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).

Citeste mai mult

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.

Citeste mai mult

Fake Couple (Japan) (2015) - I like this drama though I did not watch this in one sitting. It has the Japanese vibes unto it as well, weird but an okay weird for me. Japanese dramas are totally different and I like that. With this one, they incorporate the humor that is japanese style.

I like the female lead character Hiro, and her character development in the drama. Japanese dramas for me have an impact though they are only a few episodes. I also like the editing of the drama, and the mini narration in the first part per episode to make me as a viewer remember what happened in the previous episodes. I cried as well, eventually there are sensitive topics that is tackled and it’s another brave move from a drama. Significant in the way of showing sensitive topics in the society which makes me feel different usually. My heart was moved. Fun drama with a lot of twists, especially near the ending episodes.

Citeste mai mult

Took me too long to finish...

The few first episodes were too hard to finish, I can't help but keep cursing Chouji for being such an ass.

For the drama itself, it's just a little bit too slow / maybe I'm just not interested in most scenes. Other than that, it kind of bothers me that Yuu-chan brings the "family" paper everywhere, but we can let that slide for the sake of the plot.

I personally don't like the script, many parts are just ugh, but I think that the writer is a genius. I'm mostly impressed towards how they wrap the conflict scenes with some laughs. I'm also really happy with the scenes where Hiro's inner voices were spoken. Even when they weren't spoken, many of the lines really cracked me up.

Honestly, when Hiro revealed her new partner, I was really angry (but it was personal I guess, if the character wasn't played by Amami-san, I think I'd be 'whatever'). Anyway, I'm glad they ended the drama this way. It made me sad, but it's only realistic that in the end, Chouji felt that way.

Citeste mai mult