OMG! This was a pleasure to watch!!!!
I binge watched this entire series in two days and I have no regrets watching it. I can't wait to rewatch it with my girlfriends on our next movie night!
Above all this drama is HILARIOUS! I laughed so hard I snorted and then two episodes later I was crying and yelling at the tv. It was an emotional ride and I can't stress enough how much I love this show!
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Charles Perrault should sue
This show looked promising early on but ultimately it is a let down.What is bothersome is that this is not a bad show. It is watchable and mostly harmless, but it is surprisingly ordinary and has little substance.
Noona romance is hardly new to the drama-verse but this show has such a pedestrian script which is not aided by the large ensemble cast of one dimensional characters.
Don't get me wrong. There is a lot happening but the A-plot and sundry subplots are mostly inane and tropey. I won’t even mind if the show is super fluffy, but it ended up trying too hard to be funny, edgy and poignant. It is not a winning combo.
We are presented with an klutzy and naive FL right from the start. There is a strong hint of the Cinderella trope. You’d rightly expect her character to grow and transform over time into something special. To the contrary, her character stays gruffy and annoying for the bulk of the run. She acts like a 39 yo virgin but in the most cringey and awkward manner.
I also find it hard to ship the love triangle. It is just not convincing for me. To wit, ML1 is a hunk 15 years her junior with his pick of beautiful girls. Yes, he said that he loves her because she is kind, sweet and cute, really? Am I watching the same show? It is a hard sell.
Ditto, ML2 has a crush on her for years. Of course, they are the worse frenemies until it is too late. Once again, ML2 is mature, talented and handsome. He also has his pick of superior female admirers, but he is loyal to the FL to a fault. Go figure.
The stories related to her two besties are meant to be saucier, but it is so predictable. Plot by plot, they have a home in this genre, but the sum is definitely less than the parts in this case.
There is a mini breakthrough in ep.9 but the good times never last and we ended up with another about face before the episode is over.
In the end, this type of drama can work and there are fine examples out there. However, this show never really engaged me and I find it hard to ship the OTP. This is a kiss of death in my book. I felt detached for much of its run. I hung in there hoping it would get better. . .
OST is functional but I find it repetitive. Rewatch? You jest.
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Story 9/10:
I really enjoyed that the plot focuses on an older woman rather than a high schooler or something. It's a really fun take on the Rom-Com genre and definitely shakes it up a little. The main three women remind me of the ladies from Sex and the City if Carrie wasn't a character lol. The way the show was written left me guessing who she was going to end up with right until the last episode, and this is probably one of the only shows I've seen which was genuinely unpredictable.
I actually found myself quite invested in the plot between Miki, her husband and Shima, it gives a very different perspective for the life of 40-something woman.
I can see why some didn't like the ending but I personally would've been happy with her choosing either guy, they both had interesting story arcs.
I felt the villain was a bit weak and also her relationship with Hiroto was suspect but I wouldn't pay too much attention to it to be honest.
The first episode was a bit slow but it gets pretty wild from about episode 3 so stick with it.
Acting 10/10:
Miura Haruma is amazing as always, but I felt all the cast did an awesome job in portraying their characters. They were very convincing and a lot of fun to watch
Music 8.5/10:
The OST grew on me over time, I enjoyed it.
Rewatch Value 8.5/10:
A lot of cute scenes and romantic moments, I will definitely watch it again (though if for no other reason than Miura Haruma being handsome as ever lol)
Overall 9/10:
It is a fun, light-hearted drama with an interesting concept and an excellent cast. Definitely worth a watch especially if it's only 11 episodes long! Totally recommend!
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Show did not live up to the promo visuals
The promo visuals looked sexy and fun. The show was super wholesome. The story was good. The secondary stories were cute as well, with the two best friends and their different experiences of aging as a woman.I saw no reason at all for the older ML and the FL to be into each other. Nor for them to bicker as they did at the outset. None of it made sense.
Younger ML was the star without a doubt, may he rest in peace. Stunning and charismatic. Who wouldn’t fall for him once he put on the charm?
The biggest thing though: WORST music of all time. If I ever hear “star loveration” again my head might explode.
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This review may contain spoilers
Updated Review 2024:I understand why I liked this drama so much the first time I watched it. One, it's a noona romance, and I love noona romances. Two, I really like Shinohara Ryoko as an actress, and she plays this character really well. Three, I find messy, awkward, insecure, goofy female leads charming. Four, it's a noona romance, lol. (And there are some legitimately swoon worthy moments in this noona romance.)
But...
There are elements of this noona romance that are problematic. I hate using that word, because it's been so overused the last so many years that I honestly hate the sound of it. But this romance...kind of fits the bill.
To start off, I'm much older now than when I first watched this, much closer in age to the female lead now, and that gives me a very different perspective. I understand the implications now of a much older woman dating someone as young as the male lead. I openly admit that one of my favorite dramas is High School King of Savvy which has a similar age gap, and I love that drama to pieces. But if that drama had cast an actually significantly younger male actor in the lead, I would feel very differently about it. Casting Seo In Guk is what saves Savvy for me.
When you step away from the age gap, however, you find other problems. Such as the dynamic between the male lead and his stepsister. They have a frankly bizarre and unhealthy dynamic, and there's one scene specifically that makes the whole thing feel super weird. I actually remember thinking during my first watch through that it might be indicating some degree of incest. After a rewatch, I understand what the scene was intended to convey, but...that was not the way to go about it. But even outside of that moment, the dysfunction definitely bleeds into the female lead's relationships with both male leads in somewhat uncomfortable ways.
Then there's the fact that so much of the male leads motivation for going after the female lead for so much of the drama is just pure selfishness. And then when he starts to develop feelings for her, you don't really know why. Why is he attracted to this much older woman who is honestly kind of a mess? A charming mess, but still a mess. At times, she almost felt like a maternal figure for him, which definitely felt weird.
The main complaint against the second male lead is that he rags on the female lead a lot. This turns a lot of viewers off. But it's obviously that 'I just like to give you a hard time, I don't actually dislike you' and 'I sort of have feelings for you that I don't really want to admit' kind of ragging, which I don't personally mind in dramas. He's that kind of friend you know so well that you just tell each other what you really think. And when he starts to realize his own feelings, it feels very natural and believable. Truthfully, in a better written drama, the female lead would have ended up with the second male lead. Given her desire for marriage and children, how open they are able to be with each other, and how they both have genuine feelings for one other, he really does make the most sense.
Now that I've rewatched it, I find this drama to be kind of meh. It does have its own charm in its own way, so if you're looking for something fluffy where you can turn your brain off and just have a good time, this is a decent drama to go to. But I would definitely recommend turning off your brain.
Original Review:
Ten out of Ten. 2 Thumbs up. All the stars in the sky. I really don't think there are enough superlatives in existence to describe how good this drama is. If it isn't on your must watch list, then Put It On There Right Now!
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I liked the length of this drama; it wasn't too short nor was it too long. It seems more and more I tend to drift towards J-dramas because they're shorter than K-dramas and there's usually not too many "filler" episodes.
The characters were great! I really cared about them, although there were a couple of them were kind of annoying.
I also prefer "adult" romantic dramas over "school" dramas, so again this was a great drama in that respect.
One of the best things about this drama was that it kept me guessing. I couldn't figure out who Sakura was going to choose until the very end...this is so rare with most dramas.
Finally, the ending was perfect. It didn't leave me disappointed or wishing I hadn't wasted my time.
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I loved the female lead. She was funny, clueless and adorable and a genuinely likeable person. I mean I know she supposed to be 40 (so old....God forbid) but she was really refreshing FL who was just living her life. Easy to see why Hiroto would fall for her. I loved the relationship she has swith Shima and Miki her 2 bestfriends and I loved the scenes with them just hanging out and being girlfriends. This is the first Asian drama I've watched with scenes like this maybe b/c it's an older drama or older cast? either way I really liked that.
The cast is really good and I liked both male leads but my obvious choice was Hiroto even though he lies you really can tell he loves Sakura. Tachibana is ok but I felt like he and Sakura were just really good friend and didnt undertsand why they couldn't just be friends insted of trying to make them lovers as well. Tachibana was too old school for my blood and some of the things he said were quite ridiculous. That being said Sakura gave as good as she got.
Loved the cameo by Yamamoto Yusuke with a nod to his Ouran High School character as a member of a host club!!
MAIN GRIPE:
I wish Shima didn't feel like she needed to be married or have children to have a fufilled life. I was rather enjoying the character living her best life and enjoying sex with whomever she chose. I didnt like the misfortune of her having a secret relationship with Miki's husband though.
The soundtrack was really nice and one of the songs I really loved and wish I knew the name of. Siri was no help!
Overall good series to watch at least once.
On another note, I am saddened to learn that the actor that played Hiroto passed away last year.
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This review may contain spoilers
Wish it ended without loose ends...
Interesting moments but something wasn't right...Usually, in life when a man and a woman are always arguing, sharing innermost thoughts and feelings, supporting each other and care for the other loves exists. Even the chemistry between Sakura and Rintaro is amazing. But...
STORY - A 39 year old woman who wants to have kids and get marry wants a relationship. And 2 guys appear. One is driven by a disturbed woman, his sister, who desires Rintaro. The one is Rintaro who loves her for ages but don't know that (I wonder how this Japanese man deals with love...).
And that's it.
Sakura has 2 great and interesting friends and their story is good
In the end, everybody has an happy ending except Rintaro who has an awful future ahead...
Even Shima ends up with that man...
How can a woman that was afraid of a relationship, had a divorce that hurts her chooses a man randomly? Does that make any sense? Is randomness the best way to find a partner?
ACTING - I think almost everyone did a great job.
MUSIC - didn't catch my attention. So...
REWATCH VALUE - it has funny moments, good side stories and a great, healthy and mature sismance. But the ending I didn't like it. Even if she could stay with any one of them, I think the chemistry was way better between the unlucky friend Rintaro than BMX pro Hiroto.
Where did go the Sakura that apologize on her knees?
Sakura's best friend Shima said to her that it doesn't matter how a relationship starts and that's why Rintaro fly to New York alone...
Maybe Hiroto saying sweet things to Sakura while having sex with Momo is a way of loving her...
Well, why Sakura was mad when Rintaro was placed in New York? Why did they act like that, supporting one another for so long and...
I think the drama lead me to think that both were in love without knowing or wanted to acknowledge that. But, in the end, Rintaro remains alone.
The J dramas are much more tough and realistic than K dramas for what I have watched so far. But I think this has lots of strange developments...
OVERALL
I don't care about age gaps but I find interesting the lack of experience of Sakura and the way that the 3 friends talked openly about that.
And I am happy if a guy that has a friends with benefits or something like that is payed by his sister to date another woman and falls in love... Hummmmm...
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Funny love story with really great cast
I really enjoyed watching this drama! Especially I really love the main chracter of Sakura, sometimes I see myself in her, haha. And the chemistry she has with her friends and Tachibana is just awesome! And I should also mention Miura Haruma's (Hiroto) acting, which is also great, I will really miss his acting skills. :( Generally the cast was the most awesome thing on this drama!The story is well written too and I like that almost no topic is taboo in this show.
I laughed a lot and until the end I was thinking I won't have the ending I wished for, but in the end it fulfilled all my wishes and I was really satisfied with the ending!
Don't hesitate to watch if you want more "adult" love story with lot of fun.
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