This review may contain spoilers
The success story of a woman who lost her purpose of life
Things you should know first:-This is season 2 of a show that only has a similar plot to this one. And other than the protagonist of the last season appearing in one episode, (and spoiler alert, turning out to be a key element of the story), the shows don't have any connections to each other. The endings are very different and so are the premises, most importantly, the protagonist. And while I will include some comparisons of the show, because of reasons I will state alongside, I won't go too deep into the first season, as it is a review of just the 2nd season.
- I WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS, so be FOREWARNED.
- Last thing, this might be long, but bear with me.
Plot: 10/10
Hino Misaki is an aspiring manga artist and housewife. Why is she both? Well, because she went to her (then future) editor of a successful manga husband before the course of the show to consult with him about her manga manuscript but (unfortunately), they ended up getting romantically involved, which resulted in Misaki conceiving Yuuto, her only son.
One shotgun wedding and 4-5 years later, Misaki is now a housewife, living with her apparently happy family, forced by her husband and in-laws to give up on her dream. I have to mention, that I watched the spin-off episode 0's series, where Misaki reveals, that while she had to give up on her dream, she truly was happy living as a housewife. Her kid was the purpose of her life, and when you're a mother, you can never not think about your household and child, even when you're on your break. So this setup is a bit different from the first season, where the protagonist didn't already have a kid, but went through a miscarriage.
But since the title is "socially killing your husband", the husband is the bad guy and causes Misaki to walk down a dark path. How so? By doing what husbands/boyfriends in most Jdramas do! Yes, having an affair. And since this was a shotgun wedding, it was revealed that he never really loved Misaki, and loved the other woman the whole time. And that affair causes the eventual death of Yuuto/Yuu-chan (because he's allergic to gluten) at the beginning of the season. Don't worry, I won't spoil EVERYTHING for you. But to be a bit linear with this review, I'm saying some of the details beforehand.
And after her son dies, Misaki contemplates suicide. But soon gets video messages from the anonymous "Kamen/Mask-san", who tells her to take revenge instead. And man, that was the best thing ever. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED seeing Misaki torturing the douchebag who she unfortunately had to call her husband. She not only gets the most satisfying revenge, but she also wins the best newcomer award for her manga. Not half bad if you ask me.
Cast/acting: 10/10
The lead, Takanashi Rin, who I'm a big fan of, did an incredible job. Right from the moment I learned that she was doing this show, I knew it was gonna be fantastic. Because she is so good playing every type of character, be it the clumsy lead in a rom-com or a vengeful, angry, badass character in a story like this one. Not to discredit Baba Fumika, maybe that was the writing/directing/ behind the scenes issues of the last season. But Rin's character was handled much better than Fumika's character. So if the 2nd season was meant to be a do-over from the production team, then mission accomplished! And the other characters were also good, seeing 2 amazing toku heroines (Kudo Haruka and Rin) as sisters, was one of the biggest treats of this show. Season 1 did this Toku sister/almost sister relationship too, with Fumika and Mori Kanna, which I also LOVED to see.
Crazy coincidence, as last season featured Baba Fumika from KR Drive, this one featured Inaba Yu from KR Drive. I was hoping there'd be interactions between the characters, but oh well. It was a fun treat for toku fans, nonetheless. Thank God, we saw at least one GOOD Toku collaboration in 2024.
I haven't seen Yanagi Shuntaro in many things, but he successfully made me hate him 1000%. So there's nothing wrong there. Yuu-chan, I wish he didn't have to die. Just cute enough to break my heart.
Music: 10/10
Winter Jdrama at the beginning of the year. 2023, 2024- 2 completely different kind of Jdramas, with a few things in common. Featured Takanashi Rin as the lead, and ending songs sung by Natumi(pronounced "Natsumi", apparently). Yes, this is random, but I just wanted to mention this somewhere that coincidences like this happen. Both songs, as different as the were, were wonderful, by the way.
This show's ending, "Kuruwase" was perfect, with sweet and creepy vocals, matched with crazy music.
Rewatch: 7/10
I rarely rewatch dramas, but if I were to say which Jdramas I would consider rewatching, then this would be pretty high up on my list.
Overall: 9.5/10
Recommended? As you've guessed by now, YES. Treat for Toku fans, and Jdramas fans who are looking for a bit of revenge to spice up their day. If you're thinking, if this is as bad/good as season 1, then I can guarantee you, it is certainly better on so many levels. The plot, acting, characters, everything.
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