Fake Couple (2015)

A gay man asks his ex of 25 years for a contract marriage to appease his dying mother. She agrees, hijinks ensue, along the way we learn the true meaning of family. It's an average plot but for the word "gay"—what is impressive here is that the gay is just one part of what makes this story special, and not its defining aspect.

In addition to family, Gisou no Fuufu explores what it means to come out (not only for the guy but also his fake wife, who has walled herself off emotionally from the world). The lighthearted tone of the show works, and works well—As expected, Amami Yuki and Sawamura Ikki are amazing as the cold, people-hating librarian and warmhearted nursery school teacher. There is plenty of comedic relief from Amami's deadpan, biting "inner voice" and Sawamura's blind over-eagerness. Uchida Yuki and Kudo Asuka also gave wonderful performances as a lesbian single mother and "ally of justice" deliveryman who helped carry the show in its more serious moments. While the story didn't show off the ugly side of some painful topics (discrimination, domestic abuse, the fear of coming out) it never ignored it, and the overall way that homosexuality was treated as something normal was refreshing.

The show starts with energy and proceeds at a brisk, tension-filled pace. It's served well by an upbeat JUJU track. The ending was disorienting, but it wasn't a sell-out, or entirely unexpected. It did make me reexamine my own preconceptions about what is truly important. All in all, the show's message seems to be: "There are many different kinds of people, with different types of love that bind them together. But you can't say that any one kind (gay, straight, romantic, platonic, familial, friendship) is worse than any other."

I am not a re-watcher, but can imagine getting nostalgic for the leads' banter. Overall, it was a fun and heartwarming ride with a strong message from a great cast, writer and directors (Kaseifu no Mita, Queen's Classroom).

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It literally took me forever to finish Fake Couple mainly because I believed I knew where the story was going and turns out I did not. The story is centered on a woman who isolated herself from the world learns to love herself and others.
The Good: Fake couple has an awesome cast. The acting was totally believable, and it felt like the actors were lost in their characters.
-The character development is second to none with the lead characters going through numerous transformations (thought process changes, style changes, ideal changes, partner changes).
-The story takes twists and turns
-The supporting cast storylines are not a distraction, but teach the lead characters important lessons
-There are many “end of the day” lessons of accepting each other’s differences, loving your self, understanding you are not alone, speaking from your heart and being open to receive love.
The Bad: The story has many interesting parts, but I found it to be boring. The plot moves slow, the character development takes a long time to happen, and there are few little moments to rejoice in the lead character’s (Hiro’s) triumphs. I do not like family dramas and this had the "family drama" feeling.
Even though the ending is bittersweet, the constant losses the Hiro character takes throughout the whole series make the ending feel sour.
I love a strong female lead, I like a story that has a different angle or perspective, but I felt the ending pandered to a more conventional audience while the purpose of the series was to be less conventional. Again, I had a really hard time making it through this one, the whole series was devoid of eye candy and romance (the things I thrive on!). The series seemed to show and compare aspects of heterosexual versus homosexual relationships....but it felt like a family drama. Unless you like family dramas, I don’t know if I can honestly recommend it.

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