Apple Eye
A Twisted Cinderella Story
I decided to take a break from c-k-drama to watch the Japanese series Coffee & Vanilla. First I was admiring how this live action version matched the manga, but soon I felt myself looking at downtuned scenes from movies like 9 1/2 weeks (1986), Wild Orchid (1989), Sleeping With The Enemy (1991).
Plot
Coffee & Vanilla has the same plot as these other western movies, a shallow twisted Cinderella story that is meant to glue the emotional, intimate scenes together. There is this naïve girl from the country, without an impressive resume or pedigree, who doesn't realize how pretty she is. She gets discovered by a mundane rich guy, full of tricks, but tired from his own lifestyle. Without breaking a sweat he conquers her, takes her in, starts to cuddle and experiment with her, apparently enjoying her freshness, but after a while even this dum girl feels there's something really weird going on. Her Prince acts strange, at times he's alienated from her, showing signs from some psychic disorder or traumatic event in earlier life. The outside world doesn't seem to matter to both of them. No questions or background stories are asked, parents, family, and friends are strangely unimportant. In stead of that, the outside world gets more hostile for this girl. She starts to feel like a helpless chick, a burden to people around her. Main question is, has Cinderella found her Prince Charming, or not?
The Good
I guess the central theme of this drama is self confidence. The story shows that it is better not to trust easily, but when you really love someone you can break a curse with nothing but your courage and steadfastness. Both elements are nice to know, and reassuring.
The Bad
Too bad I couldn't feel a spark of eroticism between the leading couple. A romance can be based on instant attraction and passion, but their story didn't convince me. The casual remarks of the male lead that he already knew her, wanted her, prepared even a house for her, was creepy to say the least. I know there are many people on this forum who think otherwise, but I've really had my fill of male obsessiveness, or males saying Kawai all the time. If someone would pat my head like the male lead did to others...I would pinch his face real hard.
Verdict
So, can you spend your time with this series? Yes you can, it's just not my cup of tea.
Plot
Coffee & Vanilla has the same plot as these other western movies, a shallow twisted Cinderella story that is meant to glue the emotional, intimate scenes together. There is this naïve girl from the country, without an impressive resume or pedigree, who doesn't realize how pretty she is. She gets discovered by a mundane rich guy, full of tricks, but tired from his own lifestyle. Without breaking a sweat he conquers her, takes her in, starts to cuddle and experiment with her, apparently enjoying her freshness, but after a while even this dum girl feels there's something really weird going on. Her Prince acts strange, at times he's alienated from her, showing signs from some psychic disorder or traumatic event in earlier life. The outside world doesn't seem to matter to both of them. No questions or background stories are asked, parents, family, and friends are strangely unimportant. In stead of that, the outside world gets more hostile for this girl. She starts to feel like a helpless chick, a burden to people around her. Main question is, has Cinderella found her Prince Charming, or not?
The Good
I guess the central theme of this drama is self confidence. The story shows that it is better not to trust easily, but when you really love someone you can break a curse with nothing but your courage and steadfastness. Both elements are nice to know, and reassuring.
The Bad
Too bad I couldn't feel a spark of eroticism between the leading couple. A romance can be based on instant attraction and passion, but their story didn't convince me. The casual remarks of the male lead that he already knew her, wanted her, prepared even a house for her, was creepy to say the least. I know there are many people on this forum who think otherwise, but I've really had my fill of male obsessiveness, or males saying Kawai all the time. If someone would pat my head like the male lead did to others...I would pinch his face real hard.
Verdict
So, can you spend your time with this series? Yes you can, it's just not my cup of tea.
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