Shanai Marijjihani (2020)

Una mezza sorpresa

Premessa: mi piacciono i Jdrama perché sono solitamente di pochi episodi e poco impegnativi, a volte però proprio perché poco impegnativi li trovo snervanti.
Questa volta sono rimasta piacevolmente colpita.
Prima di tutto la storia è strutturata bene, regge fino alla fine.
Il rapporto cresce durante tutta la visione, i caratteri trovano i loro spazi, loro trovano i loro spazi. L'assenza diventa presenza, la solitudine si trasforma in compagnia. I due si piacciono e non lo si nasconde fin dall'inizio, un amore non infantile, con alti e bassi, gelosia e qualcosa più dei baci. Può una relazione nascere così? Personalmente mi ricorda quei matrimoni combinati che odio, in questo caso la scelta però è dei protagonisti che hanno pure fortuna nello scegliersi. Se lo facessi io mi beccherei il vecchiaccio di turno!

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Drama piacevolmente sfizioso

Una serie scoperta quasi per caso, 7 episodi - il giusto - per una storia che non sarà il capolavoro dell'anno ma che sa farsi sicuramente apprezzare per diversi motivi. Il tema del finto matrimonio è abbastanza diffuso, ma di solito genera un tira e molla del detto e non detto che occupa quasi tutta la durata della storia per arrivare al dunque. In questo caso ho apprezzato il fatto che la storia entra subito nel vivo: le scene intime si sviluppano già a partire dal secondo episodio e sono una presenza costante di tutti gli episodi successivi. Emergono via via piccoli fraintendimenti o incomprensioni tra i due semi-sconosciuti novelli sposi, ma la cosa piacevole è che nulla viene tirato per le lunghe e ogni piccolo ostacolo viene risolto in breve tempo. Con questo meccanismo step-by-step si va a costruire il rapporto tra i due, lo sviluppo della relazione è quindi piacevole e per nulla noioso. Rispetto ai protagonisti, ho decisamente preferito Miura: attore bravo e bello che ha portato in scena un personaggio maschile per certi versi davvero originale: ormai abituata a vedere nei drama due sole tipologie di protagonisti maschili (l'iceberg freddo e distaccato, apparentemente insensibile e con una corazza da scalfire e quello glicemico che si aggira con il cuoricino in mano), Miura rappresenta un'interessante novità. Diretto nell'approccio, ma soprattutto intrigante nel suo modo di essere provocatorio e prendersi gioco di Haruta con dispetti vari. Lei, al contrario, mi è piaciuta un po' meno: l'attrice non suscita grande simpatia a pelle e il lato "carino" del personaggio è rappresentato da una sfilza di moine che più che graziose definire eccessive e fastidiose, alla lunga. Rispetto alla scene d'amore, sono più frequenti e meno censurate del solito (niente di eccessivamente esplicito, ma per una volta tanto qualcosa di più realistico del bacetto a stampo). Detto questo, a fronte di molte serie che faticano a catturare l'attenzione o che dopo un primo episodio interessante portano a saltare poi scene intere con l'impressione di andare alla deriva, questo drama rappresenta un prodotto capace di agganciare l'interesse fin dall'inizio e mantenerlo costante per tutta la durata. Personalmente, almeno, ho apprezzato davvero ogni singolo episodio. Sicuramente una delle migliori serie viste nell'ultimo mese, e quindi consigliata (anche per un rewatch).

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When I saw that there were only two reviews for this drama, I just had to write one!

Story: The story is quite common and seen a lot but contract marriages have always been my soft spot and this is one done correctly. As said in the synopsis, they met on a dating site. Haruta Ami wanted to get over her ex-boyfriend of five years and Miura Manatsu was looking for a wife. Can love prevail in these circumstances?
The way they met was just plain destiny, let me tell you. It starts off fluffy and cute and it ends fluffy and cute. This whole drama was super, super cute.

Acting/Cast: The chemistry between the MLs were off the charts. Goodness gracious, I almost died from their chemistry. It was absolutely splendid. The acting was amazing too! They each had their own charm. Haruta Ami's smile was so contagious that the whole drama I was smiling like a ninny. Same goes for Miura Manatsu.

I didn't watch episodes 5, 6, 7 with subs because I simply couldn't wait to see more. Even without subs though, I could tell how great and romantic their interactions were with each other.

A short drama that won't take too much of your time and you can watch it in one sitting.

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sweet as candy

as one who's a bit picky with jdramas, this one was such a surprise. it's nothing complicated. this drama is an all round fluffy romance involving a marriage contract.

what totally solidifies this drama as a whole for me is the male lead's swoon worthy respect and pure love for the female lead. one aspect in the main leads' relationship that truly caught my attention is how good they communicate their feelings. ami was reluctant about sharing her thoughts at first but she had character development and it was overall nice to see a couple that communicates and no unnecessary misunderstandings happened or dragged.

it was refreshing to see a gentle and caring male lead that respects boundaries and consent, also helps his partner to be more open without being pushy or overboard. a cute ass smile adds to the bonus points.

seeing a character with unrequited love accepting reality and not being petty is honestly so great to watch. the ex girlfriend was seen to be not toxic and supports the characters and gave a heads up to ami about marriage life and how it's different for everyone. these type of characters add depth to the drama despite being a simple fluffy drama.

overall, this drama is so soft and light hearted which will make you pinch your cheeks to stop you from smiling too hard.
p.s. the intro song is a bop and the choreo somehow lowkey reminds me of the pick me up song lol

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When two sweet horndogs meet...

....they create this little drama free of substance, emotion, character development, or story. But hey, you do get some contrived chemistry, kisses, and bed scenes in almost every episode. That should be enough, right? Yeah....not so much.

I've watched a LOT of superficial dramas and enjoyed them too, but this one was too much. There's just no real context to anything. They are strangers that sign a marriage contract and then the next second, they are in love. No real interactions or conversations, and boom, love. Also instead of showing or making the audience feel the characters, it felt like they were just telling you. Like "Hi, I'm supposed to be a sadist." or "Hi, I'm supposed to be cute and crafty" so believe it. Yeah....didn't happen, at least for me. Luckily, this was a short 7 eps so I didn't feel like it was a complete waste of time.

If you like your cute to be on overkill, don't mind if the writing is horrible as long as the leads are good looking, and looking for some non apologetic skinship, then this drama might be up your alley. I often feel like dramas are too long and need to trim out the excess fat, but this one trimmed out too much. It def made me realize that I need some sort of context to enjoy my dramas.

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Pink Sugar: Almost Too Much Cheese and Fluff – Not Enough Depth

If you need a break from serious dramas and real life or just a quick watch –this could be a decent way to spend your time. But do not expect depth and character development. The female lead is not stupid and clueless, even though she is acting all cutesy. I don't hate this drama but I don't see why it deserves really high ratings either. I see the appeal of it but it also feels like this is really more suited for teens and fluffy romantic enthiausiats? I get it, it's based on a shojo manga :D I definitely prefer this overly sweet drama with lots of skinship over toxic relationships that are usually more common with this genre. If this was a perfume, it would be Aquolina Pink Sugar (Eau de Toilette).

They do touch upon serious topics but those issues seem to be always magically solved. I appreciate that they talk but it feels almost too good to be true? I think marrying someone so fast should cause more conflicts? I guess I get that this drama is more on the fluffy side, but I would have been ok with moments where they discover habits etc. they dislike or a hobby/interest/unexpected side of the person they married. Some people rated this with a 10 and I'm confused because Jdramas on here are rated quite low here usually.

The intro is a lot of fun, I absolutely loved watching it and never skipped it. However, those supporting guys seem all to be useless? I don't like love triangles and unneccessary conflicts, but somehow I would expect them to play a more important role in this drama? Like they appear here and there but in the end they are simply plot devices. Even the best friend of the ML is quite unimportant and 2D.

The kissing scenes and bed scenes were really nicely shot. They are not awkward and very cute. Sometimes I got the feeling that this is a fanfiction story :D

I think there was potential to make the characters and story line more well-rounded and dimensional but in the end it felt more overly sweet and simple perfume like the perfume Aquolina Pink Sugar – you can easily use too much and get sick of it. The dialogues are quite simple and I feel like they used cute, crafty and sadist 1000 times. I don't hate this drama but I don't love it either. Don't expect a master piece.

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perfect execution

As much as the story isn't anything new, the way it is acted and presented stands out. Drama is short, cute and fluffy, but also has steamy moments when you feel like a peeping tom.
Female lead is supposed to be cute and honestly the actresses nailed it. Her portrayal of a sweet cunning lady is very likeable and natural. Male lead is also good at his part, and makes it work. They both have good chemistry and are pleasure to watch.
I liked the slice of life feel this drama has, and the pace was very good too. It's just 7 episodes with smaller arcs in each one. Shorter episodes but they are all packed with plot developements and don't have much filler.
This drama is a very good example of how you can tell a stale cliched sorry in a way it still feels fresh like a can of sparking water.

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It's a good example of a fluffy "forced cohabitation"/suddenly married drama.

I enjoyed the slice of life feel of the episodes and the music conveying its fluffy character.

Because the female lead is the main point of view character and her thoughts are revealed in the narration the story seems a bit imbalaced towards her while the male lead's motivations remain a bit more obscure.

Overall it gives off a feel good vibe that is cemented by the attractiveness of the leads. By giving a glimpse into their married life the drama makes one wish them happiness but it does not make one so overinvested that one leaves unsatisfied.

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Switch off your cynical brain and "fall in love" with this!

Last week, I finished off 38sai Batsuichi Dokushin Onna ga Matching Apuri wo Yattemita Kekka Nikki; if that show is about harsh realities of dating app, then this one is about warm fantasies of dating app. I'm quite surprised that the couple really meets through an app and are down to get married without knowing anything about each other. Not even, work place, haha.

I'm tempted to imagine logical scenarios & reasons and bam, the sugary fluffy content overrides my logic and I'm carried away by the cutesy/racy scenes postponing to address serious issues for later like Ami-Chan. The plot progresses at the pace faster than light going from cute mode to flirty mode to serious talk mode to sexy mode under 5 minutes.

I'm torn between giving high plot rating for its sheer brilliance without any bad characters & still making this show enjoyable and low rating as it keeps major issues unaddressed until the last episode. But thankfully the ending has exceeded my expectations and I'm satisfied for addressing several questions including their first meeting. My cynical brain is pacified.

Both the main characters are ideal, typical of shoujo mangas. Heck, even the Reverse-harem doesn't really get its chance. I'm surprised by the cast but they are good and well suited especially Matsui Airi's smile is such a charm.
Itagaki Mizuki despite his age, he pulls off the slightly older role well. Although there are certain minor flaws, he is good.

This show is beautifully produced given its length and the opening song is such an earworm. I too wanna dance to it.
Rewatch is highly recommended for its sugary content which is quite rare in the drama world.

Final note, don't question the logic, everybody is lovely in this drama!

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Short, racy, & super sweet

This is not for everyone. If you compared dramas to food this would probably be in the junk food category. Junk food has no nutritional value and there are better choices out there, but you can’t help but gobble it up because it’s so tasty. And this drama is just like that. It has no value in that the story isn’t very deep, and there’s certainly a lot of higher rated dramas out there. But you can’t help watching this whole drama in one evening because it’s so sweet and endearing. It’s basically a very toned down version of “50 Shades of Gray.” There’s lots of kissing, skinship, and racy bedroom scenes. It reminds me a lot of “Coffee and Vanilla.”

This drama is a straight forward slice of life story about two people that, because of some unusual circumstances, end up getting married without even knowing each other. There’s not a lot of angst, the reasons for their suddenly deciding to marry a stranger wasn’t very believable, and there’s not a lot to the story. So why is it getting such good ratings? Because after watching so many dramas where you have to watch three fourths of the drama before the couple confesses or gets together, you can’t help but get excited when a drama jumps right into some pretty intense skinship on the very first episode. It’s kind of refreshing to see a drama that boldly shows the affection between a couple right away without teasing us for dozens of episodes.

What is so appealing about this drama is the unique storyline that goes somewhat backwards. They start with marriage, then they flirt and fall in love, then they get to know each other, and work through their misunderstandings. It’s very unusual that events are in such a weird order, but it works. It’s also pretty cute how the male lead likes to tease the female lead. Even though he’s crazy about her from the start, he holds back from telling her because he loves it when she acts cute and tries to seduce him. Both leads are very attractive and their chemistry is on fire. This is definitely much racier than your typical Asian drama.

Overall, if you turn off your brain, don’t think too much, and just sit back and enjoy yourself I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s just a very short, light, fluffy slice of life drama that gets pretty racy right away. But, like I said, it’s not for everyone. If you like deep dramas, dramas with a lot of action, or lengthy dramas, this is definitely not your cup of tea. But if you’re looking for a quick cute little drama that’s light and sweet after watching a deep melodrama that tied you up in knots, then this is perfect. And that’s probably what I’ll use it for. It’s nice to have something super sweet, yet short and easy to watch after a really angsty emotionally draining drama.

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