I watched Koi no Chikara a very long time ago and I think its not one of the more remembered ones from the golden age of jdoramas unlike Love Generation or 101 Proposals. Recently GreGG released the subs for the DVD rips and kuroyuki released 720 rips to avistaz so I thought it was a good time to rewatch an old jdorama.
From the beginning, I could feel the golden age magic coming through the screen. Fukatsu Eri is the main character a 30 year old with a dead end job who split up with her ex with the excuse of wanting to work and looking for something more.
Tsustumi Shinichi is the brash advertising guy who decides to go independent. He effortlessly plays this rough and cool that Nakai Kiichi fails to do in Semi-double.
Asada Ryutaro is Tsutsumi Shinichi's partner in crime. They both go independent and he is the cheerful guy who has a way with women.
Yada Akiko is the secret weapon. This was her at the height of her powers during the Yamato Nadeshiko era. She is the perfect supporting actress.
So pure that half the audience doesn't mind if she wins in the end and no one can hate her. She's almost too good to be a supporting actress and would overshadow lesser actresses but put her with someone like Fukatsu Eri and Matsushima Nanako and its just magic.
The story is a fun triangle. Fukatsu Eri and Yada Akiko both like Tsustumi Shinichi but he responds differently to both of them and there are of course plenty of misunderstandings.
Just want to say I miss this dude. He always plays everyman ojisans in classic jdoramas.
First 3 episodes are near flawless. I never wrote a review for it and I can't believe I never wrote a review for 101 Proposals either. I have some collection of writing a review for that one but it doesn't show up in search. If there is only one complaint is that the advertising designs are really bad.
If you have not seen Koi no Chikara, watch it. Its so good. I am kind of worried the second half might suck and I don't have much memory of this show but the talent on this show is so good. Must watch.
4 comments:
Great review... I always enjoy when you write about older shows. I watched this one a year or so ago and it yeah "golden age magic" describes it well.
Speaking of old dramas, I've been watching Emi Wakui's shows from the 90s and if you've never seen them Natsuko no Sake and Nagura Onna are both pretty good.
Thanks for the heads up. I will check this one out soon.
Our tastes change over time, and often become more refined. Distant memory can cause faults to fade, leaving a nostalgic glow. If this one stands up to a recent re-watch, that really indicates it's high quality. I'll look forward to your comments on the remaining episodes, to help me decide to watch it.
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