Okusama wa, Tori Atsukai Chui (2017)

I am not really sure how I feel about this dorama. On one hand, I like that there is a female MC that kick ass, that has morals and wants to help other women in need of help. Nami (Ayase Haruka) does what every woman would want to do to rapists and women-beater and kidnappers... give them a good punch in their damn face. So not only she is strong and doesn't let anyone to intimidate her, but she also lives in a gorgeous neighborhood, has 2 lovely friends and a charming  husband.. (or does she?) I also like the cast, specially Ayase Haruka and Hirosue Ryoko... And of course her husband (Nishijima Hidetoshi) was good, even more when he was serious and in "enemy" mode, but for me it was a bit hard to see them as husband/wife since I was watching "Yae no Sakura" when this dorama started...

On the other hand (and there may be some spoilers)...

As much as I love seeing Ayase Haruka in action scenes, I wish she had a different instructor. Her fights were a bit slow and too synchronized, much like a choreography. The bad guys she fought against were so, um, wimpy? One punch, one kick, and they were out. None of them was a challenge for her. And also, there was one fight scene in every episode (which I wanted), but they were too short, again, because of those wimpy guys. I was too greedy I guess, since I wanted more action.

Her two friends deal with family problems, so all 3 of them have their own secret. Unfortunately, the main problem her friends deal with is 1) one of them is cheating on her husband, and 2) the other one has her own husband having an affair. I can't with cheating in books, and I guess I also dislike cheating in my doramas. I find cheating an unforgivable sin, but since they are married I guess it is not that easy...

And lastly, the pace of the story. First couple of episodes, it was good because it is when we see Nami trying to be a good housewife and befriending her 2 neighbors while being secretly a bad-ass heroine. And last 2 episode were also good since it is when we see that her husband is not who he appeared to be in all the previous episodes. I specially liked the ending, more so because it is obvious there is going to be a  SP/movie. But what I didn't like was that the episodes in-between felt more like fillers... I wish the "Mr & Mrs Smith" happened a lot sooner, like around Ep. 4 and from there, more about them and their secret identities. I feel like they (the scriptwriters and whatever) didn't take full advantage of the plot.

At least I have high hopes that the sequel is going to be awesome XD

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Ayase Haruka does it again in her role of Isayama Nami. After reading the synopsis, I never would have guessed what I was getting myself into starting the pilot. Okusama wa, Tori Atsukai Chui follows the life of Isayama Nami a newly wed housewife with mediocre skills in the kitchen but a real passion and knack for protecting the weak. Along with her new found friends, she will take on one by one all the injustices that exist within her neighborhood.

This is such a smart drama. I just loved Isayama’s tongue in cheek way of fighting. Though the tone of this drama is humor, this drama takes on some serious issues from domestic abuse to cheating. This drama aims to address a number of the threats to marriage in all its shapes and sizes. While some may find this manner of approaching such dark topics a little cavalier, I found this drama so smart and refreshing! Ayase Haruka is magical in this portrayal. Her energy and comedic timing is so admirable. She brings her all to this drama. I know this drama may not seem so exciting since it focuses on housewives, but please put aside your apprehension and give this drama a chance! This drama is so fun and clever!!!

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