News 
4
9
2
1
1
1
This review may contain spoilers
One of the best modern romcom / slice-of-life / coming-of-age dramas :)
I don't think I've ever given a 10 to a drama from this genre, but in Katsuo's words, this was 'KANPEKI' [PERFECT] even though the writer would argue that perfection doesn't exist, and we're all works-in-progress.
The Story:
This is a story of Katsuo and Ayumi who have been dating since college and break up in Episode 1 after Ayumi grows tired of him belitting her with his chauvinistic and patriarchal remarks/lifestyle. Instead of dwelling largely on the past, the show focuses on the leads' present with small snippets of the past that explain the way their relationship was and how it reached the point of break-up. We see Katsuo and Ayumi take a journey of re-discovering their lives; who they were, who they are, and who they want to be. Katsuo begins to cook as a way of learning about Ayumi and her struggles in making the perfect dishes for him. Ayumi gets a pink hairstyle, drops her perfect demeanour and attempts to break free and re-discover herself and what she likes. The leads begin to experience a new world with new friends, potential love interests, and hobbies but on some level, they also gain an insight on each other as individuals and on their relationship together.
What makes the writing so so stellar:
First of all, this was written by a rookie writer, who wrote a drama for the first time. MAD RESPECT. She knew exactly what she was doing, and the story / interactions wasn't developed off a thin premise. She created these characters, and stayed true to every single one of them all the way till the end, without caring about how unconventional the sub-plots / journey might have been. This was truly worthy of being the breakout drama of the season.
All the characters were real and flawed. Nobody is perfect, and everybody is a work-in-progress. The drama never tries to impose or sell a gold standard of a relationship, other than the value of communication, observation, and change.
And it is so so rare to have a drama discuss identity of a person both in a relationship and outside a relationship. Romance dramas focus so much on giving us the heart-fluttering moments, the angst, the love / connection but rarely talk about what happens after 2 people date. How one's identity can get enmeshed in a relationship and how an individual can retain their identity while playing the role of partner. This drama exceeded my expectations in the discussion and journey of identity-building and relationship-forming.
Katsuo begins as a chauvinistic patriarchal male who you can't stand. But as the show progresses, he begins to notice how he belittles others, imposes his own patriarchal and traditional upbringing on to others especially women. While his habit of nitpicking remains, he becomes more and empathetic of other people's struggles and choices. Despite his yearning and love for Ayumi, he never throws himself at her or forces his desire on her. He gives her the space after the breakup to explore her own life, and explore his own too, as he begins to take charge of his groceries, cooking, household chores. Throughout the drama, he watches an 80s/90s melodrama on TV which he initially idolises as the ultimate romance. He even plans a proposal to Ayumi in Episode 1 at the same restaurant the hero in the drama proposes at, but by the last episode, as he watches the leads in the drama get back together after the ridiculous trial and tribulations they went through, he almost resigns and realises that his and Ayumi's relationship was over in Episode 1 itself. Even though they are communicating more perfectly now, they can't go back to that romantic relationship anymore because they're not the same people anymore. And because they've evolved, those feelings have evolved too. Both of them will always love each other and have a place for each other, but that itself is not enough.
Ayumi begins as the gentle, quiet, sweet female whose life revolves around pleasing Katsuo and cooking / cleaning / looking after him after work. But we see that she deceived herself into believing that she needed to be a certain way to be worthy of love. As her world opens up with new friends, she realises that she can be herself. But she questions who she is? Because at some level, she always saw herself in a relational way of who she wants to be like, or who she doesn't want to be like rather than who she is. She begins to date, to express her likes / dislikes and even takes the risk of trying to open a restuarant of her own.
In Episode 9, both of them sit at the grill together for the first time enjoying a meal they swore off on during college. Now they've changed, and they're able to enjoy it together. But are they really just lingering on the relationship they never got to have or on the growing tension between them each episode with the 'will-they / will-they-not, or do they truly envision a future with each other? In the end, both of them evolve from lovers to friends, and find closure to the break-up in Episode 1. While that is sad, you got to give it to the writer because it makes sense. Not every relationship ends with that perfect happily-ever-after, and that is completely fine. Their lives aren't over, and they're only just re-setting and re-starting.
The discussion on patriarchy and identity: men are not presented in a black-and-white manner. You have men who are deeply entrenched in patriarchy, and there are men who stepped out of it. The drama presents this in the most beautiful way - it's not about teaching men a lesson and putting them in their place, or asserting that women are superior / play the harder role because they do housework. Rather, that we are humans, and how about we communicate with each other human-to-human rather than assuming the roles and titles of a man/woman, which boxes us and categorises us in some way. No matter what your family did and taught you, you can change. you are you. No matter what society expects of you, you are you. No matter what gender you are boxed in, you are you. We are all unique, and human before anything else.
Let's talk about the platonic friendship between the various characters. Tsubaki and Katsuo have such a beautiful platonic friendship which starts off when they match on a dating app. They're 2 hot young accomplished people, and the writer never tries to get them in a situation where just because they're male/female, they have to catch feelings even though to some, they may look like the perfect match. It's clear that the female co-worker begins to like Katsuo, but again the writer never tries to force that relationship down just because they are men / women who work closely. Ayumi and the male/female who are dating (forgot their names) - such a beautiful relationship as they support each other. This could have been messy with either of these characters dating / having sex with each other but the writer doesn't go there. It's not needed. She stays true to the characters and the idea that men / women can have strong platonic friendships. Even 2 people who dated in the past can grow up and genuinely have a mature, easy-going uncomplicated friendship where they wish the best for each other. Through the drama, all these characters grow together.
The acting -
Takeuchi Ryoma OH MY GOD. This guy has found a fan in me after this drama. He has grown by leaps and bounds as an actor. While the script was stellar, I don't think this character would have worked if we had another actor play him. He became the character, and made Katsuo so endearing and loveable while annoying. He truly carried the drama.
Kaho, as always, conveyed the subtle changes Ayumi went through during the drama with such nuance. She wasn't dramatic in presenting that change and had the right restraint and energy as Ayumi.
Nakajo Ayami as Tsubaki is another actor who has grown by leaps and bounds. She had such a fun, energetic presence on this show compared to her stiff acting in her earlier works.
Everybody else was great.
The technical aspects of the drama -
I enjoyed the quirky OST as well. The direction was spot on, without any filler scenes or badly lit frames / angles. I have no critique on this aspect.
In fact, there is nothing about this drama that could have been done better. I would love for this to have a special or a 2nd season because I loved these characters so much. I would love to know where they are, what they are doing, and who they are dating. .
A big THANK YOU to the writer, the cast and the crew for this gem. This is one of those J-dramas that absolutely everyone needs to watch once.
Highly highly recommended for all :)
The Story:
This is a story of Katsuo and Ayumi who have been dating since college and break up in Episode 1 after Ayumi grows tired of him belitting her with his chauvinistic and patriarchal remarks/lifestyle. Instead of dwelling largely on the past, the show focuses on the leads' present with small snippets of the past that explain the way their relationship was and how it reached the point of break-up. We see Katsuo and Ayumi take a journey of re-discovering their lives; who they were, who they are, and who they want to be. Katsuo begins to cook as a way of learning about Ayumi and her struggles in making the perfect dishes for him. Ayumi gets a pink hairstyle, drops her perfect demeanour and attempts to break free and re-discover herself and what she likes. The leads begin to experience a new world with new friends, potential love interests, and hobbies but on some level, they also gain an insight on each other as individuals and on their relationship together.
What makes the writing so so stellar:
First of all, this was written by a rookie writer, who wrote a drama for the first time. MAD RESPECT. She knew exactly what she was doing, and the story / interactions wasn't developed off a thin premise. She created these characters, and stayed true to every single one of them all the way till the end, without caring about how unconventional the sub-plots / journey might have been. This was truly worthy of being the breakout drama of the season.
All the characters were real and flawed. Nobody is perfect, and everybody is a work-in-progress. The drama never tries to impose or sell a gold standard of a relationship, other than the value of communication, observation, and change.
And it is so so rare to have a drama discuss identity of a person both in a relationship and outside a relationship. Romance dramas focus so much on giving us the heart-fluttering moments, the angst, the love / connection but rarely talk about what happens after 2 people date. How one's identity can get enmeshed in a relationship and how an individual can retain their identity while playing the role of partner. This drama exceeded my expectations in the discussion and journey of identity-building and relationship-forming.
Katsuo begins as a chauvinistic patriarchal male who you can't stand. But as the show progresses, he begins to notice how he belittles others, imposes his own patriarchal and traditional upbringing on to others especially women. While his habit of nitpicking remains, he becomes more and empathetic of other people's struggles and choices. Despite his yearning and love for Ayumi, he never throws himself at her or forces his desire on her. He gives her the space after the breakup to explore her own life, and explore his own too, as he begins to take charge of his groceries, cooking, household chores. Throughout the drama, he watches an 80s/90s melodrama on TV which he initially idolises as the ultimate romance. He even plans a proposal to Ayumi in Episode 1 at the same restaurant the hero in the drama proposes at, but by the last episode, as he watches the leads in the drama get back together after the ridiculous trial and tribulations they went through, he almost resigns and realises that his and Ayumi's relationship was over in Episode 1 itself. Even though they are communicating more perfectly now, they can't go back to that romantic relationship anymore because they're not the same people anymore. And because they've evolved, those feelings have evolved too. Both of them will always love each other and have a place for each other, but that itself is not enough.
Ayumi begins as the gentle, quiet, sweet female whose life revolves around pleasing Katsuo and cooking / cleaning / looking after him after work. But we see that she deceived herself into believing that she needed to be a certain way to be worthy of love. As her world opens up with new friends, she realises that she can be herself. But she questions who she is? Because at some level, she always saw herself in a relational way of who she wants to be like, or who she doesn't want to be like rather than who she is. She begins to date, to express her likes / dislikes and even takes the risk of trying to open a restuarant of her own.
In Episode 9, both of them sit at the grill together for the first time enjoying a meal they swore off on during college. Now they've changed, and they're able to enjoy it together. But are they really just lingering on the relationship they never got to have or on the growing tension between them each episode with the 'will-they / will-they-not, or do they truly envision a future with each other? In the end, both of them evolve from lovers to friends, and find closure to the break-up in Episode 1. While that is sad, you got to give it to the writer because it makes sense. Not every relationship ends with that perfect happily-ever-after, and that is completely fine. Their lives aren't over, and they're only just re-setting and re-starting.
The discussion on patriarchy and identity: men are not presented in a black-and-white manner. You have men who are deeply entrenched in patriarchy, and there are men who stepped out of it. The drama presents this in the most beautiful way - it's not about teaching men a lesson and putting them in their place, or asserting that women are superior / play the harder role because they do housework. Rather, that we are humans, and how about we communicate with each other human-to-human rather than assuming the roles and titles of a man/woman, which boxes us and categorises us in some way. No matter what your family did and taught you, you can change. you are you. No matter what society expects of you, you are you. No matter what gender you are boxed in, you are you. We are all unique, and human before anything else.
Let's talk about the platonic friendship between the various characters. Tsubaki and Katsuo have such a beautiful platonic friendship which starts off when they match on a dating app. They're 2 hot young accomplished people, and the writer never tries to get them in a situation where just because they're male/female, they have to catch feelings even though to some, they may look like the perfect match. It's clear that the female co-worker begins to like Katsuo, but again the writer never tries to force that relationship down just because they are men / women who work closely. Ayumi and the male/female who are dating (forgot their names) - such a beautiful relationship as they support each other. This could have been messy with either of these characters dating / having sex with each other but the writer doesn't go there. It's not needed. She stays true to the characters and the idea that men / women can have strong platonic friendships. Even 2 people who dated in the past can grow up and genuinely have a mature, easy-going uncomplicated friendship where they wish the best for each other. Through the drama, all these characters grow together.
The acting -
Takeuchi Ryoma OH MY GOD. This guy has found a fan in me after this drama. He has grown by leaps and bounds as an actor. While the script was stellar, I don't think this character would have worked if we had another actor play him. He became the character, and made Katsuo so endearing and loveable while annoying. He truly carried the drama.
Kaho, as always, conveyed the subtle changes Ayumi went through during the drama with such nuance. She wasn't dramatic in presenting that change and had the right restraint and energy as Ayumi.
Nakajo Ayami as Tsubaki is another actor who has grown by leaps and bounds. She had such a fun, energetic presence on this show compared to her stiff acting in her earlier works.
Everybody else was great.
The technical aspects of the drama -
I enjoyed the quirky OST as well. The direction was spot on, without any filler scenes or badly lit frames / angles. I have no critique on this aspect.
In fact, there is nothing about this drama that could have been done better. I would love for this to have a special or a 2nd season because I loved these characters so much. I would love to know where they are, what they are doing, and who they are dating. .
A big THANK YOU to the writer, the cast and the crew for this gem. This is one of those J-dramas that absolutely everyone needs to watch once.
Highly highly recommended for all :)
Was this review helpful to you?
