Fukuyado Honpo - Kyoto Love Story (2016)

STORY (No spoilers)
It was by sheer luck that I came across a random recommendation for this seriously overlooked show and since the title intrigued me (it had 'Kyoto Love Story' in it, how could I NOT check it out, lol), I decided to check out the synopsis and when I read that the show was about a traditional Japanese confectionery shop in Kyoto, I excitedly decided to watch it because I've always had a soft spot for shows which depict age-old traditions and cultures - there is just so much rich history and traditional customs embedded within them that really fascinate me.

Well, this show did not let me down or disappoint me, both from a traditional and cultural standpoint but also from its cinematic and absolutely breathtaking shots of historic Kyoto. This show is a marvellous showcase of the city, of its famous cultural landmarks and of the lives of the people who descend from established traditional families with the grand weight of history and legacy supporting them. While the show does centre around the 3 daughters of a traditional Japanese confectionery and the interesting workings and operations behind it, there are also brief introductions to other age-old Japanese cultural aspects such as kabuki, tea ceremony, ikebana, geikos, etc. And characters all speak with a delightful Kyoto accent. For me, to be able to see all this come alive on-screen was one of the absolute best things about this show.

Within such a rich cultural context are our 3 leading ladies - the daughters of an old established Japanese confectionery shop, the 450-year-old 'Fukuyado Honpo'. The show depicts their budding love lives and it's quite interesting to see how each girl grows into her own skin through their different characters and personalities. Their own love interests present different challenges to them and it's quite the ride to see how each couple work through their own issues and their own imperfections.

There is one thing worth mentioning though - a lot of the characters have one thing in common which is being TIGHT-LIPPED. Perhaps this is a natural result of living in a city so steeped in ancient culture and traditions but our characters all tend to hide away their thoughts, feelings and their emotions, maintaining a strict sense of decorum and propriety as far as they are able. This problem seems to be prevalent in almost all our characters and is the source of bulk of the conflicts within the show. It can be a source of frustration for viewers but patience is a virtue because thankfully our characters learn to work through their weaknesses and grow into better understanding of themselves and their partners. The ride can occasionally be rough but there are rainbows after the storm!


MUSIC
The OST for this show consists mainly of our opening and closing songs which are lively and catchy and very memorable. I particularly loved the closing song - the way it comes in at the end of the episode always lands with impact and gives additional oomph to the drama.


RE-WATCH VALUE
While the show might have been interesting in terms of its setting and the character journeys, it was not captivating enough for me to want to rewatch. I might just check out some of the scenes here and there but certainly not a full rewatch by any means.

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who on earth gave this drama a decent review?

i logged into my MDL account after a long period of inactivity just to write this review. who in the hell gave this drama stellar reviews? i was excited to watch this drama because i loved the world of japanese confectionary that was covered in watashitachi wa douka shiteiru and wanted a more lighthearted approach to it. i've always been a fan of japanese traditional ceremonies since i fell in love with the tea ceremony, so i thought this would be a fun drama i could pass time watching with the additive of romantic storylines. based on the reviews, this drama seemed perfect for it (if i'm not wrong, someone called it a hidden gem, which had me very very excited)! but then i watched it, and every episode i watched from episode 2 onwards had my blood boiling because of at least one of the main characters. the mom? selfish. eldest sister? selfish. ken-chan, the second sister's love interest? selfish. what the heck is wrong with these characters?

if you want to spend your night learning about the screwed up idea of love the writers of this show have while specifically shedding angry tears over how the character ken-chan treats the second sister arare, then by all means, watch this drama! this drama had me laughing angrily at its absurdity at some points. i am honestly upset i wasted time on this show expecting character growth from anyone. the only characters i can truly say i like are arare, hana, and iori, either because they're young enough to understandably still be immature or because they accept their faults and try to grow. the eldest sister, hina? not once did i see her truly understand how her actions hurt arare.

as someone who also comes from an asian family that holds filial piety in high regards, while i heavily advocate for the idea that you shouldn't put up with your family wronging you in the namesake of filiality, i also believe that if your family treats you well and cares for you (like her sisters do), you should care for them back and be empathetic towards their problems. but when arare explains how hurt she is over the fact that everything she gets is a leftover or hand-me-down from hina, hina has such a rude response. in what world is that something you say to a sister that poured out her feelings of inferiority to you? and ken-chan saying everything he did was because he thought he wasn't good enough for arare? give me a break! if you love her, you would not have hurt her so much. you would not be forcing her with leading questions down paths she has rejected because you think it's what's best or you want her to follow a specific dream. who are you to say what she wants to do? in what world is this fucked up relationship "love"? even iori's divorced parents probably show more love to each other than that.

i really do not understand why this drama has such high ratings, and i never thought i'd be writing a review considering that my standards for romance dramas aren't the highest (i unironically watch the cringiest shoujo romance dramas and anime just to satisfy cravings), but this drama just really had my blood boiling. i'd give it a 0 rewatch value if i could, but for some reason MDL isn't letting me (maybe because like i said earlier, i have no experience with writing reviews because no show has ever made me need to. normally i just seethe in my bed silently, but this was something). my apologies to anyone i offend with this review, i just really had to get this off my chest.

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Japanese traditions and beautiful desserts

10/16/2021

I saw that this drama would be leaving Amazon Prime Video in a few days, so I decided to not hesitate anymore and watch it. It's a relatively short drama, even by Japanese standards. Compared to "Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru", this drama focuses on romance and choosing your own paths, instead of a thriller/mystery/romance. "Kyoto Love Story" is lighter and also not as good at "Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru".

I enjoyed the first half of this drama more than the second half. The pace of the second half got slower and I felt like the plot was going in circles. The banter between the main leads was quite good, and it's a good development of the romance. However, once we approached the second half and FL confessed her feelings, it went downhill. I got annoyed with the ML and his reason for not reciprocating FL's feelings. The second romance is even worse. I want to punch the 2ML in the face. He's such an annoying jerk. I don't feel the chemistry of the secondary couple and I really can't tell if they do truly love each other. I don't know what is up with the male characters being so wishy washy and not straightforward. The female leads are honest about their feelings, but the male counterparts just evade the questions. The little sister's romance seems like an afterthought. It could have been better but screen time was limited.

The main positives of this drama are the beautiful sights of traditional Japanese desserts, the different kimonos worn (though they're not as exquisite as those I've seen in other dramas), and learning about Japanese culture. It's great to see temple and scenery shots in Kyoto. Aside from the 2ML, I enjoy the acting of the main cast.

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I enjoyed this drama for the most part. The story of 3 sisters who are part of a historic family owned traditional sweet shop and the dilemma of which one would marry and take over the shop from their mother. It's a lot of pressure and expectation placed on all 3 girls even the youngest who is in jr. high. I think this drama gives us good insight into the scenic beauty and architecture of Kyoto, Japanese traditions ( we got a kabuki performance, tea ceremonies, flower arranging, geikos, caligraphy, food preparation etc.) and the importance and traditional symbolism of marriage in that culture. In the modern era, there is a push against such cultural traditions and that is well explored in the middle daughter Arare. Her relationship with her loving but authoritative mom is examined well. One of the things I loved the most is all the beautiful kimonos and yukatas worn throughout this drama by both male and female characters.

Of the three love stories being told my favorite was Arare and Kenji. I think their love story was well fleshed out. The chemistry between the actors is very much apparent and well acted even when they are arguing. Theirs was the most natural/realistic love story. I just wish there was more physical intimacy ( holding hands, kissing, etc.... my major gripe with J-dramas in general). Hana and Tomo's story was not well explored at all because when he moved away he didn't respond to her letters until the end. This was the love story I wanted to see develop the most but it was cut short before it even got to take off. There was the missed opportunity to show a teenage long distance romance in Japan but ...oh well... As a result, their end just wasn't satisfying or realistic. The worst, unexplained, unfathomable love story is between Hina and Hinoyama. The whole weird dynamic between him, his 'sister' and his mother should have been enough to send her running for the hills. I didn't believe she loved him or wanted to be with him nor did I believe he truly cared for her at any point in their story so their end result is just bizarre to me. The only other issue I have with this drama is its pacing. It is a bit slow through out. I imagine that a lot of people would get bored as a result and not give this drama a fair shot. Regardless it's a watchable/enjoyable drama.

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An insightful delve into Kyoto traditions

This short and sweet j-drama about of all things, traditional japanese sweets, or more specifically the challenges of being born into a family business spanning four centuries, is thankfully a delight, with a pleasant aftertaste. The protagonists are three single girls who are expected to take over the confectionery shop (and what visually delightfully confections they are), along with all the societal and familial encumbrances that are attached. The proprietress, and each of the vastly different daughters, are spot on in their acting, as is the head chef who is expected (in turn) to marry all of them. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue, not before the romantic complications of a banking salaryman, and the perpetuator of another centuries-old profession steeped in japanese culture.

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Sweets and almost romance

I decided to watch this because the comments and reviews said it's good.
Is it good? Kinda. I'm not disappointed with the ending because all my expectations were destroyed in the middle.
The last few episodes felt like a chore, I only enjoyed the opening song and that's one of the reasons why I finished this drama.

Story
It's a lot of things smashed together. Everything would be resolved if they talked to each other or stopped jumping to conclusions.
It starts out fun, I really liked the beginning and the characters but the more story went on, the more boring it became.
Some things would get repetitive and other things feel like they are there for the sake of drama and not the actual plot. Like the final conflict, why couldn't we get cute scenes with them working together and not a 'jumping to conclusions not letting the other person finish what they are saying break up'.
It's not all bad. The relationship between the sisters was cute and the romance was cute in the first four episodes.

I don't like Hinoyama, I didn't like him from the beginning to the end. He looks blank all the time. A big portion of the story was about him and Hina and I felt really frustrated watching them. She married him to run away but later she suddenly loves him, where did that come from? I have no clue why she started to like him, they didn't have one normal conversation. Their whole marriage is messy even though it's happy at the end. I feel like it's shallow and they don't like each other so the happy end didn't make sense to me.

Ken seems nice but he is also a messy character. He likes Arare and goes after her at the beginning but when she tells him her feelings he runs away and then rejects her. He has his reasons but he still hurt her a lot with his good intentions. And when they finally get together and are happy, something happens, they break up and get together in the last few minutes of the last episode.
Their bickering was funny and this couple was the most interesting one.

Hana and Iori, the third couple, they were cute but their story was fast paced and not fleshed out enough.

Almost every character made my blood boil at some point in the story.
Well, there were some fun and cute moments so there's balance.

The opening song slaps, if anything watch it for the opening and ending song. Soon you won't stop hearing You are beautiful on repeat in your brain.

The sweet making and the traditional part of the story were interesting, it would be cool if the story focused more on that.

Overall, it was a hot mess.
I have mixed feelings about this drama, it was good and bad and it made me frustrated and bored many times but I still watched the whole thing.
Would I recommend it? I don't know, it's up to different tastes.

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