Less than an 8?! MyDramaList, let's work on this

I'm shocked to see my newest obsession and now one of my all-time favorite J-dramas (on a second watch) receive less than an 8 on MyDramaList. We gotta work on this.

Kidding aside, maybe the humor in Date isn't everyone's cup of tea, and maybe that's not the kind of "romance" people were expecting. Which is completely fine, but I think if you came into Date expecting sweet romance and gestures, then Date is... the opposite? And that's kind of the point. The two main characters are fairly unique in dramalands where every male lead is a hot tsundere and every female lead is either clumsy-but-kind or extremely competent but naive in romance.

I mean... Yoriko is extremely competent, and naive in romance, but she takes it to the extreme. Takumi is also sorta a tsundere, but instead of the Chiaki-senpai type, he's unemployed, leeching off of his mom, yet still looks down on everyone as having no taste in art. What I love about Takumi and Yoriko is how self-aware they are to a fault. They are brutally honest about themselves to the world, despite the world viewing them as weirdos, yet with each other, they still have more to learn about their own emotions and desires. There's also no redemption here. He doesn't fall in love with her and re-enter society (or enter society for the first time, LOL) as a competent worker. She doesn't become more socially adept and "feminine". They remain the same person they've always been in the beginning BUT they've learned to accept others who are different and other ways to live.

The support cast is so charming, and Fubuki Jun does it again here as mom (I watched her as mom first in 0.5 no otoko, so I had a good laugh seeing her as a very similar mom in Date). Kuninaka Ryoko is so so cute as Kaori, I half wanted to root for her, but the script is so good it also makes you want to root for Takumi and Yoriko. Washio is sometimes annoying but you have to admit everything he says makes sense, and it's just hilarious that in a battle between him and Takumi, he - the true "prince charming" - always ends up the loser. If this is not satire at its best, I don't know what is. Yoriko's dad is such a great dad who's of course worried about his daughter but also very progressive and open-minded, it's refreshing to see.

I was so sad when I finished Date. So sad I ended up rewatching it a second time and still can't believe how clever the dialogues and the comedic moments are. I mean... double Santas? Snake receiving CPR then being in a cast? The koi being flabbergasted by Yoriko's attempted assault? I don't know if I'll ever come across another drama this funny again and that kinda breaks my heart. So yes, MyDramaList, this is a 10/10 for me.

PS: if you do watch Date, please please please watch the SP. A lot of SPs are redundant but this is a great SP and IMO should have been included as part of the main drama. It had so much to say and made the drama much more complete.

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A complex youth/school drama hiding behind its comedic facade

I didn't quite know what to expect when watching NwP. The first few episodes are certainly very fun and cute, but it got dark fast. I remember it was the 3rd or 4th dorama I watched, and by the middle of the drama I realized Japanese dramas were something else. NwP is the story of three people - one who wants to be loved, one who IS loved but doesn't understand sincerity, and one who is carefree and just lives his own life. By creating this trio (with some romance as typical of teenagers but nothing dramatic), the drama crafts a sensitive tale of friendship, identity, peer pressure, school bullying, and overcoming those obstacles with the ones you love. It remains one of my all-time favorite dramas after watching Japanese dramas for the last 15 yrs. Highly recommended.

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