Somebody to Not Love: Koisenu Futari

 Sakuko Kodama (Yukino Kishi)  is a sales executive for a marketing company. She is passionate about her job and has good things lined up for her, including a possible romance from her co-worker Maruyama who has taken a shine to her.

On one of their in-store visits,  she happens to meet a curious man by the name of Takahashi (Issei Takahashi) who, though excellent in his work with produce, doesn’t seem very social. When he hears the company guys joking about love, he murmurs “There are some who simply choose not to love” which strikes Sakuko profoundly.

Indeed, Sakuko has grown up without the usual desires for love and romance and find them burdensome. his all comes to a head that afternoon where her co-worker flat-out confesses his love for her, which she curtly rejects. She feels bad but doesn’t know any other way to handle it.

After work, her childhood friend Chizuru (Fujiko Kojima) understands her negative reaction to the confession. “Ever since we were kids you’ve always been bad at romance” she says, recounting a time when everyone at a party talked about relationships while she simple ate cake and got sick, LOL

Even her parents (Mantaro Koichi and Nishida Naomi) and sister Minori (Kana Kita), whom though they encourage her on the outside, secretly worry about her and are impatient for her to settle down. But she just hasn’t ever felt romantic for anyone.
After she finds her co-worker Maruyama has requested to stop working with her after the rejection (what a sap!), she begins to wonder if she’s truly some kind of misfit.

Googling around one night, she finds a series of compelling articles written by blogger named “haneirocabbage” who puts forth the idea of the”aromantic” people: individuals who do not have romantic feelings for other.

Reading the writings, a great burden seems lifted off her, for they seem to describe all the feelings she’s gone through herself- being looked down by others, being pressured into meetings, etc. In time, this blog becomes her comfort to get through the day!

Part of her duties taking over her departed partner is to see over the grocery store they were at and it’s during one visit that she meets the strange Takahashi again. They make friendly small talk, but when she sees a curry stain on Takahashi’s shirt is the SAME as the haneirocabbage blogger, she realizes he is one and the SAME guy!

Delighted, she instantly starts gushing and following him around in a loud voice, "Are you haneirocabbage? You are, aren’t you!” to which he finally has to admit it, it only to calm her down!

He agrees to talk with her in detail about things after work, but with limited places to go tha Takashi would be comfortable with, they agree to go to his house.

Upon arrival, it’s just what Sakuko imagined, and for the first time in her life, she talks about her cares and worries to someone she knows understands her. She talks about the worries of social interactions. She worries of family expectations. And most of all, she worries about ending up alone. She doesn’t crave romance but is afraid of loneliness. 

And when Takahashi confesses the same feeling of helplessness dealing with being alone, Sakuko puts forth a radical idea: “Excluding all romantic notions…Won’t you become my FAMILY? Just WHERE will this novel idea go from here?!

Aw man, this drama is so freakin’ good so far! It’s everything I like in a quirky drama and I must say that it comes down to the two leads. Takahashi (the actor, not the character, LOL) is channeling his thoughtful “Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru” Character Kazuki and always feels so sincere in his portrayals. funny how he can play so many jerks but also so many kind and soft-spoken fellows.
And Yukino Kishii!!! WOWOW, you know, though she’s been in so many dramas I’ve seen (including Lupin No Musume and Kazoku Boshu Shimasu), I didn’t really realize how great she was until the recent “No Activity” with Kishii as the manic influencer Mari, (the kidnappee who is thrilled as it might make her go viral), and she continues that with the spazzy and instantly likeable character of Sakuko!
I immediately liked both lead characters from the moment I saw them and I’m excited to see where this storyline goes!!! MORE PLEASE!