Nee Sensei, Shiranai No? (2019)

Unrealistic and weird

This got recommended to me on YouTube so I figured I'll give it a shot I'd really wanted to like this drama, but unfortunately it hit all the wrong spots for me :(

The good bits:
- Decent no. of kiss scenes (if it matters to you cos it does to me)
- REALLY attractive cast (all of them are so good looking)
- OST 'Love' by BOL4 is really nice!

The not so great bits:
- The story is ridiculous. I read a lot of shoujo manga and I know for a fact the ML is always unrealistically, unconditionally in love with the FL, but it being made into a live action doesn't translate well. For one, which guy is gonna be ok with his gf ghosting him for 2 days and turning off her phone and not taking calls? She literally chases him out of her home to draw and work - like why can't he just hang while she's working? I don't get it, am I just jaded? lol
- Story skipped a lot - it's definitely a short dorama but the romance developing was so weird and abrupt.
- Chemistry was lacking, even though the cast are so stupid good looking - what a shame! >_<
- What was that ending?

I finished this drama in a day or less because it's only 6 eps, so I'd only recommend this if you want to add the drama to your list for reasons (?) but I'd say just save your time and skip on this one. Sorry!

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I would have liked some character development/growth

Overall, it's a cute show. Both main actors are very attractive and nice to watch. I don't feel that I would ever need to see this again (mainly because my list is so long for things I still want to watch!)

What I liked:
1. The acting was good.
2. The storyline. I liked that it was the woman that was the workaholic and the man had to wait around for her to have time for him. Riichi (Eiji Akuso) was what I think a lot of women would think are the perfect boyfriend. He was extremely patient with her and the fact that she didn't have time for him. However, there is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief (addressed in what I didn't like)
3. Since it only had a few episodes, all ancillary issues were kept to a minimum. For example, the other girl that liked Riichi (I have to be honest, I liked the way that was handled)
4. The chemistry between the leads was cute, though they actually spent more time apart than together.
5. I loved hearing from the female lead point of view, as well as the male lead point of view.
6. "I wonder when it will be?" Once you watch it you'll understand! But it speaks to Riichi's dedication to Hanai and it was very sweet.

What I didn't like so much:
1. And this is a negative ONLY if you can't suspend disbelief. But a person can only be ignored for so long before they get fed up and move on. I mean, they'd been "dating" for a month and hadn't been on a date? And I don't think that if you are in a relationship it's ever okay to ignore texts and phone calls for days at a time.
2. The multiple times he asked her for a "reward" really bothered me. It's the equivalent of a man taking you to dinner and then expecting you to put out since he spent some money on you.
3. There is actually no character development. They are the same at the end of the show as they are at the beginning. She has learned nothing and doesn't apparently appreciate the fact that she has someone in love with her. His character is the same, but add that he has now become a doormat for a woman that ignores him.

I'll have to admit that the show is kind of thought-provoking. How do you maintain a relationship when you are working all the time? How do you prioritize your time so you can actually have a relationship? How long would you be willing to stay with a person that put you way down on their priority list?

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Pressure for physical affection is not so cool

I didn’t hate this show but I had some beef with it. For one, the male lead was more than a simp. He was a baseboard with a good personality. It was sweet that he put up with her constantly putting work before him, but it was also upsetting to watch her forget about him for weeks at a time. He still got so excited to see her each time. She sometimes would not reply to his messages for several days after reading them.
When he did get to see her, he was constantly asking for sex or to make out! She was clearly shy about it, but he always said things along the lines of, “This is my reward for waiting for you. Don’t I get my reward?”
It made me uncomfortable. In my opinion, he needed to stop pressuring her so much. If she indicated she wasn’t comfortable, he would still push forward.

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A sweet little modern day fairy tale

Let us be totally honest, this show is about a fantasy. There is also hint of "Ode to hard work" buried in the romantic theme. Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed the show and it was a short and a fun watch. The ML is just too perfect. Sure, he was/is a workaholic himself but he certainly enables the FL and supports her (hard) work ethnics 120%. It was never really explained why he fell so hard for the FL but ask no questions and you are given no lies. Not exactly realistic but this is dramaland where they love to throw improbable scenarios at viewer. Other than that, it is low angst, sweet rom-com with a nice amount of skinship. It is even rewatchable as it is so short.

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At first, all I thought about this drama was, cute, unrealistic but cute. A guy like Riichi doesn't exist outside of a manga/drama. But looking back, I realized why he was so seemingly perfect, why he so willingly tolerated that Hanai forgot about him while working, that she didn't respond to his messages, that she let him wait for hours...

Because while Riichi was building his own career, he did exactly that to his own girlfriends. He simply didn't have time for them and they interpreted it as him not caring but he did, he just had million other things on his mind trying to make something of himself. So he knew the truth and he was willing to go on a limb, be patient and wait for Hanai to reach success. Until then, he would be there to support her.

Also, I loved that there were no jealous backstabbers. The guy who liked Hanai and the actress who like Riichi, they accepted that they had no chance and moved on while staying friends with the object of their erstwhile desire. I thought that was really nice.

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Alguns j-dramas deixam a desejar...

Hanai Ao é uma romancista de mangá que faz todo o possível para dar seu melhor no trabalho, virar a noite e até esquecer que é uma pessoa de carne e osso que precisa cuidar da aparência.

Um dia em que o trabalho não vai bem e recebe uma bronca do seu editor, percebe que faz tempo que não lava o cabelo e entra num salão. É assim que conhece o Riichi, um cabelereiro que não só muda o visual dela, mas também acaba se apaixonando à primeira vista.

Curti a história sendo contado com os dois pontos de vista. Riichi é um cara muito apaixonado, que não liga se a namorada trabalha horas a mais, é atento e preocupado. E Hanai, como nunca namorou, aprende a como alocar o namorado em sua vida agitada.

É um jdrama com apenas 6 episódios e com um final feliz, porém inconclusivo. Uma coisa que não gostei muito é a falta de toque físico e beijos sem graça. Tem? Sim! Mas parece que para a protagonista é um grande sacrifício encostar a boca na do boy. Esse exagero de inocência me estressa, e por isso tirei mais uma estrela.

Eu gostei do ator, mas nem tanto da atriz. No entanto, achei a trama legal, principalmente os conflitos na agenda e um terceiro interesse amoroso que não complica demais a trama.

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Watch if only and only if you are a die hard fan of the male lead

First of all, I don't get the point of this story. I can't understand why he fell in love with the girl. Was it because he saw a bit of himself in her?

Then, I don't get how he is passive aggressively forcing her to get into a physical relationship with him. Yes, he's patient and sweet and very kind to her, there is no doubt of that. But while I like that about him, i see no reason to like the female character and here is where this story fails.

The FC is boring, clueless and doesn't seem to have any standout characteristics that would make me want to listen to her dull story.

The side characters like the actress of the manga, the sensei's assistant as well as the editor, their characters needed to be fleshed out better since they seem better developed than the ML and FC.
This one is worth skipping.

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Easy watch, but that's about it

Let me say I am probably not the target audience for this manga-turned-drama series, but I was looking for something romantic to watch. I had watched another series that was so good, I stuck onto the genre. However, this one didn't really hit high notes for me.

I only kept watching this series for Eiji Akaso - truly the only character that you kinda enjoy because he works so hard as the stylist that he is, but he also is nurturing and does his boyfriend role really well. I wasn't crazy about the lead actress, or the supporting roles.

The series definitely felt choppy, but that's probably because it follows the actual manga. So, wasn't convinced of the story going so fast. Didn't feel much character development either. It's a good series that you can finish in a day or two, but it won't make your heart race and kinda leaves you hanging in a lot of scenes. You won't miss out if you don't happen to watch this though.

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This one is pure fantasy so leave your logic at the door and just enjoy it for what it is.

The visuals and production were top notch, and it's everything you would expect in a fluffy josei. A cute girl, a cool guy, attractive kisses and plenty of overused clichés. The fast paced romance means you get mostly fluff and not a lot of substance, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just don't go in expecting much more than that.

What I found most different is the confident pursuit by the male lead, who is all kinds of perfect it's too good to be true. He definitely deserved more attention than he was given, but when she did give him attention he was over the moon. This reminded me of the typical cold male type, where the girl usually fawns every time a kind comment was tossed her way. It was really interesting to see this reversed.

You won't get a lot of character development either, but I think this adds to the charm of the characters. They're true to themselves until the very end. In a way, it's a love story about two people with a clear sense of the lifestyle they want, that were lucky to have found someone that was going to fit into their life, as is. They found the perfect match in each other — a girl who gets so excited by work she forgets to date, a guy other who doesn't want dating to be the girl whole life. As a workaholic myself I kinda appreciated this!

There's few misunderstandings, they aren't swayed by any confessions and even any jealousy is short-lived and sweet. If you're looking for something meaningful, you won't find it here. But if you're just after some cute scenes and a short drama to pass the time this might be what you're looking for.

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this sucks but it's the director's fault

like others here, this show was on my watch list because of akaso eiji, but i moved it up after i saw that baba fumira was the FL because i loveddd her in keshite mane shinaide kudasai. i was so excited to see two people i really liked falling in love and being cutesy with each other. unfortunately that's not what we got at all, and i lay the blame entirely on the writer and director.

the STORY itself has potential, and my 5 stars is for the potential alone. two workaholics with an undeniable, mutual attraction who seek to make a relationship work despite being goal-driven and single-minded? that sounds awesome!
regretfully, the execution was really lacking. of note, the core of any strong romance narrative - the falling in love - was completely glossed over between episodes 1 and 2, which is when the show really lost me. there were glaring flaws far before that point, but @writer-san how can i be invested in the love between two fictional characters without watching that love actually blossom? as others point out, it's not like the love manifests in any significant or relatable ways /after/ the falling either. beyond the premise, there is nothing here gripping the audience.

the CAST is lovely, and i genuinely believe they could have made a really cute fictional couple if they had signed onto literally any. other. show. those who speak poorly of baba fumira need to watch her in keshite mane shinaide kudasai, which incidentally released the same year nee sensei did. akaso eiji's other works in which he a main lead are quite popular; i'm sure i don't need to direct you towards any.
however, the ACTING in nee sensei was really stiff and awkward. for example, there were several shots in the first two episodes of akaso simply walking that made me cringe because something about his gait was so unnatural. i blame the director though because a) they should have said something to help him out, for real, and b) their camera actions and angles emphasised the actors' stiffness instead of hiding it, which made for a terrible viewing experience.

the MUSIC is the least important part of this show, which is unfortunate because it was the part i enjoyed the most. i was shazam-ing left and right. (it says a lot that the show is a lot more palatable when you're focused on a secondary, menial task at the same time.)

as noted, i dropped nee sensei. i really wanted to push through since it was only three hours long (one of the things that drew me to the show to begin with as i wanted an easy binge), but man. the satisfaction of completion is not worth the mental and emotional toll.

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