This review may contain spoilers
Sometimes all you need are friends not lovers.
I caught this randomly on Tubi. It actually is what respured my investments in jdrama.
The story follows the up's and downs of 4 women in very different stages in their life romantically and professionally.
What I really enjoyed in this story was the varying ideas of what it means to be fulfilled in life. With Mako we explore someone who is always trying to fit in. With Saki it's about trying to prove yourself worth. Emi's story was that of understanding what they wanted in life and finally Shiraishi's story of reconciliation.
Yuriko(Saki) I think was the strongest of the bunch in terms of acting in this series. I felt the joy and crushing defeats along side her exploits. I liked the main casts chemistry as well. They had a interesting dynamic as they interacted only when at home really. It felt really like they were friends living together but not overly being involved in each other's lives.
The love stories were very well executed. I think Mako's was the weakest just because it was somewhat something that dragged on. You want to cheer Mako on but at the same time you want to yell at her to stop. Emi's love story was great for expanding upon love for the sake of love. I enjoyed Karina's little mannerisms as Emi whenever she was nervous. Saki's story was really investing because of the platonic love that was showcased. It was refreshing to balance out the other two. I felt Saki's story showed off a really interesting love story that doesn't get explored a lot. I think Shiraishi's story was really good for being the most realistic. It was much heavier then the other stories and you really felt for the woman.
The music was great! The main theme is a great balance of melancholy, memories and movement. You can hear all the internal conflicts and struggles people go through with a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel. The rest of the music is mostly close to what you hear normally in dramas. There's also a cameo from Namie Amuro who did the theme song for this show! There's quite a few songs from her actually.
The cinematography is nothing special but I did like the sequences when they do Emi's lighting jobs. Those felt like they had a little extra oomph. The feeling is very warm though through the series. It does for that that bloom issue where it's like the light of God is coming through the windows all the time lol.
In all I like to think of this story as a nice little warm hug from friends.
The story follows the up's and downs of 4 women in very different stages in their life romantically and professionally.
What I really enjoyed in this story was the varying ideas of what it means to be fulfilled in life. With Mako we explore someone who is always trying to fit in. With Saki it's about trying to prove yourself worth. Emi's story was that of understanding what they wanted in life and finally Shiraishi's story of reconciliation.
Yuriko(Saki) I think was the strongest of the bunch in terms of acting in this series. I felt the joy and crushing defeats along side her exploits. I liked the main casts chemistry as well. They had a interesting dynamic as they interacted only when at home really. It felt really like they were friends living together but not overly being involved in each other's lives.
The love stories were very well executed. I think Mako's was the weakest just because it was somewhat something that dragged on. You want to cheer Mako on but at the same time you want to yell at her to stop. Emi's love story was great for expanding upon love for the sake of love. I enjoyed Karina's little mannerisms as Emi whenever she was nervous. Saki's story was really investing because of the platonic love that was showcased. It was refreshing to balance out the other two. I felt Saki's story showed off a really interesting love story that doesn't get explored a lot. I think Shiraishi's story was really good for being the most realistic. It was much heavier then the other stories and you really felt for the woman.
The music was great! The main theme is a great balance of melancholy, memories and movement. You can hear all the internal conflicts and struggles people go through with a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel. The rest of the music is mostly close to what you hear normally in dramas. There's also a cameo from Namie Amuro who did the theme song for this show! There's quite a few songs from her actually.
The cinematography is nothing special but I did like the sequences when they do Emi's lighting jobs. Those felt like they had a little extra oomph. The feeling is very warm though through the series. It does for that that bloom issue where it's like the light of God is coming through the windows all the time lol.
In all I like to think of this story as a nice little warm hug from friends.
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