It was only at the fun-level up till ep 7 but starting from ep 8 it was gold-level. A very entertaining black comedy, filled with wasted ice coffee latte and birthday surprises and 'aijin nakama'. I love Kayo-san and Miwa-san. One is a bubbly dense airhead optimist while the other is a scheming manipulative two-faced b*tch, I think they would make a great team lol. My favorite quote: "Everyone's a trash right?"
This show did a good job at portraying how bittersweet the journey to realize your dream is, especially when the only way to realize it clashes with your ideals, and how hard and stressful it is when you have to make people laugh to make a living.
This is like.. a new form of wish-fulfillment when it comes to romance. It takes into account some real issues regarding marriage, but at the same time solving them in a very ideal way that is almost impossible to apply in real life. In a way, this is the kind of marriage that can only work between people like Mikuri and Hiramasa. It's a good thing they met each other, and it's especially heartwarming whenever they showcase their trust and acceptance of each other.
About 4 eps in, I was so ready to name this as the best affair drama I've ever watched; it was satirically funny, had great pacing, the characters are very down to earth and the directing chose a more realistic and mature approach to portray them, and most importantly they managed to hit every emotional spectrum of extramarital affairs perfectly. But then it lost its energy somewhere from ep 8, and then it slowly morphed into a meek, formulaic, rainbowy kdrama I know so well and yet not really fond of. Still it was sincere at the very least, and the Young Young couple and the forum buddies kept me entertained.
Could someone please give me a spoiler, how is the romance in this drama? (I've been told that this is somewhat…
The romance is heartwarming, I'd say. The lead couple is like kindred spirits; two very gentle misfits stuck in harsh life, found warmth and strength in each others' presence. The drama has some heavy undertones but the romance itself is not dark at all.
I used to think it's predictable too. Why else was that particular character and his family got that much focus…
Ah, sorry, I just wanted to encourage some people to watch this show even though it's sort of predictable, because I think it was still a well-written mystery show despite the fact. Did my comment ruin your experience somehow? Then maybe I'll have to put it as a spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsdSKXzKC3A5qkxhPgBmPlOsQV5M-EIfk
http://www.avirtualvoyage.net/2016/10/nirvana-in-fire-2-reveals-full-cast-huang-xiao-mingtong-li-ya.html (and nope, HXM is just a guest role lol)