Share House no Koibito (2013)

Additional episodes and a more fixed direction might have improved Share House no Koibito, ultimately a disappointment. This is unfortunate as it is a drama which makes one want to like it; the potential exists but never becomes realized.

Three strangers, alienated by society in some way, enter into a love triangle. Share House spins this tried and true formula, having a male lead fancy the other -- instead of the main female. This aspect initially intrigues, but loses charm by the halfway point. Despite some chemistry existing in all directions, none of the possible love lines are handled well. Where romantic feelings exist, they appear to have done so strongly from first sight. We never see "falling in love", and no tension is created by the triangle. A second triangle (comprised of seriously underdeveloped supporting characters) could have been cut without repercussion.

The other theme, alienation, fares somewhat better. I will refrain from making a joke about extraterrestrials now, since there are enough in the drama.

Only one character worked for me (Sakurai), with the other two being snooze-worthy (Shio) or out of this world (Teppei). Sakurai, almost feline and seriously aloof, was easiest to like and sympathize with. His story rang true and actually had me feeling for him. On top of that, the comedic aspect of his character worked most consistently; Tanihara Shosuke has amazing comedic timing. Oizumi Yo does as well and is generally wonderful on screen. It's just the script spent too much time wringing laughs out of his character that weren't there.

Little impression was made by the music, though the vocal by ayaka is noteworthy. It plays at the beginning of each episode, accompanied by a neat intro sequence.

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Finally found & finished this engsub series! This Jdrama is one of the underrated and under-viewed series for 2k13. The three leads carried this unique storyline about people who loose their footings in life who are accidentally-cosmically attracted to each other and live under the leaves of a glamorous tree house,topped with one of the leads claiming to be an alien. Quirky, intelligent, entertaining series for those looking for something well done and more adult-based and only 9eps. You will find yourself liking all the main&support; characters and rooting for the alien. Would I rewatch:Yes

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Story: As the previous review mentioned, the storyline had a lot of potential, which is why I gave it a 7. Frankly, it ended up going flat after the first some episodes.. but it also could have been a lot worse.
Shio and Tatsuhei's storylines were fine, but unlike the prior reviewer, I found Yukiya to be the most boring character. Sure, the reason for him being such a stick in the mud is /kind of/ understandable, but he's still really dull throughout the entire series. His feelings for Tatsuhei are really the only interesting thing about his storyline, and that's because it's treated really light-hearted and added only for a comedic affect.

Acting/Cast: I have no complaints here. They're all good actors, and - again - as previously mentioned, Oizumi-san is especially funny. The actors are a big part of what makes the show watchable.

Music: Not really my taste, but certainly not bad either.

Rewatch Value: Pretty low, considering that the storyline itself is just fine the first time around. You'd probably only end up watching this again for the laughs.

In Short: It certainly won't be winning any awards anytime soon, but it's not that horrible either. Just.. average. I'd definitely recommend watching it for the comedy aspect, and I suppose for the storyline as well (at first), even if the plot does end up falling short.

All in all, it's nothing to get super excited about, but it's a nice drama nevertheless.

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What I liked about Share House no Koibito was the begining. That, and the friendship dynamics between the leading lady and the crazy alien guy. However, the fantasy part was really bad and ruined the story. Maybe, if there was an episode or two, the story would have made more sense and it would have felt complete. But, unfortunately, there were not and thus, the drama concluded quite badly. Plus, the romance was not necessary. The second lead was annoying as well. At first, I didn't mind, but later on, he just was not enjoyable to watch. The rest of the stories were nice and cute. So, five out of ten.

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