Usually jdramas tend to downplay the toxic behaviors of the male characters and their questionable actions are perceived as a way to show that, in reality, they really care about the FL and… I am so glad that this drama didn’t follow this pattern !! It’s quite common to see the FL forgiving every disrespectful thing the ML does but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this drama doesn’t romanticize men.
I saw some people being upset at Yuki leaving Sota at the end but it was the right choice to make. Sota spent together with her barely 2 days yet he said he loved her and wanted her to leave her job. He knows nothing about her real personality and him saying he would love her regardless is dumb, he doesn’t really know her so how can he sincerely like her?
Also people don’t realize how bad is not being economically independent. If she accepted his offer she would have become dependent of him… and the entire point of her character is to be free and find her own path. Even Rina, the most submissive character, found her own dream in the end.
It was interesting to see how some female characters were at first introduced as “unlikeable” like Aya and Yua but as the episodes go by we find out their story and their valid perspectives. You can still dislike them but you can also understand their points. Personally Moe’s journey was the hardest to watch. It was pretty sad to see her character’s growth decline and sells her body for a man that clearly thought about her as a client.
The men in here are trash which is realistic. Both Sota and Yudai knew about the FLs jobs and realities yet they wanted to decide for them.
At first Yudai seemed cool about Rina’s situation and knew she never was a sugar baby just for money yet he excepted her to stop.
Sota is the typical loser that idolizes a woman and is obsessive over her but has no idea how she really feels. Also in the end we see Sota with another girl, his new girlfriend and… what if she was another rental girl. His obsession for Yuki might have just been related to her job.
Kaede might be a grey character for some people because you aren’t sure if he cared about Moe (as a client) or if he was just playing her since the start. I personally think he indeed manipulated and exploited her because he knew she didn’t have enough money yet he persuaded her to have a debt. Yua’s boyfriend is the worst man in the drama since he exploited and assaulted her.
My favorite relationship in the show is the friendship between Yuki and Aya, an unexpected pair that really worked out in the end for me. It was definitely sweet to see Aya understanding Yuki and making her feel at ease above all because this is a bit unexpected since Aya is, most of the time, portrayed as a blunt and cold (queen). Another friendship I liked was between Moe and the baristas. It was so sweet seeing them cheer and care for her.
All the stories were interesting and the female characters were amazing. I might watch the second season too and see what new topics and characters they introduced.