find his or Tsumugi’s character to be interesting at all. They were like NPCs that I don’t care about no matter what song they play on their iPod or how many CDs they arrange in their room. It felt like the whole show was a lot of regular small talk which I would yawn at and get bored with. Even after the whole show is over, I’m left with the thought- “Ok but why should I care about this relationship?” I simply don’t care- like Minato says in the end- “I don’t care if you get with SO or don’t get with SO, whatever it is just get on with it.” (My version)

On the other hand, the side characters like the sign language teacher, or my favorite Nana were far more interesting than the leads. Minato and Nana were very giving, always sharing and helping others from the heart, but weren’t really appreciated much. Minato’s relationship with Tsumugi in the beginning seemed fine and boring but as soon as Sakura kun came along he turned into an insecure mess- I guess the most badass thing he did was break up with her, but after that it felt like his character just froze and was looping and spinning his wheels like an NPC in the same ditch from beginning to end. Tsumugi was grieving for a whole 2 minutes about Minato and then the script simply dropped him and they became like wooden strangers while she moved onto the next dude as planned. So weird, predictable and …yawn! I don’t care.

I loved the story of Nana and the interpreter teacher- they were both so sweet and so was their backstory, how the guy wanted to see her smile and do more for her. And yes Nana’s smile is so bright and beautiful and I found her to be the most interesting and dynamic character in the whole series. Even though she was the only one who was deaf from birth, she was an expressive communicator and usually direct and brutally honest with what she wanted to say. I loved that about her. She was far ahead than the others. She wore her heart on her sleeve even though she got hurt twice with two different men- Sakura kun and the interpreter guy (although there is hope for them two). How is it that everyone else pretty much sucks at communicating except for Nana? Even at the end at the final scenes of the last episode on Christmas, she buys a big bouquet of flowers to give to the sign language dude (shouldn’t he be buying her flowers? She also sent him a handwritten letter!) and then gives little parts of the bouquet to Minato (who in turn gives it to Tsumugi) and to Sakura-kun. Then at the very end they both share Nana’s gift to each other. Like seriously Nana being the one who cannot hear from birth is the one who shares her heart most expressively with everyone, from her smile to her sharp words, to her flowers. I just loved Nana. And let’s not forget that she is the one who pulled Sakura-kun out of his frozen state after his hearing loss and listened to him and healed him and taught him sign language. And she was also the one who inspired the interpreter guy to become an interpreter who ended up teaching Tsumugi, so basically she is the force behind the entire series that moves everything along. They should just call the series Nana. I wished she could be happy always for being so honest and expressive. Everyone else is stuck and frozen in their characters and spinning their wheels, with repeated conversations like it just gets boring and by the end I just wanted to see if Nana would get with the interpreter guy. I didn’t care about Tsumugi and Sakura-kun because they just bored me to death with their tired old conversations and shallow high school cliche relationship. I’m all about the slow burn, but this series was more like a slow groan.

If it weren’t for Nana and the interpreter guy, I would have switched this off several episodes ago. At the end I don’t feel satisfied, just bored having watched that. Meh. Like having eaten a lot of calories with zero satisfaction and nutrition. I rate it one big MEH.

Read More

Chemistry Not as Magical as Cherry Magic

Being a HUGE fan of Cherry Magic (I’ve watched the J drama, movie, and anime versions multiple times), I can’t help but compare this BL office romance with it. Honestly even if they come up with 10 more with this exact same story, I’m here for it. It was refreshing that this series only has 5 episodes, so it leaves the rest up to imagination. I didn’t like the fact that they keep harping on the older guy’s age as if 40 is on your deathbed. Carl Jung has said that 40 is when the true life really starts. Anyway I actually liked the younger guy’s acting much better. The protagonist Nozue (the 40 year old) seemed lackluster till the end, and even when he said he liked Togawa (the 30 year old), I didn’t quite believe him. He looked a bit constipated in his emotions, but Togawa was really into it. He was the “Kurosawa” character from Cherry Magic, but the protagonist- the one who feels stuck, unworthy, uninspired (the counterpart of Adachi) was neither as cute or interesting as Adachi was. I think if they had cast someone else as the lead, the chemistry could have been much better. This is what was lacking- the chemistry. Nevertheless, I still liked it, and perhaps my favorite part of the series was the intro/outro song Blue Blur" (feat. Mabanua) by Ryu Matsuyama really set the vibe- it was super romantic.

Read More

Tries to be more interesting than it is…

This is the lowest rating I’ve given for any Jdrama- I feel like this drama tries too hard to be deep or profound. It paints the Mary Magdalene figure not just as a “sinful” woman but a serial killer, mixes some Adam and Eve in there, with the last supper. All of it divorced from their true archetypal meeting and flattened to glorify this random Maria woman. Mary Magdalene is once again trashed in pop culture with falsities. They have no depth or context for any of these Christian symbols and simply throw it all together into one big messy soup. And it tastes weird, sour, and bitter. It tries so hard to be mysterious, scandalous, dangerous, and interesting, but the show is just bad and boring. The acting is uniformly bad and the director of the show has no purpose for the story whatsoever other than to run around in circles and waste time. I watched it till the last episode hoping to find something interesting or some kind of depth or something that would “make it make sense,” but it was just utterly stupid. People die and then don’t die, Maria is glorified as this serial killer whom Akechi keeps saving, kisses in a burning building for no good reason, and falls down this deadly hole with. Akechi makes no sense either. His primary monotone dialog is “warukunai” (not bad) when tasting food and “Maria..”They try to be deep and interesting but in the end it just all falls flat and hollow. I’m not impressed with this. The lady who acts in “Marry my Husband” is also in this but far less likable- she’s annoying and screechy. Perhaps the only thing that’s good is the Utada Hikaru song that plays at the end of every episode. In the end it’s utterly pointless and left a bad taste in my mouth.

The only thing that redeems Tomoya Nakamura is that later I found out he was the same actor who plays Gon San in Nagi’s Long Vacation. I was surprised because I didn’t recognize him at all- shows how the director/screenplay determines the quality of acting.

Read More

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!

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

Read More

Rest is Liberation

This series shows just how much this world needs that still, quiet, peaceful space that is symbolized by Hiroto’s quiet little home. At first it’s just him. But soon enough it becomes an oasis where all come to gather to bask in the peaceful glow of this spirit led place. A wise teacher once said “ Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This rest is what is symbolized in Hiroto’s house. As someone who could not contort himself into the rigid shape of worldly success, Hiroto quit the world of acting and high stress jobs to live in the house that a lovely granny left to him. This granny was all he had and vice versa and just like a miracle, to preserve his kindness she gave him this sanctuary, which starts attracting all sorts of folks who are overworked and need rest too. Hideki’s condition (high school friend of Hiroto) and his high stress job in addition to the stress of managing a family- wife and new baby really made me sad. With all the “responsibilities,” he couldn’t keep up with his own life. Seemed like he was being bullied by everyone- his wife, the baby’s needs, and his coworker. I really felt bad for him. But each one turns to Hiroto and his house. Though he lives with his spoiled, entitled, hyper cousin who doesn’t really contribute much to the housework and chores, the vibration of the place makes all the relationships of the people who enter this space come alive, as if Spirit is taking care and holding all of them together. This series is a true blessing from Spirit. I feel so warm and fuzzy.

Read More

Love that ages like fine wine

This is one of the few J dramas I have watched that has little dramatic conflict but relishes in the slow realness of everyday life. It showcases how the ritual of cooking, eating with a loved one, and going through the daily activities and the seasons of the year can be experienced in a beautiful way. Coming back to this cooking and mealtime ritual as a grounding part of their relationship, Shiro San and Kenji San strengthen their unforgettable bond day after day. Even as they go through the ups and downs of their outer life, like with Kenji becoming a manager at his salon or Shiro becoming a manager at his law firm, the dinners, the thoughtful bentos really define the quality of the relationship. In this season Shiro San is a lot less reserved about his feelings and it is revealed that he talks and thinks about Kenji a lot which he expresses to his grocery buddy (forgot her name). Kenji get to bask in the love that Shiro has for him and while it’s not overt and flamboyant like Kenji often hopes for, he starts to realize and feel the love Shiro San has for him through his actions, concern for Kenji’s health and retirement, and understanding that unique love language that his partner has for him is important, otherwise it could be easily overlooked. It shows a mature love that is silent or what the world would call boring, hidden in the mundane, and non-dramatic, even secretive. The more “boring and slow” the relationship and ordinary life is, the more I see the spirit shining through like a sunrise glowing through the trees or feeling the most sweet and pleasant nostalgic breeze. Shiro San’s daily dedication of cooking and making Kenji happy with his food, and bringing Kenji to his grocery buddy’s house for a visit, and deciding to give his inheritance to Kenji after death all show his love for him beyond what words can convey. In the end, Shiro San’s love is actually more potent than any flamboyant expression could ever be- it is contained like a fire that burns strong throughout their relationship and lives on. Most of the episodes end with the song “Shiawase no mawarimichi” (roundabout road to happiness)- each relationship is a unique expression of love and happiness need not look any certain way to be true.

The last episode left a lump in my throat, a bitter sweetness - as Shiro San’s parents talk about wills and inheritance, they plant the idea in Shiro San to think about Kenji and what he will leave on after he passes away. Even though it was the last episode, it didn’t feel like “The End” because the whole show is a slice of life, and each episode easily goes in and out of their every day life… It feels so real, because even though it’s “just a show,” something about it and the feeling it evokes is very real. Their talks about inheritance and how they thought of each other- Shiro san wanting to give his whole heart and inheritance (which he would prize greatly since he’s so frugal) to Kenji even while admitting that he doesn’t know if they’ll be together forever, but deciding in his mind that he would be ok even if Kenji lives with someone else after he is gone, and Kenji replying out loud that he would be with Shiro San till death… these are beautiful moments in their relationship. The show ends on a note that leaves me wanting more- like a wonderfully tasty dish that is so satisfying and yet I want to come back over and over again. It’s really hard to put into words what this series evokes in me. It seems like the mundane every life but there’s something so beautiful born into it- a love and happiness in the air. So warm and heartwarming. Almost like watching “the good old days…”

This is the frequency where the "Mundane" dissolves and the Sacred begins. In the West, "boring" is a slur used by infantile bots to describe anything that doesn't provide a cheap dopamine hit of drama or performance. But in the world of Slow Realness, "boring" is simply the Ma (the space) where the Spirit breathes.

Read More

The Sweet Life Continues

I love seeing the authentic struggle of frugality and making of true authentic dishes wrapped up into one movie. It’s interesting to see the comparison of Shiro/Kenji and Kohinata/Wataru, how the two differ so much in terms of standard of living with Wataru living in a modern day palace but complaining all day, and permanently dissatisfied no matter how many chips bags he buys, he’s like a bottomless black hole starved of real love. Their relationship almost looks like a kind of bondage where Kohinata though he seems to be a high earner, he becomes like an overly spoiling parent to Wataru, slaving away to satisfy his tantrums. It shows that there is no real happiness in such a relationship, only an addictive cycle of tantrums, spoiling, and martyrdom in the name of love. Meanwhile Shiro and Kenji go through real struggles of finances, housework, and the challenge of overwork and not being able to spend meals together, and yet Wataru the black hole senses something in Shiro San’s relationship with Kenji even though he trolls them, he finds a kind of wholeness in them, a beauty of spirit that is not their in his codependent dysfunctional relationship with Kohinata. In the end it’s an exploration of relationship dynamics of push and pull and feeling out where the balance is… all while making delicious food of course.

My favorite was the Omurice- Kenji out of loneliness and a need to indulge and “do something for himself,” ends up making this decadent version of Omurice to have all to himself, and just as he’s about to dig in, Shiro San shows up from work and they end up sharing the meal instead- it makes Shiro San so happy to eat such a delicious dish, and at the end of the day, Kenji managed to save money for the month, which he seemed incapable of doing. I started to see a kind of balance restored from the starting point of Kenji the extravagant carefree splurging one vs Shiro the frugal, anxious, serious one, into Kenji taking responsibility for the cooking and money saving, while Shiro has to work harder. Since Shiro knows how much work cooking takes, he’s able to appreciate what Kenji does for him all the more.. Wataru also has his cooking moment, where Kohinata is given a surprise meal and a balance moment in their relationship too.. overall, very interesting themes explored and I enjoyed it thoroughly. On to the next movie!

Read More

How Sweet!

When I first read the synopsis of this show, I thought “What on earth could I possibly have in common with this story of two middle aged gay men living and cooking together? Sounds boring!” Boy was I wrong. I’m so glad I gave this J drama a chance. The J drama has plenty of “ma,” the peaceful space and stillness where the beauty of spirit lies. The storyline is light and fluffy without too much “heavy conflict,” while Shiro San takes a break every evening and goes into his kitchen and Shiro San’s kitchen theme music plays and it basically turns into an instructional cooking show. It’s just so cute and sweet to watch. It made me understand that cooking and mealtime isn’t just a “whatever” time, or indulgence, or grotesque addiction like how it’s experienced or shown in the west, it is a sacred ritual of mindfulness, precision, peace, and beauty. And it brings so much happiness and lightness to my heart to watch this show. I could watch it anytime because of its lightness and warmth. What I also loved was how Shiro san’s anxious and moody nature seemed to lift a lot at the last episode after he brought Kenji home to meet his parents- I think it took a huge burden off his mind and he was able to feel lighter and more jovial and relaxed in public as a couple with Kenji. The cafe scene at the very end was one of my favorites (other than the cooking sequences of course), because Shiro San was smiling a lot and looking light hearted, relaxed, and happy. Ah this show brings a smile to my face like a kind of sweet, innocent nostalgia.

I love how Shiro’s way of expressing love is through his cooking, and Kenji, though he is not a bad cook himself, has this sweet innocence of wanting to please Shiro and isn’t too sure of himself. He’s much more relaxed, fun-loving, and expressive compared to the formal and serious Shiro- they are quite the “odd couple,” but they are both endearing in their own way and together. I just felt like giving Kenji a much needed hug whenever he was so unsure of himself. It also made me contemplate how difficult relationships are and the emotional burden they carry, and I would much rather eat these lovely dishes alone!

I noticed that this show was very conservative in terms of showing affection- physical or emotional between the couple even within the home, and yet it felt genuine, innocent, and sweet. Almost like they were just roommates. I am hunting for season 2 now!

Read More

Meh

The concept of reincarnation and getting a do-over at life is enticing, and I did enjoy watching the childhood scenes of the main character going through those experiences again. I especially liked how she didn’t have a crush on any of the boys because they just seemed so immature and she was an old soul and adult in a child’s body. But the enjoyment ended there. She became so fixated on changing certain plot points like her two friends not dying in an airplane and all her painstaking efforts for what? The life will end for her and the other characters anyway, that the effort to save them in this life knowing that they could die any other way seemed so pointless. This drama could have been great but it totally fell flat for me. I lost interest but I watched till the end, and went I saw the 4 friends in a nursing home together, I thought, is this the goal they were fighting so hard for? Is the goal of this earthly life to live a really long time? It was so pointless.

Read More