This review may contain spoilers
Sad reactions only - Gather around guys another honest review is here!
When I heard the news that Dori would be the main lead in a drama I was excited! I was waiting for 3B no Koibito to come out. However, now that I am in the 7th episode I am a little disappointed. Go grab your popcorn, and bring a napkin cause I will spill the tea!!!
Quick summary: One romantic cliché happening after the other.
CHARACTERS
The only female lead is Kobayashi Haru (played by Baba Fumika), who is a heartbroken person as her ex-boyfriend did not tell her that he was married. She found out about his marriage when she was getting ready to marry him. After that incident she decided to stay away from men and have some "me" time. But karma is a bitch and she gets to stay at the same house with 3 handsome men, the so called 3B. Poor her!
The first B is Shintaro (Nakahara Hiroshi), a beautician with a colourful personality and a social butterfly who is not afraid to show physical intimacy with the people around him. His personality usually creates misunderstandings among him, multiple female customers, and Haru. The second B is Yuu (Kamiya Kenta), a band vocalist who is the badass and the cool of this gang. He is mysterious and always speaks his mind when he has something to say. The third B is Yoshi (Sakurada Dori), a bartender with a mature and sexy aura around him. By his looks and his personality everyone believes that he is a cold-hearted womanizer.
PLOT
As I said at the quick summary, this drama is just one romantic cliché after the other. It is a typical early-adults romantic story. I have to admit that from the plot and the dialogue I got the feeling that I was watching a drama from the late '00s. I assume that the main point of this drama was to rout for one of the boys with Haru and be jealous of her as he has three handsome men around her. Every episode is a new story that we get to see the boys going after Haru and it ends with all of them growing a little. That's it. That's the plot. We are trying to understand who is going to win Haru's heart and if she would be able again to trust a man and be in a relationship.
ACTING
Well I don't know how to say this and not sound like a huge asshole...
*coughs*
The acting is not good! There I said it!
Well to be honest, my biggest problem is with Baba. I find her acting pretty monotonous and expressionless. I feel that her character is pretty shallow and has no true value to the whole story. I might be harsh with what I just said, but I find her acting forced. Honestly, I haven't watched any of her other drama, so I can't say that I don't like her as an actress; I just don't like her here.
As for Hiroshi, Dori, and Kenta I think that they are in a better situation than Baba; but again, I feel that something is lacking at their acting in this drama. The positive thing about them is that they get a chance to express their feelings and show us multiple sides of themselves.
MY OPINION
I know that nobody cares about my opinion, but whatever! To be honest, the description was pretty descriptive so I do not know why I am so disappointed with what I am watching. I think that the writer could approach the same plot from different perspectives and write a dynamic female lead. But we don't have that here. Even though at first I really thought that she would stay true to herself and have some time to overcome her previous relationship, she immediately gets fascinated by the 3 men when she meets them.
I don't understand why there is not one powerful and dynamic female character in the romantic dramas. Is it that difficult? Am I asking too much? Maybe! But I would love to see a woman who loves herself more and can be without a boyfriend for some time. Moreover, I felt that the romance between Haru and the men is forced and I can't sympathise with any pair. I get it that Haru is beautiful but we aren't given any chance to understand why the men start to like her. We just see them flirting with her.
Even though I have so many issues with this drama and I don't really like it, I am still gonna finish it. Why you ask? I cannot drop any series that I start. My OCD sucks (insert Rhett's and Link's song)!
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This review may contain spoilers
The Actual 3Bs; Bland, Boring And Bothering ...
Based upon the eponymous manga, 3B No Koibito is a fairly typical romance drama about our “ mistreated” female lead Haruka Kobayashi ( Fumika Baba) and her encounters with the “ 3Bs” ( “ The Three Boys You Should Avoid”): bandman Amemiya Yuu ( Kamiya Kenta), beautician Shintaro ( Nakahara Hiroshi) and bartender Yoshi ( Sakurada Dori) when they begin to reside under one roof.
It is fair to say that 3B No Koibito had “ cliche” setup from the start-up with its “ reverse harem-setup”, the questionable and unfunny gag in the pet salon, and the natural progression of repetitive storyline as well, helped to lead to worsening characterisation, plot development and something even intrinsically “ likeable” about the male leads for a major proportion of the series, often resulting in their interactions with Haruka , feelings incredibly obligated for plot rather than a naturalistic development.
Upon this topic, it is probably important to address the portrayal of our female lead Haruka Kobayashi.Initially, Haruka’s most prominent feature as a female lead was speaking out against the egotistical behaviour at times of her male tenants as well as learning something new about them and herself in the process. Yet rather than allowing us to see Haruka’s further development by healthily overcoming her traumatic experiences, the show becomes too obligated upon Haruka making rash and impractical decisions in order to “ heighten the potential romance” between the trio of love interests. A lot of these decisions resulted in Haruka’s strong personality being degraded to often emotionless and staid rather than well-written, especially within evidently leading on the other male leads without any previous judgement or bond shown to indicate her actual feelings. Consequently, although Fumika Baba isn’t a bad actress, a mixture of lacklustre line deliverances and questionable stoicism at times often made her performance seems as appealing as watching paint dry.
Moving on to our “ 3B”s, one of the most prominent issues which was never tackled can be seen through never highlighting the prejudice and stereotypes held against men in “ less academic” spheres in Japan, as well as the problems of relationships in modern Japanese society. Although this was certainly not a driving factor for the storyline, it seemed odd to not subvert these cliches in order to “ personalise” our characters, rather than draw onto them as plot devices throughout the actual show .
The most prominent “ flaw” rising between all three of the male leads led Haruka to realising early on that they were “ debauchees” with new “ muses” or “ girlfriends” nearly every week. Although this undeniably offered a less “ sugarcoated” reality towards the “celibate and pure “ male lead often written into dramas to romanticise relationships , it nevertheless posed a greater problem within the characters’ double-standards when Haruka decides to start dating someone who ‘’ is not them’’. Of course this did feed into the drama’s storyline, however, it felt brushed over that whilst Haruka would criticise their actions but not dominate their relationships, the 3Bs would begin trying to control and manipulate her own love life because of their own ‘ incoherent feelings towards her for the sake of plot’.
As one of the 3Bs that first presents the problem of characterisation, cosmetologist Shintaro can often be seen to exemplify this problem. He initially appears as a ‘ kind-hearted’ male character who Haruka learns often leads on girls as his new ‘ model’, before either dumping them or allowing them to unhealthily fantasise over being with him. The series attempts to offer some explanation to Shintaro’s actions by viewers learning more about his past, but rather than this acting as a stepping stone to learning from his mistakes, Shintaro seems only to become worse by suddenly deciding he has ‘’ romantic feelings’’ for Haruka. Although Shintaro was less forceful upon Haruka than the other two male leads, it was still a little eye raising when his previous antics caused harm to Haruka as well as not contemplating or reflecting upon his actions, questioning exactly what he even liked about Haruka in the first place due to very similarities or differences between them made prominent for them to bond in the series( apart from only several episodes ).
Moving on to our second notable ‘ 3B’, Amemiya Yuu, there was the evident similar problem of Yuu having a ‘’ new girlfriend’’ at every gig, until a ‘’ tearjerker backstory’’ attempted to explain things in seconds flat, whilst his character initially returned to being often rude and egotistical for a major proportion of the series. Yuu’s behaviour to Haruka after developing a ‘’ crush’’ did seem a little more formulated than Shintaro’s due to actually pointing out some notable interactions between the characters, it nevertheless felt poorly-tackled that the show did not think to draw out actual reasons for Yuu’s feelings suddenly ‘’ occurring’’ rather than actual development.
Finally, our final ‘’ 3B’’ is bartender Yoshi. Seemingly suave, charismatic and reserved, Yoshi is quite manipulative within playing around with women and tries to come on several times uncomfortably on to Haruka to test her reactions. Although Yoshi is not an intrinsically ‘’ horrible’’ person through his later advice for Haruka, his actions towards expecting Haruka to showing up to suddenly try his new drinks , as well as taking heed in her love life, made him one of the hardest characters to romantically pair with Haruka.
The pacing of the show often felt incoherent with a fairly interesting start, which only seemed to worsen as storyline crashed into cliches and attempted romantic pairings with lacklustre effects for viewers’ actual attention. Consequently, the ending was a matter of opinion more than anything else, but certainly expected within the generic setup of the series.
Overall, 3B No Koibito is the epitome of the the type of show that you should watch if you’re looking to binge watch something without a second thought. However, poor characterisation, lacking interest for viewers within a coherent plot, dire pacing and a mediocre finale, will result in the show being a waste of time for those looking for something more refined and well-written.
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From the start, I was instantly hooked and was glued to the screen waiting for new episodes. Even though I feel like the show was mostly character driven, I really did enjoy the show. I loved all the characters as well. Even the ones I wanted to fight half the time. Lol I loved seeing the guys go from these kinda cold guys to being really amazing people in the end.
But that ending. Good gah.... I feel like the writer just gave up with that episode. I can't be the only one that thinks this. I really expected this huge thing to happen because through the whole show, you just had this feeling it was going to end with a bang, but in the end -- it was flat and anticlimactic. It's one of those moments where you just sit looking at the screen like "......what? ...... that's it?" you keep waiting for the next scene to happen but it's like "nope. peace out" Lol. Honestly it's the main reason I needed to rewatch this show but I thought I might have missed something somewhere that would help me understand why it would end that way. But... Nope.
UNLESS they plan to have a season 2? I freaking hope they have a season 2. How, I don't know. But it needs to happen or something to give the viewers some peace of mind. Because I feel robbed with that ending. Lol I really do.
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This review may contain spoilers
It was a good show to pass the time, cute and funny.
First off I'm getting straight to the point before I explain myself if you want to know if the show is worth it. This has an opening ending which pissed me off cuz I fucking hate open endings ruining the whole experience for me cuz now we don't know if there may or may not have a S2. Now I have to hunt down to see Haru the female lead ends up dating. If they didn't end this with an open ending I would have loved this show more. Near the end, you are so confused if Haru ends up with Yoshi or Yu. Haru was very confused at the end making you the viewer confused too. Right before the ending credits, Haru confuses you more after she already turned down Shintaro by saying he still has a chance and you can't tell if she is joking or telling the truth cuz she said she likes men who pay rent cuz all three men don't pay rent cuz they are forever broke. I think that's really messed up even as a joke to give Shintaro hope after she told him she only sees him as a friend while the show leaves us in suspense on who she has feelings for before the show endings saying there is more to come after her grandmother extended her vacation leaving her to still be the landlord to her grandmother's house, which her grandmother is renting her house out to Yoshi, Yu, and Shintaro. As if the show is worth it if you don't mind open endings sure give this a shot. I had fun watching the show until they left everyone hanging so now I'm salty. I wouldn't watch this again but as I already mentioned I dislike open endings.Was this review helpful to you?
♥ 3Bの恋人 ♥
3Bの恋人 is one of my favourite love dramas of 2021, I found this on Instagram when scrolling on Kamiya kenta's profile. This drama is about Haru chan who is the main character she falls in love with a guy who was actually married so he dumped her. She got depressed , her grandmother is going for holidays so she introduces Haru chan to her home which is a sharedhouse. There are 3 guys living there, Yuu who is in a rock band, Yoshi the bartneder and finally Shintaro a hairstylist. All 3 of them fall in love with Haru and they start making moves,who do you think she will chose in the end :)I loved all the characters but especially Haru,she is so pretty and natural in every way. If I was in the drama I'd definately choose Yuu because he is sooooo handsome and he is in a band, I love rock bands so he would be the perfect match for me ♥♥♥
10/10 for me and really recommend if you like cute, fluffy dramas :)
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Good Enough
Japanese Drama " 3B no Koibito " is enjoyable and cute. The drama doesn't try hard to escape its genre, which is a silly romantic comedy, full of cliches that, however, works magically for the story. Unfortunately, keeping that in mind, the ending was not good for this kind of drama, as it actually suited a slice of life more than a fluff rom com.Other than that, the drama is entertaining, light and interesting. It's predictable, yes, cheesy at times, but the friendship between the roommates was well constructed with a smooth pace that allowed the girl to get to know each guy and develop nice dynamics with them. That is why the drama didn't get boring, as it didn't stick with the romance plot only, but used the warmth that the friendship provided.
In addition, the performances were enjoyable from everyone in the cast.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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Surprisingly really enjoyable!
As a person who loves love and the feeling it gives throughout, I truly enjoyed this show. It portrays the feeling of youth. From initially liking someone, to getting to know them, courting them, caring for them, and then falling in love with them.What made this show so fun to watch is that it presented us the possible beginning of love. And it didn't cheap out on the storyline as well, all possible love matches were given an equal amount of time to present their stories and get introduced. Not only that, it was also able to present the growth of all these possible love interests. Which made it harder for viewers like me to root for just one of them.
The ending is also very well done as it didn't force the FML to choose a love interest. She learned from her past and decided to take her time and not rush head on into finding love.
Honestly, a really great and light show to feel good!
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Ok wait, WHAT???
I'm really freaking dissapointed. Let's take it from the top.From the beginning the story goes way too fast from the point that Haru was dumped in her wedding day, to the point where she moved with her grandma. When Haru was dumped, all the other boys were also there. They all saw her that day so I thought that that moment would be related with another moment later in the series. BUT, none of that happend! Turns out, that she met them again later on different -not even special- moments. So what was the point of the scene showing them being there when she was dumped? Someone pls explain.
To be honest, the story wasn't something really special and there weren't any shoking moments. And the end was really disappointing! It wasn't shoking, it was actually really boring. Nothing interesting. And I didn't even understand who Haru liked after all. At fisrt I thought it would be Yoshi-kun but that wasn't the case after all. On the last episode it was clear that she liked Yuu-kun but then she turned him down! And then, nothing else was mentioned about her relationship with any of the boys.
I didn't really find the story interesting and I wouldn't watch it again. I feel like I would be really bored to rewatch it and it is most likely that I wouldn't recommend it to watch. On the other hand, the actors were great and that made the series a little bit more enjoyable. I LOVED Dori-kun's acting. As expected from him, he amazed me.
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non è tanto male
È una storia leggerissima. Ho divorato gli episodi.Rispetto al solito, devo dire di essere molto soddisfatta: la protagonista reagiva e non si lasciava abbindolare, era cosciente e non l'hanno per nulla fatta apparire come una marionetta; sarà forse che l'attrice, in cui mi sono imbattuta per la prima volta era abbastanza brava?
Mi è dispiaciuto che ai protagonisti maschili non si sia dato più spazio. Oltre che essere belli, sono bravissimi attori (oddio shintaro forse lasciava un po' a desiderare).
SPOILER
inizialmente, face il tifo per Seicho, lo adoravo davvero molto, poi ho apprezzato il finale. in un certo senso nel suo non scegliere nessuno e tentare di fare le cose con calma, ho letto un senso di rivalsa femminile e amor proprio prima di tutto. sebbene per molti questa conclusione sia stata deludente, io l'ho apprezzata parecchio.
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This review may contain spoilers
The 3Bs You Shouldn't Date
Well it is one of the best what I have watched from japanese dramas. It was cute and fun. Acting was not bad - yes my biggest problem with some japanese production is acting style, not always for me.I have decided to watch this because of Sakurada Dori - I really liked his character.
Spoiler or not: I was team bartender - so yes, this team will be disappointed.
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Basic show done in a very Basic way
Personally, I would say that this is not worth a watch. It's a very boring story and the characters actually change very little, especially the female lead. I will say that I actually had high hopes for this and the first few episodes were pretty okay. But after episode 3 it just kept going nowhere. The actors were okay but there wasn't really anything that stood out to make me love their acting. The characters were basically the common tropes. The MLs were the "cool", the "hotheaded" and the "eccentric" guy tropes. As for the FL, she was supposed to be the mother-like woman that helps them overcome their problems but she didn't really show many emotions, which didn't actually help sell that role. Overall This show was a basic storyline with some okay actors doing basic roles and all this has been done better by other shows beforeWas this review helpful to you?
Very cheesy....and unbearable to watch at all...
I don't know how to fill 500 words haha
Basically, not worth of the time to even look up and everything very illogical, not making sense and why this drama even able to produce.. hmm the dialogues omg. hahahahha I thought ahh let's continue watch, maybe beginning wasn't that nice - the chemistry haven't build up or something but the longer I watched, the more not making any sense and very unbearable to watch it as the acting quite poor especially males and the FL just big eyes....like all the way? XD
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