Katepl

Omg. Are these comments all true about MDL and their homophobic views??? I just can't believe what I'm reading in 2021...

But then I have long suspected that MDL has strong ties with CCP or is run by someone with connections to CCP because when Chloe Zhao won an oscar, which was a tremendous achievement for an Asian let alone a woman, there was only a tiny mention at the bottom of an article about someone else and that was it. I remember writing a comment that CZ deserves at least one article and someone (I think it was a volunteer mod?) said they can't because she criticised CCP and she's blocked in China. I asked what has that got to do with MDL and they were oddly vague about it and just said they can't. So, we all know the CCP's stance on LGBT and it all makes sense now why MDL is so homophobic smh. Let's hope my comment won't get deleted...

Lol, well I know there is at least one BL manga already out there between an alien and a guy, so your wish may come true sooner rather than later if someone decides to adopt it into a drama! Knowing how outlandish Jdramas can get, it's not beyond the realms of possibility! haha

I feel like translating FL's condition as amblyopia is technically correct but somewhat misleading. Maybe there's no English equivalent, so amblyopia is the closest term, but in Japanese it's "Jyaku shi" which literally means "weak eyesight" or "low vision", so basically an umbrella term for people with vision impairment. I think the nuance is slightly different from amblyopia if that makes sense?

I don't know the ins and outs of FL's condition and her history, but I read that the author/manga artist's parent(s) has "Jyaku shi/low vision", and that's why she wanted to write the manga in the first place to let others know about the world of the visually impaired , especially to highlight the fact that they're not much different from people with good vision with their own hopes, dreams, love life, etc. The author seems to dislike the "special" treatment disabled people get and being labelled "different" wherever they go. Now, how the screenwriter and producer decided to adopt the manga is a different matter, so not sure how much of the author's original intent will be expressed and/or explored in the drama, but so far it seems to be good. I do like the appearance of the blind comedian in each episode albeit brief. Anyway, I'll reserve my judgment till the end of the series! lol

Yeah but western doesn’t always mean open minded. I’m in UK and there are plenty of people who are ultra conservative especially from the South Asian and Muslim background. I think mdl tends to attract more people with a traditional mindset than people who are liberal, regardless of where they come from. That’s just my opinion. I mean the amount of moral police I come across on here is insane smh

Yep, I totally agree about the attitude towards sex in Asian dramas, especially kdramas. They act like sex doesn't even exist most of the time! lol I mean I don't need to see graphic sex scenes , but it would be nice if they didn't shy away from sexual stuff so much. This is why I look for a mature tag if I want to watch a kdrama lol I loved Misty for example.

Jdramas are definitely a lot less conservative and they aren't afraid to tackle subjects related to sex, fetishes, erotic fantasies, etc. But I think the audience for Asian dramas tend to be very conservative and strait laced in general anyway. Just read the comments on mdl and you'll know most people see sex as taboo and are probably virgins too lol

When it comes to mystery/police/thriller, I prefer Kdramas like Stranger (Secret Forest), but overall I like Jdramas, because they're not afraid to show the reality and tackle a huge wide range of subjects. You can always find something unique and quirky along with the ordinary, run of the mill stuff in Jdramas. I don't get why they are seen as weird or out there especially on MDL. Why put creativity and imagination in a box???

As for availability outside Japan, I heard that by the time they do marketing, ads, hire translators, licensing, etc. for the overseas market, the profit margin becomes too small, so it's not worth all the trouble. This was a few years ago though, so not sure if it's still the case. Also, I feel like Japanese actors/actresses, creators, script writers, directors etc. are just not interested in going global. Some are definitely, but many don't care and are just content with being known and working only in Japan. Maybe that's because they're an island nation (I see something similar in UK), who knows.

Thanks for your input. I might watch it when I have more time but there are other dramas I want to watch right now. The anime was really bad and it has put me off lol

This drama is just so good! Love that FL is enjoying her life but the romance/her love life isn’t the sole focus or the be all and end all of her existence.

Ok, so everyone seems to be going on about how great the anime is, so tried watching it before the drama to get a better feel for it, but it was so boring af. Couldn’t finish it. Kept falling asleep. It’s so freaking slow, the plot is dull, the characters are bland and the animation itself was very standard. I don’t know what y’all are smoking but I definitely need some of that to enjoy this drab anime lol. I guess I’ll give the drama a miss as well.

LOL Laughing at the rating. Seriously too many teenagers and fairy tale believers with little to no life experience on MDL, not to mention the moral police, smh.

It's a great movie exploring the grey areas of life, complexity of human nature, loving someone you can't have and facing up to the past and your true feelings instead of running away, so you can finally move on fully and heal. Not everything in life is black and white, if you don't get that, then this film isn't for you.

Sorry, a bit late. Off the top of my head, I like:

The Cold Case series
The Shinya Shokudo series
The Pornographer series
Oomameda Towako to Sannin no Motootto
Satsui no Michinori
Grand Maison Tokyo
Close Knit
Memories of Matsuko
Yurigokoro
Red (Slowish film but I have a soft spot for Satoshi Tsumabuki and he is superb in this as always!)

Note: some are quirky and "controversial"(not to me personally, but I get why some may think so) so may not be your cup of tea.

Good to know! I wonder why they chose not to share that info in the drama itself. That would've been a lot better than the cliched rushed ending we got, but that's just me. Also, it would've been nice to see how Shun is involved in raising their daughter while travelling around the country to show it's not just left to Kurumi to look after the child alone most days. Maybe they'll do a season 2 or a special.

When I saw that it was written and directed by women, I got excited and got my hopes up that they'd delve a bit further on the issues (traditional mindset) women face on a daily basis than an average drama that tends to gloss over them. I'm too old school, I don't get why we have to have Twitter to get the complete story! lol Never mind.

LOL That's what happened in the Korean version, so I'm guessing it will be like that!!

Yes, glad someone “kind of”gets my point at least! lol I know it’s taboo on here to even point out a tiny negative aspect of a popular drama, so..! Lol

I do hope your interpretation is true that she is still working as a buyer living in Tokyo and meeting up with Shun when she can, instead of just following her husband around the country to fulfil his dream. Yeah most people wouldn’t be happy with that as you said, but I don’t know I’ve seen a plenty of dramas where a woman gets married with children and ends up making the husband/family her main focus instead of herself, like that’s what a woman is”supposed” to do, so I felt like it would’ve been nice to have a different scene at the end for a change. That’s all. Still loved the drama as I mentioned and would watch again for sure. Kouji was the best!

Sure. But as I said that wasn’t clear in the drama. It would’ve been nice for the screenwriter to show her progressing in her career for a change, instead of leaving it to the audience to draw their own conclusions. All we got was a scene where she’s married with a kid and that was such a cliche. That’s all I’m saying.

What's wrong with a yellowish filter??? I personally like it because it makes things look more natural and cosier than a white or blue filter that we tend to see in a lot of other dramas from other Asian countries where everything looks artificial/fake and actors end up looking ghostly pale like they're auditioning for a role of a vampire!!!

What a lovely modern drama. Enjoyed every minute of it.

My only niggle is the ending. I so wish they hadn't shown the main leads married with a kid. That part was a cliche of all cliches! I was surprised and disappointed to see that because up till that point, the drama had been so fresh with a progressive plot/script. I would've preferred to have seen how Mashima was getting on with her career as a buyer instead, with a shot of her engagement ring or something, if they really had to bring the focus back on the romance. It wasn't clear what had happened to her dream of becoming a buyer, but it looked like she abandoned it to get married and have a kid. Nothing wrong with that of course (it's a personal choice), but that's been done to death, so I was like, not again for the millionth time, EYE ROLL, sigh, lol!

Well apart from that, so many life lessons packed into 10 episodes. It was also very nice to see different women of all ages having a successful career or doing something they love, and not waiting or expecting a man to complete them or make them happy. I'm sure this is one of those dramas I'll watch again in the future.

Most Jdramas with great acting don't get subbed for starters or even if they did, the subject/plot would be "too mature", "too realistic" or "not enough romance" for an average Asian drama viewer or MDL member, so these don't get watched at all. No offence, but it's just my personal observation.

So, what normally happens is that all the fluffy and trashy "don't have to use your brain" type of Jdramas get subbed and get popular a lot, and that's when you get the cringey overacting with exaggerated expressions. So, people end up associating Jdramas with bad acting unfortunately. Annoying but true. There are at least over 30 new dramas every few months in Japan (including web dramas). Many are very good, but as we all know Japan don't give a f about the international audience, so good ones remain hidden lol

Episode 5 was great! Not a fan of a high school drama normally but I like the message it's sending that you can be awesome and beautiful just the way you are. I also like that they're not bashing plastic surgery either, but that it's a personal choice and the problem is with people who don't respect other people's choices.

I thought it was going to get toxic with people only focusing on the physical appearance or preachy criticising plastic surgery, makeup, etc. but no, it's keeping a balanced view so far.

Good grief, not everything is racist! "Suika Wari" (Splitting/breaking watermelon) is a typical Japanese tradition in the summer. It's shown in the drama clearly that the American character, Marik, came to Japan because he loves the Japanese culture and we see him dressed in Yukata and doing sparklers/fireworks, which are also both "Summer traditions" in Japan. So, he decides to go get a watermelon as well because it's something Japanese people do in the summer, not because he's black ffs. One of the other guys literally immediately "explains" that Marik is getting a watermelon because he likes the Japanese culture. How is this racist???

Honestly, it's so sad that we're conditioned to see the colour of skin first and nothing else in the West and see/create a problem when there is none. I doubt an average Japanese person even knows the stereotype associated with black people and a watermelon (it's definitely an American thing. Not something seen in UK either). To them, a watermelon or specifically "suika wari" is just something they do in the summer, so a character who likes Japan is doing the same. You shouldn't interpret everything through the "west/American tinted" spectacles smh.

As for the drama itself, I agree it's too cringey in places and too silly for my liking, but it's a comedy and supposed to be light hearted. I can see that it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but then I'm sure some will love it. No, I'm not the one who gave it a low rating after 1 episode lol