Realistic age gap trope
I'm a huge sucker for age gap tropes. The only problem within this is that not everything is done right or realistic, which sometimes annoys me. What, I think, captures viewers when it comes to age gap stories is the—always—bittersweet journey in between. The dilemmas, the hurt, the rejection, and the scrutiny. This j-drama captured all of that; we see a woman with the perfect life find love with a student ten years her senior, and like a sensible adult, she runs away from it because she knows it's not appropriate. I love this kind of characters, the rational and sensible ones who truly mirrors what normal people would do—flight than fight. I also love Kuroiwa's development; stubborn, rebellious, and reckless at 15, but matures at 18. I love how he's gotten better at communicating his feelings when he was older, and how at the end, he finally understood and let go.Overall, this j-drama is a gem. Age gap tropes are controversial and not for everyone, and besides, it's hard to find compelling stories like this. But for us fanatics, once we've found hidden treasures like these, it's quite unforgettable.
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Finally some effort for Jdramas
This is the first ever review I gave a series out of so many that I've already watched. I told myself that I don't need to give reviews since I only use MLD as an archive and as information source, but for this drama, I feel really compelled to tell you my thoughts even if no one asked for it.First of all, the storyline may not be for everyone. There is a lot of confusion on my part and a little annoyance about how things went. Gaku's personality shift is still quite shallow on my part and a little disappointing. Sure, I didn't expect the big brother to be the villain, but I feel like the "brother died but is actually alive and is not the enemy" trope is already overused, so the initial shock was immediately replaced by "meh". Although, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the majority of time I was watching this I felt more interested and on the edge of my seat with every episode. There was always a scene, or a happening that had me playing detective and trying to connect the dots. Plus, it's been so long since I've felt that hatred towards an antagonist, so me hating 19th Fuma leader whatever was actually a refreshing realization for me.
But, here's the main reason why I want to write a review. Whenever I would watch an asian series, I could always differentiate a Kdrama from a Jdrama. And often, it's because of the effort put behind in production. The main thing I vaguely noticed was that Kdramas seem more...expensive. Also more quirky, comical, and bright. While Jdramas are more laid-back, casual, and quite dull. Then after a few observations, I realized that maybe it's the camerwork or the dialogues, or everything that are out of the actors' hands.
You see, the reason why Kdramas are such a hit is because of how much big streaming sites like Netflix put so much effort in creating them. Even if the plot is garbage or the dialogues are horrible, people still watch it because it's in their subscriptions. It's kinda sad to see the fixation that streaming companies put in Kdramas (at least in what I notice anyway) and not invest in others.
But after seeing House of Ninjas, I was quite surprised to notice that most of the time, I couldn't tell thar it was a Japanese Drama if not for the dialogues and settings, because, it's production is on par with just any other action Kdrama out there, if not, then at least it's gradually getting there.
It's pleasant to see Netflix pouring effort in Japanese Dramas, especially action at that, and successfully showcase how much potential Japanese dramas can also put in the table. It's most likely this will get a season 2, and I hope they imrpove the stiry a bit and give more depth to each character and their life choices (i.e., Gaku), so that the drama feels more spectacular and complete.
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