When I was looking for something to watch on Netflix, I came across this series. At first, I was actually sceptical, as the description made me angry. However, I gave it a try, as I had too much free time ( I know, I need to get a life!).

From an artistic point of view, this drama is amazing! The colours, the lighting, the framing, and the camera angles (the cinematography in general), were actually to my liking. As for the plot, I must admit that I was frustrated with it. I do realise that its in the Japanese culture for women to focus on wedding and having children before a certain age; however, I find it rather harsh for having this type of mindset now. Women should do whatever they want, and if they don't want to get married and have children then that should be legalised! I don't understand why there are still people making women feel bad about those things. We did not come to this world to fit in the norms that other people have. Anyway, I am going to stop talking about this matter, as it really bothers me.

The acting was really good. All of the actors (lead and secondary) gave their 100%. However, I have to admit that I found the female lead as a weak and creepy character. I want to point out again how amazing the acting was, Tokunaga was able to express how miserable Wako was and how she tried to fit in the status quo. Now let me elaborate more on the plot.

Wako, is a 31 years old woman who is not happy with her life and how her relationship with her boyfriend (Fu) is. To be honest, she was right to not being happy with her boyfriend. He was someone who did not respect her, who belittled her, who took her for granted, who did not realise how much work and money she invested in their relationship. Did he deserve to be cheated? Hell no! Even though they tried to show us that Fu was indifferent towards Wako, I still believe that he loved her. His way of loving her might not have been a romantic one, but he was in love with her. Unfortunately, I feel that she was not in love with him. She was repeating that she does not have get to choose who he will be with, so when Fu came, she should be him as she might not get another chance. Her way of thinking is idiotic and she disrespected Fu's feelings for her. She was only being patient with him, as she wanted to get married.

That's when she meets Yumeaki, a handsome high school boy. This is where the real issue starts for me. Even though she knows his true age, and their big age gap, she still makes a move on him. In a way it is understandable, that she wants to fill the void from her relationship with her boyfriend; but he is underage! I felt that she tried to prove herself, through those actions as Fu was not taking care of her. What she did was wrong. In a way she seduced an underage boy and gave him a type of pleasure that he experienced for the first time. There were multiple times when she promised that she would end things with Yumeaki, but she always got back to him.

Someone could have been jealous of her, as a handsome young boy fell in love with her; yet, I think that this situation is not a jealousy worthy one. The difference between the maturity and the generation gap between them, could be seen. Yumeaki, had his friends at school, while Wako was feeling lonely at her new place. Furthermore, I felt that Yumeaki, was getting crazier as the episodes went by. He was possessive over her, he did not trust her talking to other guys, he feared that she would cheat on him with another man, and he was acting like a spoiled child that could not get what he wanted. However, the way he behaved was the consequences of their relationship.

For me, by the end of the series, Yumeaki changed from a handsome high school boy to a maniac boy who does not know how to comprehend the true consequences of his actions. This is a perfect example of "be careful what you wish, cause you might get it". Yumeaki was not longer who he was.

What really bothered me though, except the unrealistic expectations for women, is how Wako was never punished for her crimes. It was a crime to be in a relationship with a minor, and the only punishment that she got were some rumours at her workplace. No! It is illegal what she did. Love has nothing to do with that. He was 15 years old, she was 32. But, I felt the sexual scenes were needed in order to understand their feelings for each other and establish the character development of Yumeaki.

Love and Fortune, is a rather controversial series. You do understand why Wako is doing what she is doing, but that does not mean that you agree with her. This series presents a great ethical dilemma and puts the watcher into deep thought. Would I have done the same thing if I had the chance? Would I approach my problems with my current boyfriend different? Would I let the age be an issue with a person that I liked? It is a good series to watch in one go, as it is a rather short one.


P.S.1. To be honest, I am not a fun of an open ending; I prefer to be given an ending by the director, rather than leaving the ending to my imagination. I wanted to know what the end was really like.

P.S.2. I was rather invested in the movie that was shown on the last episode. I would totally watch that movie if it really existed.