nhii

Thank you, really. I'm very happy to know that my comments are helpful to you and that you enjoy this drama ♡
I was actually planning to stop posting my comments here because I feel like my enthusiasm is spoiling the drama for everyone 😅 Maybe I'll keep posting short reviews for new episode every week and try to keep them as spoiler-free as possible.

God... I think I know which drama you meant by "one of them dying". All the pain just came back to me vividly lol

I knew this would be a witty slice-of-life comedy but I definitely didn't expect all that food porn when I started this drama omg. All the more reason for me to stick with this one.

Yeah, I'm afraid only Ep 1 is available for free :(

Thank you. The director/screenwriter got me interested so i decided to check it out and it was indeed a beautiful 1st episode, reminded me a lot of Mio on the Shore which I also enjoyed. It was a pleasant surprise to see Adachi Yumi and Usuda Asami here too.

The video title says Free Streaming for Limited Time, not sure until when though. It seems that new episode will be uploaded every Thursday night, I really hope they'll make all episodes available worldwide like this 1st ep because I will be tuning in every week.

omg episode 7 was so relatable lol

Momo first meet with A-kun not on a matching app but at a convenience store was kinda unexpected but it was a very interesting metaphor actually. Also why do I see that store everywhere in JDramas lmao.

It was more of a shock to me when I realized that he didn't know he was manipulated than when I learned about his past. Just how young was he back then omg. It just gets more and more horrible the more you think about what he had to experience to the point it traumatized him. No wonder why he hated adults so much. And the way Shinobu made him figure it out was amazing. Also that was probably when Shinobu realized she should stop using him for her convenience as well.

Yes. I also think she knew. The way she curiously emphasized "Only manga?" and then casually said "Take your time~" to invite Shinobu into her home. She must have known! Ugh, the actress did such a good job leaving such disgusting impression with only few words. The stark contrast between Chiaki's and Yuta's upbringing though, the mothers.

Yeah, I agree. He still hasn't freed himself completely from his past. Which was why Shinobu didn't want to take advantage of him and refused to do it in the end. It's so sad though. The concept of "taking advantage of" and "being taken advantage of" in this drama just gets more and more complicated :(

I've actually seen a lot of people think that Yuta knew, because he probably was the one that hid Shinobu's ring from the table. But it was also true that Shinobu had contacted him and let him know where she was at. I don't believe he knew everything though. But it's very interesting, their bond might be stronger than we thought. Either he knew about it or not, he's still a really good kid. Shinobu has raised him so well.

Edit your comment and put it in spoiler, please 😂
As for your question, I don't know. We have to watch Ep 6 to find out about it.

According to both the preview clip and the preview text for Ep6 on their website: Shinobu and Chiaki didn't cross the line and came back home. But Toko (Chiaki's mother) caught them together and told Yohei and Yuta about it, causing a crack in the Watanuki family. While Shinobu was trying to keep a distance from Chiaki, a storyboard from Chiaki was sent to Shinobu. After seeing that storyboard, Shinobu, as a wife and a mother, had come a decision about her relationship with Chiaki (that was when she met him at the aquarium in the preview clip).

I wish I have someone to talk about how considerate and amazing of Shinobu to actually talk to Chiaki about his past, to tell him what other adults never told him and make him realize what he had to deal with all this time alone. It pains me so much knowing that he didn't even know he was used, hurt and wounded deep inside. The way his eyes reverted back to child-like innocent eyes when he started to understand what Shinobu was saying and then Shinobu's tears when she saw his realization... god, that scene was painfully amazing, I was ugly sobbing with them :((

Ok fast forward to the last scene, when Chiaki noticed Shinobu using past tense in her words and he hurried to check her suitcase... 😭 Part of me was glad that she didn't left her son, but what she said right after that had me in pieces. And that last line where Chiaki said "It's ok if your suitcase is empty, don't go home" It's like he was saying "It's ok if I don't have feelings for you, don't go home" as in he knows he can't love properly but he really don't want to see her suffer in that house anymore. One line, just one line and it hit me like bus.

One more detail, that bed scene when they were about to do it, although they stopped and started talking, Chiaki's hand didn't stop stroking Shinobu hair?? I mean, that was cute but was that a habit from his old job or was he trying to comfort Shinobu after what happened with her husband? Also he seems to use hugs to comfort people? (Hugging Seira when he rejected her, hugging Shinobu to beg her to stay) I can't help but wondering if those things were what the clients did to him and he learned from them. It's just... the more I think about it, the more heartbreaking it gets :(

EPISODE 5: Much less suspenseful since a lot of things have become clear. The best part of this episode for me was the script, the dialogues were very well written and the cast did a good job delivering them. Many layers of meaning were hidden behind a lot of lines.

Overall, it was a bittersweet episode, I'm glad they finally gave us 5 minutes of sweet moments to balance out all the pain we've witnessed so far (the dark/bright contrast was so satisfying). And then they threw us to the pit of darkness again with that last scene lol. And Yuta-kun, best boy of this drama, good jobbb!!! I feel so proud of him even though I'm not his mother haha.

Can't wait for Ep6, which will be directed by Ohku Akiko!

the last 3 mins of Ep1, he was as high as a kite lmao

Thank you ♡
I just really love it when dramas are packed with details like this. And this one even comes with great acting and good music so I can't help but watching it over and over again lol. I can't wait for everyone to watch it with subs either. There's a lot more to unpack when you understand the dialogues xD

- The scene in front of the convenience store where Shinobu had to face Seira (Chiaki's childhood friend), there was some interesting sound effect here: the dog barking sound. At first, I was like "Huh? Is this intentional or accidental?" because obviously, there's nothing strange about a dog barking in a neighborhood at night. But then I noticed the dog only barked when Seira was talking lol So yeah, that was 100% intentional sound effect. And when Shinobu walked away, the sound still persisted, meaning Seira's words had left an effect on Shinobu's mind.
Speaking of that scene, gotta love how both Shinobu (in Ep4) and Chiaki (in Ep1) stood up for each other in front of the other's toxic partner/friend xD

- There were also some other sound effects that I like in this ep, such as the crow sound when Chiaki walked home showcased his loneliness but quickly turned loud and ominous when Yohei stepped in the frame. And the rain + wind sound at the end showcased the characters' inner feelings and foreshadowed a storm's going to take over the Watanuki family.

There are also other details I've already mentioned in spoiler comments below and I'm too lazy to type them down again: the coffee, the karaoke scene, the contrast between the tangerine from Yohei & the orangettes from Chiaki.

EPISODE 4: It's me, again (sorry for being this annoying lol). I know I said they changed the director in Ep4 and it wasn't as detailed and intense as previous episodes but upon my 4th watch of Ep4, I actually found some interesting details:

Yeah, the husband didn't even show any remorse when Shinobu said she knew about his cheating, he just kept pressing on her instead. He usually called her Shinobu-chan but now he dropped the "-chan" in this ep.

Speaking of contrast, there's another excellent contrast in this ep too. It was the tangerine from her husband vs. the orangettes from Chiaki. She left her husband's tangerine to mold (for obvious reason) and then threw it away along with her heart and her original self (Sasaki Shinobu). But she ate Chiaki's orangettes right after she opened it as she knew Chiaki respected her as herself, the mangaka Sasaki Shinobu that saved him. Well, until that girl had to ruin it by revealing Chiaki's past and shook Shinobu feelings.

This one: https://youtu.be/dKCVQGx_YRI (Preview for Ep5)
But you have to use Japanese VPN to be able to watch it.
The previews for next episode on youtube are usually longer than the ones they show in the drama episode.

Lol it was credited in the opening introduction. The main director (Ohku Akiko) was one of the reasons I’m interested in this drama since the day I found out about it so I’ve been keeping an eye on which eps she will direct. And yes! This drama has an official twt account: @tx_shijukara

I agree. That scene at the karaoke box when that girl said “I’ll pay more money than my mom, so have sex with me!” then proceed to do what she did, I had to pause for 3 minutes to process what that line actually meant and it made me want to throw up everywhere. Poor Chiaki had to sell himself to his childhood friend’s mom for money and now he can’t even trust or be safe around that friend.
Based on how his hands were trembling when he knew Shinobu found out about his dark past and how helpless he was after getting assaulted (and how he said he can’t love anyone anymore in the Ep5 preview on youtube) I think he had some really bad and traumatic experiences when he was doing that ‘job’ in middle school :((