It's the exact opposite of what the english title says: Main girl & main guy (they're both really hot... sorry, I just had to mention it:) obviously love each other already. But they are confused about it, because many years back, they decided to be only friends. I must say that as soon as episode 5/16, I already felt kind of sad. Something was up, there were things half hinted, but the two never really talked it out. This even reminded me of telenovelas or thai lakorns with the Arranged Marriage / Misunderstanding trope, where the main couple's "story" usually drags for 100 episodes or whatever long runtime they need the whole series to have: because the two people aren't able to talk basic things through, despite living together in 1 room the whole time! So, while this drama has all the qualities expected from j-dramas, it DOES work with an exceptionally poor quality story to begin with. This irony represents itself in this j-drama having 16 episodes instead of the usual 10. While I would jump with joy in case of practically any other j-drama to be a bit longer, because I tend to love them, unfortunatelly this is the case of super frustrating over-drag, inherited from the original, which caused the episode boost.

First, I thought: They CAN work it out, just the reason why in the past he had insisted so much that he would never, ever fall for her, had to be revealed. I felt that until the main girl learns about this, she would not be able to really proceed with him. Instead, we got the super clingy secondary female... She's like scary since episode 5. I was afraid that she will plague the whole drama, never leaving main guy's side (who was way too nice to tell her to get lost). While what happened was she actually tried to help a bit, in the end. And then instead...

Other secondary character "unexpectedly" returns to the scene. Main girl's most notable ex, in fact. He appears, has very open conversation with main guy, during which he openly speaks the truth. Including the truth about main guy's feelings for main girl. Not afraid to describe things by their name, he calls a spade a spade, and that sets FURTHER to display how much the people of concern have omitted to say. And yes, there they are right in the following scene, endlessly conversing about FOOD. The more I shipped them together, the more frustrating it was that even when the most romantic kind of situation offered itself, the two of them didn't grab on it and fully express their feelings. Instead, the secondary characters got involved even MORE.

Then, at 1/2 of the drama, we have our main guy finally ready to confess to main girl immediatelly. But any time he tries, circumstances prevent him from completing 1 single conversation (it's like in hispanic telenovelas). Plus, her ex is coming for her. Would HE be quicker to speak to her? Of course. Episode 8, the two do have their crucial conversation. The two mains DON'T. Epi 9, main guy's mother lectures him about success in love being Feeling,Timing,Happening. Well, this guy certainly has enough feeling for his girl. But his problems with timing went to the absolute extreme, in this story. Just why did he tell her years back that he will never, ever consider her as a girlfriend? Why the two were so extremely cursed with bad timing whenever one/both of them felt like expressing they actually felt more than friendship? They had countless chances during the long years. Even now, each time they meet, they don't mention the most important thing they need to say to one another, because at the current moment there is always something they can argue about. That's repeated over and over. It's like I mentioned above: the root cause is in the bad writing inherited from the taiwanese original.

Therefore, I decided I should probably just resign on what the hell was HAPPENING in the drama, and just enjoy all the other qualities it has to offer... Since I loved watching both the two mains (they both are really attractive, they have charm, ML has very captivating face, and I loved how FL dressed at work), I went from there. Just tried to enjoy their scenes without hoping they would actually make their love story satisfying. That was the best way to keep watching this drama... I remember there was nothing like that to keep me with the 2011 taiwanese original. I dropped that after 1 episode. I knew I won't drop this, but I admit my frustration. It looked like the writer REALLY wanted both the mains to date other people. There is so much of past flashbacks and follow-up development of main girl with Asaka Kodai's side character, that viewers might start doubting whose love story this is. Is it actually about THEM getting back together? Answer is simple, no, just another side-effect of the bad writing. But feel free to get frustrated, drop this drama or call this drama bad. I watched enough thai, philipino, vietnamese, some of taiwanese and chinese television to know what's BAD, lol. But! While I know this is not a bad show, it IS portraying a colossally bad story. I am repeating myself in this review... But, it does repeat in those 16 episodes.

It goes on for so long that even the viewers who did ship the main couple together might quit wishing them to succeed. I was like that, too. That is the biggest proof that romance has failed. And if romance fails, how good can romantic drama be? So, after all, I do understand the viewers calling it bad. Scenes like "him going to confess but catching the girl the exact second when she got hugged by her ex and then leaving before at least also seeing that she pulled away" exhausted my patience decades ago and long before watching them here. But, after all, who knows how old the source material for the script actually was. Soon after that failed confession they make the two mains have a Misunderstanding conversation which will put any future confession in a wrong light... It's because they both ALWAYS avoid the word love and start conversation on some side-point instead, hoping to gradually get to it. Instead of the converstation to develop the way they wanted, it of course gets stuck on something that prevents it. While the supporting character rivals never fail to say "love" right away. Thus planting the seed of romance into main's hearts. We can watch main girl getting hugged by other guy and to almost receive a kiss, despite her struggling her ex is seen to still not give up and kisses her cheek at least, giving her his "poison", again. The one who really loves her LEAVES even before attempting anything and throws flowers intended for her into garbage. It's then difficult to cheer for such "couple".

Yes, it's difficult to watch a "story" where the love rivals are so apt in taking every opportunity and make the most of it, while the mains fail every time at the basics. How do you fight against such script? So, soon the rival brings his own flowers. And THOSE get accepted. Other reviews commented on how the couple-moments between main girl and her ex were the kind of moments they would wish for the main couple to have. That says it all. Episode 10 is perfect example of what happens when the writer goes too far on this kind of sub-plot. It's in every under/average romance plot dating back decades. LONG before "Team Jacob" T-shirts. And the dated drama prop of "leaving a letter/note/sms/voice-message to convey the most precious information" cements it. We're back to stone-age way of writing dramas. Are we enjoying ourselves?

Next episodes, there's many real kiss scenes with FL & Asaka Kodai... WHO were the producers cheering for, here? Why these two look so adorable together? This really got out of hand. LOL. Episode 13, they're still at it. How long will this go on? Out of everything, FL learns about ML's feelings the worst possible way, and the worst possible timing (aw, this show's main theme:) Then, even as late as the last 2-3 episodes, we let the mains tell each other the most important things only through (unlistened) voicemails or (unsent) postards...

While this review sure does list all the complaints about the frustrating "storytelling" and writing, it should also be noted that the main couple had their qualities. They were both likeable and perfect for each other, I loved their relationship (their badly written fighting excluded) and honestly believed that they should marry. It was well portrayed that despite Asaka Kodai's side character seeming to be the more romantic kind of boyfriend, he wasn't the true love and the right one and I appreciated that. Any other drama would let his guy be the lead. On the other hand, when the mains do finally get together, it's a bit anticlimax. There's just 1 kiss scene, I loved it, but it was a very brief thing in long sea of screentime. They should have shown more of them having attraction, than being good friends, we watched them being good friends for 16 episodes already. Still, I watched this to the end. I loved the final episode, where we could watch the main girl having her life journey symbolized by her love for shoes. It really was more than just an occupation for her and the final scene with her family was precious. I loved the main leads of this. Now the Thai remake is ahead of me, "starring" Pae Arak whom I cannot stand, so I guess I'll be done with that one very quickly, LOL. In the end, I rated this drama higher than I first expected (I was SO set to give a low rating:-), for the message it left in me.

Note: The ending credits song is WAY better (Enon Kawatani!;-) than the (crappy) opening song. They should have used it on opening credits, too... Or other one by the same artist.