Kingyo Tsuma (2022)

‘Fishbowl Wives’ ; A Worthwhile Watch, Or A Waste Of Precious Time?

‘ Kingyo Tsuma’ ( alternatively known as ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ or ‘ 金魚妻’) is adapted from the eponymous psychological work by Kurosawa R . A mature and a surprisingly dark insight at times into the world of marriage, affairs and domestic abuse, ‘ Kingyo Tsuma’ is an intriguing if somewhat unrelieved portrayal into the fishbowl-like environment of main female lead Sakura Hiraga ( Shinohara Ryoko).

Hiraga is seemingly living the dream. She’s married to affluent hair stylist Hiraga Takuya( Ando Masanobu), she lives in an opulent penthouse apartment and she is envied by almost everyone that she knows.However as the saying goes: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Unbeknownst to others, the seemingly perfect Sakura Hiraga is an abuse-victim. Attacked physically and verbally by her husband on a regular basis, Hiraga likens herself to a goldfish stuck in a fishbowl; trapped in an inescapable situation with no way out.

It is due to her fascination with goldfish that Hiraga ends up encountering Toyoda Haruto ( Iwata Takanori). Toyoda is a kindhearted and younger man who owns a pet shop. After becoming enamoured by Hiraga, the female lead begins to question whether Todoya could be the key for her escaping from her megalomaniacal husband.

Screenwriter Tsubota Fumi has numerous works accredited under her name. Previously having worked upon ‘ Will I Be Single Forever ?’ (2021), Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki’ (2020) and ‘ Colorful Love: Genderless Danshi ni Aisareteimasu’ (2021), Fumi has notably had previous experience with adapting or writing somewhat “ avant garde” or unconventional screenplays.

This isn’t to entirely critique Fumi’s screenplay or the leadership of directors Matsuyama Hiroaki ( ‘ Mystery To Iunakare’, ‘ Switched’, ‘ Nobunaga Concerto’ ) and Namiki Michiko ( ‘ Mirai Nikki’, ‘Soredemo, Ikite Yuku’, ‘ Ichikei no Karasu’). The series did an excellent job through the writing reigns of Fumi and Hiroaki and Michiko’s lens perspective of making viewers feel uncomfortable during key moments. The topics exploited onscreen particularly revolving around infidelity, debauchery and domestic abuse could often purposefully make the viewer feel almost voyeuristic.

In addition to this it was apparent that ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ offered some wry and witty attempts at comic relief- a droll comic exchange or setup evidently drawing attention away from tense or angst-ridden moments in the series. However where ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ could admittedly feel somewhat limited was through the direction of writing .

The performances given by the main cast are certainly solid, with Shinohara Ryoko and Iwata Takanori particularly stealing the spotlight during tense or tour de force moments.

On the other hand whilst both leading actors’ idiosyncratic performances were certainly good, the onscreen chemistry between Ryoko and Takanori was admittedly somewhat stunted and inconsistent in parts .

Perhaps this isn’t entirely the fault of the actors. Whilst there is supposed to be an awkward barrier between their onscreen characters due to their respected age gap, it was often hard for viewers to truly engage with this “ developing” relationship due to the characters rarely having a lot of personal drive. ( Particularly with Sakura Hiraga. Although the female lead does develop and does make some life-changing decisions, there were many elements surrounding her seeming “ disregarded” dreams, her first meeting with Takuya as well as trauma which were often widely disregarded and limited opportunities in order to flesh out her character.)

Naturally this also had a knock-on effect with the plot. One of the focal and major drives of ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ narrative came through Hiraga and Haruto trying to find happiness. Whilst we did see opportunities as viewers towards Haruto and Hiraga’s feelings for one another blossoming and the impact of their relationship upon plot, the somewhat lukewarm venture into the characters’ mutual growth and chemistry with one another did restrict dynamic engagement with the audience.

As for the progression of the narrative, ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ is truly a trial of patience. Even for an eight episode miniseries the plot could feel somewhat tedious in parts and slightly dragged out. Admittedly the series did attempt to offer some distributed screen time upon the subplots revolving around Hiraga’s acquaintances, but due to limited screen time, these storylines felt somewhat rushed and sporadically placed.

The delivered ending is admittedly dependent on viewers’ expectations; some possible enjoying the bittersweet note and imagery, whilst others feeling somewhat disappointed by the lack of a concise conclusion.

Under the directing reigns of Hiroaki and Michiko, ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ is notably an assortment of bright palette schemes, symbols and motifs. ( One of the most reoccurring motifs throughout the series evidently being the goldfish; an important plot device for the main characters, as well as a symbol of irony and foreshadowing). In addition to this the OST is notably subtle yet synchronic with key scenes; somewhat generic in parts, but helping to heighten certain scenes also.

‘ Fishbowl Wives’ offered viewers with aesthetically pleasing scenes and decent performances by the cast. However whilst the series did offer viewers with an intriguing plot premise, ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ slowly began to meet its cataclysmic downfall as the series progressed. The ending of the series will certainly differ for audiences dependent on expectations, but helped to reinforce the assertion that ‘ Fishbowl Wives’ struggled at times to escape its own bubble of writing limitations also.

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Housewives like a Golden Fish: being trapped and desperate to be loved

Let me be the first one to give my review to this drama since I've been anticipating this drama a lot.. I'm so excited to see Gun chan finally get a role in a mature drama.. also getting involved in an affair with older woman. I imagine this drama will be too hot to handle, and I guess they give us a super hot scene in episode 1 and episode 8. As the beginning of the secret affair, and in the end of their relationship.

My prediction is right. Gun chan is totally did well.. with his acting, also he looks very handsome, cute, sweet and warm through his role.

Warning! If you are under 18 years old, please do not watch.. because every episode, you'll see some sex scenes with different couple, and not every scene is sweet. It's infidelity everywhere!

Now about the main leads.
I think the most interesting story is about Sakura, Haruto and Takuya. Well.. no one is right since they're having affair.. but I can understand why Sakura get tempted by an angelic Haruto since she's finally getting courage to find her freedom after meet this sweet guy. Besides the couple name is Sakura (a spring flower) and Haru (means Spring) are totally completing each other.

The way this drama make a golden fish as an icon is totally relevant. It's successfuly describe all the house wives situation inside the fishbowl.. and they can't runaway without help. Each of them are desperate to be loved and cared.

I love how this drama can make me be more curious.. I finish watching 8 episode in 1 day.. it's totally worth it.

Get ready to be angry, upset, headache with Takuya as lowly husband.. I can't understand the way he love his wife by getting affair with many women.. like his neighboor, his subordinate, even his friend's wife. Like WTH is wrong with him. And how crazy he try to control his wife until did some domestic violence.

Luckily there is Haruto... a hero in the rainy day... he come at the right moment.. he is offering a warmest hug, sweet smile and extra care... No wonder Sakura fall into his embrace. Besides.. he is young, energetic and ikemen (handsome).. who can resist this temptation?? Lol.

The past story that makes Haruto is kinda obsess with Sakura after they meet again is a little bit make sense, but not that strong enough.. maybe I'm expecting a situation in the past that will be more dramatic and complicated... but this is just a mini series drama..so it's already good enough.

Now let's talk about the ending.
It's an open ending. But I guess there's some clue that showing the main leads (Sakura and Haruto) go back together...
In the last 5 minutes, they show us Haruto stop by in convenience store and grab 1 mineral water (probably for himself) and 1 highball beer (it's Sakura's favorite), and he rush back to his car like gotta leave somewhere. Meanwhile, Sakura is alone in the beach while smiling.. seems like she is waiting for someone.
I assume they're going to meet again after 2 years (as they ever made promise to watch the fireworks there together someday). At least this is the reality that I wish can be happen. Since I'm rooting for this couple so much.

Besides, Sakura finally divorce with her husband, and manage her own salon (reaching her dream). She finally can leave Takuya but still maintain a good relationship. I'm a bit panic for a moment that Sakura will choose Takuya.. Because if I were Sakura.. I will never forgive and get back to the crazy husband eventhough he get his lesson and be better at the end. Standing applause to the drama production because I almost believe that Sakura will choose Takuya over Haruto.. like seriously? But thankfully she still choose to seperate, and be brave to stand alone while chasing her own dream independently.

The ending shows a good ending for others couple too. If you are 18+, I strongly recommend this drama..and you'll love Haruto so much! He is kind and lovable!

Gun chan acting as Haruto is no joke.
Love the main lead couple so much. It's only 8 episodes.. s you can finish it in 1 day.

I will not talk too much about other couple since every couple has their own struggle, and it's quite satisfying result for some of them... and everyone is getting back with their own husband. It's kinda annoy me to see some "fetish" scenes and also how they describe every housewives are not satisfy with their own husband, so they're runaway to find another happiness through a secret affair. However it's totally make sense.. it's realistic.

I hope there will be an extra episode or special movie for Sakura and Haruto.. even just 15 minutes... I wish to see them reunite again and get married, also have kids. Probably Haruto can run his father business and maintain his store as well. He deserve to be rich! LOL.

P.S. I love the drama ost. The song is romantic and so wonderful!

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They really went all out and did not come here to play

Loved it!

I am totally biased because I love seeing Iwata Takanori acting and have been waiting for this ever since he posted about it on his Instagram, but I like it regardless.

This is a very controversial topic, but should be discussed nonetheless. It deals with infidelity from multiple perspectives, and gives an insight into multiple couples who all live in the same apartment complex. Rather than approaching this drama thinking that it has been made to justify certain behaviour (cheating and abuse), think of it as a way to explain it. Because humans aren't perfect, and we don't always make the best decisions with sound judgement. Often, I experienced feeling annoyed with characters but then understanding their struggles. At times it will be frustrating, but that's the point. Certain characters will try to justify themselves, and you'll just roll your eyes, but that doesn't mean the character wronged will forgive them.

The acting was really great. The leads really outdid themselves and went all out. The side characters also put their all into their characters, despite not being part of the main plot. I'm always impressed with Iwata Takanori's work and his choices of roles outside of EXILE-related dramas. I really felt his anxiety over wanting to protect Sakura. Shinohara Ryoko also did really well at expressing her pain. The name of the drama is really important - Fishbowl Wives. And that's exactly how Sakura felt. In the condo, she felt she had to live up to expectations of being totally in love with her husband, but behind the scenes, she was suffering. Shinohara Ryoko did a really good job of expressing that.

Back to the title - it is significant in understanding the emotions of the women in this drama. Many wives in Japan become housewives after marriage, and the wives in this drama are no different. They are confined to the private sphere of their home with no room to grow, and as Haruto explains, goldfish need room to grow in their bowls. With no room to grow, the wives are additionally scrutinized and judged and cannot find a place to fully be themselves. Sakura was able to find such a place with Haruto, but it was different for all the wives.

Side note, episode 6 had a twist that had the potential to make this drama a psychological thriller and I love that. ?

Overall, the drama raises important questions on what it means to be successful and happy. It also gives an insight into the expectations of women and some of the choices they might make when they feel lost, despite being in a loving marriage. I definitely do recommend this drama, but it is of course important to read the tags, because it is much more mature than other dramas.

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Goldfish have layers, onions have layers, but this donkey doesn’t

The premise of show is simple. Wives are like goldfish. They live in fish bowl like environment and they need care, attention and love to thrive and stay healthy. Of course, any accredited relationship experts are going to roll their eyes and ask what century this rubbish came from. Sadly, there is an ounce of truth in the modern Japanese society, so it is a valid starting point. However, this can only be a starting point, when you construct a whole show based on this line of reasoning then it quickly shows how shallow and one dimensional it is. It can’t sustain a decent dialogue for long. The Show filled the narrative gaps with sex. A lot of it and quite explicit for a j-drama.

On the surface, this show seems to be pushing a lot of boundaries. However, once you have watched it, you realised that it is only pushing one boundary, but it kept pushing and pushing until you grow tired of it.

I’m not going to do a blow-by-blow description of every extramarital affair. Needless to say, there are many dalliances and that they are presented as the only way unhappy, dissatisfied wives can find love and fulfilment. There is not even a hint of other options or a deep dive into their lives. What we see is what we get. I am all for including appropriate intimate scenes in Asian dramas and we can do with more realistic portrayal of sexual liaison in a relationship. The usual euphemism of a couple lying in bed (sometimes fully clothed) with a pan to their intertwining fingers and then fade to black is so overused and quaint in this day and age.

Thankfully, titillation is not the only game in town. Fate played a key role in pushing our OTP together. Our CP is an odd couple, a young handsome aquarium owner and an older woman suffering from domestic violence and psychological torment. Their story is better constructed and has more depth, but it is still done in bold strokes and quite tropey. What got my goat is not so much their love line but the ending of it.

The writer expended a lot of energy setting up their burgeoning relationship and they had to overcome a lot of opposition to be together. Just when they are happy and free to love each other, it ended. Why? Was it family opposition? Health issues? Money? Even now I’m not sure why. When you look at them after their separation, the ML continued to run his aquarium, the FL started her own salon business after rescuing her ex’s. They are still in the same city. No one is bothering them. There are no other love interests. The FL is single and divorced. So why did they have to break up? It might have satisfied some internal logic only the writer knows but that is hardly satisfying for us. I do find that j-drama like this type of ambiguous endings where it is neither sad nor happy. It is unfulfilling and despondent, so this is real life? Is that really what we want after investing our time and emotions? With the minimal change to the script, our CP could have stay together and still manage their own affairs. Heck, that’s what modern couples do on a daily basis. We don't need a HEA ending every time but at least make it reasonable and satisfying.

On top of that, the show throws in a 2 years’ time skip and while some relationship improved, several affairs are still ongoing after two years. This is done behind the backs of the husbands even though they are not all horrible. There is no effort to resolve their marital problems and the affairs become the panacea. This sends a confusing message. We are shown some deplorable behaviours but we are also shown some that are deemed to be just naughty and good for the soul. Is this meant to be satire? The show is inconsistent in this regard and ends up trivialising important messages.

Acting was ok. Some characters are one dimensional and there are some overacting but where it counted the key actors delivered. OST is inoffensive.

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You get what the trailer promises, but that ending

I was quite excited for this series to come out after the trailer aired. It seemed interesting and a focus on the different situations under which infidelity occur was interesting.

Having just finished the show (writing while episode 8 is fresh in my mind), I can say I enjoyed all the episodes except the last one.

It is a show about sex and infidelity so definitely expect a healthy dose of explicit scenes which to me considering how they were done was not off-putting. I enjoyed many of the anthology like stories of the side couples finding them a good balance to the annoyance one feels with the main husband Takuya and the sometimes underwhelming Sakura. Not to say I didn't enjoy the romance of Sakura and Haruto , more so I didn't enjoy the conclusion.

I am all for an open ending. I think it is a good story choice in many cases especially when there is character change involved. However, in this case, I don't think the story was strong enough to support it. The ending left me annoyed and frustrated. It was largely too vague to be a true open ending in my book. The real annoyance comes from the initial separation. Sakura leaving right after the divorce, feels like she is using Haruto rather than actually being invested in them as had previously been stated. As well, the motivations for the breakup felt a bit weak. Why couldn't they have continued on and she opened her studio while they were today? His dream was to open a shop someday, not immediately. This isn't a case of they needed to leave the country to pursue dreams and why not support each other while doing that especially when they expressed they devotion. Felt very contradictory.

So the series was enjoyable but marred by an ambiguous ending.

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Disappointing and giving questionable messages

When I completed the drama, I wasn't sure what to think of it at first. There are things I truly liked and some I really hated.

One thing I appreciate was how they showed the story from the wifes point of view. Each of them struggled in their marriage due to different reasons and it showed how many reasons can exist for two people in marriage to separate from each other.

The downside was that the drama failed in handling those situations the couples were in. In almost every episode I was thinking "why did they marry, they absolutely do NOT match" and it wasn't interesting to watch how remarkable the couples are in misunderstanding each other or lack a genuine talk on equal footing.
What I really hated though was how the FL Sakura was treated by many (especially women) like a bad person because she ran from her abusive husband and cheated on him. On a side note, she never intended to cheat on him, she just ran when he beat her brutally and he was the one who had repeatedly cheated on her already at this point and everyone except her seemed to be aware of that. It's easy to point fingers when you never listen to the other party and just jump to (wrong) conclusions. Sad truth is though that this moral condemnation shown is actually pretty accurate as society tends to blame/judge women harsher for infidelity than they do with men.

What really irks me (though also accurate) is the portrayal of how a woman who's being cheated on is looked at with pity for being too dumb to see what her husband does behind her back or laughed at for not being able to "please/satisfy" her husbands needs.
When she's the one who's cheating, she's the lowest kind of being and judged while a cheating man is desirable and attractive. This drama reminded me a lot that I do not condemn infidelity per se as many others do. I'm not saying nor thinking cheating is okay but I'm able to feel sympathy for the characters who cheated, yes even a tiny little bit for Takuya though I strongly despise his actions towards Sakura.
Still, I think the drama missed a big chance to not only display societies current reaction towards infidelity but also a try to make people question that judgement. Not to mention that infidelity is presented like the "solution" for each couple in the drama when in truth a honest talk would've prevented the worse and the separation of them in the first place.

Being already frustrated with the drama at this point, I binged the rest to see if the ending would make it slightly better only to find myself being utterly done with it. I hate the last events and the end as they are entirely contrary to what I hoped for or rather what I could relate to and on top of that the end is kinda open. It hints at something but for me that wasn't enough to make it "good" or satisfying. Overall I think Kingyo Tsuma is an okay watch. Not life changing and not really making a huge difference in portraying infidelity. The more I think of it, the lower I wanna rate it because I hoped it would give a fresh insight to maternal problems and portray infidelity as something else than "an easy way out of struggles in marriage". The drama might be good for a one-time watch but isn't a must watch in my opinion. Simply speaking, you miss out on beautiful shots of gold fish but that alone is not reason enough to watch it.

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What's Right, What's Wrong? Or perhaps we are all searching for happiness in our own ways?

It's one of the drama I've been anticipating since I found out Shinohara Ryoko and Iwata Takanori are the main leads in it. I've always enjoys the roles Ryoko and Takanori played in the past and this one too, did not disappoint.

The plot leans towards mature theme, there's a lot of nudity and sex scenes within that makes this NSFW and not children-friendly. If you're under 18 years old reading this review, or still having any fantasies towards marriage etc, I'd highly recommend you to turn away from this drama now.

Onto the review:
STORY 8.5/10
The story is pretty solid in this one. I am not sure how the comic went, since I am not a big comic person, so I can't the the judge on how closely this matches the plot in the comic itself. But as a drama, the plot here is pretty well-done. The story centering around Sakura (Shinohara Ryoko), starting with the image-perfect life she has - she has a loving husband, is rich, seems to lead a happy life, etc. On the other hand, it is also showing that her husband, Takuya (Ando Masanobu) is having an affair in their apartment the day Sakura is having her birthday party (which is happening just 2 floor below their apartment, sincerely, like why is some men shitty like this?)

In the first 10 minutes, they've introduced most of the characters involved in this drama. Each of them would have 1 - 2 episodes dedicated to their relationships with their husbands later - apart from that Feng Shui teacher. What's up with that Feng Shui teaching and her insistence of Twin Ray anyway? The explanation she gave is not even the true explanation of the term. -_-

Anyway, there are hints throughout the first episodes on how unhappy and oppressed Sakura was feeling living with her husband. He would verbally (and later shown to be physically) abuse her to keep her under his control. After a particular rough fight about the goldfish, Sakura started bonding with Haruto (Iwata Takanori), who shelter her when she felt unsafe to return home to her husband.

I find the romance between Sakura and Haruto are pretty pure (age gap and their identity aside), in the sense that Haruto makes Sakura feels safe because he is all charming, sweet, protective, and warm. And Haruto, he has been admiring Sakura for years now (there's a big reveal on when they first met later), you can't blame him for running to her rescue after sensing her distress, right? I sincerely ship this couple, and I really hope to have an extra episode or drama-special for us to see further development between this two.

I also really love the characters' development we get to see inside. Not just for Sakura and Haruto (Haruto has a big, awesome speech he told his father that had me applauding throughout the whole scene), but also for the other couples living in the building itself. I have to say, good for Noriko who left that weird ass husband. Like excuse me, I was SINCERELY disturbed by how her husband wants to watch her and his junior having intimate contact so he can get turned on. Like, if you have issue, please go and seek professional help, man! Saya and Souta are sweet and I love that they eventually willing to match each other's pace again.

Yes, this is pretty solid a story-plot. I'd however, hope that they would extend this drama to one or two more episodes to not rush the romance and to also give us a better rounded ending. Overall though, 8.5/ 10, it is pretty solid.

CASTS 10/10
You all probably know that from my rating that I don't have anything to pick on the casts, love them! One thing though, Hisako's headache is pretty dramatic and I found that a little over-the-top (which, when I think it through it kind of matches her personality). Other than that, I'd say, solid casts. I am still a huge fan of Ryoko-san (has so much respects for her) and Takanori-san (he always looks so sweets in roles like this). Also, kudos to all the relatively realistic sex scenes, those must be pretty awkward/ tough to film.

MUSIC 8.5/10
The theme OST, Crazy For You by sino R fine is already on my favorite song list. There's another instrumental track that leave an impression as well.

REWATCH VALUE 8.5/10
Even though I am rating this at 8.5/ 10, once again the story is pretty solid although it might be a little heavy for regular rewatch. Also the NSFW scenes making this drama, erm... not suitable to play in public, you know? But I am sure I will revisit the drama sometimes.

OVERALL 9.0/10
Overall a solid 9 out of 10. I really like how realistic this drama is and how many issues it is touching on. Loveless marriage and infidelity is sincerely a big social issues in Japan (and maybe many parts of the world) nowadays.

There are values within that one can takeaway, like what is happiness to you? What is success to you? What makes a marriage happy? Also, I am a big advocate for screwing societal standards like marriage and infidelity, age-appropriate coupling (aka having the male be older than female), etc, so this whole drama is right up my alley. If you're not willing/ able to see beyond the societal standards, you might find this drama hard to stomach; but if you do, please watch and enjoy the many thoughts-provoking topics this drama will bring up for you. ;-)

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Redemption

As silly as this drama may seem once you start watching it, it deals with some very heavy topics so be aware. I loved the comedic aspects of the different couples and I found myself rooting for the women who chose to have affairs with men that satisfy them. It is JUST a drama, fiction so keep that in mind as well. The main problem for me was the lack of physical intimacy between the main couple, not just sex but the lack of passion from the first episode to the last was jarring compared to the other couples. Sakura seeking out Takuya was pointless to me and I don’t see the need for a redemption or explanation from an abuser about why they inflicted such abuse.

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Look past the surface

If you get really triggered by infidelity, don't want this show. But If you dig deep and look past the surface of these wives lives you'll see more than woman just cheating on their husbands. I'm not condoning cheating because no matter what the circumstance is, infidelity is just wrong in my opinion. But having that said i did not go into this show having that perspective as my main focus. You can still understand the character's perspectives without condoning their behaviour. You watch the journey of Sakura throughout the show with new woman and their stories being introduced in each episode and it all comes together at the end.

The writer and director have showed that these women are flawed, like every other human, whether it was their loneliness, insecurities, being exploited or their vulnerabilities that caused them to take the decisions they did. You can still empathise with them. This show clearly emphasized that women have needs too and settling for whatever is provided is not enough and shouldn't be. The continuous sex scenes focus was to show the viewers pleasure from the perspective of a woman and how often flawed characters still end up living a life depict not taking accountability for their actions. To really enjoy this show, you have to look past the storyline and feel each characters emotion, that they just wanted to be loved and cared for, to understand every decision they make. They face different problems, whether it's physical insecurities, emotional or physical abuse, lack of intimacy, past trauma etc. The woman have this connection, they all feel as if their trapped in a fishbowl, similar to a goldfish which is foreshadowed throughout the show. The question now is, can they escape it? To find out, give the show a try. It's worth it.

The actors, every single one of them did an amazing job in portraying their characters, the ambience and cinematography just added to the story and helped carry the emotions of the actors onto the screen smoothly. Overall, an refreshing watch that needs an open mind and perspective to really enjoy. If anything we need more shows like this, where women and their perspectives are the focus.

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