Following on with my search for subbed J-dramas, after Daigoro I wasn’t having any luck on Amazon or Netflix. Even though I’ve never been able to get into anime (despite some past roommates’ best efforts), I thought back to some Crunchyroll ads I’d seen recently [insert shameless plug for Giant Bomb and its podcasts]. Turns out they have a reasonable drama section as well, sequestered in its own little corner of the site.
I signed up and sorted through their recommended dramas, and Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo popped out at me. Even though I don’t think I’ve ever liked an US romantic comedy or drama, there have been some Korean shows I found pretty enjoyable, so I decided to give it a shot.
I love this show. I’ve watched it through at least three times, and I’m not the kind of person to revisit things. Why? I’m not sure. Neither of the leads are my type — Kotoko Aihara is the good-hearted but ill-fated ponkotsu, and Naoki Irie is the handsome, rich, detached, too-smart-for-you love interest.
I guess somehow I relate to Kotoko’s seemingly hopeless one-sided love (and constant satirical internal monologue), the broken hearts of those around her, and the implausible situations. It’s certainly true that I thought such shows, along with most love songs, were pretty ridiculous when I was younger. But having seen and lived what stupid things people do when they’re in love, now I feel some kind of connection.
I’m not a connoisseur of Japanese romcoms, and I don’t think the plot here is reinventing the genre, but I do feel it’s a solid show. It takes its time, has some memorable music (including the shrill theme song, which I think I like despite itself), and good performances turned in by both the stars and the supporting characters.
This show is one in a long series of TV and movie takes on the original manga Love in Tokyo, but it does seem to be one of the more popular adaptations. It even has a sequel, Mischievous Kiss 2 – Love in Okinawa, that somehow I haven’t found time to watch yet, but it’s in my queue. Maybe after one more run through the first show to refresh my memory…
0 Comments