Coffee & Vanilla (2019)

... The female lead had NO backbone whatsoever and just let ANYone use her as a doormat, it was extremely frustrating. Dori looked great in this but it wasn't enough to save this drama because... what was that. It was only 24 min/10 episodes and yet this was an excruciating watch. Everything went so fast: them meeting, him saying "I love you" and them having sex all in the FIRST episode??? HELLO?? I was flabbergasted to say the least. The fmc's best friend was kind of weird tbh and the fact that she got together with the guy who sexually assaulted her friend is a red flag in itself, not gonna lie. I would never recommend no rewatch this. Not even for funsies.

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soo i'm here bcus of a youtube music video of this drama

I happened to watch this video: https://youtu.be/EKbE8LneNbY?si=Wlpc7cNuohOQ6X1m , and it turned out to be exactly my type of fantasy, even though I'm not typically that submissive. So, I made it here and completed the drama. In Japanese dramas, the dialogue often feels slow to me, so I usually fast-forward through the conversations. Because of this, the submissive female lead didn't bother me as much. 😂

The intimacy scenes were nice but could have been improved. If the male lead had looked more like he was 30, the drama would have had a much darker tone. Overall, it's a light story, but I'm okay with that. If you decide to watch it, make sure to fast-forward through the slower parts to keep the storyline from feeling too dragged out.

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Know what to expect.

I loved this story, BUT its not for everyone.

I'm not an expert but I think this is based on shoujo/josei manga. The FL is innocent and pretty and the ML is successful, attractive and somewhat dominant. If you don't like these kind of characters, then this show isn't for you. If you're second or third wave feminist this show is probably not for you either.

Personally, I like these kind of stories. It's fantasy, without the fantasy, and it's OTT. Every male in the FL's vicinity falls head over heals for her and she is mostly unaware of her charms. The ML is the perfect boyfriend and is almost too pretty to be real.

If you like this kind of manga/anime. give it a shot. If not, give it a wide berth because it WILL irritate you.

100% re-watch value.

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Coffee and Vanilla

One of the few japanese dramas I have throughly enjoyed. the FL was naive and innocent and the ML was a mature CEO hotshot. The love scenes was sizzling and explosive for a jdrama. Give it a try. Although I am 5 years late in watchimg this drama but it did not lose appeal despite the years gone by.

I wish more dramas are made with this maturity instead pf making them into live actions. Granted the plot came from Mangas and Animation; the actors are talented to pull pff good acting without being loud and animated. pardon the pun. So I hope my review reaches ou there to provide some ideas to improve Jdramas

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It was hard to finish

I watched this drama just because of Dori and because I thought it would’ve be a nice Reverse-Harem but I got extremely disappointed, I hate the personality that they gave to the female lead it made me want to slap her ngl- sorry..

Because of my personal taste I really liked the personality of the male lead but the story was quite boring- the things that made me keep watching this drama were those little scenes where the female lead interacted with the other male leads but I quickly got sick of it- I really wanted to drop it leaving the last episodes and I’m really disappointed that I didn’t do it, I really didn’t like how Akatsu got so easily over his attraction for the female lead nor how Yoshiki had just few scenes with Risa, also yes Hiroto and Risa were sweet together but i didn’t feel that much of a chemistry I just felt a carnal attraction not exactly love but its just my pov..

I’ll end up just saying that with the cast they had something better than this could’ve be made.

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Love-Hate Relationship With This Drama

Before I watched this jdrama, I looked at the reviews because the description was kinda vague and I don't know the manga it was based on. I was surprised to see mixed reviews, some liked it and some really went off on it. So I decided to give it a try despite the contradictions. I now totally understand why there are such differing opinions.

First, the story isn't bad but very extremely simple. Like, you'd think there should be this whole back story or more details about such and such but nope...there was a very clear-cut simple explanation for things. The substance to back the plot development was extremely minimal in my opinion. The story was very, in the present moment of the leads, if you get what I mean. And...they used every stereotypical romance trope/cliche out there that was possible to fit in 10 episodes. Usually, I think you'd see only a few in a drama but they stuffed a lot in. It had a lot of predictable moments because of that in each episode. A lot of things that happened or behavior that was presented just wasn't really realistic even if you keep in mind what Japanese culture is like. This comment is really more for the female lead's role. Her behavior was just very skewed. For a person that likes any type of romance show, these points are tolerable but for people out for a good story, probably not for you.

I have seen plenty of jdramas so in comparison the acting isn't bad. It really was just character flaws, plot holes, weird development, in my opinion, that affected the drama. I really don't know how it compares to the manga. I feel like if it was a very close rendition, this type of story is really more suited for manga than live-action just because the behaviors, relationships, and the story is a tad unrealistic.

Music wise, no comment. Didn't really have strong opinions.

Rewatch value...mehhh...if I'm really really bored, maybe. It wasn't bad, but it's not really good enough for a rewatch.

Overall, if you like romance of any kind like me, it's not bad. If you are a picky person and like a great story, this might not be for you.

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Watch with low expectations & ‘Manga Lenses’ on

This drama popped up somewhere... maybe on YouTube? I cannot remember. I always google to do research before I embark on a drama because I don’t believe in wasting time on a lousy drama. I learnt from the reviews that there are pretty polar opinions regarding this drama. Some love it, some hate it.

I think it’s okay if:

-watch on 1.25 speed to (literally) speed things up
-watch with ‘manga lenses’ on because I feel as though I’m watching the manga come alive - it’s like the manga characters are acting the manga plot (if u get what I mean)
-take things lightly and easily
-understand that there are a lot of stereotypes - the man is the domineering and possessive/ protective sort while the woman is the submissive little woman sort and ‘wanting to please’ sort — I guess there are people who dream of such characters
-you like a fast enough drama that’s only 10 episodes at less than 30 minutes per episode

Overall, it’s an okay drama - can watch but if u are looking for something ‘meaty’ and dynamic, this isn’t for u. Nothing really happens other than the two leads loving each other. The guy is pretty cute. I liked him. The girl is meh.

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Cheesy but steamy

If you experienced Second Lead Syndrome in 'Good Morning Call' this might be the cure that you need. Be warned though because Sakurada Dori's character in this one is more possessive. But, he's still sweet and way hotter in this than in GMC. If you want character growth, you might want to watch another drama because there was hardly any.

Their relationship progressed so fast you won't have time to breathe, their lines were so cheesy that you know it's all a fantasy. The FL is so submissive that she's always apologizing even for something that is not her fault. The ML always try to reassure her and says that nothing can change his love. She thinks he's too wonderful. He thinks she's too cute and he can't help but kiss, hug and make love with her. In short, this is a tropey drama that does not require any brainpower. The title 'coffee and vanilla' suits this perfectly because it invokes the thought of affogato which was also shown in the drama, a decadent sweet dessert made of espresso coffee and vanilla ice cream. It's not nutritious nor can it fill you but it's still a treat.

Only watch if all you are interested in is romance fluff.

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Story: 7.0
A fifty shades of grey, with a pg-13 rating. I don’t know how else to describe it, other then it wants to be more but it just isn’t. The storyline is easy to follow, in terms of it making sense, plotwise, there is no transition in between points, so it’s kind of difficult until you get in the flow of things. One episodes shes getting a job, the next she’s getting stalked, the next she’s moving in with him.
It’s fast pace, and one that is trying to cover at least 5 volumes worth of context in a little under 10, 25 minute episodes. If you are used to cheesy quick Japanese dramas, this one isn’t that bad compared to some others.
For this storyline, you also have to suspend your viewpoints and realize this scenario can only ever happen in dramaland and no where else. If this happened in real life, the lead character would probably be the police’s most wanted list. And the female lead would definitely have been dead by now.

Acting/cast: 8.5
I don’t think with this plotline you could get better actors. The script is cheesy, and the two leads have chemistry which makes it work, but the overall script is a little wonky. This type of genre goody-two shoes is right up Fukuhara Haruka’s ally, so she pulls it off well. And anyone who thought she should have ended up with the second male lead in Good Morning call, He just happens to be the lead in this one!

Music: 10.0
I honestly thought the background music was fantastic. It was well placed and matched the mood of each scene. I have no qualms with the music throughout and I have had the theme song stuck in my head all day! It’s catchy and I find myself dancing to it, when it comes on.

Rewatch Value 8.5
Each episode is only 25 minutes long. The plotline isn’t hard to follow at all, it’s a corky kind of drama, so it’s short, sweet, with some laughs. Something you can easily watch in a bored afternoon not knowing what to do.

Overall: 7.5
Just don’t think too hard on it, come in with zero expectations and you got yourself a relaxing afternoon.

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It was Okay. Better direction with the female lead was needed.

Pretty good for a Jdrama and DORI. However, the FL made me want to drop the series at every turn. Thank goodness it was short. The deer in headlights and not looking him in his eyes was a bit much. What was the struggle in having self-awareness?
Some reviews state that the MLs 'affection' for the FL wasn't explained but it was from the 'trial product' meeting to his creation of a whole cafe that resembled her hometown. Even the supporting characters commented on how much he was changing due to Risa. However, she acted more like a freshman in high school instead of college. Why did the writers feel the need not to allow her to get a little better within herself after each situation? How in the world are you with the ML almost every other day at his home and can't call him by his name? There could have been better direction with the female lead as far as eye movement and non-verbal communication and reactions. The production of the last scene was so 'high school' and laughable. This is how we celebrate a CEO getting married? They would have done better ending it all at the church where he proposed. Ugh.... This could have been so much better.

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Intense but sweet

First and foremost, I will admit this series isn't for everyone. For me, I am a huge manga fan and so I will fill in the blanks normally if the story is lacking slightly which i will admit this one mainly focused on a quick development of the relationship of the main leads. It does lean heavily on the "dominant CEO, take control of the room once he walks in" persona for the male lead which is how the character is depicted in the source material so if you aren't into that, then I suggest finding a different show to watch.

Still , for me, sweet lore.... this show was all sorts of steamy.. though what can you expect from a jdrama based on manga? They really do them justice by really taking the scenes and bringing them life as closely as possible. Still I am always taken back by the amount of heart stopping, giggle inducing intensity that come with these series and this one definitely did not disappoint.

I will recommend that if you do watch this series, watch it with the intentions of a quick fun journey and just enjoy the ride instead of getting caught up on wanting all the small details of the characters backstories. But if you do want the juicy backstories, make sure to read the manga this series is based on since it is a good read.

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