Image: mydramalist

Title: My Beautiful Man Season 2
Original Title: Utsukushii Kare Season 2
Screenwriter: Tsubota Fumi
Director: Sakai Mai
Number of episodes: 4 episodes
Stars: Hagiwara Riku, Yagi Yusei, Takano Akira, Wada Soko, Nimura Sawa, Ochiai Motoki

Having overcome the obstacles that stood between them in high school, Kazunari Hira and Sou Kiyoi have spent the past few years in relative bliss. Living together, they’ve been able to support each other as they learn to navigate the ups and downs of their adult life. But just because life has gotten better, doesn’t mean everything for the happy couple is perfect. Currently, in his fourth year of college, Hira has spent the majority of his free time following Kiyoi around in disguise. While Hira enjoys watching his boyfriend from afar, it has recently begun to dawn on him that with graduation looming, he might need to turn his attention elsewhere. With no part-time job experience whatsoever, Hira is starting to see that his favorite pastime may be doing him a disservice. A fact that only becomes more apparent as his classmates, with their impressive array of work experience, begin to turn their attention toward post-graduation job hunting. Feeling a bit left behind, Hira begins to wonder what it is he wants to do with his life. While Hira struggles at school, Kiyoi continues to work hard in his acting career. As both Kiyoi and Hira learn to deal with some of life’s more harsh realities, will their relationship stand strong, or will they find their bond beginning to crack under the pressures that come with adulthood?

***

After finishing the first season of Utskushii Kare, I realized that the second season has been finished with only four episodes. Since I want to know how Hira and Kiyoi's relationship will be, I tried to watch this second soon as fast as I can.

The Story

Now, Hira is in his senior in the university. It's time for him to decide on his career. But, as we know, Hira got a problem when he has to talk in front of someone else. Therefore, he couldn't pass on some interviews, even though just for a part-time job. In a way, Hira got frustrated because he still couldn't solve his own problem. 

Meanwhile, Kiyoi's career in the entertainment industry has been growing. Thanks to his fellow artist from the same agency, Anna, Kiyoi got a chance to have some roles in a drama. Well, you can say that Kiyoi's career become more shining than ever. 

Since their confession in the last season, Hira and Kiyoi live together at Hira's house. One thing that I really notice, even though there has been a confession, Hira still sees Kiyoi as someone he couldn't reach. He always feels that his feeling is one-sided. It's impossible for a King like Kiyoi could give attention and care to a pebble like him. Yeah, that what's Hira thought all along.

My Opinion

First, I like how Kiyoi becomes sweeter and care about Hira. I love how Kiyoi actually can help Hira to regain his confidence and also change his perspective of everything. But really, I have to admit that I am really annoyed by Hira. I mean, why has he always said sorry for everything even though he is not false? 

Then, I also couldn't bear his self-doubting, moreover about Kiyoi's feelings. I really want to slap him in the face and said, please, open your eyes and mind and realize that Kiyoi also has a feeling for you and it's possible for you to get what you want if you really mean it.

Maybe, Hira's scene that I like is when he dressed up cause Kiyoi asked him to. He looks more proper here xD

In a way, I feel so stressed watching Hira's attitude. Sigh. Thankfully, Kiyoi's presence in this series save my cringes. I love how Kiyoi acts toward Hira and also everyone else. Then, I should admit that Kiyoi is indeed beautiful.

Conclusion

If you want to know about the continuation of Hira and Kiyoi's relationship, please watch this second season. You will find how sweet and cute Kiyoi is here.

7 out of 10 stars for Kiyoi.

Sincerely,
Ra

Image: LDH

Judul: My Beautiful Man
Judul lain: Utsukushii Kare
Sutradara: Sakai Ma
Penulis naskah: Tsubota Fumi
Pemain: Hagiwara Riku, Yagi Yusei, Takano Akira
Jumlah episode: 6 episode

Seventeen-year-old Hira, who is at the bottom of the class, tries to remain invisible at school, never wanting to open his mouth and expose his stuttering speech to his classmates. He views the world through his camera lens, detached until one day, Kiyoi Sou walks through the classroom door. The impact is instantaneous. Hira finds himself pulled into Kiyoi's gravity, following him everywhere and attending to his every need. Popularity comes easily to beautiful Kiyoi, who is always surrounded by his classmates. He uses his status to get what he wants, ordering around the boy who stares at him with his big eyes and seems to worship him like a god. Hira contents himself to merely exist within Kiyoi's orbit, asking for nothing in return…

***

Sesungguhnya, aku sudah mengetahui keberadaan dari drama BL ini cukup lama. Hanya saja, belum ada kesempatan untuk menontonnya. Kalau aku ingat-ingat kembali, mungkin Utsukushii Kare adalah drama BL Jepang kedua yang kutonton setelah My Faded First Love. Kesimpulan setelah menonton? Masih belum ada yang bisa mengalahkan Kiekoi bagiku.

Tentang Cerita

Hira Kazunari menyukai fotografi. Alasannya? Melalui lensa kamera, ia tak perlu menjadi bagian dari dunia yang kadang membuatnya gugup. Ia hanya melihat sebagian dunia melalui lensanya dan ia merasa, dunia yang tak semenakutkan kenyataannya. Suatu kejadian di awal tahun terakhir di sekolah menengahnya, membuat Hira tertarik pada kehidupan Kiyoi Sou. Seorang cowok populer yang pada akhirnya menyedot perhatian Hira sepenuhnya.

Di sisi lain, Kiyoi juga penasaran dengan Hira yang terlihat begitu tertarik padanya. Ia pun membuat Hira menuruti semua perintahnya. Lalu, suatu ketidaksengajaan membuat Hira mengetahui rahasia Kiyoi.

Pendapatku

Hmm, pertama aku masih enggak paham, kenapa, ya, male lead di drama BL tuh harus selalu awkward? Kenapa sih, Hira enggak bisa berlaku biasa aja, gitu? Aoki saja di Kiekoi menurutku tidak sebegitu awkward-nya. 

Lalu, untuk Kiyoi, aku akui dia ini termasuk cowok cantik. Penampilannya juga cool. Hanya saja, ternyata sisi dia yang sebenernya, yang baru ter-reveal di tiga episode terakhir malah membuatku mengerutkan kening. Astagah. Ternyata Kiyoi di sini menjadi sosok yang lebih feminin, ya? 

Menurutku, ceritanya cukup straightforward. Struggle dari Hira dan Kiyoi cukup tergambar. Aku juga suka dengan keberadaan Koyama yang menjadi salah satu peletup konflik di antara Hira dan Kiyoi. Tapi entah mengapa, Utsukushii Kare ini belum bisa menjadi drama BL yang kusukai. Aku masih merasakan ke-cringe-an saat menontonnya. Sama seperti waktu aku menonton Cherry Blossoms After Winter.

Kesimpulan

Sebagai drama pendek, yaa masih seru kok untuk diikutin. Lalu, aku juga masih penasaran dengan season kedua dari drama ini. Apakah Hira sudah tidak lagi awkward? Atau bagaimanakah nanti hubungan antara Hira dan Kiyoi bisa berjalan?

6.5 dari 10 bintang aja, deh, untuk drama kali ini.

Sincerely,
Ra

Image: Netflix

Title: Kotaro Lives Alone

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Number of episodes: 10

Release date: 24th April 2021

Stars: Eito Kawahara, Yu Yokoyama, Maika Yamamoto, Katsuhisa Namase, Daigo Nishihata, Kanako Momota

Watch on Netflix

Shin Karino is an unpopular manga artist who spends his days meaningless in his apartment. One day, he meets his new neighbor, Kotaro Sato, a 5-year-old child who will be living alone. Shin begins to take care of Kotaro and learns the importance of responsibility and care as an adult.

Actually, this dorama always appeared on my recommendations lately. Therefore, I decided to watch it out of curiosity. To be honest, I haven't read the manga yet, but the premise looks so promising and I just like a mini-series like Kotaro. Moreover, I know that one of the Naniwa Danshi's members take a role in this drama. 

Kotaro Lives Alone

At the age of five, what have you done? Kotaro is starting to live alone at that age. He literally rent an apartment room by himself and manages to live by himself. Of course, adults around them are worried and confused when they first meet Kotaro. Starting from Karino, the unpopular manga artist who first meet with Kotaro, Mizuki the next neighbour, and also Isamu, the below neighbour who looks like a gangster. 

At first, no one really knows about Kotaro. Why he should live by himself and how he can manage to do that. It's of course confusing, even for Kobayashi, a lawyer in charge to give the money every week for Kotaro. But, little by little, everyone finally gets attached to Kotaro and want to protect him at all cost. 

Well...

After all, Kotaro Lives Alone is a very heart-warming story, even though I don't know how much accurate the story is. I mean, I know that children in Japan are really independent, but to live alone like Kotaro is a little bit too much, I think. But, since I don't really know about it, I won't talk more.

I love how J-drama capture all of the character's personality. Even the supporting role got their part perfectly in this short mini-series. Then, since the duration of each episode is only 20 minutes, it's really easy to watch in one go. 

Anyway, one of the reasons I am curious about this series is because of one of Naniwa Danshi's members who take the role in it. It was Daigo Nishihata who plays Keisuke Hanawa, Kotaro's teacher in the kindergarten.  At first, I mistakenly recognize who is Daigo. Lol. But the more I watch it, Daigo is perfectly captured Keisuke's character. 

Aside of that, I know there is some character's improvement after meeting Kotaro. In a way, they found their life goals after they got interact with Kotaro, such as how Karino is really improving on his works. After all, Kotaro is really a charming boy.

Hmm, to be honest. One thing that I find a little bit disturbing is about how's Kotaro's father is abusive. I mean, I couldn't easily forgive that behaviour. It hurts Kotaro's mother that bad. Whatever the reason is, it shouldn't be end up like that. Sigh. 

Conclusion

If you wanna find a heartwarming series, Kotaro Lives Alone will be your perfect choice.

8 out of 10 stars.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: Imdb

Judul: The Journalist

Genre: Drama, thriller

Sutradara: Michihito Fuji

Penulis naskah: Michihiro Fuji, Isoko Mochizuki

Pemain: Ryoko Yonekura, Go Ayano, Ryusei Yokohama, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Terajima Shinobu

Jumlah episode: 6

Nonton di Netflix

Anna Matsuda, a reporter for the Toto Newspaper, is a highly regarded and well-respected journalist who uses her strong beliefs to get to the bottom and discover the truth, of every story. Confronted with political crimes and the scandals of modern Japanese society, Anna makes it her priority to expose the corruption ravaging her nation.

Setelah sebelumnya aku lebih banyak menonton drama yang lovey-dovey dan fluffy, kali ini aku coba untuk menonton drama yang cukup serius. Aku simply penasaran dengan The Journalist karena muncul di bagian rekomendasi di Netflix. 

Kalau boleh jujur, menurutku awal dari drama ini cukup promising. Membokar kasus suap yang melibatkan orang-orang di pemerintahan melalui kacamata jurnalisme. Yaa, tahulah ya kalau dunia media sekarang ini, mau di mana saja, sangat sulit untuk menjadi independen. Hello, para oligark media? Karena itu, aku cukup tertarik untuk menontonnya. 

Lalu, menurutku, ini pertama kalinya aku menonton dorama Jepang dengan sinematografi yang cukup dinamis. Sungguh. Seumur-umur nonton dorama Jepang, kebanyakan sinematorgrafinya kaku banget--atau akunya aja yang jarang nonton dorama jadinya enggak tahu? Secara visual, menurutku The Journalist ini lumayan banget untuk dinikmati.

Reporter yang Persisten: Anna Matsuda

Anna Matsuda (Ryoko Yonekura) adalah reporter di Koran Toto News. Ia dikenal sebagai reporter perempuan yang gigih dalam memburu berita. Kali ini, ia terjun dalam meliput Skandal Eishin Academy, sebuah skandal yang disebut-sebut melibatkan perdana menteri. 

Menjadi reporter dengan jiwa idealis tentu saja tidak mudah. Banyak sekali tantangannya. Mulai dari pihak pemerintah yang menganggap bahwa Matsuda adalah ancaman, hingga sikap meremehkan dari atasan Matsuda di tempat kerja. Akan tetapi, Matsuda tetap berupaya membongkar Skandal Eishin sebaik mungkin.

Sampai suatu ketika, salah seorang pegawai di kantor bagian keuangan pemerintah--kalau aku tidak salah, ya--ditemukan meninggal dunia karena bunuh diri. Hal ini otomatis juga mengingatkan Matsuda pada keadaan kakaknya yang kurang-lebih sama. Indikasi bahwa pegawai tersebut terlibat dalam Skandal Eishin, membuat Matsuda berupaya membongkar skandal tersebut sedemikian rupa. 

Di sisi lain, Shinichi Murakami (Go Ayano) adalah mantan asisten First Lady. Secara sadar, ia mengetahui dan juga terlibat dalam Skandal Eishin. Hal ini membuatnya diminta untuk berpindah pekerjaan ke CIRO, semacam bagian intel dalam Pemerintahan Jepang. Bisa dibilang, CIRO ini seperti high-level operation to organize the intelligence. Bukannya Murakami memang ingin pindah ke sini, tapi karena atasannya yang mengkehendaki.

Kasus yang sebetulnya kompleks

Kalau boleh jujur, kasus yang ingin dibongkar di The Journalist cukup kompleks. Dalam artian, karena ini kejahatan politik, seharusnya banyak intrik yang bermain. Tapi menurutku, kompleks-nya kasus ini tidak bisa menemui resolusi yang memuaskan.

Sampai dengan episode terakhir, aku merasa bahwa titik terang dari Skandal Eishin terlihat begitu samar. Bahkan, sampai sekitar 20 menit terakhir, saksi kunci dari kasusnya belum memberikan kesediaannya. Alhasil, aku merasa resolusi di dorama ini cukup kosong. Yang juga baru kusadari, tidak ada bentuk plot twist di sini. Yaa, tersangkanya dari awal sudah ketahuan. Jadi, isi 6 episode ini ya upaya membongkar kasusnya aja.

Baiklah. Aku paham kok kalau di sini penulis ingin menunjukkan soal rumitnya kejahatan politik untuk dibuktikan. Bagaimana media bisa dibeli dan para buzzer bisa dengan mudah memutar-balikkan fakta. Sayangnya, menurutku belum ada unsur surprise. Jadinya, dorama ini terasa datar.

Mungkin, cara kerja Matsuda lah yang bisa jadi sedikit penyelamat di sini. Dalam artian, kisah Matsuda bisa memberikan gambaran soal kehidupan reporter politik. 

Oh iya, satu lagi. Dalam dorama ini, kita juga akan menemukan kisah Ryo (Ryusei Yokohama) dan kawannya, Mayu. Di sini, kita bisa mendapatkan perspektif dari anak muda dalam melihat dunia politik. Upaya mereka dalam mencari pekerjaan dan juga meraih mimpi menjadi salah satu fokus. Meskipun Ryo di sini punya keterikatan dengan Kazuya Suzuki, pegawai yang bunuh diri dan jadi fokus utama Skandal Eishin, aku merasa kehidupan dirinya agak terpisah dari jalan cerita utama. Jadi semakin terasa kisahnya hanya sebagai filler.

Kesimpulan

Jujur, aku melihat The Journalist punya potensi. Aku juga baru tahu kalau dorama ini merupakan versi panjang dari filmnya yang berjudul sama. Akan tetapi, aku tidak merasakan excitement saat menontonnya. Entah kenapa aku kurang puas ketika resolusi yang disampaikan... yaudah gitu aja. Tidak ada twist yang cukup berarti pula. Sigh. 

Mudah-mudahan lain kali aku bisa menemukan dorama yang lebih sesuai seleraku nanti.

6 out of 10 stars.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: KissManga

Original title: Kieta Hatsukoi

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Director: Shogo Kusano Tadaaki Horai

Scriptwriter: Aruko, Wataru Hinekure, Tsutomo Kuroiwa

Stars: Michieda Shunsuke, Ren Meguro, Riko Fukumoto, Jin Suzuki

Watching on Netflix

Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she’s written the name of another boy—Ida—on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!

Well, I think this is the first time I watch BL series. Once again, I got the recommendation from Mbak Dewi. My Love Mix-Up! is definitely a very cute and sweet BL story. You should watch it on your own.

The misunderstanding

One day, there is an exam on Aoki's class. Being a careless guy as he is, Aoki forget to bring his eraser. Then, he asked his best-friend, Aida--Akkun, but he only has one and scold Aoki for being forgetful. Luckily, there is Hashimoto, a girl who Aoki likes, that willing to lend her eraser to Aoki. Of course Aoki feel so happy and relieve about it. 

While waiting the questions sheet being circulated, Aoki noticed there's a written text on the eraser. It's "Ida ♡ "! Aoki was shocked because of it. So, does Hashimoto has a feeling for Ida, the guy who sits in front of Aoki? Then, the drama still linger on Aoki because when Ida gives the question sheet to Aoki, he accidentally make the eraser fall and ofc he saw the name. Yeah, that's the beginning of the misunderstanding that will lead to more sweet story later on.

The sweet couple

Ida is a typical a cool guy that calm and couldn't express his feeling freely. At the other side, Aoki has a really bright personality. He is also very honest. Seems like they will make a good couple, right?

In my opinion, My Love Mix-Up! has a really good storyline. There is no rush at all. Since I also read the manga, I understand about a lot of adjustments in the series. Ida is like an unreal guy that only exists on fiction life. I really appreciate his understanding towards Aoki. His attitude made me melting to some extent. I mean, when Aoki feel so helpless, Ida will assure him that Aoki could tell him everything. He also understands instantly when there is something that troubled Aoki.

Istg that they are a really sweet and cute couple. I don't think I have prepared my heart enough to watch their fluffy relationship.

Other than that, there's also the story of Hashimoto and Aida's relationship. Even tough there won't be much explained, but their relationship has a sweet side too. At least, that's what I know from the manga.

Conclusion

I just don't want the story to be over, please :( Well, the drama is end perfectly well... but I still thirst of their story. Therefore, I decided to also read the manga. Anyway, they are still cute there. Then, I should give props for the production crew because the appearance of each character is so similar to the manga character. Just love it. 

So 8.5 out of 10 stars from me.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: Google

Judul asli: Kinou Nani Tabeta?

Penulis naskah: Adachi Naoko

Sutradara: Katagiri Kenji

Genre: Food, Comedy, Romance, Life

Jumlah episode: 12 episode

Pemain: Nishijima Hidetoshi, Uchino Seiyou, Makitar Sports, Kaji Meiko

Nonton di Netflix

Shiro and Kenji are a gay couple who live together. One is a hairdresser and is openly homosexual. The other is a lawyer and not open about his sexuality at work. When out together one day a customer walks up to them to ask Kenji whether Shiro is his gay lover. Given the direct question and how it is posed in public the couple are embarrassed and feel the awkward nature of the setting.

Berawal dari menonton Izakaya Bottakuri, munculah What did You Eat Yesterday? di rekomendasi. Mungkin karena sama-sama tentang masak-memasak, ya. Jadi bisa related. Menarik juga melihat kehidupan pasangan gay di tengah kota Tokyo.

Awal Kisah

Kakei Shiro (Nishijima Hidetoshi) adalah seorang pengacara dari sebuah firma hukum kecil. Ia sangat pandai memasa--dan sungguh, perhitungan banget kalau belanja. Tipikal mirip sama ibu-ibu ataupun anak rantau yang beneran menghitung pengeluaran per bulan. Dengan penampilannya yang sangat tegas dan tertutup, tidak ada yang tahu kalau sebenarnya dia tinggal bersama dengan pasangannya, Yabuki Kenji (Uchino Seiyou).

Kenji sendiri merupakan seorang penata rambut yang punya personality ceria. Dengan sikap Shiro yang cukup kaku dan tertutup, keberadaan Kenji membuat hidup Shiro jadi lebih berwarna. 

Episode yang singkat tapi hangat

Sesunguhnya, hampir semua episode dalam series ini punya jalan cerita yang sama. Satu episode biasanya menceritakan masalah yang dihaapi Shiro atau Kenji di pekerjaan mereka masing-masing---atau masalah keluarga, kemudian mereka pulang ke rumah, dan Shiro akan memasak untuk Kenji. Seperti yang kukatakan di awal, serial ini akan berisi masak-masakan. Jadi, buat yang suka masak, serial ini bisa memberikan inspirasi untuk yang ingin memasak ala jepang.

Salah satu maakan Shiro yang membuatku drooling adalah pasta yang dibuat. Pasta dengan bayam kalau tidak salah. Aku lupa episode berapa. Tapi yang pasti, waktu aku menonton aku jai lapar dan beneran pengin makan pasta.

Meskipun terlihat sederhana, serial ini cukup memberikan perspektif lain ketika melihat pasangan gay, I personally believe that now the worlds has changed and people can accept someone for what they are. Tapi memang enggak bisa dipungkiri kalau masih ada prejudice yang menempel di orang-orang yang enggak mau memahami pasangan LGBTQIA. Menurutku sih, film ini bisa ngegambarin keadaan tersebut dari sudut pandang Shiro dan Kenji. 

Kesimpulan

Mesikpun aku sudah mulai menonton serial ini dari 2021, aku baru betul-betul bisa menyelesaikannya sekarang. Simple, aku lagi banyak menyelinginya dengan menonton film maupun serial lain. 

Kalau tidak salah, ada tiga episode spesial tahun baru yang kemarin dirilis. Jadi, aku akan mencoba menonton lanjutannya.

7 dari 10 bintang.

Sincerely,

Ra