A true joy to watch - with a HEALTHY & WHOLESOME relationship! :D

If you think that this is some tearjerking, serious, or sentimental drama just because it deals with disabilities (the poster image on here really makes it look that way), I assure you, it’s the complete opposite. Full of fluffy, goodhearted romance and comedy, and most importantly, one of the rare dramas that has a healthy relationship with open communication and realistic problems between two socially belittled individuals, Koi Desu may just be one of my favourite J-Dramas of this year. FINALLY Sugino has a breakthrough character that perfectly fits him, and the acting between both FL and ML is effortless and it just makes you feel all warm and fluffy while watching them!

Sugino Yosuke has really been meh in other shoujo/josei dramas I’ve seen him in, either being too cringy as an “ikemen” character or not memorable enough. I really think that this is a huge turning point for him, as he plays the character of Kurokawa Morio so effortlessly. Morio is goofy, earnest, and wears his heart on his sleeve, not taking offense and trying to learn and understand Yukiko’s eye condition, which creates an unbelievable gap moe to his threatening “yankee” demeanor (he just looks cute imo). He’s patient with the FL and understanding of the protectiveness of her family, never pressuring the FL to reciprocate his feelings for her.

Sugisaki Hana has also been very “meh” for me, but her character as Yukiko is headstrong, kind, and independent in this drama. Her acting and skepticism towards Morio is realistic and understandable. She is someone who is constantly wanting to prove that she can do things just as well as others can. And the two really do have an affinity with each other!

The other characters are all really delightful to watch, and the drama is kept to a minimum that gets resolved by the end of the episode. It’s an inspiring, uplifting drama that will leave you feeling giddy and envious of the leads’ onscreen relationship. I highly recommend it! :)

Also, the little informative comedy asides by the comedian Hamada Yutaro, who is also blind in real life, are really entertaining! I love that they included him and gave him a platform to speak and further explain the tools, resources and feelings that blind individuals encounter on a daily basis, all in a light-hearted fashion. You definitely don't want to miss this one!

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Not *that* bad, but not *that* good either...

I admit I was a little scared to watch this movie, as many of the comments I saw talking about this criticized it saying it wasn't good and that people dropped it like a hot pocket... BUT, being a reader of the original manga and knowing of Raul from Snow Man, I decided to give it a try. TL;DR: it wasn't good, but definitely not as bad some others made it out to be, as I've seen farrrr worse before in the shoujo genre. Let me explain:

STORY: If you're a fan of the genre, this will be nothing new, nor groundbreaking. If you're not a fan of the clichés and heart-pounding moments, I'd suggest you skip this one. The pacing of the story is very fast at the beginning, and then somehow towards the middle to 3/4 in, it gets a little slow and draggy. It follows the formula of a typical high school shoujo romance - ML protects the "weak" FL, both start dating, they break up for some random forced reason, and insert slow-mo chase scene with inspiring music and the FL/ML having an epiphany to tell the other person that WAIT they actually DO love them! But instead of one running scene, there's a whopping total of two. The director seemed to compile scenes from the manga that seemed a bit disjointed and forced, like one second there's a serious thing going on, and it hard cuts to the characters at the beach. There wasn't much of a solid flow or transition of the storyline, which is probably what turned a lot of viewers off.

ACTING: Raul definitely didn't suit the image of Kai for me, and same with Yoshikawa Ai for Uka. However, by the end of the film, they seemed more well-adjusted to the roles. Yoshikawa definitely outshined Raul with her acting as she was more natural in her role. The character of Kai isn't supposed to be greasy or cheesy, but it definitely felt like Raul was overdoing the "cool" factor, making his line delivery pretty greasy (which also wasn't his usual tone of voice, so it seemed forced).

MUSIC: I laughed a lot at the soundtrack (and that's not a good thing). I actually expected more Snow Man or Johnny's songs in general, but there was just the one at the very end, and instead we got a bunch of poorly made English songs that sounded like random royalty-free songs you'd find on Google. Especially the intro song.... iykyk. I thought they got some random, already-made song and just stuck it in, but then the singer proceeds to croon "Honey Lemon Soda" in the lyrics and I died inside. I was super confused and slightly awed that they actually made this song for the movie. And why English? Is this a trend now??

REWATCH VALUE: Hmm.. I probably won't rewatch this as there are plenty of shoujo movies that are better. But I won't judge if you do watch this because honestly it wasn't as bad as many others. Just be a little patient, let it take some time, and watch the credits til the end because that stuff was cute, man.

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Well-produced, Romance-Fantasy Film Delight led by Meguro Ren and Imada Mio!

I had the opportunity to watch this recently at a Japanese film festival, and there's one thing I need to say about this film - do not miss it! Meguro Ren and Imada Mio have a delightful chemistry in this beautifully-shot retelling of the story.

CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION:
Having read the manga and anticipating the anime, I had low expectations for the live action film adaptation, despite my high anticipation for Meguro. Usually, manga-based films attempt to cram as many plot points and scenes in, or cut out a lot from the original subject material - it's less about the way the story is told, and more about hitting the plot points in the end with one-dimensional storytelling. However, I was delightfully surprised at how this was adapted for film!

The cringiness or "over the top" acting that usually accompanies some of these manga-to-movie productions was nowhere to be seen, and the cinematography was quite unconventional. It was quite beautifully shot and edited - from the scenery and interior design to the outfitting details (i.e. Kiyoka's uniform and the kimono, etc.). Narrations were brought to life by Tsuda Kenjiro himself.

ACTING:
Meme and Imada Mio's acting were both delights to see. I haven't watched Imada Mio in a role since Hana Nochi Hare, and she completely shed her "spoiled girl" character to meld herself into the character of Miyo. I didn't even recognize her! The way she was styled for the film suited the original character completely. Both leads' acting was very detailed, helping to further immerse the viewer in. From shyly glancing back and forth at each other for a beat too long to sharing secret smiles, the chemistry left you wanting more.

As a fan, I was surprised by Meme's seriousness in this role. Despite the coolheaded demeanor of Kiyoka, I enjoyed how he interpreted the role, adding in some sheepish sides to the character. His charisma really made the character stand out. Imada Mio's acting made me completely relate to and feel for her character, and it was heartwarming to see her slowly try to stand her ground and want Kiyoka by her side. Sometimes it did feel like she was very "damsel-in-distress," but I think it was more due to her lack of self-confidence.

Some fighting scenes did look a lot like the same moves were being used and it was a little awkward at times, but I understand that the fighting choreo was not the main point of the movie. The acting for minor characters were pretty standard - Ryusei was quite good in his role as well! The other characters weren't focused on as much as the leads, so they were pretty one-dimensional (i.e. bad guy is bad for the sake of being bad).

*spoiler warning*
The fire scene had me fangirling. (iykyk!)

STORY/PACING:
Overall pacing was really well done considering how much they had to cram into a film. Compared to how other manga-to-film movies have been adapted in the past, this was a standout. I do agree with another review made here that it would've been great to see even more romantic scenes between the two actors, but I understand that the director and screenwriter probably wanted to have a balance of the worldbuilding and storytelling (which was a little complicated to understand at first). So, while my fangirl heart wants a little more, I'm still pretty satisfied!

There were a few jarring cuts from scene to scene that kinda confused the viewer's flow at times but overall, it was fine to deal with.

OVERALL:
When this officially releases for DVD, you'll definitely catch me rewatching again!

PLEASE note that there is a post-credits scene as well - many people left without noticing! Hopefully this teases a sequel movie with the same actors... *crosses fingers*

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Completely relatable and moving drama for a 20-something art student like me! :)

As an avid Asian drama and film lover, I particularly love how Japanese dramas really nail that "human-ness" and portray the relatable emotions that we experience in our daily lives. In regards to that, I don't think I've been hit quite as hard in the feels by any other drama or film since "G-Senjou."

While I don't agree AT ALL about the fact that this drama has a general ranking on here of 7.9/10 (come on!!!) - I understand how some people may just not relate to the feelings and lives of the characters in this drama. **SPOILERS AHEAD**

Yaeko, an almost 30 year old OL (Office Lady) who quit her job and was cheated on by her fiancé. Yukie, a stay-at-home mother/wife/ daughter-in-law who constantly pastes a smile on her face and works hard at home, taking care of her cheating husband, younger daughter, and nagging mother-in-law. Rihito, a student who is secretly in love with his brother's ex. These three characters, who meet by chance at a violin class for adults, form an unlikely friendship in this drama. Together, they navigate struggles of love (familial, romantic, and unconditional), career, family, and what it means to be an adult.

They KNOW that they're not professional violinists, and that when their lives get busier, this class will be the first thing they stop. So why do it? Why continue? Why waste their time, money, and energy into this class when it's just a hobby?

To me - a 20-something art student who has multiple artistic hobbies (including a love for piano) - this drama was like a breath of fresh air. I constantly battle with others' questions as to why I'm wasting my time/energy on hobbies that don't specifically advance my career. Many think that artistic jobs aren't valuable compared to more "practical" jobs like finance or business. Most people don't seem to care about others when they're at their lowest point, and urge them to "get over it" when the said person is still grieving. At the end of the day, we all struggle to achieve one thing - happiness. And happiness is comprised of the little moments of our lives. They don't necessarily have to give us "value," or make us more employable. It's doing things we love. For our three protagonists, their relationship they made through their violin class made them happy. It gave them the motivation to keep living on - and this is what this drama stresses.

In the words of Yaeko: "While we were all lost at sea, the thing that saved us was this little buoy named music."
(it's not word for word but you get what I mean!)

While others may have seen Yaeko as childish at times, I could 100% relate to her worries of people disappearing from her life, as they move on and she stays in the same place. My only small complaint is when she began to push Rihito away and doubt herself due to their 8-year age difference, but trust me, the final episode completely dissolved any annoyances I had - AND EVEN AT HER LOWEST POINT, her feelings were still understandable and valid. If I were her, I would also have similar worries, but as a viewer, I just wanted them to hurry up and kiss dammit!!! (and I wasn't disappointed).

I also recognized qualities of other people I know in the characters of Yukie and Rihito. Especially Yukie, who chose to forgive her husband for cheating and stay with him after he apologized (something I could never do), struck a chord with me, as realistically, not everyone leaves their marriages. I thought that was a believable touch to the drama though I didn't /love/ her end choice. She was by far the strongest character in the series.

I laughed, cried, and kicked giddily in the air at the romance between Rihito and Yaeko. And while some other reviewers may complain about the lack of romance, I feel like there was just enough. This drama was NOT just about the romance. It was about relationships and friendships (and this is coming from someone who EXCLUSIVELY watches romance dramas). It was about what connects and bonds people. And I 100% wish that I will someday have a bond as amazing with someone as Yaeko, Yukie, and Rihito did.

TL;DR 100% recommend for all the warm, giddy emotions. 10/10 Taishi Nakagawa is a cutie pie. I love the ending ahhhh! #RewatchMaterial

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Amazing 10/10 First Half, Disappointing Second Half

When I heard this had Lin Yanjun and was a sentimental, moving story about someone with disabilities, I was so intrigued. And it definitely didn’t disappoint me in the first half! Everything from the cinematography, to the pacing and storyline, and evocative emotions the leads channeled into their acting was WAY more than I’d expected. By just the first half alone, I was so ready to rate this a 10/10 and shove it in my list of favourite dramas.

However… the second half happened.

I don’t know what happened along the way, but once Nian Qin (Yanjun’s character) got his eyesight back post-breakup, he became a douchebag. He became self-entitled, manipulative, and cunning, willing to do anything to get the FL back. And even though Wu Yan (Wang Peng’s character) understandably backed away from him for being so obsessed and controlling of her life, she ultimately returned to his side by the end.

I’m not sure why people are still romanticizing possessiveness, but disability or not, crazy rich or not, the legendary composer Yijin or not, he should not have acted as he did to Wuyan. It didn’t make much sense. I even wondered if this was a symbolic thing that once he broke up with her and got his eyesight back, he began to forget how he treated her before, because he started to take her for granted. Post breakup, he treated her as if her opinions didn’t matter anymore, as he quickly made all decisions for her. All she had to do was comply. It was like all his character development went down the drain, and so even if it was technically a “happy ending” for the couple, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

As for the rewatch value? I’d rewatch the first half, but end it there. It’s really a shame when promising dramas like this one are ruined by possessive leads that reinforce patriarchal stereotypes that men have to always be dominant, influential and powerful in comparison to the submissive women, but alas, it is what it is.

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Sato Kanta IS Irie Naoki. Kotoko? Not so much…

The storyline of ItaKiss is always going to be a little cringy/problematic/misogynistic/dated, but you can’t help but forgive it because of all the cute little moments even though you know it’s bad. Even though you know that Naoki is a manipulative prick, and Kotoko is so aggravatingly devoted and wrapped around Naoki’s finger. Such is the nature of Itazura na Kiss. Now the acting for this particular rendition… wasn’t great. Now I didn’t expect too much from Naoki’s character because he’s meant to be largely emotionless and deadpan, so I’m mainly talking about the actress who played Kotoko here. IMO, Kotoko is the most pivotal character in this series, as she has this mindnumbingly cute, mindnumbingly dumb persona that you just can’t help but love. I felt this strongly when I watched Honoka Yahagi/Miki’s portrayal of Kotoko (whom I see as the ideal Kotoko, as she was the only one I didn’t find annoying but rather, very charming). But for this actress…. her voice sounded like a 5 year old most of the time PLUS her acting skills were terrible in comparison. And don’t get me started on the iconic rain scene. It was, I’m sorry to say, terribly acted out. There was zero tension or desperation in the scene. It just felt like two people simply saying lines back and forth with no conviction at all. I mean, again I didn’t expect too much from Naoki, but c’mon Kotoko, you love this man!

Sato Kanta’s Irie Naoki, in my opinion, was overall very true to his original character, as even when he was cold to Kotoko, you could see the little nuances, gestures, and gazes saying that he truly did hold affection for her, even as he teased her or ignored her. This was hard to tell in previous versions of Itazura na Kiss, as even Furukawa Yuki’s version seemed a little lifeless, or bipolar at times. Even visually, Sato was the most similar to Naoki in comparison to all the other adaptations. Just compare him to the original manga artworks! Sato IMO truly embodied Naoki.

Storywise, it was rushed, which is understandable given it’s 3 movies rather than 2 seasons of a show. I just wish that this was made as a drama rather than a movie trilogy. It did an okay job for what it was worth, had some cute scenes (especially in the first film), but overall… meh. If Kanta and Honoka had done a rendition together… It’d probably be perfect for me.

While I like Sato Kanta’s acting, the overall acting (including Kotoko’s) isn’t great, hence my rating.

Sidenote, but that animation of Kotorin… Let’s just say that if some creepos I met once made such a thing about me without my consent… I would be filing a sexual harassment report. Also shame on her friends (and Naoki) for thinking such a thing is funny.

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A story that felt inspired by ItaKiss, but was its own film (and a pretty good one!)

Wow, a not completely unfeeling Naoki! :0 To be honest, I was skeptical at first because I heard that the FL was annoying in other reviews, but she actually wasn’t bad at all in comparison to other FL renditions of Kotoko (ahem 2017 Japanese film version). She was just… forgettable, in the sense that if any other actress had replaced her, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Just to note - this film didn’t completely feel like Itazura na Kiss, and Darren Wang didn’t really feel like Naoki at all, and this makes sense given the fact that the director/writer(s) took liberties with the story. It didn’t feel as rushed as it could’ve been if they left everything the same and followed the manga scene by scene, which often leads to more vignettes of the story mashed up into one (which was mostly a criticism I felt I had for the Japanese ItaKiss trilogy). I thought the way they merged some scenes together and reinvented them was a good idea for the overall pacing of the film, but again it loses most of the original manga’s essence. I liked Darren’s portrayal of Irie as FINALLY we can see more of his side of the story and how he gradually came to love Kotoko in the first place. He was definitely a warmer Naoki than his Japanese and Korean counterparts, and overall felt more human and relatable (he also actually smiled more, which was shocking).

I felt like the casting for Naoki’s family was a bit off and didn’t get highlighted as much as they should have (i.e. the brother), and was surprised that Kin-chan didn’t have as many parts as I thought he would (he was mostly forgotten towards the second half of the film), but I didn’t mind it too much. Overall though, it was a cute adaptation that felt more like it was inspired by Itazura na Kiss but was its own story completely. I still enjoyed it and it’s a cute movie worth a watch!

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