Pin to Kona (2013)

Modern youths engaged and steeped in Kabuki tradition is the backdrop of this Jdrama. The actors were strong,the storyline is directionally solid even with the accompaniment of the standard poor girl who helps a boy, father and family grow-up & a love triangle, all which works well together. The costumes & pageantry of this theater backdrop was compelling,& educational. The most fascinating aspect, was to see young adults (YA) who are holding fast to their important rituals that define their culture. These YA were dedicated (for some obsessively) to their painstaking yet stunning art - most impressive. Each episode is full of rich dialog, kabuki practices and segments of a performance (nicely & tastefully debriefed by the family caretaker to explain to all of us non-Kabuki theater folks). Well done finale nothing too over the top, just solid closure on relationships. Enjoyed this series!

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Overall, I give this drama a 9 out of 10. I took off the one point because the last ep didn't feel rushed, but I felt like more time could have been spent on Ayame and Kawamura in the last three eps. I mean, why not? Everything that was an obstacle had been resolved (very well too). So while I liked the ending, I was kinda mad that we didn't get more. I'd love it if they did a special for this one.

Other than that, I loved it. The cast was great, everyone's acting was excellent. I enjoyed all of the characters and appreciated their complexity. I loved that this drama was such a great mix of drama, romance, and education.

At first, I wasn't going to watch because I thought Kabuki (which I knew nothing about) being the center of the story would bore me. I'm glad I decided to watch in the end because I found the Kabuki aspect very interesting and well done. I can honestly say there wasn't anything that I didn't like about this drama. I recommend that anyone tired of the same old detective/mystery dramas give this a chance. You won't be disappointed. Overall, this drama left me feeling happy and satisfied.

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A seat that only you can sit on forever, the special seat called 'right next to me'.

I really enjoyed watching this. It was my first time watching a drama about Kabuki, so I learned a lot because they also gave a general background about the plays that they have mentioned. It made me appreciate their culture so much because I saw how strict and respectful the actors were when it comes to their traditions. It's like seeing a completely new side of Japanese actors.

I also want to commend the development regarding Kyonosuke's character because he's not your typical cold-mysterious-edgy boy, he's a man who can learn from his mistakes and face everything for his family, friends, and also Ayame. Seeing how their romance developed between each other was so cute and innocent. And the friendship he established with Hiroki was also pleasant to watch, making me wish for male friendships to be like them in real life, too lol. However, I just feel sad for Hiroki and even thought that he'll snap at the end because he's been struggling to hold himself up, but I'm glad that he still decided to pursue his dreams.

Overall, I give this drama an 8 out of 10. I'm happy with the ending, and the acting was superb. I'm glad I stumbled upon this and gave it a try. What an experience!

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This drama is good...."re-watch it" level good

I don't how or where I found this drama, I guess I just stumbled upon it while browsing for something new and I've never been more glad. Pin to kona is different than most YA J-dramas. Now I know that you must be wondering that how can any asian drama not have cliches and you would be absolutely right. There are certain cliches in this drama as well like school romance, love at first sight, childhood first loves, love triangles, scheming girls, etc. But the core storyline is quite unique.
Pin to kona is basically about young adults who are in some way connected to this classical japanese theatre called Kabuki. The two male leads are Kabuki performers and the female lead is fan of kabuki. The male lead (Kawamura) is from a noble family that has been performing kabuki for generations. The female lead (Ayame) is a down on her luck girl who is the ML's schoolmate and an avid kabuki fan. The 2nd male lead (Ichiya/Hiroki) is the FL's childhood friend with a passion and talent for kabuki (but since he's not from a noble family he struggles to make his name).

Kawamura is by far my favorite J-drama male lead character. In the beginning he comes off as a privileged and spoiled brat but as the series continues you can see him evolve. I loved the way he switches from a lovesick idiot (in front of his friends, family & Ayame) to a serious hardworker (when doing Kabuki). Another point in his favour was that he treated Ayame very well without expecting anything in return. Even when he found out she liked Ichiya, he helped her instead of sabotaging them for his own benefit. He also evolved from whining about being forced into Kabuki to actually finding his passion for the art.

Ayame was also a good character. I liked her perseverance and the fact that she became more practical as the series progressed. Although I did dislike the part when she got pushed around by people and didn't fight back (in one of the episodes she rescues one of the scheming girls from bullies but later when she herself gets bullied by her she just takes it).

Ichiya was a good performer but a bad person. He didn't deserve Ayame for even the short while that they were together. Instead of two timing her (who he claimed to actually love) he could have simply explained the situation or even told her to wait awhile before they dated. He was just as bad as the scheming girls.

I loved both Kawamura's Father (whose "baka/idiot son" got me everytime) and his housekeeper (she was just funny as hell). I did feel pretty bad for Yuna. She was intially a good person but became twisted due to her obsession in getting Ichiya. She got used & she herself used other people. You can see her devolve with every passing episode. At the end she did regain some sense but the damage was done.

All in all Pin to kona was definitely worth it.

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