1This review may contain spoilers
Not your typical Cinderella story and an unforgettable romance!
One of the bestest and loveliest love stories imaginable. A drama which not only deserves that rare 10/10 rating but makes you wish you could give it 1,000,000/10 because of how inspired, satisfying and rewarding it’s been.Promise Cinderella reminds me of the 2000s classic jdrama rom-coms (which is a good thing) aka the way they used to be until they contracted some sort of a narrative plague and basically died out, with few exceptions. Tightly plotted, well-written, brilliantly acted and with an OTP that oozes chemistry, it’s a very thoughtfully and sensitively made adaptation of the original manga (even though, I only read the first 18 chapter on Comikey so far). The drama took the Cinderella tropes and spun them on their head, breathing a new life into them.
All that is perfectly accompanied by a sublime soundtrack composed by Yamada Yutaka who delivers perhaps a first full-fledged bona fide jdrama OST with several distinct songs, not merely the insert and closing themes. Each song is written in such a way that the lyrics perfectly describe each character’s feelings and storylines.
Fumi Nikaido and her Hayame have been all sorts of awesome – mature, strong and plucky but still vulnerable and so real and relatable - and not the infantilized caricature of an adult female you often see in Asian dramas nowadays.
Maeda Gordon has been such a revelation - he does an amazing job portraying all the various facets of Issei, this boy-man on his journey to become an adult. I love how gradually Issei turns softer and more vulnerable because Hayame and his feelings for her make him shed his bravado to reveal all the insecurity, vulnerability, and tenderness he has been trying to hide. There is this amazing dichotomy of showing a teenager with what is basically a body of a grown-up man but personality that no longer belongs to a boy but neither to a man yet. It’s a great choice and casting. He has such a wide range of facial expressions and has the natural ability to act with his whole body, giving Issei so many adorable quirks, that very few actors possess, especially ones so young.
Seigo has turned out to be truly great second male lead. You can root for him and he poses genuine competition for Issei. If this were a kdrama there would be no way in hell he wouldn’t get the girl if only for the sole reason they share a past and are each other’s first love. I love how Hayame and Seigo’s relationship is actually properly developed, not some childhood sweethearts trope or them meeting a couple of times without getting to know each other. Iwata Takanori does such an incredible job portraying Seigo and conveying his conflict. I remember him from Dear Sister and stealing the whole show with Ishihara Satomi so it’s great to see him in a well-made jdrama once again that gives him a good script to work with.
Even the supporting characters are unforgettable and an absolute joy to watch, each one having a distinct personality – Issei’s cool matchmaking grandma and adoring Yoshitora, who are always there to support him, or Koya, Issei’s new BBF with who he shares epic bromance,… - without stealing the thunder from the main characters with multiple irrelevant side stories, which is something so many Asian dramas utterly fail at these days.
Even the ending is a perfect farewell to a perfect love story, completely reversing the Cinderella tale…
The fairy tale ends just like the love story for the age it is, with Issei’s proposal and promise to his Cinderella (hence the drama’s name) to live with her happily ever after - after she saved him from the evil witch - and the shoes to make up for the ones he threw away in episode 1, but, hilariously, they don't fit (turning another Cinderella trope on its head) and, just like his body and love for her, pretty much swallow her whole.
Their future lies ahead of them with one part of their journey ending where they have learned that reality and real love are much better than any games and dreams.
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This review may contain spoilers
I NEED SEASON 2
I'm crying because I don't expect Promise Cinderella to be this good and became one of my favorites summer drama. Even there are age gap between them but their chemistry is undeniable! Very enjoyable to watch their love story! Nikaido Fumi really suits with Hayame's character and Gordon really did a great job for his first main role. I hope he get another main role in the future <3The 'antagonis' character = Kikuno-san really did a great job to made me annoyed by her action but sometimes I can feel her concerns :'))
And all the supporting character really likeable esp. Issei's grandma, Yoshitora, and Kurose! Last, the soundtrack is everything. The song really match with their vibes <3
My first review maybe a bit biased but I can tell you guys this drama worth to watch :D
Like Gordon said, I NEED PROMISE CINDERELLA S2!! I wanna see another their struggles and concerns about their relationship because Issei proposed her in the end hehe ._.
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Does The Glass Slipper Fit?
Ah, the “ Cinderella-Tale”. It’s the trope which embodied the ‘ Hana Yori Dango’ franchise, 2000s rom coms and 1990s shoujos countless others beforehand , where the outcast or plucky mundane heroine changes the spiteful, rich male lead ‘s life before he whisks her away to live happily ever after. The trope nearly defined the zenith of 2000s romance dramas, yet nowadays the “ Cinderella Tale” archetype is often seen as being retrospectively outdated . Now the trope comes to life once more with “ Promised Cinderella” but just how does this cliche actually play out in 2021? Is it a nostalgic trip about the old days of romance dramas , or is it just too outdated for its own good?
At its heart “ Promised Cinderella” is based upon the Josei ( aimed for older teens to women) manga of the same-name. It is a trope-worthy love story between 27 year-old Katsuragi Hayame ( Nikaido Fumi), a vagrant former-housewife and rich and pugnacious 17 year-old Kataoka Issei( Maeda Gordon) who Hayame is forced to move in with. However whilst Issei finds his feelings growing for his senior, Hayame finds herself torn between Issei and his seemingly kindhearted brother Kataoka Seigo ( Iwata Takanori) , leading to all the imagined twists and turns out of a love triangle setup.
The drama is undeniably lighthearted, with a more mature and serious heroine taking central position in the drama and also taking off that burdensome worry of labyrinthine plot line . Overacting was sometimes an undeniable problem here, but nonetheless the main cast were dynamic . Nikaido Fumi really embodied Hayame to life onscreen through her performance, en par with fellow costar Maeda Gordon as foul-mouthed high schooler Issei and evidently Iwata Takanori as Issei’s brother Seigo.
Yet is is impossible to turn a blind eye towards the numerous problems amounting in this drama towards Hayame’s “potential love interests”. As far as the main couple goes let’s not sugarcoat it. Hayame is a 27 year- old woman and Issei is a seventeen year- old kid. Understandably the drama has never established anything lewd between the two aside from Issei’s crush and of course age gaps can be shown in numerous and versatile ways. However when tackling the subject of age or generational gaps, a topic which admittedly does come up is how this can impact a relationship between lovers socially, culturally and psychologically.
The drama plays repeatedly upon the gag that Hayame is an “ old woman” ( despite only being 27) but rarely does it draw onto the more significant factors of this age difference for both parties. Issei is incredibly immature for his age. There is the argument that a lot of his conducted attitude is based upon his experiences and whilst we do get to see his character grow at times, he was the typical “ spoilt and insolent brat” archetype. He nearly constantly put Hayame down verbally by passing remarks even in social situations, whilst irksomely Hayame ( despite being 10 years his senior and with more life and relationship experience) seeming “ wittiness” would be thrown out the window in order to keep this lacklustre charade moving as part of the plot device.
Then of course there’s Hayame’s “ potential chemistry” with Seigo. Despite being the older brother of Issei , Seigo has his own dirty secrets which can flare up a nasty side to a seemingly “sweet as pie” trope character. Undeniably intriguing to watch this character unravel, but nevertheless it made it troublesome for viewers to truly root for a respectful and flawed yet likeable character in this drama. Seigo’s “ infatuation ” with Hayame without respecting boundaries sometimes or his own brother’s feelings could verge upon obsessiveness . Perhaps this problem wouldn’t have been so bad if the drama had noted or brought to light that Seigo’s actions were unhealthy or wrong but rarely was this brought up and instead often passed on as “ just fascination” . In a setup where both characters are supposed to be flawed but have their own unintentional screenwriting problems, it is hard to truly root for either main lead. ( Without the lingering thought that Hayame is nothing more than a plot device to keep this lacklustre potential romance “ more dynamic”. )
To make matters worse aside from the questionable relationships in this drama, ‘ Promise Cinderella’ pretty much ticks all the boxes of every romantic cliche that you’ve seen and done before a million times;
1)The jerk former husband who abandons his wife, and isn’t necessary to the storyline pretty much ever again? Check.
2. The female lead who is too prideful to bother actually looking for a job to get off the streets, but no because it gets in the way of the actual reason to be saved by a high schooler? Check.
2)Trying to cover for a “ divorce background” with her husband in order to pair off Hayame with the potential love interests, yet never actually covering legal matters or court processes because it is too much like adding something realistic to the drama? Double Check.
3)Introducing the crude, teen male lead with an inferiority complex and who has a reason for being rude but none of them justify his bratty actions, or allow an opportunity for Issei to issue an actual apology to anyone? Triple Check.
4. Subverting the entirety of the female lead’s strong willed personality in order to make her cutesy to the plot but then changing her again, and then making her docile once more ? Quadruple Check.
‘ Promised Cinderella’ isn’t entirely a bad drama per say. It was pure sickly sweetness in all its glory with an ending which goes down an expected route. The acting was solid and an older female lead adds an intriguing dynamic to the storyline with her potential love interests, however, at the same time, the storyline was often predictable and dull by not even attempting to play or add anything new to the screenplay setup . The relationship between the two main leads and the controversial age gap raised red flags for all the wrong reasons without even trying to present this gradually , and the fact the drama itself wasn’t entirely sure how to incorporate Hayame’s character or revamp the “ Bad Boy” trope with Issei made ‘ Promised Cinderella’ an undeniable guilty-pleasure , but a 2000s-style revamp which feels more out of time than a nostalgic trip down drama lane.
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This review may contain spoilers
HOW DID THIS EVER GET APPROVED
I can't believe I've wasted ten hours watching an immature teenager and a divorcee fall in love.Cause that's what this is. Let's be real here, this isn't one of those cutesy, run-of-the-mill younger man/older woman romances where they're both adults in different stages of life learning how to juggle their responsibilities. He's a freaking TEENAGER.
Let me repeat that - HE'S A TEENAGER. He's 17, UNDERAGE, and immature.
He's still in high school, he bullies other people for his entertainment - yes, including the FL - by paying them to either embarrass themselves or humiliate other people in public. And yes, that's how they meet! He pays her to humiliate other people.
On top of that, he's got unresolved mommy issues which are somehow supposed to make his behavior justified, and he hates the establishment that's essentially providing for the rich and carefree life where he gets to satisfy his boredom by paying people to be bullied. His only redeeming quality is that he can make flower arrangements. Whoop-de-doo, what a charmer!
Meanwhile, she's a 27 year old divorcee who doesn't seem to know what the hell she wants from her life. She always reacts first, thinks second, and then stubbornly sticks to her wrong decisions. She keeps getting herself into misunderstandings that make people despise her, but can never seem to explain herself properly. Oh, and did I mention that as the older, more experienced adult who should know better she never once draws a line in her relationship with a TEENAGER?!
You know, I don't fully blame the ML for his behaviors. He's acting immature cause he's a teenager - they're ruled by their hormones and emotions, and can't always tell right from wrong (even though at seventeen you're supposed to know better than this!)
What I don't understand is - which part of that is an older, experienced woman supposed to find attractive? The part where she constantly needs to educate him on boundaries, proper behaviour, and respect towards other? The part where he's constantly angry at the world for no apparent reason, and can't hold a proper conversation with her? Or maybe it's the part where he's freaking out over holding hands with her?
And this show really expects you to take his marriage proposal seriously. For crying out loud!
This was not okay. Not a single thing about this was okay.
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♥プロミスシンデレラ♥
プロミスシンデレラ this drama is about Hayame's happily married life comes to an abrupt end and she is left alone, penniless and homeless! Things couldn't get any worse, until she runs into rich high-school brat Issei, whom she had previously humiliated!He is young and handsome, but his brother is the first love of Hayame,they meet after 10 years and they fall in love again but the young brother also likes Hayame so there is a plot twist in the story. Sparks fly as two worlds collide in this unlikely Cinderella story. I liked this drama because of the characters, some parts were so funny too :)Was this review helpful to you?
Frustrating watch for me
Personal opinion here. I say, give the show a try for yourself, because I am definitely in the minority here. The storyline had potential, but there were so many red flags that I couldn't get past. Plus, I felt like the writers threw a bunch of stuff in and didn't develop things fully. My biggest problem was the ML. Immature, petulant, rude, obnoxious, violent, disrespectful, angry. It was toned down by the end of the series, but I didn't see growth in him. Cursing at his grandmother was what put his behavior over the top for me. Being mean to others because he was "bored". I lost count of the number of times he called the FL stupid.The older brother, first love story didn't really have a place, especially with him currently being involved with the villain of the story. If someone is going to be stuck on his first love, I'm sorry, I want him to be pining for her.
The ex-husband. No backbone and he was just a little on the creepy side.
The villain. Let's be honest, she was a cheeseburger short of a happy meal and all was forgiven at the end. She needed to be locked up.
The FL was gorgeous and spirited. She didn't put up with any bunk from anyone yet let the ML walk all over her. Why did she like him? He had done nothing but be mean to her. I just felt like she had a glaring blind spot concerning him.
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This review may contain spoilers
Japan really knows how to do age-gap romance. This light-hearted drama, albeit formulaic, has its angsty moments. Bratty, spoiled high-schooler, meets a recently divorced woman who is down on her luck. Despite suddenly finding herself homeless and penniless, Hayame still is tenacious when it comes to doing what’s right and wrong. However, because of her unintentional destruction of someone else’s property, Hayama concedes to Issei’s dice game of life. Although Hayame is reluctant to play along with the outrageous requests, she sees no way out until she’s able to pay off her debt. To no one’s surprise, Issei becomes enamored with the resilient Hayame. But so does Issei’s brother, to the consternation of many others fangirling over the inn’s young master. Though love triangles or love trains abound, we know who the end game will be. Although, I would have been equally fine if Seigo and Hayame end up together.
His love for Hayame spurred Issei’s character development, and there’s nothing cringey about wanting to become better (more responsible, more mature) in order to gain her affections. Issei’s grandmother and butler are adorable as supporting characters. Aside from the obvious references to the Cinderella-trope, this drama is a delightful, easy watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unlikely age-gap dorama with dynamic growth of lead male
Honestly, it has been a while after HajiKoi and TBS finally brought back age gap-themed dorama. The storyline made me laugh out loud, it just didn't make sense at all when Hayame's life messed up in the span of a day. It was also ridiculous yet a little bit made sense how Issei really wanted to bully Hayame since she annoyed him once. But it was totally ridiculous how a homeless woman accepted herself to live in her bully house instead of getting help from someone else she knew.The second lead male is super likable. Gun-chan really portrayed 29 years-old Seigo who is matured and calm. You couldn't help but root for Seigo too. An unfinished love story that goes with a new rival of 17-year-old Issei who was completely brat at first makes this dorama interesting. Unlike classic cinderella, Hayame decided not to be a bullied target, and she stood for herself and righted the wrong. I love her characteristic.
Issei also completely turned into in-the-middle-of-boy-and-man. He went softer and he fully realized he was in love with Hayame when she really run for him the moment he run from home. His acts somehow were too mean but straightforward. What I love he spoke out loud of his mind instead of restraining himself as Seigo did. I thought it was because he was so young but he proved me wrong. His consent love was so admirable for a 17-years-old-boy who has just fallen in love.
Just like Hajikoi, this one ended with the promise of marriage. Probably a special episode or even Season 2 could be better. and LISA's voice completed everything.
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Good Enough
Japanese Drama 'Promise Cinderella' is a, surprisingly, enjoyable drama.Even though the prospect of a love story with an age gap that included an underaged partner is offputting for me and I tend to not pick those dramas up, this one kind of makes it works and, in the end, their personalities, chemistry, and story create the perfect environment for the viewer to root for them and for the conclusion to come more naturally. The pace of the love story was another factor working in its favor, as it gave the time for the relationship to grow and develop naturally and not right from the start. However, the love triangle was not that successful, though it gave the opportunity for the girl to open up about who she really is and what she has been through.
Another enjoyable element was the workplace. The setting was brilliant and the small cases were a nice touch to make the main story more than a basic rom com. Unfortunately, that can't be said about the family drama that needed more scenes to be properly presented.
So, overall, 7 out of 10.
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Don’t let the title fool you
This is definitely not a typical Cinderella story. The synopsis (neither here nor on Viki) doesn’t really give it away either, but although there is romance and fate encounters and funny moments, there is also an originality to the story.I liked Fumi Nikaido (FL) in “Eye love you”, and I think she is good here too.
Gordon Maeda (ML) seemed a bit too old for his role, even though I see he was only like 4 years older than his character when this was released. Other than that he acted well too.
Takanori Iwata (2nd ML) was kind of anonymous - I wished he could have had a bigger presence.
Matsui Rena did a brilliant job portraying Akira/Kikuno, which was a very interesting character adding a lot to the originality of this series.
Grandma and the “butler” added both warmth and humour, and some elderly wisdom.
The length was good; episodes were not too long, and it wasn’t dragged out over too many episodes.
What bugged me a little bit, and I see others too, was the ages. Not so much the 10 year age gap, but 17 and 27. It would have been better if it had been just a few years older, say 20 and 30. But then I guess the storyline with his games wouldn’t really have worked…?
So to sum it up:
Not a typical romance, but entertaining, and a nice little break from my usual C- and K-dramas.
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Another one of the season's worst
In this silly escape from reality as it relates to love, marriage, relationships, work, family, etc., the adults on hand all encourage the high-school kid to pursue the woman 10 years older; no one cares to remind him of the need to get serious about his education and goal in life first before plunging himself into such an affair. We are all supposed to appreciate the kid's playing ridiculous games to get compensation for the ruined painting that doesn't belong to him in the first place. After a recent failed marriage, the woman seems happy to get into a new relationship so soon and limit her choice to either one of the two brothers. A supposedly prosperous household has only one helper, who is chauffeur, house-keeping maid, cook, games companion, etc., rolled into one. A former schoolmate stirs up trouble for everyone ten years later because of her twisted mind and with a face that plastic surgery did not really make attractive. The title makes poor to no sense by forcing a connection with the Cinderella story.Was this review helpful to you?
A unique, unpredictable take on Cinderella. Worth a watch!
"Promise Cinderella" offers a unique twist on the Cinderella story, deviating from the usual narrative. Instead of a poor woman finding happiness with a wealthy man, we follow Hayame Katsuragi, a resilient and optimistic character portrayed energetically by Nikaido Fumi. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her marriage abruptly ends, leaving her alone and homeless.Enter Issei Takaoka, a high school troublemaker. Rather than following a predictable storyline, Issei's character evolves beyond games and entertainment, portrayed with charisma by Maeda Gordon. The chemistry between Hayame and Issei adds a refreshing dynamic to the drama.
As Hayame starts working at the Kataoka ryokan, another twist unfolds: Seigo Kataoka, Issei's older brother and Hayame's first love from high school. This revelation adds emotional complexity, deviating from the typical romantic comedy.
The drama successfully blends genres, exploring not only romance but also work drama and family dynamics. The supporting cast, including characters like Fujita Akemi and Koya, plays crucial roles in tying the narrative together.
The exploration of the love triangle, while predictable, allows for the unraveling of Hayame's past and adds depth to her character.
Despite these minor hiccups, "Promise Cinderella" delivers an enjoyable viewing experience. It humanizes the characters, presenting them with flaws and complexities, setting it apart from typical romantic comedies. If you're seeking a nuanced and unpredictable take on the Cinderella story, this drama is worth a watch.
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