Akane Mizuhara
This review may contain spoilers
An engaging plot with high quality acting!
I had my doubts. The J-Dramas I have watched so far always have at least one (or even both) out of the two most common flaws; horrible acting or terrible storyline. I dived into "Watashitachi Douka Shiteiru" with no high expectations, even when I was drawn by the visuals of Ryusei Yokohama and Minami Hamabe.
And thankfully, I totally was in for a surprise!
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The story opens with a tragedy 15 years ago, the young master of a major confectionary house, Kogetsu-an, was found murdered in his own home. The only witness was his young son, Tsubaki, who immediately put the blame on a female worker, who is not just anyone; it's the mother of his playmate (possibly even sweetheart) Nao! Needless to say, Nao's life shattered that very instant and her mother also died not long after the murder charge, leaving Nao as an orphan. In the end, Nao and Tsubaki separated with ill feelings for each other.
Fast forward to 15 years later, fate reunites Nao (Minami Hamabe) and Tsubaki (Ryusei Yokohama) once again. The catch? Tsubaki doesn't recognize her, but she does. And this time she will do the one thing she wasn't able to do when she was a kid; fighting for her mother's innocence. Nao has nothing to lose now as she has lost everything in literal sense 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Tsubaki seems to be attracted to her for real, so long as she doesn't expose her identity as his childhood friend whose life he destroyed.
A daughter of a murderer and son of the victim. Or are they?
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I was hooked from the very first episode until the last. Though I have to admit that halfway through the show I already had a guess who is the true murderer all along and it's proven right, I was still pleasantly surprised by how the mystery unraveled in a way that's unexpected. Minami and Ryusei are so brilliant with their acting, and there are no overreacting cutesy acts, a plain heroine who needs saving or a naïve one who is frustrating and infuriating (yes, Coffee and Vanilla, I'm referring to that disaster). Nao is a strong character who tries to demand what she is due; justice for her mother and closure to the tragedy that robbed her of her normal childhood and adulthood, and I love her for it.
The only flaw I think she has is probably how she could wholly forgive Tsubaki for all he did in the past. Maybe it's just because so many years has passed by, or it's because there are only 8 episodes in this show that everything seems a bit fast even with the three years time jump, or because they're just destined to be together, but yeah, it's a tiny weeny baffling to me how she selflessly forgives him. Why tiny weeny? Because at her core, Nao is a kind person and the past can't be changed. That aside, Tsubaki also regrets what he did and somehow even he got his karma mostly during the last episode of this show. The end is bittersweet, just like how I like it.
If you're like me, who has seen too many horrors of J-Dramas with domineering men and submissive women and is more or less fed up with the very fact, I suggest you to watch this show. The acting is superb, the supporting casts exist to create drama necessary for the storyline and the wardrobe is amazing! The vocabs about traditional Japanese confectionary are also helpful and unique. A totally worthy drama to watch in your spare time!
And thankfully, I totally was in for a surprise!
---
The story opens with a tragedy 15 years ago, the young master of a major confectionary house, Kogetsu-an, was found murdered in his own home. The only witness was his young son, Tsubaki, who immediately put the blame on a female worker, who is not just anyone; it's the mother of his playmate (possibly even sweetheart) Nao! Needless to say, Nao's life shattered that very instant and her mother also died not long after the murder charge, leaving Nao as an orphan. In the end, Nao and Tsubaki separated with ill feelings for each other.
Fast forward to 15 years later, fate reunites Nao (Minami Hamabe) and Tsubaki (Ryusei Yokohama) once again. The catch? Tsubaki doesn't recognize her, but she does. And this time she will do the one thing she wasn't able to do when she was a kid; fighting for her mother's innocence. Nao has nothing to lose now as she has lost everything in literal sense 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Tsubaki seems to be attracted to her for real, so long as she doesn't expose her identity as his childhood friend whose life he destroyed.
A daughter of a murderer and son of the victim. Or are they?
---
I was hooked from the very first episode until the last. Though I have to admit that halfway through the show I already had a guess who is the true murderer all along and it's proven right, I was still pleasantly surprised by how the mystery unraveled in a way that's unexpected. Minami and Ryusei are so brilliant with their acting, and there are no overreacting cutesy acts, a plain heroine who needs saving or a naïve one who is frustrating and infuriating (yes, Coffee and Vanilla, I'm referring to that disaster). Nao is a strong character who tries to demand what she is due; justice for her mother and closure to the tragedy that robbed her of her normal childhood and adulthood, and I love her for it.
The only flaw I think she has is probably how she could wholly forgive Tsubaki for all he did in the past. Maybe it's just because so many years has passed by, or it's because there are only 8 episodes in this show that everything seems a bit fast even with the three years time jump, or because they're just destined to be together, but yeah, it's a tiny weeny baffling to me how she selflessly forgives him. Why tiny weeny? Because at her core, Nao is a kind person and the past can't be changed. That aside, Tsubaki also regrets what he did and somehow even he got his karma mostly during the last episode of this show. The end is bittersweet, just like how I like it.
If you're like me, who has seen too many horrors of J-Dramas with domineering men and submissive women and is more or less fed up with the very fact, I suggest you to watch this show. The acting is superb, the supporting casts exist to create drama necessary for the storyline and the wardrobe is amazing! The vocabs about traditional Japanese confectionary are also helpful and unique. A totally worthy drama to watch in your spare time!
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