Salatheel

There was something warm and compulsive about this oddball drama featuring two dorky misfits. Everything about them was mismatched and yet, even though I had to suspend my disbelief a fair bit, I still wanted to engage with their relationship. It was an examination of breaking the shells in which we live which have been formed by other people’s opinions of us and society’s attitude towards our social standing. The imposition which we suffer as children, take on as truth and carry into adulthood. It’s an old well worn theme, but here it received a refreshing twist.

Don’t be mistaken into thinking there is a lot of social commentary, because of the setting in a host club. It’s primarily a romance drama that explores character development with a bit of social reflection thrown in. The performances are good from the leads, although I felt that Kimura Fumino as Ogawa Manami was a little too earnest at times, which leant a little too far into the patronising. But this quirky drama scrapes through with an 8, mainly for the originality of its setting.