Just like elevators, love goes up and down
Finished watching this November 2024, as they aired it here in Japan on TVer (thank my lucky stars that they don't forget to show old dramas along with the new--except NHK and other non-commercial broadcasts) .What I liked: The fact that this is an old-school drama, which means it has a long running time, and thus more time to flesh-out the characters and give them more time to interact with each other. The benefit for us viewers being that we can come to care more about them. And because this is an old drama (here in 2024), it's also a good chance to look at what life was like back in the early 90's. I also personally like the three mains- they are all not only great actors, but have long, successful careers. They are very appealing to me in different ways. And finally, I just love the ending theme song-sung by Miyazawa herself. I'm a softie for jazzy-pop songs. And the cream on the top is that along with the cool song are ending credits with cute puppies frolicking around a white backdrop! They're so adorable!
What I didn't like: Despite the great cast and their best efforts, the story unfolds like the petals of a flower in a game of he loves me he loves me not. Or to put in this drama's terms, an elevator of love continuously going up and down. Relationships just don't seem to get anywhere. It was frustrating at times watching this drama because of that. Also, the side stories aren't that interesting. As a result, there's not much desire to re-watch this drama, for me at least.
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Sweet food, sweet memories
This is the 20th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is short, at only 51 minutes. And it is literally sweet, as the FL is a pastry chef. And the drama, this time taking place in Kitakyushu City, is well-produced, as are all the previous episodes of this series. The two main leads are great, as usual. Nakata Seina, playing the part of Matsumoto Hikaru, and Inaba Yu, who plays Ueda Keita, are both very capable actors, and they make for a nice, albeit older-man, younger-woman couple. The viewer definitely won't want to miss the beginning, to see how the two got together. It's very cute. As well all the delicious sweets that fill the screen!
What I don’t like:
I felt like Hikaru's trouble could have been more fleshed out, and more attention could have been payed to Keita's frustrations when he couldn't get in touch with her. But because of the short time of this special, I don't think that was possible. I wanted to know more about what happened after everything, but I guess they just ran out of time.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet romantic drama. You get main leads showing a variety of emotions. You get lots of sweets. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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Spring Love
This is the 18th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is short, sweet, and well-produced, as are all the previous episodes of this series. The two main leads are great, as usual. Kato Konatsu, playing the part of Yamaguchi Rio, and Okuno So, who plays Egashira Kohei, both put on fine performances, and they make for a nice, young couple. Although the story is only fifty-minutes long, it covers a lengthy number of years, and the viewers are able to witness their relationship at different stages, along with all the associative activities, events, and emotions. The beach locations are particularly memorable, as are the scenes in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.
What I don’t like:
Not sure if this is good or bad, but I would have liked to see them going on dates and living their normal lives together. Scenes that would build their relationship in the eyes of the viewer. But because of the short time of this special, I don't think that was possible. I wasn't convinced when it came to the biggest trouble they faced. And I think the ending was really rushed, where they time skipped like it was nothing. But again, time constraints.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet romantic drama. You get main leads showing a variety of emotions. You can also get a taste of how hard many Japanese struggle to begin their working lives. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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Love is decided by fate
This is the 10th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is short, sweet, cute, and well-produced. The two main leads are great. Adachi Rika, playing the part of Nakamura Miyu, is perhaps at her most beautiful self as a young adult looking for work. And Watanabe Shu plays Imai Yuzuru, a handsome, hard-working, entry-level designer. Their fated first meeting was when they were junior-high school students. And that was the very cute part of this tale- their innocent and optimistic first encounters, when they seemed destined to be together. I enjoyed seeing the scenery around Kitakyushu, the second largest city in Fukuoka. It's really beautiful, and the camera angles were perfect. Fukagawa Mai as Love-Rival Kizaki Wakana adds spice to this fifty-minute story.
What I don’t like:
I'm not sure if I agree that our lives, our fates, are already decided when we're born, which is a recurring theme in this drama special. Although this IS a romantic drama, there is no physical contact at all between the two main leads. In fact, there is no dating, either, and the conversations even are short at best. They keep getting disturbed by phone calls and Wakana. So, not much depth to this story.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet drama. You get cute scenes with the main leads when they were young, and then the payoff scenes when, as adults, they flashback to those relevant scenes in the past. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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Music brings high-schooler and paramedic together
This is the 14th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is well-thought out and presented. The two main leads are great. Shiraishi Sei is cute as a high-schooler and beautiful as an aspiring music performer. Her singing is good, too. And Nishiyama Jun is respectable in his role as a paramedic and handsome fan of Shino, Shiraishi’s performing name. Their by-chance first meeting at the animal park is cute. And the setting in different parts of Fukuoka, particularly Kayoicho Park, are wonderfully filmed.
What I don’t like:
A large part of the two ML’s relationship takes place through Line social messaging interactions. I’d rather possible love interests look into each other’s eye than at smartphones! I want more dating scenes between the two of them. And I think the ending is abrupt and not to my liking. But because of the short run time and the constraints of staying true to the real-life story, that’s not possible.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet drama. You get a bonus guitar playing and singing high-schooler. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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