Ano Toki Kisu Shite Okeba (2021)

Ano Toki Kiss Shite; Funny, Romantic And Heartbreaking…

The plot of " Ano Toki Kiss Shite" will not appeal to every viewer out there. Its bizarre premise of kind-hearted Nozomu Momochi ( Matsuzaka Tori) beginning to fall in love with the outgoing mangaka-artist Yuizuki Tomoe ( Aso Kumiko)-even in the body of cantankerous caretaker Tanaka Masao ( Iura Arata)-can be seen as oddly " risky” or " weird " in the eyes of some viewers.

However, anyone who has watched this drama beforehand will agree that these stereotypes are wrongly-placed. At the heart of Toki Kiss Shite is an oddly comical, yet heartwarming romance tale where selfless Nozomu Momochi learns the importance of self-love during his unconventional relationship with Yuizuki Tomoe.

As far as the cast is concerned, ”Ano Toki Kiss Shite" was fairly dynamic. Matsuzaka Tori was fairly brilliant as our softly-spoken and down-to-earth male lead Nozomu Momochi. The actor himself admitted that he was drawn to the role by the funny and unpredictable nature of the storyline especially for our male lead.

Momochi as a written character initially seemed to ring warning bells as the archetypical " easily-manipulated" male lead who would be drawn in as the scapegoat by Tomoe, however, Momochi undeniably has his own fair share of problems. Despite having a heart of gold, he does not believe that he should have greater ambitions due to his dead-end job at the supermarket. His one form of escapism is the work of Tomoe. Momochi’s meeting with the mangaka-artist leads him to developing an unusual relationship with the artist- not " romantic” in the beginning ( as Momochi tries to explain to his gossiping coworkers who believed he was having an affair with her), but soul-connecting.

Admittedly, it would have been more intriguing to have seen Momochi fleshed-out more with individuality. Whilst we find out a lot as viewers about Tomoe, her emotional struggle and her close relationship with her mother, our male lead felt too much of a blank slate. We rarely saw or hear him talk about family , his past or even simply react emotionally outside of the enforced " I love sensei” or a " new problem which makes me moody" routine. Arguably whilst this story is a romance tale about Tomoe and Momochi, it would have helped to deepen this soulmate relationship if we knew more about the second component and of course our main lead Nozomu Momochi.

That issue aside , this " soul-connecting" relationship provides to become more of a reality than truth during the surreal supernatural events of the series. Despite being mentioned briefly beforehand ( though without definitive spoilers towards the entirety of the circumstances) , Momochi finds himself in an awkward position when his idol claims to be possessing the body of Tanaka Masao. Naturally perturbed , Momochi finds himself slightly on edge due to the awkwardness of the situation.

However there is oddly something endearing about Momochi not straying from his original words of wanting to develop a soulful bond with Tomoe. In a more lighthearted scene of the series when visiting a bathhouse, he desperately attempts to protect Tomoe’s “dignity” as a woman surrounded by men ( despite Tomoe’s later fairly forthright comments).

Now, Tomoe is admittedly harder to assess due to respectfully played by a female and a male actor.Whilst Matsuzaka commented that Aso Kumiko was brilliant for the role, the actress herself admitted that she did find the role a little unrealistic, though enjoyably intriguing. On the other hand, Iuta Aruta confessed he was questioning whether to regret taking up the role when he was given the script, however, Aruta joked that there is a first time for everything-not least playing a female heroine for the first time.

Honestly, both actors were equally as brilliant as the other by imitating one another’s mannerisms . As a character, Tomoe is more straightforward. A talented and successful manga-artist of the popular series “SEIKA no Sora”, it would be easy to establish Kumiko as the " spoilt princess" archetype, however, Kumiko’s life has certainly not been entirely comprised of sunshine and rainbows.

Yet whilst talking about our female lead, it is impossible not to mention her complicated relationship with her editor Takamizawa Haruto ( Miura Shohei). Now, here is where mixed feelings will be generated for viewers. Takamizawa is what you’d expect of your " jealous-fuelled” second male lead; infatuated with Tomoe, and desperate to make Momochi’s life a living misery. On the other hand, it didn’t refreshingly make Takamizawa a " bad person” either. A backstory provided a deeper insight into his relationship with Tomoe as well as his later revelations with Momochi provide that out of all of his faults, he truly does love and care for Tomoe.

Perhaps the slightly annoying aspect of Takamizawa and Tomoe’s relationship is to do with the “ unrequited love” ideology. It’s understandable that Tomoe didn’t believe that Takamizawa didn’t have any feelings for him ( especially considering their current relationship), however, it’s hard to understand how Tomoe could remain so blasé at times about having or at least struggling with her feelings even once with Takamizawa. ( Bearing in mind their relationship prior to the events of the series.)

As far as the comedy is concerned, “ Ano Toki Kiss Shite" is a required taste. Some may enjoy the comical sketches between Matsuzaka Tori and Iura Arata , whilst others may feel offended or uncomfortable by the exaggerated actions of Tori and Arata’s "awkward situations " and the stereotype of the " foreigner” with Momochi’s coworker Li Shan Shan ( Uraji Nuno)’s “ misunderstandings” by still trying to grasp the Japanese language . However, against some of the more questionable comical moments of the series, ” Ano Toki Kiss Shite” hits hard with some intriguingly issues about Japanese society- Kumiko is revealed to have been a victim of Japan’s vicious problem of ageism and prejudice when she first applied her work to the publishing agency. In a male- dominated environment, she had to take up the male pseudonym “Kanikama Joe” for her work to succeed. Additionally Tanaka Yutaro ( Kubozuka Airu), Masao and Masao’s wife Tanaka Honami ( MEGUMI)’s familial relationship represent the problematic dysfunctional family in all its glory.

However, the one issue which did feel a little less addressed considering the nature of Momochi and Tomoe’s presented relationship was the missed issue of homosexuality and the LGBT community in Japan. Now, this is arguably where we do go down a bit of a slippery slope as it is undoubtable that Tomoe is still a woman. ( The affections of the pair are taken upon the devoted bond of a fan and mentor also.) However, to the outside world, Tomoe’s affections and closeness in the body of Masao to Momochi certainly presented a different story. Whilst arguably the series did address a certain awkwardness in Japanese society around the issue of same-sex relationships with Takamizawa seeing Tomoe ( evidently in Masao’s body) in the beginning, this felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to present more seriously also. ( Especially considering some of the other poignant themes of the drama.)

So, is “ Ano Toki Kiss Shite” worth watching? Whilst the comedy and plot premise may not be appealing to everyone, ” Ano Toki Kiss Shite" is fundamentally an awkward and heartfelt romance tale of a devoted fan learning to be selfish and pursue his own feelings for Tomoe with an eccentric yet heartwarming supernatural twist.

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Selfless soul-switching characters

Ano Toki Kiss shite Okeba literally means "Should've Kissed at that Time" evokes Momochi's regret because of how he rejected Tomoe's kiss. Why though would he reject Tomoe, whom he admires the most? Well, it's only because Momochi is such a pure guy who loves manga, he honestly needs to be protected. Meanwhile, Tomoe is a strong-willed woman and the type of person that would speak up her mind without a second thought. Although they have different personalities, Tomoe started to rely to Momochi not only as an errand boy but also as a reliable companion while experiencing the hardships of her fame as a mangaka. Just when they both agreed to go to a trip together, and Momochi could finally redeem his chance to kiss Tomoe again, their plane crashes. Although Tomoe is reported dead, Masao, claiming he is Tomoe in an old guy's body, asks for Momochi's help. Could this mean there is still a chance for their love? Would Momochi love Tomoe as a guy? But what about Masao's identity? Why Tomoe is in Masao's body?

I think Tomoe couldn't really die just yet because of her strong will to finish all her responsibilities. She helped not only Momochi and people dear to her but also Masao and the readers of her manga. Although death is the saddest feeling, hers is fulfilling and inspiring. Her character shows that anything could happen in a blink of the eye, so we should seize the day.

Soul-switching is one of the overly used plots that we still love no matter what because it could be a difficult conflict to overcome but still would surely involve comedic elements. All of the actors did a good job, especially Iura Arata, playing both Tomoe and Masao. It's my first time seeing his drama so I have a strong image of him acting girly and it surprised me seeing his normal self lol.

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