Gals Galore in "Konkatsu Tantei"

A show from 2022 which I put on my "Plan To Watch" listing on MDL, however, it never got subbed, at least not that I saw. Only very recently did I visit a forum that showed Konkatsu Tantei HAD been picked up and fully subbed at some point, and I wasted no time grabbing it!

A fun, lighthearted comedy, Konkatsu Tantei tells the story of a self-professed "hard boiled" detective named Kurosagi  (Osamu Mukai) who goes through his life playing a hard-edged badass, especially in front of his impressionable kohai Yagami (Maeda Oshiro)

However, at night, eating his convenience store bentos alone, Kurosagi feels the void of not having a significant other to share things with. And when a bright billboard advertising a MARRIAGE MATCHING consulting company shines from across the way, he takes it as a sign that it's time to act!

Kurosagi is nervous about being in such a place and many times thinks of leaving. but before he can, he is met by the positive and energetic Madoka Kido (Riko Narumi), a gung-ho matchmaker who truly believes she can help anyone find their fateful marriage partner, and ASSURES him there is someone for HIM as well!!

 And so, despite his reservations, Kurosagi dives in headfirst, into the ups and downs of potential marriage matching with the guidance of his intrepid counselor Kido so he can meet the "one" and settle down!

A fairly basic plot but so much FUN and WOW, the guest stars appearing as Kurosagi's possible partners are ALL stunning beauties in their own right! Actresses like Akane Hotta (here as a shy and mousey type)-

Aimi Satsukawa, genki as ever

Maho Nonami 

Yui Ichikawa

...and even the bubbly Miwako Kakei among others, all of them seeking the man of their dreams!

Each of Kurosagi's attempts gets varied results and he usually ends up striking out for ONE reason or another, but Kido is always there to encourage and support him! In FACT, we soon quickly realize that SHE might be better than ANY of the actual clients she's matching him with!

Kurosagi's personal life outside of the marriage matchmaking game is filled with beauties as well, with women like his former partner's surly daughter Shinna (played by the pretty Natsumi Okamoto) who drops in to bug him.

...or even the bartender Kurano who works at the bar Kurosagi frequents (and who seems to have a fixation on him as well), played by Manami Hashimoto:

Seems like this guy is just SURROUNDED by babes of ALL walks of life! If ONLY he could get lucky and actually end up MARRYING one of them!

Aw, this was one heckuva entertaining little drama and I'm glad I was finally able to see it!

Crush Of The Day: Mayu Yamaguchi

As a drama structured primarily for main character Tsuyu (Riho Sayashi) to give tips on making cheap and easy-to-fix meals, “Mentsuyu Hitori Meshi” doesn’t have much on the actual story content side, but I must say I’ve been developing a mild crush on actress Mayu Yamaguchi as Riho’s co-worker Iriko Togoshi who is Tsuyu's main adversary in more ways than one!

For one, she is the complete opposite of Tsuyu. While Tsuyu wears cheap and comfortable clothing, Iriko is always dressed professionally to the T. Where Iriko is calm, collected and immaculate in all her jobs, Tsuyu is a sloppy mess!

Their main point of contention , however, comes  in making meals. Tsuyu is a carefree and lazy girl who uses the cheapest ingredients and the least amount of work in making her food- a far cry from Iriko, whose virtual Martha-Stewart levels of perfection in the kitchen is a source of  both inspiration and aggravation to Tsuyu as she tries to keep up with her!

It creates some fun scenes with the demure Iriko politely listening to Tsuyu's crude cooking tips every day, knowing how slapdash the methods are...but secretly curious just how Tsuyu's meals must taste!

Nonetheless, whenever Tsuyu happens to feel she is getting a leg up on Iriko, it only takes a quick comparison between their cutlet sandwiches to see which one is clearly the "winner" here! Even Tsuyu has to demur this time...but she's not giving up!

Their relationship is best summed up in this clip where Tsuyu has just been praised by the boss for her meal (who rewards workers she likes with seat pillows) and is trying to playfully rub it into Iriko’s face. But once Iriko tells her ways she could have IMPROVED the meal, Tsuyu is instantly back to being dejected, AHAHAHA! I love the calm and collected demeanor Togoshi has to Iriko’s antics, patiently keeping her composure as Iriko has her fun, before dropping the bomb on her LOLOL.

It’s Iriko's refined aura that makes her so attractive to me!

You know, going over these screencaps I made of Mayu, it occurs to me how much she reminds me of early Haru Kuroki, and we all know what a FAN of HERS I became! Got a feeling Mayu's going to be growing her resume in big ways!

She has certainly come a long ways since her early days when she was playing the little sisters kind of roles in dramas like REVERSE and the daughter of Kimura Takuya in "I'm Home"...

... will be interesting to see her make the transition from high school girl to more grown up roles like these!

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PS: Also great to see Natsumi Okamoto again (here as one of Tsuyu’s odder  co-workers), really loved her in “Pâtissier-san to Ojousan”! Very funny how she always needs to be "keeping an eye" on Tsuyu!

Just a bit of the "spice" that keeps this mostly routine foodie show entertaining for me!

The Patissier and The Mademoiselle

 "Patissier-san to Ojousan"

Very sweet drama about an awkward young patissier named Joji (Tsubasa Sakiyama) who falls in love with a cute and shy young girl named Fumiko (Natsumi Okamoto) who comes in to the bakery every Friday afternoon to purchase a treat to reward herself for a hard week. . Joji finds himself counting down the minutes til his dream girl makes her appearance at the shop!!!

When the girl finally shows up at the shop, he can't wait to show off and recommend his latest sugary confections, and choosing one of the colorful desserts is the highlight of Fumiko's week!

"She's here...!!!!"

"Welcome!"

"Hmm.,.what should I get..."

A NERVOUS Joji recommending some pastries to his cherished client!

Making her choices

She'll get three!

Joji is encouraged each week by his co-worker Ryo (Ryota Murai) to talk to the girl and ask her out, but as both he and the girl are extremely introverted, neither can express their budding feelings for each other, and are reduced to trivial courtesies: "Thank you for your purchase", "You're welcome", etc, etc....

"Why didn't I at least ask her name...?"

Ryo tries to be encouraging to his heartbroken co-worker!

Patissier-san to Ojousan is a VERY basic and by the numbers drama, but somehow done with a lot of warmth and sweetness, you just love the characters from the first time you see them and want to see them succeed in their love endeavours!

EDIT: Oh Noooo, I found out this drama is only 4 episodes long! Too bad, such a gentle drama, wish it could last longer!