I am not a fan of reviewing a drama before its conclusion but I feel like it's my duty to tell everyone how insanely good "Date" is.
Generally speaking, I find that romantic dramas can get boring super fast. Also, I sometimes have a hard time with Japanese comedy because it can be a little over the top and I prefer a more subtle type of humor. With that said, "Date" was a very pleasurable surprise: the scripts are amazing; the characters are super well-developed and the story has an amazing pace. It is legitimately funny and both Anne and Hiroki Hasegawa do an amazing job in their roles.
"Date" hits all the marks and it accomplishes the very difficult mission of balancing touching moments with hilarious scenes. All in all, I can't recommend it enough.
Honestly, this show is very uneven. It starts out really good. Acting is superb, script is amazing, production…
Honestly, I didn't thought it was clever at all, even though I liked the final twist. To me, it was on the same level as something like Hana Yori Dango: super entertaining and fun but kind of empty and sometimes way too cringe-y. That said, I commend them for producing a super entertaining drama and, at the end of the day, it is one of the biggest social phenomenons in Japanese TV so they obviously did something right.
That said, I thought your review was very good, even if I disagree with some points in it.
Only on 2nd ep so I might change my mind later on, but so far I'm kind of puzzled as to why this drama is so highly…
I honestly disagree Hanazawa Naoki is well-written and it is not comparable to top-notch Western shows or even quality Japanese dramas. It's basically brain candy, full of cheap twists and catchphrases meant to become a hit. I agree it is an entertaining show but let's not get carried away....
Honestly, this show is very uneven. It starts out really good. Acting is superb, script is amazing, production is top-notch. However, by the middle of it there's a drastic drop in quality. It becomes cliche-ridden and the whole thing gets super dumbed-down.
I know it's based on a series of books but it's clear to me the scriptwriter didn't put much effort beyond the first few episodes. I'm amazed at how many reviewers are ignoring how stupid the shows gets. The title character starts out as relatable and full of layers but there's zero character development: he basically becomes a big caricature. And besides Hanazawa, most characters are one-layered and badly written. The plot twists starts to get unbelievably silly and you get super sick of Hanazawa shouting out his little catchphrases 38437756 times per episode.
Overall, the show is entertaining and fast-paced. However, don't believe the hype: it is not very well-executed beyond the first few episodes and it's basically brain candy.
Generally speaking, I find that romantic dramas can get boring super fast. Also, I sometimes have a hard time with Japanese comedy because it can be a little over the top and I prefer a more subtle type of humor. With that said, "Date" was a very pleasurable surprise: the scripts are amazing; the characters are super well-developed and the story has an amazing pace. It is legitimately funny and both Anne and Hiroki Hasegawa do an amazing job in their roles.
"Date" hits all the marks and it accomplishes the very difficult mission of balancing touching moments with hilarious scenes. All in all, I can't recommend it enough.
That said, I thought your review was very good, even if I disagree with some points in it.
I know it's based on a series of books but it's clear to me the scriptwriter didn't put much effort beyond the first few episodes. I'm amazed at how many reviewers are ignoring how stupid the shows gets. The title character starts out as relatable and full of layers but there's zero character development: he basically becomes a big caricature. And besides Hanazawa, most characters are one-layered and badly written. The plot twists starts to get unbelievably silly and you get super sick of Hanazawa shouting out his little catchphrases 38437756 times per episode.
Overall, the show is entertaining and fast-paced. However, don't believe the hype: it is not very well-executed beyond the first few episodes and it's basically brain candy.