‘ Kingyo Tsuma’ ( alternatively known as ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ or ‘ 金魚妻’) is adapted from the eponymous psychological work by Kurosawa R . A mature and a surprisingly dark insight at times into the world of marriage, affairs and domestic abuse, ‘ Kingyo Tsuma’ is an intriguing if somewhat unrelieved portrayal into the fishbowl-like environment of main female lead Sakura Hiraga ( Shinohara Ryoko).

Hiraga is seemingly living the dream. She’s married to affluent hair stylist Hiraga Takuya( Ando Masanobu), she lives in an opulent penthouse apartment and she is envied by almost everyone that she knows.However as the saying goes: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Unbeknownst to others, the seemingly perfect Sakura Hiraga is an abuse-victim. Attacked physically and verbally by her husband on a regular basis, Hiraga likens herself to a goldfish stuck in a fishbowl; trapped in an inescapable situation with no way out.

It is due to her fascination with goldfish that Hiraga ends up encountering Toyoda Haruto ( Iwata Takanori). Toyoda is a kindhearted and younger man who owns a pet shop. After becoming enamoured by Hiraga, the female lead begins to question whether Todoya could be the key for her escaping from her megalomaniacal husband.

Screenwriter Tsubota Fumi has numerous works accredited under her name. Previously having worked upon ‘ Will I Be Single Forever ?’ (2021), Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki’ (2020) and ‘ Colorful Love: Genderless Danshi ni Aisareteimasu’ (2021), Fumi has notably had previous experience with adapting or writing somewhat “ avant garde” or unconventional screenplays.

This isn’t to entirely critique Fumi’s screenplay or the leadership of directors Matsuyama Hiroaki ( ‘ Mystery To Iunakare’, ‘ Switched’, ‘ Nobunaga Concerto’ ) and Namiki Michiko ( ‘ Mirai Nikki’, ‘Soredemo, Ikite Yuku’, ‘ Ichikei no Karasu’). The series did an excellent job through the writing reigns of Fumi and Hiroaki and Michiko’s lens perspective of making viewers feel uncomfortable during key moments. The topics exploited onscreen particularly revolving around infidelity, debauchery and domestic abuse could often purposefully make the viewer feel almost voyeuristic.

In addition to this it was apparent that ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ offered some wry and witty attempts at comic relief- a droll comic exchange or setup evidently drawing attention away from tense or angst-ridden moments in the series. However where ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ could admittedly feel somewhat limited was through the direction of writing .

The performances given by the main cast are certainly solid, with Shinohara Ryoko and Iwata Takanori particularly stealing the spotlight during tense or tour de force moments.

On the other hand whilst both leading actors’ idiosyncratic performances were certainly good, the onscreen chemistry between Ryoko and Takanori was admittedly somewhat stunted and inconsistent in parts .

Perhaps this isn’t entirely the fault of the actors. Whilst there is supposed to be an awkward barrier between their onscreen characters due to their respected age gap, it was often hard for viewers to truly engage with this “ developing” relationship due to the characters rarely having a lot of personal drive. ( Particularly with Sakura Hiraga. Although the female lead does develop and does make some life-changing decisions, there were many elements surrounding her seeming “ disregarded” dreams, her first meeting with Takuya as well as trauma which were often widely disregarded and limited opportunities in order to flesh out her character.)

Naturally this also had a knock-on effect with the plot. One of the focal and major drives of ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ narrative came through Hiraga and Haruto trying to find happiness. Whilst we did see opportunities as viewers towards Haruto and Hiraga’s feelings for one another blossoming and the impact of their relationship upon plot, the somewhat lukewarm venture into the characters’ mutual growth and chemistry with one another did restrict dynamic engagement with the audience.

As for the progression of the narrative, ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ is truly a trial of patience. Even for an eight episode miniseries the plot could feel somewhat tedious in parts and slightly dragged out. Admittedly the series did attempt to offer some distributed screen time upon the subplots revolving around Hiraga’s acquaintances, but due to limited screen time, these storylines felt somewhat rushed and sporadically placed.

The delivered ending is admittedly dependent on viewers’ expectations; some possible enjoying the bittersweet note and imagery, whilst others feeling somewhat disappointed by the lack of a concise conclusion.

Under the directing reigns of Hiroaki and Michiko, ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ is notably an assortment of bright palette schemes, symbols and motifs. ( One of the most reoccurring motifs throughout the series evidently being the goldfish; an important plot device for the main characters, as well as a symbol of irony and foreshadowing). In addition to this the OST is notably subtle yet synchronic with key scenes; somewhat generic in parts, but helping to heighten certain scenes also.

‘ Fishbowl Wives’ offered viewers with aesthetically pleasing scenes and decent performances by the cast. However whilst the series did offer viewers with an intriguing plot premise, ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ slowly began to meet its cataclysmic downfall as the series progressed. The ending of the series will certainly differ for audiences dependent on expectations, but helped to reinforce the assertion that ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ struggled at times to escape its own bubble of writing limitations also.