Rikokatsu (2021)

Indecisive but cute couple you would root for

When I’ve read the synopsis of Rikokatsu, it immediately captured my attention because divorce could be a sensitive topic but still we must accept that it’s common nowadays. Kudos to the writer/s because they did a good job presenting different perspectives on divorce. They also made Rikokatsu lighthearted, which good because it could inform a lot more people, or those who are affected by the same problems could still be comforted and inspired.

Many newlywed couples struggled like Koichi and Saki, two completely different proud people who are still getting to know each other and still not prepared for the changes they have to make after their marriage. With so much pressure, and it’s easier for them to just give up and just divorce. But they still cling to their relationship because of their love. They’re story shows the pain of hasty divorce, and how couples could still fix their marriage by good communication and effort from both sides.

Both Koichi and Saki’s mothers have a different reason for demanding to divorce their husbands, which is self-love. Some women like them, and even men, endure bad marriage for years in fear of losing their family. It’s empowering how they fought for their rights because people like them deserves to be free, and they showed that making this important decision is never too late.

Saki’s sister is quick on taking the risk when she divorced her mama’s boy husband. We can see that although her daughter is upset, single parents like her always does their best for their children. As someone who grew up with the same setup, it reminded me of the sacrifices my parents did for me.

The cast did a very good job on portraying these characters. I’m happy to encounter Nagayama Eita again after Orange Days. His character is so serious and stiff but he played it so well. Kitagawa Keiko is perfect and pretty as always. Tanabe Momoko who played as Keiko’s love rival is very effective in annoying me haha. She’s so genuine in delivering her lines, and hopefully she’ll have more projects.

Hitmaker Yonezu Kenshi’s Pale Blue suits Rikokatsu so well, and sets a longing mood for this drama. I must say zutto zutto zutto~ is definitely catchy! How could he repeat a word thrice and make me feel emotional lol. Good job Kenshi ^^

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リコカツ

This drama is about Mizuguchi saki a strong woman who works into fashion and writing novels.One day she goes in the forst and she gets lost, there a guy who she just met saves her, his name is Obara koichi. The two people fall in love immedietly and they get married.Obara koichi who is the ace of the Air Rescue Wing of the Air Self Defense Force, he grew up in a strict military family and is the classic straight-laced guy. As they begin living in a big house they discover quickly they both have so many differences, their lifestyle is so different from each other and values result in differences in opinions and huge fights. They end up fighting everyday, Saki and Koichi soon decide to get a divorce. This is [ Rikokatsu ] but the couple have difficulty breaking the news of their decision to their families, colleagues and friends who celebrated their marriage and looked forward to the future. They get a divorce but they actually fall in love with each other more as they are separated, in the end will they end up together? At the beginning this drama was so weird, I didn't really enjoy, but after episode 2 you will get hooked on it.
The main leads are so different but that makes them more stronger ♥

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I really disliked it, sorry...>___<

I should've trusted my guts and dropped this immediately, after all....>__<
It had some (few, waaaay too few) good moments, but those were literally drowned in a plethora of frustratingly terrible, poorly written scenes.
I've sometimes used food metaphors while praising some drama (writing stuff like "it masterfully manages to mix so many different ingredients and ends up creating an original, delicious flavor" or something like that), but here it's just the opposite: the clueless screenwriter (whom I'm adding immediately to my personal blacklist!) came up with a painfully uncohesive story, filling it with idiotic characters and mixing up genres and styles in an obnoxiously chaotic, incoherent way (back to food metaphors: mixing something sweet with something sour is perfectly fine if you come up with, say, a delicious plate of Sweet&Sour Chicken...but here it's as if she'd dropped a spoonful of strawberry jam on a tomato, and then covered the whole thing with mayonnaise, cocoa powder and wasabi...sorry, but I'll pass! >____<)
All this imvho, of course.

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it portrays an old fashioned way of thinking, of woman should only serve the man. but it's story telling shows woman empowerment. Its a somewhat typical love story, which at times could a bit be dragging, however the feel good moments of the show were enough for me. i was taken aback the the male lead was eita, he looks matured, i remember him from orange days, i even stop and research the name of the actor around episode 4 because I can't help thinking that he look familiar. as for the female lead, her acting for me was perfect for the character and she aged well, from buzzer beat.. definitely would re-watch it if feeling down, although would have to fastfoward on the other stuffs

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I stumbled upon this Jdrama largely because the marriage/cohabitation trope is one I always enjoy. I typically watch kdramas, but in the recent weeks I've been veering more into jdrama and even some cdrama.

This drama was enjoyable and truly captured the turmoil involved in a new couple coming to know one another after marriage. While the lead couple's struggle is heightened exponentially by marrying before coming to know one another, I think living together and/or getting used to another role is always challenging. This drama reveals all the messiness of becoming accustomed to someone else.

Both lead actors were terrific. The FL was so beautiful and graceful while the ML's gruffness and rigidity played so well. If anything, I wish the ML would have toned his staunch and exaggerated personality down just a little. I understand this is who he was but it became rather ridiculous at times...and I wish he could have gotten over it and kissed her. Gah! The lack of skinship made me crazy. Jdramas are typically so much farther ahead in this area.

It became a bit draggy with the secondary characters. I suppose I just didn't care enough about them.

Overall, I'm glad it was rather short and a quick binge.

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A divorce stories but cute

I just finished watch the drama. For me, Japanese drama can be very great in storyline or sometimes really cheesy and I don't get it. But it's so different with this one! After finished another drama, I was trying to get the new drama to watch but most likely drop many on episode 1 - if I feel the storyline or the acting are bad or not strong enough. But when I watched this one, I enjoyed it so much.

I really admired the chemistry between Kitagawa Keiko and Nagayama Eita. For me Nagayama Eita's acting as the stiff and very serious guy is really great but cute as well. You can feel the genuine connection between the leads and it's what make the film feels so pleasant to watch.

In the beginning maybe you will feel strange with Nagayama Eita's acting and behavior, but as Mizuguchi Saki's said : his personality can be addictive - there is an overload cuteness from Koichi's seriousness.

Also I love the story of their family - I already guessed it will end nicely - but I kuddo the screenwriter to brought up such a sensitive topic ; the patriarchy culture ; as woman has to follow and obey husband without able to speak up their voice (mostly happens in Asian culture). Also I love how Mizuguchi stood up for her work as she is respect Koichi's work and want him to keep doing his work.

Give the drama a try - it's really a pleasant journey to watch them.

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Need more Eita for comedy!

At the beginning of the series, I actually really really like it. The conversation and bickering between Saki and Kouichi are funny but feel very real as well (in a sense of their domestic problems happen to general people). However, when the third parties (especially the novelist) come to the equation, the drama being draggy and cliché. EITA is shining on his comical performance without being too exaggerated, while Keiko Kitagawa gives just right proportion as Saki. Appropriate performance from other casts as well. The ending, IMHO, giving a fair resolution to every character.

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Lighthearted comedy about serious issues

At first hand, Rikokatsu comes across as a lighthearted comedy but I would think it twice before writing it off as just that. Personally, I think this drama presents itself as a easy to watch rom-com but it is full of social commentary about Japan's current situation in relation to their low marriage rates and high divorce rates among older people.

Saki, our leading lady, is a competent fashion magazine editor who comes from a progressive family. Because of this, she's not only committed to her work but values her independence and looks a partner who will respect these attributes. On the opposite side we have Koichi, leading man, who comes from a military family with traditional japanese values. Love triumphs over their differences, at the beginning, but cohabitation makes it impossible to look past some blaring problems in their every day life.

The drama never makes Saki say it out loud but she's clearly a feminist, this is one of the main reasons that catapults the problems in their marriage. Koichi expects from her what his mother did for his father: follow the man's rhythm of life, make all the meals, cleaning, etc. I want to make point out that Koichi it's not misogynist because he does respect Saki and sees her as an equal, in fact, when she calls him out on things he changes his behaviour but it's clear that it never occurred to him that a marriage could look different than the one his parents had. On the other hand, Saki doesn't know how to adapt to some of Koichi needs or behaviour that are absolutely normal as a couple because she's used to her parent's marriage where each person had their own thing to the point of not having family meals together once at home.

I found their situation as a mirror of Japan's society as a whole. Cosmopolitan, interesting, independent but also with a deep rich ancient tradition. These two characteristics seem to complement each other well, at surface level, but the social issues in the country it is proof of the imbalance between the two.

I mentioned that Japan currently has a high divorce rate among older people. Marriages of decades that "suddenly" crumble. Well, both leads' find themselves in the situation of having to deal with their parents' divorces because of all the reasons I wrote about before.

Most of the drama it's about a couple finding a balance and accepting there's not one way to be a family. That marriage can look very different according to the needs of the two people involved in the relationship.

Technically speaking Rikokatsu it's really good. The cinematography really beautiful and camera work a mix of traditional and more dynamic. The performances are really good from all the cast. The leads, Kitagawa and Eita, are full of charm and fleshed out their characters in a compelling way. There are no bad guys, just two people trying to figure out life.

For all of these, I fully recommend Rikokatsu.

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This drama is full of cliche, I know.. It so Jdrama-ey and you better leave your brain and logic at the door if you want to enjoy it 😂

Having said that, I enjoyed this drama so much. Not particularly because of the story, but it was because the two main lead, played by the ever so beautiful Kitagawa Keiko and the super adorable but never keen to play more romcom Nagayama Eita. If you’re a fan of bickering couple who are in love with each other so much, you will love them. And not to mention their visuals. Seriously, they should won the most good looking but awkwardly adorable Jdrama couple of the year.

Strange as they are, they’re the two characters who hold this drama together, all of the characters beside them are quite annoying and unlikeable. I often like Jdrama because of the likeable and interesting supporting characters beside the main leads, but that is not the case in this one. BUT, let me tell you that if you’re into Jdrama romcom, than the two main leads alone are good enough reason to watch this one.

I like Eita’s acting so much that I started to watch more of his movies. His character is absurd, but he played it so well it’s hilarious, Kitagawa Keiko also played well and seriously with that kind of face, only seeing it is already such a joy. I hope there are more romantic scene between them, but it’s already cute enough now. I found myself rewatching some of their cute scene again and again 😄

The music.. Pale Blue from Yonezu Kenshi has been playing on repeat in my playlist since maybe ep 3 watching this. It really suit the story, I think this is one of the most memorable OST for Jdrama in 2021 so far.

Totally recommend this!

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The drama is so cute. I love how both of them are too hard to confess their love for one another but at the same time, constantly expressing it thru their actions. And the fact that the whole family can relate to that kinda "complex" is quite funny and feels relatable too. Some scenes might annoy you though so imo it's a "well balanced" drama because it combines all sort of emotions and moods. The cast are superb but I don't know why they suddenly changed the cast for Saki's dad (but it doesn't really matter) All of them portrayed the characters so well. Not to mention the chemistry between Keiko and Eita was literally *chef kiss*. The ending was satisfying. So overall it's a good show.

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5 divorces et un mariage

Se marier sur un coup de tête, ne peut rien apporter de bon. C'est le conseil qu'on aurait dû donner à Kitagawa Keiko avant d'épouser dès les premières minutes de la série le secouriste Nagayama Eita venu la sauver d'une mort certaine, ou plutôt d'un chagrin d'amour.

Ce drama part, dès la cérémonie de mariage, complètement en cacahouète. Avec des familles et des collègues complètement déjantés. On comprend très vite que tous les couples présents sont sur le point de divorcer et nos deux héros vont arriver à cette même décision, dès le soir de la lune de miel.

Cette facilité à quitter son conjoint peu surprendre dans le pays des traditions monolithiques, mais il faut savoir que divorcer au Japon n'est souvent qu'une simple formalité administrative. Apposer deux signatures sur un bout de papier et hop, on oublie femme (mari) et enfant, créant des millions de mères célibataires condamnées ... à être les héroïnes, ou les faire valoir, de millier d'animés, de films et de dramas. Une fois qu'on a accepté ce postulat on prendra un plaisir dingue à suivre ses différents couples, hésitant entre ses deux choix de vie.

À commencé donc par nos deux super héros, Kitagawa Keiko qui éblouie à nouveau l'écran par son charme et son jeu. Montrant ses facultés de caméléon, dans un rôle d'apprenti femme au foyer maladroite, elle qui à toujours été indépendant dans son métier. Fashion girl, capable d'avoir 5 coupes de cheveux et 10 tenues différentes dans un même épisode, au point de ne plus la reconnaitre d'une scène à l'autre. Contraste élevé avec la rigueur militaire de Nagayama Eita, qui n'est pas en reste quant au difficile apprentissage de la vie à deux. Cette guerre sera pour lui la plus dure à gagner, mais autant Keiko était le point d'attraction central d'un Ie Uru Onna (2016), autant, c'est Eita qui porte la série sur ses épaules. Il donne littéralement de sa personne pour l'emmener au-dessus du lot de toutes les comédies romantiques du moment.

Physiquement d'abord, avec une carrure de titan. Son jeu ensuite est à mourir de rire entre Albert Dupontel, période stand up et Stallone période Rambo, il est hyper touchant dans les moments d'intimité ou quand il se retrouve complètement à la ramasse fasse à la gent féminine. Difficile apprentissage que la vie de couple. Faire des concessions, tout en ne reniant pas sa personnalité (encore plus dur au Japon) les différents couples justement montrent différente période de la vie et des choix à faire. Miroir du futur pour nos héros, ses acteurs parsèment la série de scènes mémorables.

Les seconds rôles loin d'être des faire-valoir ne montrent aucun temps mort dans l'humour ou le sentimental. Les militaires, trop ... militaires. Les vieux père de famille de l'ère Showa, trop .... chef de famille de l'ère Showa et les célibataires, trop célibataires.

On notera une incongruité, avec Sano Shiro, brutalement remplacé par Hirata Mitsuru à partir de l'ep 4 bien, moins charismatique, mais montre à quel point la production des dramas est tendue. Et on appréciera la présence du bellâtre Shirasu Jin de I Don't Love You Yet qui prend une place non négligeable dans le paysage drama-stique japonais avec des rôles toujours plus inquiétants. On sent qu'il prend un malin plaisir à casser son image de beau gosse et on le prend avec lui.

Bien sûr, on ne peut terminer ce tableau déjà parfait avec un Ending digne d'un drama passant en prime time et avec une telle qualité d'acteurs.
Même si on est loin d'un Lemon, c'est toujours un plaisir d'entendre un inédit de Yonezu Kenshi. OK, j'aurais dû commencer par ça, pour vous donner envie de voir ce drama, mais ça reviendrait à commencer à envisager le divorce avant même la fin de la nuit de noce, non ?

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