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Kudos to Shinohara Ryoko, this is a role excellently portrayed. Jin's character, however, is far too underdeveloped for it to be lead material. Anego's chemistry with the supporting lead was much more explosive than anything between Anego and Kurosawa, so it leaves you feeling a little disappointed.
Overall: Through ups and downs, through good and bad decisions, and through a hell of a lot of alcohol, you find yourself loving Anego more and more. This is a show I'd recommend to anyone with a glass of wine, who feels up for an evening of introspection.
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Would I recommend this series - If you are looking for a "not so serious" series, this might be a good option. Jin is cute in the series so if you're watching for him, I'd say go for it. If you're looking for a good older woman-younger man story, this may not be the best choice, as the story veers away from that quite early on. Although it does return to it at some point, I don't think it will be satisfying in the older woman-younger man department.
Story [6] - I really liked that this story dealt with adults in adult relationships, its not something I've seen a lot of in dramas yet. Cheating, affairs, lying, love, revenge: this series had it all, yet it wasn't overly dramatic about it, nor was it very intense. If it makes any sense its almost as if this whole drama had a sepia tone to it, everything was...sort of watered down. I definitely didn't like how little of the story actually focused on Akanishi Jin's character, especially since he is the leading male. Katou Masaya's character had a much larger role in my opinion. I wanted to see Kurosawa get more of Naoko's attention. After the small amount of attention Kurosawa received, the ending was nothing to brag about.
Acting/Cast [7] - I felt like a majority of the cast did a good job with this series. I liked the supporting women in the office a lot, it was easy to see their distinct personalities even though they didn't get a lot of screen time. Shinohara Ryoko was great, her character seemed very natural and was easy to enjoy. The woman playing Eriko was also good. Akanishi Jin, on the other hand, well personally I think he is pretty "stiff" as an actor. After my first experience seeing him act, I watched this just to see him do a better job. I thought maybe it was just the character he's playing. I will probably watch a 3rd series with him, to confirm that its not just the characters though, and is indeed him. Although, he did seem sort of stiff on Cartoon KAT-TUN as well.
Music [7] - I gave this a 7 simply because I can't say anything special about it. I cant recall anything memorable about it. It was neither great no terrible.
Rewatch Value [5] - I gave this section a 5 because I cannot see myself watching this entire series over again. Its constant up and downs are far too much to justify such an unsatisfying ending. Though I may rewatch some parts of the series if I have an urge to Jin again. Even if I don't like his acting, he is adorable.
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Also Anego is in her 30's which is already too old to marry in Japan (I don't know of any japanese woman in her 30's who is not married).
I think Anego represents the average japanese OL, but I also think that the only thing she has in common with the average japanese woman is the fact she wants to marry. All woman in Japan want to marry a rich man (and when they don't they are the lover of one - something that is also portrayed in 'Anego') and look to no means to do it.
As for Anego is nothing like that. She doesn't want to be manipulative, or false; she ALWAYS just want to marry a man that she can like (even if just a little bit) and that he can also like her a bit.
Midway through the drama she also believes she found her fated man (who is already married to one of her friends) but she doesn't want an affair; which she will have (with that same man) but will end up regreting it (like she always knew she would).
As for Kurosawa-kun I think he represent the average man (and not only japanese man). He is the guy who likes Anego a bit but doesn't want to marry just yet (he even tells Anego not to marry anyone so he can have her, but he will also not marry her - if that is not the average man I don't know what it is).
It's true though that Akanishi and Shinohara don't have great chemistry, but to be honest I never seen Akanishi with good chemistry with anyone.
Overall I loved this drama. Anego portrais the concerns of a woman in her age in a very realistic and funny way. I think all of us have a little bit of Anego inside.
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This review may contain spoilers
I think this one is seriously underrated by a lot of people - probably because they went into it with expectations. I went into it with low expectations and I was actually pleasantly surprised.First off, I think this is miscategorized as romance. There is some romantic content - but the focus of this drama really isn't romance, and I think the summary and the title both illustrate that. Instead it is more of an office-drama and focuses on the different interpersonal relationships among the employees - many of a romantic nature, but it also focuses very heavily on Noda Naoko's relationships with the women she works with, just as the summary says - she has become their big sister and spends a lot of her time at work advising and guiding her juniors both in their careers and in their love lives.
The series also provides a glimpse of a number of different types of romantic relationships - a long-term affair between a female employee and her boss, two people just beginning a flirtation/dating relationship, newlyweds, unrequited one-way attraction, younger woman/older man, attraction to a friend's husband, arranged dating, relationship between a man and a divorced woman, unhappily married couple...they're all in here. So to call this drama a romance is really doing it a disservice. Anyone going into this drama with the expectation of grand, sweeping romance will be highly disappointed.
Thirdly, if you're going into this with expectations of this being a noona romance and seeing Akanishi Jin playing the younger, romantic swain who sweeps the cute but older woman off her feet - you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Noda Naoko's love-life is a tangled mess. Her parents are desperate for her to get married and have begun the process of arranging blind dates with potential marriage candidates for her. Unfortunately, she has an encounter with a Knight in Shining Armor on the train one evening - but he's wearing a ring, and turns out to be the husband of a woman she once worked with and later develops a friendship with. Finally, there's this cute younger new guy at work who slowly develops a crush on her that she can't help responding to, so she's being pulled in several different directions and makes missteps along the way - and some of them wind up being very painful and embarrassing for her.
Vague spoilers below - because one of the things people seem to take issue with in this drama is the ending, so if you don't want any info about the ending at all, don't read any further.
This is really more a story of how Naoko comes to the realization that her life isn't over just because she's over 30 and not yet married - and that marriage isn't the ultimate goal of her life or something that will give her life meaning, but merely one of the many events along the journey. And with that in mind - seeing her walk down the aisle with someone at the end of the drama, or even cementing a relationship with any of these guys would have been a disingenuous ending and would have undermined the foundation laid in the 9 prior episodes. The entire point of the drama is that "A MAN" isn't going to make Naoko happy - she must learn to find happiness herself.
Story - 9, because I think it's a lot deeper than people give it credit for. Music - 6. Not sure why they went with We Will Rock You - that was a little weird, and other than that, it's a little off in some places and clashes with what's going on (deeply romantic classical music in some places that just didn't fit). Cast is 9 because I love Shinohara Ryoko - she's awesome. Akinishi is pretty to look at - but I don't consider him a stellar actor. I liked him better in the movie Bandage, probably because that character was less of a stretch. However, he does give the awkward junior with an undesirable crush on his senpai (?) some believability so I'll give him a pass for that. Rewatch value: 4. To be honest, the things I like to rewatch usually are the heart-fluttering romantic moments. There are scenes in my favorites that I rewatch over and over. I didn't really come up with many of those moments in this one. Enjoyed it a lot the first time through, though.
So. If you're looking for a heart-warming noona-romance, this isn't it. But that doesn't mean you should automatically skip it, either.
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I don't like to write bad reviews, specially of a jdrama, but sometimes, it must be done.
The story didn't start out so bad, it actually is quite refreshing because as was mentioned on a previous review, the leading lady does things that you wouldn't expect the leading lady doing. What I truly hated about this story was that it was based on the argument that she was pathetic just because she was over 30 and still working and unmarried. I mean, why can't a woman be happy working her life away instead of quitting her job the minute she gets married? That is so 1800's for me. I guess the whole thing just got to my feminist side.
The cast was ok, I love Jin, he was the reason I started watching this. But, the non-existent chemistry between the leads is undeniable. I mean, they don't make you feel anything, and it doesn't feel like a couple, it feels like him going around her, as if she were a planet and he a satellite, and I really didn't like that concept because it provided no real relationship.
I don't even remember the music of this, so it couldn't have been great, and I wouldn't ever rewatch it again, I almost didn't finish it the first time around.
This is a drama about a young man falling for an older woman, even though-or maybe because- she's pathetic because she's over thirty and still hasn't married. The thing that I learned the most form this drama was that for japs women are just accesories to an office, with no real value. They're like flowers, which are pretty but can be replaced at any time and just are useful for decorating purposes. So, if you are like from the XIXth century, you'll probably love this.
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A Working 30 Year Old's Trials and Tribulations with Love and Marriage
Going into Anego, I didn't have very high expectations. It's reviews and ratings are not the best, and its rank and popularity are low too. However, I gave it a go, and I was pleasantly surprised.What moved me in this drama was not any of the romances, but Anego's relationship with the people around her, especially her female coworkers. In every episode, Anego would go out of her way to advise a female colleague, friend, or even stranger on romantic or work related problems. She constantly proved to be someone that women could easily confide in and trust. She had no ulterior movie or any plans to use the people that sought out her advice. Both the men and women in the office respected her and knew her presence was vital for their company.
Although Anego was struggling to maintain romantic relationships throughout the entire drama, her steadfast determination in her work and career was nothing but admirable. Anego showed that while she was lacking in some ways (like being single), she excelled in others (such as interpersonal relationships, leadership roles, and problem solving).
Anego is a "woman's woman." And I personally would be so grateful to have someone like her in my life to help guide me in my decision making and inspire me as a role model in my everyday life. So while Anego isn't for everyone, I will cherish this show as I grow and learn in my career, in my relationships, and in my life.
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This review may contain spoilers
romance is not the focus
I categorize the drama as slice of life, it’s true that the main point of the plot is how much the FL desires to marry but the drama itself isn’t really romantic. The romantic scenes aren’t the focus and what’s more interesting is the bond between the female coworkers.
I really liked the FL. She spent all her life prioritizing her friends happiness but because of that she didn’t find her own path in life. In my opinion her desire to marry is more linked to fit the social standard. But this is the issue that the drama underlines: getting married is NOT the solution, is NOT the prime source of happiness and it is clear from the first episode by the high amount of men cheating and wives pretending everything is fine. They would rather live unhappy following the social expectations rather than live freely.
I had a soft spot for the female characters, they truly cared for each other despite being totally different. It was really touching see how the FL gave up on a big opportunity for her career just to help a friend. It’s also understandable how after giving so much she wanted to finally find her happiness but the way she tried to achieve this was completely wrong. At first she confessed to her younger coworker but the age difference at that moment was too much because they were in different phases of their lives with different goals. So: as much as you feel attracted to someone there are bigger aspects to take in consideration when start a serious relationship. I don’t blame the guy for telling her to wait 5 more years because his reasoning is totally understandable for a guy in his 20s. But things could change in the future when he is close to his 30s and that’s why the ending is open: if they still love each other their age difference might not be a big problem anymore when they both are in the same phase of their lives that is adulthood. The boy was still too young to dedicate his life to marriage and the FL understood this and that’s also why she rejected his proposal: she knew he was not ready and their marriage would have made both unhappy.
The only thing that made me bitter was her sleeping with her friend’s husband. It was out of character but I think that was also the point: after getting rejected by the younger coworker she is emotionally destroyed and find comfort in another man. She was so blinded by wanting someone on her side that marriage wasn’t even her purpose anymore. What she did was morally bad and she quickly understood that: at the end of the drama she decides to resign from her company. She decided that the best solution for her was to start new, to find happiness regardless of marriage and to prioritize herself in a positive and selfless way.
I would recommend it to anyone that likes dramas focused on female friendships and slice of life centered on workplaces.
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This review may contain spoilers
А тут я посмотрела на странный и завораживающий мир японского офиса. В обще-то, любой офис есть странное явление, ибо...Если в общем, то этакий вариант "Секса в большом городе" по-японски, но по-мне - во много раз интересней. Тоже есть монологи к зрителям главной героини в кадре под проигрыш квиновских "Вилви рок ю".
История проста и вечна. Одинокая женщина 33 лет ищет счастья, Мужчины то у нее есть, иногда, хоть завались - а вот счастья нет. А по японским меркам (да думаю, что не только по японским, но там это как-то покруче) это брак со всеми вытекающими. А тут еще обоюдные чувства между ней и 22 летним парнем, чувства, которые неудобны ни ему (он понимает абсурдность ситуации, но ничего поделать не может), ни ей. И все это усугубляется романом с женатым мужчиной, жена которого, мягко сказать, не совсем адекватная особа.
По ощущениям, постепенно начинаешь болеть за эту несуразную парочку с 11 летней разницей в возрасте. А она ведь даже решилась - сделала ему предложение, а он, дурак, попросил подождать ответа... лет 5
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