Bartenders, Bandmen and Beauticians, Oh My! Fumika Baba in “3B No Koibito”

Haru Kobayashi (Fumika Baba) was once an optimistic girl but when her fiance confesses to her that he’s married on their wedding day, she turns into a pessimistic recluse who now doesn’t trust romance.

But romance is just around the corner, or so a customer at the pet groomers she works for announces. And though she doesn’t quite believe it, she WILL encounter three different men over the next few days!

The first is an arrogant guy (Kenta Kamiya) who knocks her phone out of her hands while she is on her dating app. She will later find that this flashy guy is Yuu, a member of an up and coming rock band!

At work that day, she meets a friendly guy who has brought his dog for grooming. This guy is Shintaro (Hiroshi Nakahara), and he asks if can sit in and watch her work, as he is a haircutter by trade and wants to see what she does.

She later goes drinking at a bar with her friend Asami (Arisa Yagi), who wants to check out the bartender. The bartender’s name is Yoshi (Dori Sakurada) and though Haru doesn’t see much in him, something between the clicks, and the guy tries to kiss her!

After taking a very drunk Asami home, Haru comes home to find her apartment blocked off. Seems someone was playing with fireworks and the place caught on fire! With nowhere to go, she is invited to stay with her outgoing Grandmother.

She thinks she will spend a nice, quiet time there, but right off Granny announces that there are three guys renting out rooms at the place. 

And the guys? You guessed it:
Shintaro,

Yuu,

and Yoshi!

A flabbergasted Haru doesn’t know WHAT to make of things but is further surprised when Grandma says she is leaving for an extended trip, leaving Haru alone with these guys!

She is nervous at first, but when she sees the camaraderie they have during dinner, she thinks it may not be so bad living with these three!

But even as she thinks it, a strange girl enters the house and proclaims herself Yoshi’s girlfriend! And from the back come girlfriends of Shintaro and Yuu as well!

How on earth will Haru EVER get through this situation??

Though she’s been around doing bit parts for awhile now, this is only the second drama I’m seeing Fumika in and the first where she is the lead!

Looks like a fun show, we’ll see where this goes! 

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.com

Love In The Time Of COVID19

Now that J-drama shooting has resumed in Japan, we have our first ever COVID19 themed drama with “Love Distance” a drama focused around a quaint little apartment and its mask-wearing inhabitants and the things they get up to while under house lockdown!

Miwa (Asami Mizukawa) and Akira (Sho Kiyohara) are a happily married couple who while away the time watching their favorite show on a youtube channel ANMINA featuring three young comedians!

Besides being Akira's favorite channel, these three people, Anna (Fumika Baba), Minato(Mizuki Itagaki), and Sho (Masaki Nakao)  just happen to live on the same floor of their same apartment!

Add in a photographer (Keisuke Watanabe) who, while stuck at home, discovers the beauty of his pretty next-door neighbor when she is watering her plants, and you have an apartment full of lively inhabitants and interactions!

After Asami's extremely dark and gritty "Double Fantasy", I was ready to see something a bit more light-hearted from her. You know, over the years, they have been really typecasting her as this bitter, unlucky-in-love kind of lady, so it’s nice to see a drama where they appreciate how sweet and pretty she is, such is Love Distance!

PS: It's July 24th-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASAMI!!!

Omedetto, Birthday Girl! Loved you ever since "Last Friends" and "Nodame Cantabile" and have followed you faithfully ever since! Here's to seeing even MORE from you in the future!