Everything is Possible (and FUN) when You Do It with Style and Pretty Dreams - Jimi ni Sugoi (Jdrama)

Jimi ni Sugoi!

Pretty Proofreader

Whoaaa... I haven't written anything here since February, now it's almost the end of May already June. Yeah, I kept this in the draft for a while and wasn't able to bring myself to write but now I'm ready. But before we get to the review, Ramadhan Mubarak everyone!! We've reached a blissful month once again, Alhamdulillah. May our fast and deeds are accepted by Allah SWT 😉

This drama is titled Jimi ni Sugoi (Simplicity is Great) starring the always adorable Satomi Ishihara, Suda Masaki, and Tsubasa Honda. The official English title for this drama is Pretty Proofreader. It's also based on the novel "Koetsu Garu" by Ayako Miyagi. 

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This drama was released in 2016, and yes, I always late at picking up new dramas, I'm sorry for waiting for the subtitles to be finished instead of blindly watching it with zero Japanese knowledge 😋 But seriously, I'm really thankful that I decided to watch it. Satomi has always been one of my favorite Japanese actresses and I'm glad that the drama itself is really wonderful, it is the kind of story that a hopeless adult who's struggling to find meaning in her job like me needed now 😤

The Story

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Meet Etsuko Kono (Satomi Ishihara), a 28-year-old extrovert woman who loves fashion and aspired to become a fashion editor at Lassy Magazine, Keibonsha. For 7 years, Etsuko has been applying for the same position at Keibonsha without ever giving up until one day she finally got accepted, but instead of being assigned at Lassy, Etsuko was sent to work at Proofreading Department. Her job is to correct errors and inadequate parts of documents and copies. Etsuko determined to be transferred to Lassy and reach her goal to be a fashion editor, so she decided to do her job as Proofreader seriously in order to get promoted. Although Etsuko finds the job as a proofreader to be bland and dull at first, she learns to enjoy every second of her work by doing various things to make her job as a Proofreader interesting.

A Kind of Drama that I Needed

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Honestly, I didn't expect that this drama would touch me that much when I first started it. Of course, I already know that Satomi Ishihara will perform brilliantly as always, but this drama is really something that I didn't know I needed until I watched it. Etsuko's character is the kind of person whom I can't relate because of how extrovert and honest she is in speaking her mind, but the way she handled her job and tried many ways to keep her job interesting made me realized that sometimes you don't need to have your dream job to be completely happy. Etsuko was surrounded by co-workers who are also at the state where they felt bored with their job and the repetitive routine, most of her co-workers only doing their job halfheartedly, even when they are doing their dream job. All because they forgot about what makes the job fun.

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There's Tomoko Morio (Tsubasa Honda), Etsuko's junior who's working at Lassy as one of the fashion editor's assistants, a job that Etsuko has been dreaming to have. Tomoko was a model and enjoyed fashion, but she hardly can enjoy her work, mostly because she felt inferior to others and decided to just go with the flow instead of trying her best to prove her worth. She was jealous of Etsuko's outgoing and honest personality that even when she didn't get the job that she wanted, Etsuko was still able to enjoy her job wholeheartedly.

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Then there's Yukito Orihara (Suda Masaki), a talented masked writer who aspired to become a writer but didn't have enough courage to improve his writing and ended up making such boring stories. Etsuko fell in love with Yukito at first sight, didn't realized that she has been proofread one of Yukito's novels. After they get to know each other, Yukito learned that having talent isn't enough to be able to do your dream job, you need to have an open mind and willpower to improve yourself.

Actually, the other side characters are also really interesting and have such an amazing independent story, they have their own struggles in their job too. As a viewer, I can totally relate to all of these character's struggles. I've also been asking the same question. Is it worth it to spend my time doing a job I don't really like or should I try to pursue my dream job? The answer is easy and something I've already known, 'though I didn't like it before. Now I can totally see it from a whole different perspective: It is worth it to spend the day doing a job that you don't like because sadly, not everyone can have their dream job, but as humans, we must keep moving forward and try our best to live. Having your dream job doesn't always mean happiness, if you are not able to improvise and find the happiness in the job that you do, no matter what job you're doing, it would not be interesting. It is okay to keep pursuing your dream job and set a goal, but don't ever stop once you meet failure, don't ever think that life ends there just because you cannot get what you want. The least you can do is trying to do your best in everything to do, even when it is the kind of job that doesn't get acknowledgment from people or you don't get appreciated, just focus on what you're doing, not on what other people think. You never know, but maybe from all these efforts you did, the knowledge you gained will be useful and help you reach your dream. Just be proud of your current work.

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So, like I said before, I really need this drama in my life now, especially when I'm jobless and not sure where to apply for a job. I felt inferior and not confident and I had this strong stubbornness that I won't do anything that doesn't involve my passion. Gosh... How wrong I was. How could I forget that I spent 8 months delightful moments at Zaskia Sungkar Jakarta, doing a job I don't really like at first, but ended up liking it so much and managed to learn new skills like Graphic Design. I shouldn't be too afraid to take on new challenges, it would all be alright in the end as long as I keep learning. No knowledge will go to waste. After I watched this drama, I get this strong encouragement to apply for a job in more varied companies instead of just choosing the ones that I can do. Even if I have to learn from scratch, I won't be afraid anymore. Wish me tons of luck, and thank you for reading!