This review may contain spoilers
This drama was actually pretty good for a romantic comedy, since I feel Korea develops their romances better. Jdramas in general are short and sweet, which does not give you a lot of time with the characters and story. Last Cinderella managed to spend a lot of time with the characters and romance, so there was more of an emotional connection between the viewer and the characters. This drama reminded me of Kimi Wa Petto, where a younger man and a older women are in a relationship. It catches my interest because you rarely see this type of May-December relationship happen in real life. (It's usually old dudes and younger girls.)
There are a lot of issues I had with the story. However, my reasons for disliking the story involve a lot of spoilers, so I will be putting my thoughts on my drama blog.
The characters were well-developed, and the actors did a good job bringing them to life. Ryoko Shinohara, who played Kin (aka Sakura) made me like her character a lot. She played Sakura as a ditzy person who is a tomboy at heart. A lot of her scenes made me laugh really hard
Overall I did enjoy the drama, but kdramas are still my pick for romcoms.
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the ending part is really great! something i didn't expect at all! the director or may i say the writers did a fantastic job! i love the fact that the tackle about love and friendship. the only sad part for me is i want more! 11 episodes are not enough for me. makes me want more! the cast are really great! and made me a fan!something to rewatch again. but i want a season 2? or a special episode! looking forward for that in the future!
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a 2022 review :)
If you know the drill for Jdramas, you won't be surprised by the weirdness and sometimes wickedness shown in their dramas.At first, it gave me this feeling that I'm about to watch a Noona romance with a much younger guy, but this drama's focus is not solely on the age gap, but on various relationships all at once. There is the main couple, but so many secondary couples and stories!
The FL is really quirky and weird, and sometimes intolerable, but she actually develops throughout the drama.
I liked the ML, but he was a bit irresponsible, and the character development was lacking a bit.
The leads had great chemistry. wish they had more skinship and romantic scenes.
I actually liked the second leads and the friends' stories. they were all really realistic and true. Even the love triangle shown but logical and real.
I liked this drama's Genuity and realness. Like the things depicted happen in real life all the time.
overall, a decent watch. There were a few cringe-worthy moments and sometimes the leads acted out of the character yet it's a pleasant drama.
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From SBS which have produced good j dramas comes Last Cinderella! A story about a 39 year old woman named Sakura who looks 24 that is seduced by a 24 year old man named Hiroto who looks 19. Man Japanese people never look their age. Yet Hiroto carries a secret that can ruin their relationship his step sister Chiyoko's derranged jealousy. Using Hiroto, Chiyoko will pursue Rintaro, a friend of Sakura who clearly likes her more than a friend, but teases her. Kinda like a gradeschool kid. A love story that would be more Cinderella like if Hiroto was rich, Sakura's two friends were evil stepsisters instead of nice people, Rintaro was the fairy godmother instead of a love rival, and Chiyoko was the evil stepmother instead of the evil love rival. Wait a mintue Hiroto is rich even though his father hates him and Rintaro does play the fairy godmother role in the beginning, meh close enough. A j drama that is comedy filled like one would expect and KISSED filled scenes like one would not. Seriously,never have I seen so many love scenes in a j drama and the kiss scenes...oh no I am remembering(nosebleed). Watch a show with the most interesting subplots ever that fit the show so well and are not annoying. Taiwanese dramas should take notes. A drama that manages to be cliche, but not cliche it will have you wondering why is it so obvious who she'll end up with?
Starring
Obaachan(Sakura)
Hiro(Hiroto)
Not Ren(Rintaro)
Boobs(Shima)
Yamamoto's Mom(Miki)
Chiyono(Chiyoko)
Last Cinderella! What happened to Masaomi the host? I thought he was going to cause drama between Miki and her husband... and I also though he was running illegal funds. I know he is a minor character, but he vanished with a cliffhanger.
Cliche Counter
Childhood Friends' close relationship
Psycho second lead
Older women going to host clubs
Special hang out for characters
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We are not all perfect and everyone makes mistakes; that's the overall theme of the drama, which was beautifully conveyed! And then the cherry on top was really just that she ended up with the one I rooted for ;)
Go and watch it - it never gets old!
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I also did watch it after I have watched Haruma Miura's Kimi no Todoke and Bloody Monday, so in search of a next drama, I found this. And oh boy, Haruma is so hot here, who would have resisted him? And other lead guy Fujiki Naohito is really cool and just the right man for the role. And of course Ryoko Shinohara is great too.
The music was okay for me. And acting from the cast were great, or I am just really used to Japanese actors' light and suave acting with a little comical acts.
I would definitely recommend this for those who are looking for a rom-com Japanese drama.
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On to the characters:
Our heroine Sakura (Shinoara) is one we've seen before. A fairly successful , middle aged woman, very rough around the edges who hasn't gotten any in a while. She has a pure soul with a heart of gold and believes in true love and honesty.
Que Tachibana (Fujiki) as feuding possible love interest #1. These two go at it, in the usual love/ hate relationship way we've grown to know and appreciate in Asian dramas, but for me they fall flat as love interests. The chemistry wasn't there. Even though they go through the usual cute rom-com situations that should send sparks flying, I just don't see them as a couple (maybeI was blinded by Miura's hotness *shrug*).Tachibana is likeable, dependable, smart and insightful. He helps our heroine avoid some missteps with his sensible advice. But the spark just wasn't there for me.( I think that this may have been done on purpose to set up a conflict later on the drama, but I dunno)
Que Hiroto(Miura) as hottie heartbreaker love interest #2. YES!! The casting director got this one RIGHT. First things first Miura Haruma who plays Saeki Hiroto is HAWT HAWT HAWT in this drama. He's hot with his shirt on and with his shirt off ( which happens a lot in this drama) . He's hot when he's glaring and angsty and he's hot when hes been cutesy and romantic. Even though he's bad news from the start and not very likable you totally understand why our heroine falls under his spell. There is a scene where hes in bed (shirtless of course) where he laces his fingers together and smiles... RAWRR.
Our main couple is so sweet they give you cavities and out heroine is so clumsy and cutesy that Miura's angsty bad boy persona thankfully balances the couple out.
Our heroine's friends Miki and Shima are great. There were few moments of me covering my mouth at some of the earlier plot developments (ARE THEY REALLY GOING TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN?? NOOOO!!).But thankfully the writers resolved the possibly cringe worthy scenarios realistically and quickly. As I mentioned before this drama is about romance so all other stories apart from the main one revovled around finding, understanding and appreciating love.
Cute, short, sweet, sexy Last Cinderella reminds us that TRUE NOONA LOVE CONQUERS ALL!
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The story is really engaging, fun and there are so many well done storylines, told with a perfect tempo and they all come together well in the end. Great acting and directing.
Keep an eye on all the brilliant details in the props and what the extras are up to in the background. It cracked me up so many times! I truly recommend this if you want something sexy and fun.
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Let’s weigh this popular Japanese dorama and see if it is worth the hype or no.
Good Weights
Story Conclusion: This one show stunned me with its exceptional climax. Like a lot of Asian dramas, this dorama also had two leads. I wasn’t rooting for any lead because until the very end I could not figure out who would be better for the heroine. And this drama surprised me with a very unlikely ending. I always complain about dramas taking off well but then nose-diving in the climax. This one is an exception as it turned out to be completely different than any other drama I have ever watched. I read somewhere that the dorama’s producers had an audience poll asking which hero they would like to see the girl go with and they had filmed two endings. In the end, they showed the ending the audience was looking for. No wonder it was such a surprise.
Sisters Over Misters: More than the romantic alliances I loved the camaraderie that Sakura shared with her two friends Miki and Shima. Personality-wise the three women are poles apart but they still understand each other and trust each other.
They have each other’s back as they always support their friends to overcome difficult times. This is what I love about Japanese dramas. J-dramas do not just focus on romantic relationships but also show a development of other relationships.
Miki and Kohei: Couples who believe that they are meant to be together, also face problems and that is what happens to college lovers turned husband and wife, Kohei and Miki. Miki and her husband are facing the seven-year itch and Kohei does not find his wife attractive anymore. They both stray away from their marriage and almost break-up. Their relationship develops beautifully in the dorama and I liked to watch their story move forward.
Bad Weights
Lack of Chemistry: I liked Sakura and Hiroto individually but sadly they had almost zero chemistry. And it was not even because of the age gap. Actress Shinohara Ryoko and actor Miura Haruma played their roles to perfection but together they just could not complement each other. Despite their ‘passionate’ love-making scene, they did not look like a couple.
Unexplained Love: When a drama is unable to convince me of the love that the lead couple shares, then there must be something seriously wrong with the love story. Even after 11 episodes, I still could not understand when and why Hiroto fell for Sakura. She reprimands youngsters like a granny, grumbles like a grandpa and is clumsy like a baby. So, of these main qualities that she exhibits prominently, I don’t know which one did Hiroto fall for. I would have said the same for Sakura but I don’t blame her for falling in love so blindly. At an age where she has given up on love and has no hope whatsoever, falling for a guy who relentlessly professes his love is very natural. Hiroto woos Sakura and she dismisses the 15-year age gap and easily accepts his love. But Hiroto is 24 years old and he has no such reason to fall for Sakura. I am not saying that falling for an older woman is unbelievable. Just, in this case, it was not conveyed convincingly.
Almost Incestuous: As an Indian viewer I find it difficult (read impossible) to digest incestuous relationships. It does not matter how romantic a couple looks if they are siblings (related by blood or by parent’s remarriage) they ought to act like siblings. Period. In this drama, there is a scene where Hiroto’s step-sister Chiyoko tearfully reminds him of how he ruined her life by causing an ugly scar on her back. He feels guilty about harming her and ends up pulls her blouse a little low to expose the scar and then kisses it while apologizing for his mistake. There are no more such scenes between the two siblings but this scene was enough to make me cringe each time I saw them together.
Last Cinderella is not a regular romantic dorama but no Japanese dorama is ever just ‘regular’. There are several layers to this dorama that makes it an enjoyable treat.
This Japanese dorama is not outstanding but is thoroughly entertaining. There is no dull moment in the drama and it is not bad for a binge-watching session over a rainy weekend.
Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in
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But I did enjoy the side stories. That was way more interesting to me. It's about Sakura's two friends. One is in a troubled marriage, and the other is a sex addict. I'm not gonna summarize, but trust me, their stories are much more interesting than Sakura's. Sakura herself is a likable character, I just don't agree with her decisions. The ending of this drama was highly disappointing (to me at least). And don't get me wrong, I love Miura Haruma to bits and pieces, but I didn't really enjoy his character here. Hiroto is not a bad guy, in fact, I do like him, but he has absolutely zero chemistry with Sakura (played by Shinohara Ryoko). There kissing/sex scenes were hot, because Miura Haruma is hot, but thts it. Not intriguing at all. And Hiroto's sister is hella annoying. Thts all I gotta say about this drama. Just meh. If ur a fan of Miura Haruma, and thts ur motive for watching this drama, then go ahead, but other than that I see no real reason to watch this. I guess if ur super bored, but there are plenty of better dramas out there. This was just meh.
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And thanks god they have REAL kisses !!! >_<
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Cast: Good, I thought they all did a decent job.
Music: It's ok. I was hummming it. So it was catchy.
Rewatch: Yeah, I might rewatch it. It will probably be when I feel like crap and I need a pick me up. It's a feel good drama for sure.
Overall: It was good. It's not my absolute favorite of all time, but it wasn't as silly as some Japanese dramas. This is for an older audience for sure. There were some parts that made me feel uncomfortable.
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