Two Polar Opposites in Love and Passions that Makes You Believe in Love Again - Kikazaru Koi niwa Riyuu ga Atte (J-Drama)

Kikazaru Koi niwa Riyuu ga Atte | There's a Reason for the Love I'm Wearing

Hello... It's been a while (a few years to be exact) since the last time I watched J-Drama... I think the last time I watched a Japanese drama was around 3 years ago and after that... I'm not sure what I have been watching or enjoying during the time of my hiatus from J-Drama. Maybe I was more into anime and Thai series during that period of time. And since my work at the office has been quite loose lately, I have some free time to watch 1 or 2 episodes of a series per day, and I randomly picked Kikazaru Koi niwa Riyuu ga Atte or Kikazaru Koi for short, to try watching because I always love Kawaguchi Haruna's acting, and although I have never watched any of Yohokama Ryusei's dramas before, his face is really familiar and got me curious. After I finished watching it, it turns out to exceed my expectation. Let's say I thought I'd rate this drama 8/10 at most, but it turns out to be 10/10. This drama tells a story of two main leads with polar opposite personalities as well as completely different principles and values from each other. How? Oke, let's talk about it~

GIF by grrrlsoverdramas on Tumblr

Mashiba Kurumi (Kawaguchi Haruna), our heroine for Kikazaru Koi is career women with tremendous works to do, super-busy women, a perfectionist, determined, and her life always revolve around gadgets, cellphone, and social media because of her profession as Public Relation Officer in el Arco Iris, a company engaged in interior design and interior shop. To help in promoting goods and stuffs produced and sold by her company, Mashiba uses her personal Instagram to share interesting collections and stuffs that she likes, and it's not limited to fashion, she also shares some unique goods, decorations, and things related to interior design. After 5 years of diligently posting and creating beautiful content in her personal IG, Mashiba reaches 100k followers which made her being recognized as a social media influencer. Mashiba is known for her good taste in many things and she aims to become a Buyer in the future just like her Boss whom she's been admiring (read: secretly in love with) since a long time ago. Mashiba also really enjoys and loves her work. However, there is something she really wants to do besides her work and that is to explore the world to look for beautiful and unique things to collect and share with the world.

"While thinking of that someday, I am chased by miscellaneous things. The truth is that I want to go and see the stuff that I find nice." - Mashiba Kurumi

Some useful tips I gathered from Mashiba's profession to help to increase our social media engagement are: post an IG (Instagram) Story or an IG post at least 3 times a day, during 6 to 8 AM commuting time when people are mostly going to work, during lunchtime at 12 AM to 1 PM, and during golden hours at 7 PM to 10 PM when people are returning home. Mashiba even has an alarm for a reminder to do all of those social media activities and now I kinda follow her steps by setting an alarm to post on my friend's fashion brand's social media which I help to manage. The alarm is really useful for my forgetful self.

Kawaguchi Haruna as Mashiba always wears so many beautiful outfits which makes me want to shop for new clothes so I could go to work in my level 10 and have my wardrobe filled with my favorite things too. And her portrayal as Mashiba is so good here. I guess this is by far my favorite role from her.

GIF by movielosophy on Tumblr

Fujino Shun (Yokohama Ryusei), the total opposite of Mashiba who is glued to her gadget and cellphone, it's been a few years since the last time Shun stopped using his cellphone. When most people nowadays mostly have their eyes glued to their cellphone in the bust or commuter line or wherever they are, Shun prefers to enjoy the scenery and everything around him and talking with strangers he met on his way. Shun manages a food truck named Fuji Bal all by himself. Shun is a professional chef specially for Spanish Cuisines, but due to some things in the past, he stopped working as a professional chef and decided to start and manage an independent business through his food truck where he can travel to many places and serve the foods to many people as free as he wants. Shun is a free soul, he doesn't like being tied to rules or values which doesn't suit him and he doesn't care about other people's opinion. Those who see Shun from the outside will think that Shun enjoys his life to the fullest with his carefree self, but the truth is, Shun has many regrets from the past which he still unable to let go of until now.

"No matter how depressed you get about the outside world... Even if things don't go the way you want it to, it will be fine as long as you have all this. The sky, water, and air..." - Fujino Shun

This is the first time I watched Yokohama Ryusei and he's already impressed me a lot. I really like his portrayal as Shun who is so cheerful, extrovert, and bubbly, while Ryusei himself is a total introvert who's very quiet in real life. His switch from Ryusei to Shun is amazing, he looks so natural. Will totally check more of Yokohama Ryusei's dramas in the future!

Mashiba's room and Shun's room

When a perfectionist social media influencer and a simple minimalist meet and live together...

One of the most interesting things from this drama is seeing how opposite the values that Mashiba and Shun hold. This becomes so clear when destiny decided to make these two live together under the same roof of a Share House owned by their friend, Kouko-san, a middle-aged woman who lives with only her dog, Kouji. Let's elaborate it a little bit:

💄 Mashiba's room is full of pretty clothes and things she collects. If she likes something, she will immediately buy it and share it on her social media.

👓 Shun only has a few clothes and two chairs in his room. He's a minimalist who only keeps the things he treasures the most and never wants to get attached to something.

💄 Mashiba has to prepare her look and nails for hours after she got home and before she's going to work. Mashiba says that she has to be on LEVEL 10 when she goes outside no matter for what occasion. She must always look presentable.

👓 Shun doesn't care about appearance or anyone's opinion about him. His working outfit and his stay-at-home outfit are the same, no matter what occasion it is. 

💄 Mashiba is all about perfect planning and preparation. When she does something, she put all of her best effort into it.

👓 Shun is all about spontaneous action and go with the flow type of person.

💄 Due to her work as a social media influencer and managing the company's social media, Mashiba always feels that she always has to be ready 24/7 to work even during her off days.

👓 Shun doesn't want his resting time being disturbed by his work. He separates his on and off days.

There are still many things I'd like to list, to be honest, but those are pretty much sum up how the heaven and earth differences that Mashiba and Shun possessed cause them to bicker and fight in the beginning.... because the values and principles they hold are very different from each other. What I really love about Kikazaru Koi is how those differences didn't make the couple have never-ending misunderstandings, Mashiba and Shun instead keep learning to understand and to respect each other because they actually communicated in a healthy way (yes guys, communication actually works... can you believe that? 😭), they explain to each other every time they face problems or have a different opinion until they both reach mutual understanding. For example, when Mashiba doesn't force Shun to use his cellphone again and only suggest him why she would like him to use it sometimes when they cannot meet in person, and although in the beginning, Shun said he doesn't want to be tied by any social rules or things like that, in the end, he decided to use his cellphone again because he wants to communicate with those who are precious for him.

GIF by seawherethesunsets on Tumblr

Mashiba and Shun learn to understand that principles and values they hold, even when they're different, they are what's best for them as an individual, then they also learn to adapt and share each other's values when they learn that it's useful for their growth. For example, Mashiba learns to separate her work hours and her resting time, that it is okay for her sometimes to let loose and be casual sometimes when she's tired, and to enjoy the things around her and doing a social media detox when she needs it sometimes.

Shun also learns that it isn't a bad thing if we sometimes are mindful of other people's opinion and feelings, especially those things can be useful and help his growth and come from those who love him and cared for him. Shun also start to be braver and taking more challenges to improve himself and face his past regrets and mistakes head-on after he saw how Mashiba never gives up and always gives her 100% effort in everything, of course, Shun adapted some of Mashiba's values without losing the core of his own values and personality who still loves freedom above anything else. 

Amazing development both in characters and relationship between each character 

Another thing that I really love from Kikazaru Koi is how every character plays a significant role, how everyone has their own imperfection as well as their own strength in such a realistic way, and how everyone has an amazing character growth without losing their own values as well. 

They have satisfying development in term of relationship between each character as well... in the beginning, despite living in the same Share House, they all are such individual people, only think of themselves and mind their own business, then slowly they start to open up to each other and care of each other and eventually become a strong support system for each other. The growth in their relationship is also shown in such a realistic way, it wasn't being rushed, it makes us feel like we are also being drawn into their growing friendship that keeps getting stronger and stronger in every episode.

Their individual worries and struggles as 27+ yo adults and older is something that I can truly relate to. Surprisingly... I feel like I can understand all of them, or I can see a bit of myself in each of them. So, when I watch how they slowly overcoming those worries and struggles, it feels like I'm getting a warm hug from them too.

Special Mention and Appreciation to the 2nd Male Lead

Mashiba Kurumi's 1st love and someone he looks up to, President Hayama Shogo (Osamu Mukai) has such a powerful presence in the series, not in a love rival kind of way that makes you hate him... but he actually makes you feel inspired. More than Shun's rival or Mashiba's 1st love, Hayama Shogo is more like a teacher for everyone and becomes the key that opens up the door of courage for Mashiba and everyone around him to start doing what they love. His adventurous and spontaneous soul is very similar to Shun, while his persistence and love for beautiful and unique products and things and his dream to support creators are similar to  Mashiba... He's always on his journey to find new treasures. Of course, there are things he has to sacrifice too but he lives his life to the fullest, finding the things he loves. Hayama also put important values in the company he leads and the things he sells... like how he wants to keep supporting eco-friendly products, how to help the original creator, and to put meaning in the things he sells and shares... these are the things that Mashiba learns from him and helps Mashiba to reach to this point of success. 

"If you only want to do things when that someday comes, such someday will not come. I only have now to do it!" - Hayama Shogo
___

GIF by maggiezw2 on Tumblr

With such a powerful 2nd male lead, don't worry... Mashiba and Shun are also powerful as individuals and as couples and Kawaguchi Haruna and Yokohama Ryusei really have amazingly natural chemistry when portraying them. Sure, they both have their imperfection and strength too, and the heaven and earth differences that they both have may seem like something that will not work out in a relationship,  but you know what makes Kakazaru Koi amazing? These two actually work for their relationship and communication and for each other. Even when they probably couldn't understand the problem that they face in their job because they are in different fields of work, or when they can't understand the different values they have and why those things could make them feel worthless or sad, they are trying to cheer each other up every time with real action. Both of them are doing their best to reach their best potential for their own happiness so they will be able to stand by each other's side. Every episode always makes me feel like I'm getting the warmest hug... It's really one of the best things I've watched in a while and I feel like I will go back to this drama whenever I feel down. So many amazing lessons in each episode which you can relate and make you feel like you're getting a gentle push in the back when you feel down. I'd recommend Kikazaru Koi niwa Riyuu ga Atte to everyone I know for real... Jk. 

But seriously, give Kikazaru Koi a try and I promise it will be worthy of your time. The colors are so pretty, the foods, the fashion, the paintings, and things that Mashiba collects and shares in the drama are pretty too, and she makes it seem like making a pretty IG Story is fun. Mashiba and Shun have one of the most natural interactions and chemistry I've seen in Jdramas or any dramas. It's really nice to watch them in love and make me feel single but I'm okay with that. I'll let their romance and love fill the void inside my heart 😭

GIF by seawherethesunsets on Tumblr

I hope you enjoy this longer-than-originally-planned review. Have a nice day and let's wish we will find our own Mashiba or Shun in our lives ❤

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. 

GIF by by shinees on Tumblr

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

GIF by by banghae on Tumblr

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

Screencap by babiesfortheroad on Tumblr

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.

GIF by doramaticbites on Tumblr

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.

GIF by  adachisyuto on Tumblr

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.

GIF by manydramaslittletime on Tumblr

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!

Manazashi - Honey L Days (Lyrics and English Translation)

I watched Jdrama called "Tumbling" again a few days ago and now it kinda becomes a drama that I keep repeating whenever I want to watch a good story. I remember watching it a few years ago and I remember it left a great impression on me, but I don't remember why. Lately, after I finished two episodes of Jdrama, Voice and Ourobros, I felt the need to watch something light and fun, but I don't want to watch something new because I'm afraid it will be good and I ended up can't stop it, so I picked Tumbling because I've watched it. Well, it turns out that I forgot so many things and it ended up felt new to me and I became obsessed with how great it was 😂 

I especially love the theme song they used because it fits the story and it fits me so well. This song speaks to me on a spiritual level and that's why I have to put it here because this song truly encouraged me 💚 

Listen to the song below with some awesome clips from Tumbling 😁

Artist: Honey L Days

Song Title: まなざし (Manazashi; Outlook)

Single: Manazashi

Track Number: 1

Released: 2010

Lyrics By: KYOHEI & heroism

Kudara nee to haki sutete mo

They say I'm worthless,

Kawarenai jibun ga iru

and I'm determined to never change, I am here.

Kao o agete fumidasu shikanain da

I can do nothing more than lift my head and move forward

To wakatteru kedo

I understand that though

Gomakase nai no wa kuyashisa no namida

Shedding tears of regret, I cannot lie,

Jamasase nai kara oretachi no ashita

Because our tomorrow won't be disturbed.

Tsuyoku tsuyoku takaku toberu hazu sa

Strongly, strongly, highly, I will fly,

Saidai ni jimen keri agete

Kicking off from the ground completely.

Zutto

Forever

Oikakete oikakete

I'll chase, I'll chase

Hitasura ni kono yume o

this dream diligently.

Oogesa na chizu wa iranai

I don't need a big map.

Kakedashite kakedashite

Rushing, rushing,

Massugu ni michi naki michi o

I'll travel a road without a trail

Gamushara na manazashi o

with a reckless outlook,

Ashita e

towards tomorrow.

Nasake nee to iware nakute mo

They said merciless things,

Kizuiteru jibun ga ita

and I knew it, I was there.

Magetaku nai kokoro dake ga

My heart won't bend the outlook

Ashita o tsunagu manazashi

it has connected to tomorrow.

Ari no mama ikite omoishiru yowasa

Living as I realize my weaknesses,

Akirame nai koto shinji nuku koto

I won't give up, I will believe.

Tsuyoku tsuyoku takaku toberu hazu sa

Strongly, strongly, highly, I will fly,

Nando mo jimen keri agete

Kicking off from the ground repeatedly.

Zutto

Forever,

Oikakete oikakete

I'll chase, I'll chase

Hitasura ni kono yume o

This dream diligently.

Tomedonai kibou o mune ni

The hope in my heart is endless.

Kakedashite kakedashite

Rushing, rushing,

Massugu ni michi naki michi o

I'll travel a road without a trail,

Yuzurenai manazashi o

Never surrendering my outlook,

Ashita e

Towards tomorrow

Mayoi kurushimi sutesaru nara

If I abandon the confusing pain

Ashita wa nai kara

Because there's no tomorrow,

Tatoe donna konnan ga michi o tozashite mo

No matter what difficulties may block my path,

Itsuka wa itsuka wa mugen no sora o koete...

Someday, someday I'll cross that endless sky...

Zutto

Forever,

Oikakete oikakete

I'll chase, I'll chase

Hitasura ni kono yume o

This dream diligently.

Oogesa na chizu wa iranai

I don't need a big map.

kakedashite kakedashite

Rushing, rushing,

Massugu ni michi naki michi o

I'll travel a road without a trail

Gamushara na manazashi o

With a reckless outlook.

Zutto

Forever,

Oikakete oikakete

I'll chase, I'll chase

Hitasura ni kono yume o

This dream diligently.

Oogesa na chizu wa iranai

I don't need a big map.

Kakedashite kakedashite

Rushing, rushing,

Massugu ni michi naki michi o

I'll travel a road without a trail

Gamushara na manazashi o

With a reckless outlook,

Ashita e

Towards tomorrow.

English Translation by https://musicbox-trans.livejournal.com/

Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo 2 (Jdrama)

It's been a while....

So, I decided that I will be writing about Japanese stuffs again from now, be it Jdrama reviews or just my fangirling over Hey! Say! JUMP, because guess what? I'm back to the fandom after 3 years of hiatus and I've never felt so alive before, LOL. Just kidding. I just find them as one of my important source of happiness and I'm glad that I could write about them again instead of my anxieties. So, without further ado, I will start from Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo 2 review. Here we go~

The story

Following the success of ItaKiss - Love in Tokyo, they continue the series to season 2 which tells about the marriage life of Naoki Irie (Yuki Furukawa) and Kotoko Irie (Miki Honoka), which really is a good thing for us who have been longing to see more romantic side of Naoki as a husband, lol 😂 

This season, Naoki also transferred to Medical Science Departments of Tonan University to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. Although Naoki and Kotoko have finally married, Naoki's quiet and cold behavior hasn't changed much, especially during the first few months of their married life which gives Kotoko anxieties and questioned herself a lot about whether Naoki really loves her or not. Naoki didn't even register their marriage to the ward office because he wanted to make sure that he makes his father's company succeed before he left it to pursue his medical major. He didn't tell Kotoko what's on his mind and it made Kotoko sad and they fought quite terribly. Later, Naoki realized that he needs to put Kotoko's feelings first, and Kotoko learns to believe in Naoki more even when he doesn't tell her anything, she needs to believe that Naoki will not deceive her.

The main story is pretty much the same as other adaptations. In this season, Kotoko also decided to transfer to Medical Sciences Department to become a nurse in order to be helpful for Naoki, and be closer to Naoki. Kotoko meets a new group of friends who become her team to finish every medical task. These new friends have quite absurd personalities, but they will become her good friends for the entire series. I was kinda annoyed at first to see her do this only for Naoki, it feels like her resolve and life only revolves around Naoki, but Kotoko learns that being a nurse and working in the medical field is not as simple as that and there are so many responsibilities she has to bear. Kotoko will also learn the importance of human life, the role of doctor and nurse, and more importantly, she learns to love her job wholeheartedly and not only because of Naoki.

One of Kotoko's friends in the group is Keita Kamogari (Arata Horii), a very handsome and casual guy who's passionate about his dream of becoming a nurse. Keita is a considerate person and he loves to take care of people. He was annoyed at Kotoko's clumsiness at first but later he grows respect for her perseverance and he becomes concerned about her when Naoki acted mean and seemed to never care about Kotoko. Keita thought that he would be a better partner for Kotoko because he will never make Kotoko sad the way Naoki did to her. 

A Genius and Jealousy

Keita told Naoki that as a husband, Naoki did a poor job in taking care of Kotoko. Although Kotoko has told Keita that Naoki never spoiled her and always push her to go beyond her limit (in a good way), Keita still strongly disliked Naoki. Naoki who has noticed Keita's different concern and behavior towards Kotoko felt something he never felt before: jealousy. Naoki who doesn't understand this unpleasant feeling took it upon Kotoko and becomes so cold towards her. Naoki himself doesn't understand why he acted that way towards Kotoko, but later when he consulted it with Kinnosuke Ikezawa (Yuki Yamada), he learns that the unpleasant feelings he felt in his heart are just jealousy. Naoki was surprised by Kinnosuke's answer and realized that he was really being jealous. At the same time, he admired Kinnosuke for being really strong in enduring such troublesome emotions for six years (lol now you know how troublesome it is to be in love, right? 😉)

Doctor and Nurse

As husband and wife who work in the medical field, the couple faced so many problems, Kotoko got bullied by her jealous seniors because she is the wife of the famous Naoki Irie, she had to face random patients who have a crush on Naoki and treated Kotoko as an enemy and was forced to live separately from Naoki who had to work at Kobe's hospital for few years. Kotoko learns not to be selfish. Even with all her clumsiness, she never gives up to be a proper nurse and be accepted by her fellow nurses and patients. Although she makes a lot of mistakes, she realized that she grows more love towards her job and cared a lot about the well-being of her patients, not only their body health but their heart as well. The fact that Naoki is going to be a doctor makes Kotoko loves her profession even more. Kotoko doesn't even remember that the one who made Naoki wanted to be a doctor was Kotoko herself, which I find really sweet ❤

Naoki's Character Development

The cold-hearted, annoying, expressionless Naoki we saw in Season 1 is slowly disappeared in season 2, although he never once loses his cool, sassy nature, as he learns to be a proper doctor, Naoki not only able to master the medical knowledge, he also learns to connect with people around him and appreciate them. Naoki becomes friends with Kinnosuke is one of many proofs that he no longer valued people based on their academic grades only, Naoki also doesn't seem bothered by Kotoko's big family who are filled with loud, clumsy, and "less smart" people, even when Kotoko was ashamed by their behavior. Naoki shows great respect and treats them with kindness and respect. The old Naoki would never do such things 😂

Naoki learns to be more understanding of Kotoko's feelings and make sure that she would never question his love for her. No matter how many times Kotoko felt insecure about her own worth, Naoki's never got tired to show her that she is the only one for him. The scene when Naoki came to visit Kotoko's mother's tomb put me in tears. He loves Kotoko so much and he really cared about her. This Naoki gives such a warm feeling to people around him.

Kinnosuke's Happy Ending

We saw how much Kin-chan suffered in season one because of his unrequited love for Kotoko. We saw how much effort he put to make Kotoko happy even when it's breaking his own heart. In this season, we finally get to see Kinnosuke gets his own happiness. Christine Robbins (Noemie Nakai) is a beautiful girl from England who came as an exchange student at Tonan University and became Kotoko's friend, she and Kotoko later visited Aihara Restaurant and met Kinnosuke. Chris fell in love with Kinnosuke at first sight and has been approaching him ever since. But since Kinnosuke still has feelings for Kotoko, he ignored her and tells her a lot of mean things. Kinnosuke doesn't realize that he started develops feelings for her and when Chris finally decided to give up and leave Japan, Kinnosuke chase after her. Although Kinnosuke still didn't admit that he likes her, his effort was enough to make Chris stays in Japan longer. They later work together at Aihara and Tonan's canteen and getting closer and closer. Chris's cheerful personality matched Kinnosuke's and after they overcome so many obstacles, they got married and declared that they will be the best couple that rival Kotoko and Naoki. It's nice to see Kin-chan gets his happy ending and find someone who loves him wholeheartedly and he loves her as well. 

History Repeats Itself

Yuki Irie, Naoki's little brother, found himself in the same circumstances as his brother. Konomi Sagawa, a girl from class F has a crush on him and wanted to be his friend, but she was afraid to ask him because she was not confident with herself for being in class F. With Kotoko's help, Yuki noticed Konomi's existence but rejected her straight away, saying that he hates stupid girl. Kotoko encouraged Konomi to work hard so she would be in the Top 100 at the school exam to impress Yuki. Kotoko offered to teach her at home which allowed her to see Yuki. Although Kotoko promised that she would teach her, she was unable to do that because Kotoko doesn't really like studying. Naoki who saw all these decided to teach Konomi and found that she is fast at understanding things. As Naoki continues to teach her, Yuki gets mad at Konomi for disturbing his brother at his home. Yuki promised that he will be the one who teaches her and get her into the Top 100. The two developed a closer friendship which continues until years later. It's just a matter of time until Yuki finally admits that he has fallen for Konomi. Although Konomi appeared to be stupid at first, she's could learn something fast, and her character isn't loud and annoying. The annoying part might have been filled with Yuki's character since he's such a naughty brat, lol.

Overall, this version was really enjoyable and made me squealed a lot because of the overloaded cuteness in it. I also love all the hospital scenes and it's really inspiring to see Naoki and Kotoko work as a Doctor and Nurse. A lot of people want to have season 3 but I'm satisfied with the ending the way it was. I don't want to see any feud between Kotoko and her daughter fighting over Naoki's attention like in the anime. So, this ending where Kotoko and Naoki replaced the words "I Love You" with "Nothing" is already more than enough. They no longer need words to understand each other.

PS: All of the gifs were taken from tumblr and google. Feel free to message me if you want to be credited or want me to take it down. Jaa :)

Face the Fear and Solve the Crime with Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Neo (Jdrama)

 

It's been a while since the last time I wrote about Jdrama. I decided to write about Kindaichi 2014 because I got so hooked on this drama. It's one of those dramas I would re-watch many times and never get bored. It's a live-action drama from the famous manga Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo. This has been the xxx times that Ryosuke plays the role of detective. I heard the mangaka was especially waiting for him to grow up to play as Kindaichi. How interesting is that? If you like comedy, detective, mystery, thriller, and romance mixed as one, this will be your cup of tea.

This drama revolves around a high school student named Hajime Kindaichi (Ryosuke Yamada). A grandson of a famous detective, Kousuke Kindaichi. Hajime has an IQ of 180, but instead of using it to study, he uses his intelligence to analyze the size of a woman's boobs (he's a pervert indeed, but in a comedy way lol) and doing silly stuff. Hajime's ability in reading kanji is also very poor that he often misunderstands the true meaning of the words. Hajime always lives so carefreely, but behind his foolishness, Hajime able to solve various difficult cases, just like his grandfather. That's why he has a good relationship with Kenmochi Isamu, the police detective, and often helps him solve difficult cases that seemed impossible. Along with his childhood friend, Miyuki Nanase (Haruna Kawaguchi), and his kouhai (junior) Saki Ryuji (Daiki Arioka), Hajime tried to uncover the truth behind many mysteries and murders which happened around him.

The series also highlighted the rivalry between Hajime and Youchi Takato (Hiroki Narimiya), a villain who called himself the crime producer, a puppet master from hell. Takato made the crime scenarios to lead those who have grudges on certain people to be able to fulfill their revenge by murdering their enemies in the most horrific way. Takato always able to escape from the police by disguising himself as many different people. He challenges Hajime to solve the mysteries behind the murder tricks he made.

Takato never knew his true father and been abandoned since he was a kid. Hajime somehow believes that Takato has human emotion too behind his evilness, and after some incidents between them, Hajime promised that someday he would find Takato's father.

What makes this drama interesting for me?

1. Ryosuke's many faces

Ryosuke as Kindaichi was able to show his really dorky side so well, and suddenly in one second, he could also change into a completely different character: genius and calm. He can be foolish and cool at the same time, like you want to repeat all of his foolish scenes because it's so hilarious but you also want to see his serious side when he solves those cases. The character he portrays is really entertaining, his foolishness seems so natural and you don't get bored watching him (thanks to his extremely beautiful face too) 😁

2. Hajime and Miyuki's relationship

Romance is not the main focus of this kind of drama, but we can see clearly that Hajime and Miyuki actually have soft spot for each other, and Hajime is so protective of her. Some silliness between the two childhood friends were shown nicely, it makes you want to have a childhood friend whom you can fall in love with LOL. It's not exaggerated, and yet still makes you squealed over their cute chemistry.

3. The cases were based on its original manga

Especially if you're a fan of the manga, you can look forward to watching how the cases in the manga being adapted into live-action. But they also made it different so you can still try to solve the puzzles along with Hajime. This is one of the best detective dramas I have ever watched.

4. Takato's charm despite of his evilness

Hiroki totally makes a good portrayal as the sadistic and evil Takato, but at the same time, he can steal your heart with his brilliant acting and charisma. The intense look and coldness around him made you scared but you also want to love him in episode 9 when he saved his sister. Hiroki made Takato's character which was scary in the manga becomes more likable.

Japan is the best when it comes to the suspense and thriller genres. You really feel the intense mystery. I can't even watch it at night because it's too scary for me. I wish they will make the 2nd season for this drama with the same actors, since Ryosuke and Haruna still look like high school students, and the story is great as well. I still want Akechi's character to be adapted in live action too. That would be interesting. And I strongly recommend this drama to everyone. I hope this will be your reference in choosing good Jdramas to watch.

Thank you for reading, bye bye :)

PS: The gifs were taken from Tumblr. Feel free to tell me if you want me to take it down or put credits!

Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo (Jdrama)

Another adaptation from a phenomenal manga is here: Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo. This is the 4th live-action that I watched, from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, even Indonesia. Now, Japan has come with its new version of ItaKiss with brand new actors. I personally think this is the best version of all. Now, without further ado, let's jump to the story!

The Story

The epic story is started with the love confession from Kotoko Aihara (Miki Honoka) to Naoki Irie (Yuki Furukawa). She's got rejected immediately. After three years of secretly crushing on this guy, Kotoko's first love flipped by just like that. Kotoko learned Naoki's true character: behind the intelligence and his charming face, Naoki is nothing but an annoying, cold-hearted, arrogant person. Kotoko regrets that she wasted her high school life crushing on someone like Naoki. From this onwards, unexpected fate and incidents start to happen in Kotoko's life. All of sudden, Kotoko's new house got hit by a meteor/shooting star (LOL seriously... 😂) and crushed it down. Kotoko and her father must find a new place to stay.  The family who offered help to The Aihara happened to be The Irie family. Apparently, Shigeo Aihara, Kotoko's father, and Shigeki Irie, Naoki's father were best friends. Kotoko and her father start living in Irie's house until they find a new home. Kotoko couldn't help but felt a little excited because she still likes Naoki after all, but Naoki made it clear to her that he hates stupid women. 

They Make Each Other a Better Person

Naoki who never faced any challenges or hardships found Kotoko as her first trial who ruined his peaceful life. He never gets so many troubles as much as when he is with Kotoko. Naoki started becoming more human and shows emotions and feelings. Naoki was annoyed with this change, but at the same time, he felt a weird excitement that he never felt before. After helping Kotoko studied and see how hardworking she is, Naoki's perspective about her changed little by little, although he never showed it, he has faith that Kotoko will be able to reach her goal because of her perseverance. Kotoko, who's always been living so carefree and has no goal other than getting Naoki's love, has also started thinking about her dreams and do something for her life. Although she is not as smart as other people and her cooking skill sucks, she learned to be better at studying and as the time passed, she is more responsible for things which entrusted to her. Even her cooking skills improved. They are completing each other.

The Growing Relationship

Although it seemed like the relationship between Kotoko and Naoki has gotten better, there's always something that makes Naoki back to his annoying behavior. But he has gotten more protective about her in the way that Kotoko doesn't understand because Kotoko is quite slow at understanding things, she's still thinking that nothing has changed between her and Naoki although compared to their first meeting, Naoki sure doesn't think of Kotoko as a nuisance anymore and has become a very important person to Naoki.

Naoki learns to appreciate Kotoko more

I like how Naoki, little by little, changes to be a better and nicer person because of his encounter with Kotoko. They come to understand each other and Naoki learned about the meaning of hard work. Although he thought of Kotoko as a nuisance at first, he starts to appreciate her more.

Jealousy

Naoki started to feel strange emotions, he gets angry with Kotoko's friendship with Kinnosuke Ikezawa (Yuki Yamada), Kotoko's best friend who has a crush on Kotoko. Naoki may seem cool and careless about everyone else, but he didn't realize he felt a strong rivalry with Kinnosuke, although he always underestimates him because he is from class F. Naoki always makes sure that Kotoko will never fall for anyone else but him.

Naoki believes in Kotoko's capability

Naoki always being rude to Kotoko and hates her so much to the point that he didn't want to walk with her at the beginning of the story. He always underestimates her, but as they started living together, Naoki realized that Kotoko has strong perseverance to reach her goal and since then he knows he can push Kotoko beyond her limit to help her reach what she wants. He knows Kotoko will never give up.

Naoki is becoming more gentle towards Kotoko

You can see that Naoki's behavior towards Kotoko has changed as time passed. He in the past wouldn't even care about her, but as he develops feelings for Kotoko, he does not hesitate to show his feelings, although Kotoko is still clueless about that.

Mischievous Kiss to Fairy Tale Kiss

At the end of their high school days, Kotoko decided to give up on Naoki because Naoki made fun of her feelings in front of their classmates and insulted her friends. Naoki, furious with Kotoko's decision, suddenly kissed her only to make her unable to forget him easily. Naoki barely realized that he was actually jealous of Kotoko's intimate friendship with Kinnosuke, and being provoked by Kinnosuke's statement about who will steal Kotoko from him. That mischievous kiss was their first kiss. The second kiss took a very different scene and circumstances. Kotoko helped Naoki's brother when he got a sudden stomachache which threatened his life and brought him to the hospital. At that time, Naoki was busy working and didn't answer any calls. When he learned the situation, he realized he had caused troubles to Kotoko, but Kotoko still helps him anyway. Naoki then realized how important Kotoko for him, and kissed her when she was sleeping.

The Best ItaKiss Adaptation, and here's why:

1. Miki Honoka is perfect as Kotoko. She has this natural adorable gesture that is not annoying to look at, she can bring out the clumsiness and cuteness from Kotoko's character without exaggerating it. Kotoko's character looks young, lively, fun, and you fall in love with her as you watch her grow and more mature. She is not clinging on to Irie-kun all the time and even stands up for herself. Her life does not revolve around Irie-kun, unlike the other versions of Kotoko, this Kotoko is more independent. She isn't so stupid either and we can see her improving her cooking skill and studying.

2. Yuki Furukawa is Naoki Irie in real life

He is fluent in English and graduates from the same major as Naoki's first major in college, Yuki Furukawa is truly Naoki Irie in real life, although he's much nicer lol. In other adaptations, the one who portrayed his character is acting a bit exaggerated that somehow they lost the unique and typical character of Irie-kun who is supposed to be cool, introverted, and ignorant with the things around him. This version stays faithful to Irie's character until the end, only he becomes nicer towards people around him, but he doesn't change his poker face nor his introvert side.

3. The best Kin-chan

In this adaptation, Kinnosuke is not just comedy relief. He actually becomes Naoki's rival and true second lead character. He has very good chemistry with Kotoko and his feeling is not just a crush, it makes you want to support him somehow. We got to see the growth of his character and how he becomes a professional chef. We even get to see the best part of him like when he kept supporting Kotoko despite his own broken heart, and how he scolded Naoki who has been acting too ignorant towards people around him, including his family, and made Naoki learned the value of people who are precious to him. In terms of appearance and school grades based on the story, Kinnosuke may lose to Naoki (although in real life, both actors are actually so handsome!), but as a person, we get to see that he is a better human being compared to Naoki and somehow Naoki learned a lot from him.

4. The Iconic Things

- The morning coffee Kotoko made for Naoki.
It is stated in the manga that the only thing Kotoko's good at is making a coffee, and this becomes an iconic thing in this adaptation. Naoki always looks calm and satisfied, somehow surprised, when he drinks Kotoko's coffee. Whenever he drinks coffee made by Kotoko, it seems like he just drank the most delicious coffee in the world. It makes you wonder what kind of magic that Kotoko has put in it that makes Naoki seems to enjoy it so much. This coffee thing does not exist in other adaptations.

- The shooting star
This is the thing that hit Kotoko's house which results in her living together with Naoki's family. The probability of a house getting hit by a meteor is one in a million, and whenever Kotoko or Naoki sees a shooting star, they are reminded of their fateful meeting.

- Walking together with 3 meters distance
This is the first rule that Naoki gave to Kotoko when they began to live together. Since they have to go to school together, but Naoki didn't want to get close to Kotoko to avoid any stupid rumors, he told Kotoko that she can walk behind him at a 3-meter distance. Although it seemed annoying at first, they always do this whenever they're walking to school or college together, in every season and at different times.

I absolutely love the wedding scene too, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I hope you enjoy my review and this can be your reference in choosing good J-dramas. Love from the Itakiss family.

PS: All of the gifs were taken from Tumblr and Google. Feel free to message me if you want to be credited or want me to take it down. Jaa, sayonara :)