puddang

Don't judge a book by its cover

From the poster, synopsis, and the fact that Masaya is playing the lead, I thought this movie would be just another cheesy, run-of-the-mill teen idol rom-com, and while that does make up part of its DNA, I was shocked that it was much more a story of female friendship than anything. Maybe it's unfair to rate this so highly just based on how severely it managed to subvert my expectations, but it really made me so giddy how unlike this movie is from others in this genre.

I think the key here was the very stripped-back production that gave it an almost indie-movie feel. Usually, these movies are full of poppy visuals, slow-mo glamour shots, and resolution so clear you can see everyone's pores, but here, everything has a slightly grainy filter to it, and while it is colorful, it has a much more natural, moody atmosphere. So while they aren't reinventing the wheel with the plot, thanks to this more restrained directing and cinematography, the story feels a lot more grounded and substantial. And yet, it still manages to be just as funny and charming as a true rom-com - Akoko's confession scene, her chasing around Narita to get him to help her, Mitsuki activating battle mode by adjusting her top to be off-shoulder...good stuff !

And backing up the strong visuals of the movie were the strong performances of the cast! Masaya holds his own despite this being his first lead role and manages to give his character some depth beyond Hot Guy™, even if it wasn't the performance of the century. And I've been very critical of Jyutaro's acting before, but this is EASILY the best role I've seen him in yet. He does so well when he's not trying to be all cool and handsome like he often has to be, and this movie gave me hope for him yet. Watanabe Miho is a sleeper talent for me after seeing her in Yukari-kun wa Gap ga Zurui - she brings a lot of charisma to a character that could very easily veer into annoying territory - and Saito Nagisa showed more well-rounded acting here than in the other roles I've seen her in. Not only did everyone put in work individually, but they also had great chemistry with each other, which was so crucial to making this work as well as it did for me.

It's not a perfect movie by any means - there were some plot contrivances and I can see how people might be put off by two girls fighting over some dude - but it was a true breath of fresh air in a sea of cookie-cutter rom coms, and I would highly recommend for anyone looking for something a bit more unique!

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Is that....a healthy relationship in my steamy drama???

I know not to expect much from MBS dramas, especially ones with sex at the core of their premise, so imagine my surprise when this wasn't just two hot people rolling around in a bed, but it instead explored healthy masculinity and attitudes towards sex with open communication between a secure, trusting, and adorable couple!!

What really made it all work was the chemistry between the two leads. Not only are they both extremely good-looking, but their interactions felt so natural and sweet, which made their intimate scenes easy to watch, and there was also effort put into showing their bond outside the bedroom, so it didn't feel like two horndogs just constantly going at each other lol. Shida Kohaku in particular was really great in her role; it couldn't have been easy given how young she is, but she was able to sell the playful seductiveness of Mitsuki so well, and she even nailed her emotional scene in the last episode. (Also, does she have an figure skating background because she could really move in those ice rink scenes!!)

It might not have been the most in-depth look, but I appreciated how they approached the topic of what it means to "be a man" from different angles. Even a clumsily written character like Saeki broke through heteronormative ideas in his brief arc (but also I probably could've done without him randomly inserting himself into the main couple's relationship lol).

And while there are important themes that can be extracted, above all, this drama is just /fun/. Sex is usually depicted in J-drama as a serious, passionate undertaking, but here we have a vibrator on an RC car attacking the ML, like come on lmao. Given that one of the actors is an idol who needs to preserve his image somewhat, I think it was a smart decision to use the silly ice rink metaphors for most of the sex scenes to avoid the awkwardness of trying to delicately capture it on screen while adding a quirky element that bolsters the playful nature of the drama rather than defaulting to a fade-to-black. It's definitely one of the most approachable dramas of this sort, and overall, a true breath of fresh air!

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Unexpectedly good but missing the extra sauce to be REALLY good

I was going into this drama with really low expectations, thinking it would just another all-fluff-no-substance romance, but I was pleasantly surprised! While it does have some of the typical cliche plot points, I found the way they were handled pretty refreshing, and there was a fun energy to it that kept it from feeling stale.

I particularly really like the character of Meiko, which was surprising because I'm very picky about this kind of plucky, go-getter female lead. Usually, they tend towards being too clumsy and airheaded for my taste, but Meiko actually acted like an adult and thought through her problems herself instead of relying on the ML for everything. The way she navigated her relationships with her friend and students outside the ML also gave her some unexpected depth, and I like that her background and skills as a former aspiring announcer had a purpose in the story instead of just being set dressing.

However, I think because the characterization of Meiko was so strong, Yukari seemed glaringly bland in comparison. We don't really get to understand who he is as a person or see him work through his own struggles, so it makes the romance feel uneven and half-baked because it feels like Meiko is falling in love with a hot piece of cardboard lol. Maybe the producers got distracted with how attractive Takao Hayato is (and don't get me wrong, he is EXTREMELY handsome here) that they forgot to do anything with his character.

The acting was quite good and the two leads had cute chemistry, so I overall enjoyed myself, but because they showed me a glimmer of competent writing in addition to the strong visuals, I can't help but mourn the potential this drama had.

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Probably a skip for most but watchable if you want to look at Motoki

Overall, I thought this was fine. If you've been chomping at the bit for more Motoki content like me, I think you'll get what you came for. My expectations were quite low because of the AWFUL graphics of the in-universe game that Sota plays in the first ep, and given the concept of smart farming, I was worried this would be heavily pro-AI or even written by AI, but there are a couple scenes directly addressing AI and seemingly framing it as negative (generative AI at least), so I'm more inclined to think this was a clumsily-written human creation with a low budget.

It is a little too quirky for its own good and Nakamura Yurika's character in particular is weird and kind of pointless. I also wish it had focused more on the actual farming. Instead, a lot of the attention is on broader social issues - workplace harrassment, bullying, migrant workers, tradition vs modernity - which is fine but has been done better in other dramas. But there were still some poignant moments, it did get a genuine laugh out of me a couple of times, and I was able to watch to the end without fast-forwarding, so there was enough there to hold my attention (primarily Motoki lol), and it didn't overstay its welcome.

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Two seasons and a possible third for this?

I am so sorry to fans of this series but I *intensely* disliked this. Admittedly, I did not watch season 1 and went straight for season 2 because I'm a big Psychic Fever fan and was excited to see Kokoro in a bigger role, but judging from the flashbacks to season 1, I don't think I missed much and it honestly seems like season 1 is worse, if that's possible. And if you're like me and thinking of jumping in for Kokoro, be warned that he barely gets any screen time anyway.

I think the biggest problem is that this drama takes itself WAY too seriously for how ridiculous the color-seeing ability is. If it had leaned into the absurdity more, I actually might have liked it, but instead it's played completely straight and everything is so dark and moody. The main character has almost no personality - if I'm being charitable, maybe we can interpret the lack of colors and emotions outside of the interrogations as a choice to amplify the colors and emotions that the main character sees, but I think that's a big stretch.

Also, I know I didn't watch season 1 where most of it goes down so I'm probably missing a lot of details, but I thought the plotline with Akari's sister was SO BAD. It doesn't help that both the sisters have such blank expressions on their faces the majority of the time that makes it impossible to invest in their story. It definitely did not make me want to watch season 1 to find out. And the fact that they teased a possible season 3 at the end actually pissed me off - what could there possibly be more to do with these characters???? Points I guess for this being an original concept instead of an adaptation of something, but this doesn't really make the best case for the quality of original stories.....

The only remotely redeeming thing about this was the cast. I normally like Iitoyo Marie and Asaka Kodai, so I'm disappointed that they're tied to this kind of project, and they don't even seem that invested in it themselves. And I'll usually take any scraps of Iwase Yoji, Nakao Masaki, and Fukumatsu Rin I can get, but I really don't think this is worth it.

If you want something with this kind of vibe and a somewhat similar main character, please just watch SPEC instead, omg.

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It's a ~metaphor~

Overall, I think this drama is worth a watch, even if just to see another great performance from Fujimoto Kodai. The execution is a bit goofy at times, but I thought it was an interesting take on a youth drama with a surprising amount of nuance. However, if you go in expecting a true death game, you will be disappointed because it is a very small and almost totally insignificant part of this story. The ending is also quite unsatisfying with no clear resolution, so if you're looking for a more straight-forward narrative, this probably won't be for you either.

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Maybe I'm giving the writers too much credit and reading into things too deeply, but my interpretation of this drama is that it is about the many ways selfishness can manifest and be harmful, even if you think you're doing the right thing.

Of course, the drama does reference some outright malicious and indefensible selfish acts, like the teacher developing feelings for Chiaki and then harassing her when she rejects him, but what I found interesting was how Akane and Sousuke used their quest for justice for Chiaki to cover up their own selfish intentions - Sousuke wanting answers for why the girl he liked would leave this world without explanation after he confessed to her, and Akane wanting to get close to Sousuke and fill the void Chiaki left. I thought it was particularly compelling when Sousuke wanted to make the evidence of the teachers' wrongdoings public, but the reporter tells him that doing so could jeopardize the futures of everyone at their school, including Toru, who's the top of their class.

While I can understand that the ending can make the drama feel like it was all for nothing, I thought it was fitting and realistic in its frustrating bleakness. Death games and revenge fantasies are often satisfying to watch to see villains get their comeuppance and justice being served, but this subverts that not by just simply saying "revenge is bad" but rather, "revenge is pointless." And although no one was punished, I liked that it balanced out the cynicism with the hopeful note of Akane wearing the beetle brooch and coming to terms with her grief more positively.

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Skip the full-length drama version and watch this instead

Watched on the Bump app with English subtitles!

As someone who was publically underwhelmed by the longform version of this story, I think it's kind of my duty now that I've watched this version to compare the two and give my recommendation so you can save drama watching time.

When I started this one, I didn't even realize it was another adaptation of the same work until I looked it up, which is pretty telling of how little of an impression the MBS drama left. Given that this is a fraction of the runtime, there is obviously not enough time to really flesh out the backgrounds of the two main characters, but I think that's a point in this version's favor. The only thing unique/interesting about this story is the premise, which this version preserves while cutting a lot of the filler and cliche, and I liked that this ends on a more open, friendly note between Teito and Karen rather than them explicitly getting together because it made their romance feel more organic rather than plot convention. I also think the two leads have more chemistry than their longform counterparts and are personally more my taste visually lol.

Neither version is the pinnacle of their craft by any means, so if you just want a cute, quick watch, the efficiency of this version alone makes it a better experience in my eyes, and I would even say that it holds up on its own as one of the better vertical dramas in general.

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Goes out of its way to be weird with little to no payoff

In order for me to set aside my personal objections to problematic relationship dynamics in dramas, the relationship has to 1) have a clear narrative purpose and/or 2) be entertaining enough that the details of the relationship on their face are less important. This drama unfortunately fails to meet both criteria.

What bothers me most is that this drama feels risque for the sake of being risque, throwing in everything that could be possibly weird about this relationship and then not doing the work to make it make sense or really matter in the end. Why is an adult stranger offering to sleep in a cramped twin bed with a vulnerable high schooler who's just ran away from home? The whole reason Haru initially finds Rio "safe" to live with is because he's gay (despite her apparently having a fear/distrust of men while also having a normal, sweet relationship with her male childhood best friend), so why is he reciprocating physical intimacy with her, saying that it "feels good", and going so far as to almost have SEX (!!!) with her??? Even if we were to be charitable and assume that Rio is discovering he's gay in sexual relationships but genderblind emotionally, why is he going to a high schooler for emotional comfort when he had two fellow adult housemates the whole time??? Why not also add the fact that Rio is basically Haru's landlord but with no formal agreement so he could technically take away her place to stay at moment's notice to make things even ickier? And after all that, it ends with Haru not even being with Rio (not that I wanted them to get together) and instead getting a random modelling career??

To top it off, this drama is just so bland, from the presentation to the performances. Ikeda Masashi and Akita Shiori had almost no chemistry so I really didn't buy that Haru and Rio had such a deep, undeniable connection that she continues to pine for him after she leaves the house. If you're going to scandalize me with a problematic relationship, at least put some passion behind it! Iwakura, for one, might have been messy and jealous, but at least he behaved in a realistic way and you could feel the emotion that was driving him.

I think I was even more disappointed because I came to this drama after watching and enjoying If Only You Weren't the One, which also has Ikeda Masashi (and Kusakawa Naoya randomly lol) and also explores a relationship dynamic that I don't personally agree with, but it had all the elements that this one didn't to be compelling, so I'd certainly recommend it over this if being uncomfy is your jam.

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Extreme quirk tolerance is an absolutely ESSENTIAL requirement for watching this

After completing this, I am disappointed but not particularly surprised by the low rating (6.7 on MDL at the time of writing). I think if you are 1) not a habitual watcher of J-dramas and are just coming here for Chae Jong Hyeop, 2) not a fan of quirky humor and exaggerated acting, and/or 3) expecting a proper romance drama, this will definitely not be for you. This drama also doesn't really start to get to its point until around the halfway mark, so even if you have a stronger stomach for this kind of stuff, I don't know if you'll find the journey to get to the payoff really worth it.

However, if you're able to get the vibe, you might have a fun time with it like I did, especially if you have a broader understanding of Japanese pop culture. There are a lot of references that will surely feel dated in the future (M!LK's "Ii jan", "AiScream", even the word "tradwife" gets dropped lmao), but I enjoyed picking them out. The spoof of dating reality shows also made me both laugh and cringe at the accuracy.

I personally liked the fantasy element, even if it goes pretty much exactly how you expect for that kind of story. I was very amused that Nishigami's reason for wanting to save everyone in the villa basically boils down to, "They may be idiots, but they're MY idiots!" Nishigami and Midori's romance was also not as much of a focus as the poster might lead you to believe, but I thought what we did get was cute. I'm a sucker for the "cold, gloomy man who melts from the warmth of love" schtick, and Nishigami fit the bill perfectly. Chae Jong Hyeop is a pretty random cast for the role, but I honestly I think I prefer that him being Korean/a foreigner wasn't a central part of his character arc like it tends to be for these Korea-Japan collaborations - he was just a normal bilingual Grim Reaper lmao.

Konta is by far the worst part of this drama, and since he commands so much of the narrative particularly in the first half, I can understand the temptation to drop, but I have to respect Katsuji Ryo for really committing to making Konta as obnoxious as possible lol. I think the documentary part at least helped in understanding him and making him a little more palatable.

Underneath all the antics, The Vacation Principle has the surprisingly poignant message of slowing down, not taking things so seriously, and discovering yourself in the process - taking a "vacation from life" as the characters say. In fact, I think the experience of this drama itself is like a vacation from typical drama land in its style and quirkiness, so I would overall recommend if you're brave enough to traverse the waters.

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Lock in, boys!!!

Watched this on the FOD Short app with English subtitles!

With this premise, they could've very easily gone the absurdist route and cranked everything up to 100 with cartoonish villains and exaggerated performances, but the fact that it was played straight with a large cast of experienced actors who weren't totally checked out made it a much more palatable watch. Umefune Ariei in particular did a great job being calmly menacing and really tied everything together.

I do wish there was a bit more screentime devoted to showing Misaki interacting with everyone and building relationships, because even with these emotionally-heightened circumstances, the contestants' love for her seemed to come out of nowhere and who she picked to stay felt super arbitrary. I also don't think Misaki (or really any of the characters) were distraught enough over what was happening around them. The ending was funny because it wrapped everything in a neat little bow despite all the bloodshed left in its wake. I know that's all way too much to ask, though, and conversely, I think the efficient and uncomplicated storytelling worked in this drama's favor.

Overall, more than the plot, my enjoyment came from watching all these actors I know from different projects interact and seeing who got plot armor because they're more notable lol. But even if you're not a j-drama nerd like me and you're just looking for something brainless and entertaining, I think this one is worth checking out!

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"Otaku bags a baddie" trope done right

Watched on the FOD Short app with English subs!

My true rating would probably be closer to 7.75, so I rounded up since that's not possible on MDL. I don't think this hits quite the same as other dramas that I've given 8/10, but I still enjoyed it a lot more than expected. I'm learning that vertical dramas tend to work best for me when they're smaller in scope and focus on one particular moment in time, so I like how this just breaks down the 12-or-so hours Yui and Sorata spend together on their date with some well-placed flashbacks to build out the story. Given the run time, I was surprised that Yui and Sorata actually get decent character arcs and therefore felt more fleshed out than most vertical drama protagonists. They had subtle but palpable chemistry that made their interest in each other feel genuine despite their aura gap lol.

And although Sorata is supposed to be the geek/loser in this dynamic, Wakabayashi Jiei managed to balance out the awkwardness with some natural charisma in his performance, and he wasn’t overly creepy or incel-coded like virgin male characters can often be. Even the side characters, like Sorata's sister and his coworker, brought a lot of personality and charm to the drama. Honestly, my only real complaint is that I wish Nakao Masaki didn't have that hideous goatee lmao. I also suspect the FOD Short app subs were at least partly AI-assisted and/or not properly QC'd judging from the occasional incorrect pronoun usage and mistranslations (why was pineapple & cranberry ice cream translated to chocolate & raspberry....did the AI think that was too weird a combo lol), which was a shame because I truly think this drama deserves attention and should be given the best chance at being properly enjoyed!

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A vertical drama for Alice in Borderland fans

Watched on the FOD Shorts app with English subtitles!

I think this is definitely worth a watch if the synopsis interests you, and it's best to go in completely blind, so I won't go in-depth in this review and just offer my recommendation!

This is tagged on the app as horror, which was a little worrying for me going in because I'm a total weenie when it comes to scary stuff, but it actually wasn't too bad. Aside from one moment with a slightly disturbing image (the end of ep 24 when they look at one of the character's camera) and maybe one or two very mild jumpscares (no loud sounds or anything, just the sudden appearance of the little kid), it was more than tolerable for me, although YMMV.

Kusakawa Takuya has a great disposition for horror, and it's funny that he and Sugai Yuuka were costars in a romance drama the year before this came out given the relationship their characters have here. I do have some unanswered questions and the parallels to parts of Alice in Borderland were quite apparent imo (iykyk), but I generally like what they did with the concept and enjoyed this quick watch!

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Girl just go to THERAPY!!!!

Watched on the FOD Short app with English subtitles!

It might be a little unfair to compare this to the other time travel vertical drama I watched, Locker Across Time (Locker: Kimi ga Inai Mirai kara), because they are ultimately different stories, but I think this drama fixes a lot of the problems I had with that one, mainly the sus age dynamic and the romance being firmly intwined with the time travel. Back to the Stories has romance too, but it arguably existed separately from the time travel stuff rather than as a result of it, which made the story more believable. I also liked that Back to the Stories had more of a mystery element that kept me invested, even if the reveal of the killer was unsatisfying and their motive (especially for killing Rihito) kind of made no sense. The cast features more experienced actors and they worked together nicely, and I think this is written and directed by the same pair that did Koibitotachi no Furudokei, so no complaints in terms of the performances and production quality. Overall, I enjoyed myself and think it's certainly worth a watch!

However, where this drama loses the most points for me is with Mikoto's choices as a character. Maybe I'm just biased towards Honda Kyoya, but I felt SO bad for Natsuki - he was clearly the second choice, and he had to sit there and be accessory to his girlfriend's obsession with getting closure with her first love. I found it frustrating how Mikoto kept avoiding the question of what would happen to her relationship if Rihito survived to the present day and framed her desire to save him as just "I want everyone to be alive and happy," like be serious!!!!!! Honestly, the best character in this whole drama was the grandma. It really stuck with me when she tells Mikoto that she should focus on changing the future rather than the past, like yes, exactly!! Go back to your loving home with your boyfriend who looks like HONDA KYOYA and work on your unresolved feelings in therapy instead of playing god with time travel!!! Your greed knows no bounds!!!

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