Por favor, Me Ame! (2016)

I am so happy I watched this. It felt like a slow start and I can't really say exactly what made me stick it out, but there was a turning point very late in the drama where I found myself choking up and I realized how attached and invested I had become with the main characters.

It's a bickering slow burn romance for both parties without much relationship angst until the very end. The story and atmosphere was believable and realistic but still had a manga-esque feel to it. The female lead is one of the usual female stereotypes of being innocent, pure and much to kindhearted for her own good. However this stereotype is what the main story is about. It turns out that she is weak and strong in a nice mix of different personal traits. Depending on how you view it, something considered a flaw can actually be the opposite.

Usually I am allergic to guys who tell women how useless they are and that all their traits are worthless. But the lead here didn't really give of the usual "jerk" vibe and their bickering felt more like sibling/friend type of chatting. He did give a fair bit of explanation and constructive feedback on why she should strive to develop/change her behavior. Also she eventually gets a scene where she gives back just as good as she has gotten which felt immensely satisfying.

The music was ok. The ensemble of actors were ok. The directing and editing was ok. The series was ok until the last couple of episodes where it became very good. I do recommend this if you like dramas based on webtoons/mangas/animes or if you usually enjoy light Japanese doramas.

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If you are looking for a JP romantic comedy drama, then this is a good one to go for. It is only 10 episodes so it is easy to binge too, a total plus.

The story was fun showcasing the bickering CP. The romance was light hearted. The development of the romance wasn't as verbally expressed as I would of liked so some scenes were kinda confusing at first like I thought he was probably a perv but it ended up being a jealousy stunt, that type of misconception. A lot of things were kinda inferred by expressions in their acting, like jealousy and sudden realizations by the male leads. But nonetheless the story was really cute. A grown women who can't get a handle on her own life because she is too optimistic, empathetic, and don't have the guts to say no to anyone that asks her for anything...meets two men, a younger man that likes her and is willing to give her the future that society expects her to have at her age and an older man that helps her through being strict and abrasive (kinda like tsundere personality), trying to support her through giving her knowledge and pushing her to do the right thing instead of the easy thing.
The acting was on par. Dean and Shohei are some of my most favorite actors so I might be a little biased in judgement but you can never go wrong when there are two or more of your favorites in a particular drama or movie, right? I didn't like the female lead at first, but I got used to her acting within the show. I am never a fan of over-dramatic or over-comedic acting but that's what makes comedies so fun to watch I guess.
Music...nothing to report there. No complaint or compliment so...
Rewatch value...definite yes. Romantic comedy is one of my most favorite genres. I will most probably rewatch it when I want to visit this genre.

Totally recommend 100%!!!

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I'm still somewhat new to Jdrama's, as I've only been truly seeking them out often to watch for two or three years now. But wrapping my head around the fact that this drama was made in the same year as We Married as a Job (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu) really throws me for a loop. We Married as a Job is one of my favorite dramas of all time. It's stellarly written and paced with an absolutely charming and sweet and thoughtful romance. And it is so incredibly different from Please Love the Useless Me. We Married as a Job feels modern and current while Please Love the Useless Me feels old-school and a bit dated. And yet, something about Please Love the Useless Me charmed me. Do I think they spent too long on the second male lead love interest when they weren't actually going to end up together? Yes. Did they forget to spend much if any time at all developing a romance between the leads? Yes. Did I find the constant focus on treating virginity as something to be embarrassed of and done away with forthwith and oh no! she has yellow panties! annoying??? Absolutely yes. (Don't get me started about the panties.)

The story is quite flawed and silly. But still...I enjoyed it, lol.

A lot of people are going to call the male lead a jerk, and they're not exactly wrong. He says rude things. But I do think a lot of people misunderstand just what kind of jerk he is. It seemed kind of obvious to me that the intention with his character was for him to come across as rough around the edges (because of his high school days as a Yanki), and he's probably that way with everyone, but it comes from a well-meaning place. Unfortunately, Dean Fujioka just does not look the part of a reformed but still a little rough Yanki, and I don't think his acting really sold that aspect of his character either. But...it's Dean Fujioka, so I kind of have to give him a pass, lol.

An equal number of people are going to dislike the female lead, because she comes across as dumb and too self-sacrificing and too insecure. But I don't need my female leads to be super-smart, I like characters who are self-sacrificial, and I relate to characters that are insecure and struggle with figuring out whether someone is trustworthy or not. She's clearly not wise in who she chooses to trust, but she wants the best for others, and I love that. I connected with her on an emotional level, and that matters to me most in my drama female leads. She also consistently gives it back to the male lead any time he's rude or dismissive, which I liked.

I read in the MDL comments that they cut out all of the romantic bits from the original manga, which is frustrating. The story needed some actual romance between our leads. We get plenty of shots of both of them looking at each other, shots that are obviously intended to convey that they have feelings for each other. They also do nice things for each other throughout the series. But we get way more insight into the female lead's feelings than we do the leads, and apart from the looks and some nice gestures, there is essentially no romance. They also apparently killed off the brother in the drama. I can't fathom why that decision was made, but if I find out it was so they could create the male leads crush on his brother's widow, I'm gonna be irritated. That's probably my least favorite part of the drama.

Given what I read in the comments about the original manga and the way this drama still managed to charm me without it really deserving to, I really want to read the manga now. While I got enjoyment out of the drama, it would be nice to read a version where there's actually some romance.

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Dean Fujioka as a tsundere coffee shop owner in a drama that's pure fluff. And it was exactly what I needed. Fukada Kyoko who played the main heroine, Michiko, did a fantastic job because though Michiko was a bit of an airhead, she never got on my nerves because Fukada played her in such an earnest, honest way. And her pout was so very endearing! Just like her adoration of meat!

Ayumu: You have no pride!
Michiko: When it comes to meat? None!

And the ensemble! There was not one bad character among the supporting ones, they were all so wonderfully sweet and also nuts in just the right way that you had to root for all of them to live a happy and carefree life!

I think my most favorite thing were the back-n-forths between Michiko and Ayumu, the way he always prodded her but was always there for her and the way she dished back just as good but in this oh so cute way that it made Ayumu smile!

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Pleasantly Surprised

I literally picked this to watch based on the picture. They were so cute I thought I’d give it a shot. I am so happy I did.

Shibata has a heart of gold and just can’t help but do what she can to help the other person. Her downfall is that she is so kind that she can’t recognize when someone is trying to take advantage of her.

The story and the relationships that follow is one of the funniest I’ve seen. Laugh out loud funny. These actors are great. There was a love triangle but it all worked out.

I gave this a 9 only because I really wanted a little more romance. But totally worth your time.

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