Watashi no Otto to Kekkon Shite ~ Marry My Husband 終わり

 

Just wrapped the riveting Fuka Koshiba/Takeru Sato drama Watashi no Otto to Kekkon Shite~MARRY MY HUSBAND and HOLY HELL, what a WILD and INSANE ride it was! 

I’m always a sucker for a good timeslip story, and this tale of a woman murdered by her husband and best friend who jumps back 10 years to correct her life trajectory was another GREAT one- From its’ dark and depressing first episodes to its maddening and gripping middle to its absolutely EXPLOSIVE conclusion, this is one that had me on the edge of my seat throughout!!!! 

Fuka Koshida and Takeru Sato were both great in the lead roles of Misa Kanbe and Wataru Suzuki, and perfectly believable as the romantic interests separated by time- you really could feel the connection the two shared with each other and as the episodes went on, the love that developed between them! I love a couple you can really ROOT for!

Support cast was great as well with Reina Kurosaki as Miku, the best friend Misa might have had in her original life if not for the direction it took, Tomoko Tabata and Ryuya Shimekake as co-workers and friends....

 ...Yu Yokoyama swings for the fences with his oozingly pathetic cheating/murderer husband Tomoya, establishing for all time his status as the king of creeps!

But of COURSE, the person that probably EVERYONE will be talking about is Sei Shiraishi in the role of the unhinged narcissistic sociopath Reina Esaka-  Telling ya, girl was so good as the unbalanced “best friend” of Misa, not just from the glares and drawls she did, but down to the more subtle aspects like the eye twitches and facial tics, letting everyone know without a doubt- this chick is KRAZEE!!

I initially worried that this might harm Sei's career as she's SO unlikeable as Reina, but turns out she's a fan favorite- A REAL "so BAD you LOVE to HATE them" character!!! Kudos to Sei!

Online buzz says that this Japanese retelling of the Korean Original MARRY MY HUSBAND has been favorable by those who have seen both (and some fans even saying it surpasses it!!) , which is a good thing to hear, but of course for me, this Fuka Koshiba adaptation will always be THE version for me! Another big fave drama from Ms. Koshiba who is firmly entrenched in my top fave actresses list for SURE! 

Glad that this drama is on Amazon Prime where more fans internationally can experience it for themselves...I have friends who can only watch J-Dramas if they are on streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime and the like, and it's great that when I recommend it, they will be able to have access to it! And you can BET I will be recommending Marry My Husband!

BTW, If these screencaps seem dull and boring, it's only because I couldn't show ANY of the exciting scenes without revealing spoilers, something I 'd HATE to do! TRUST ME, this is the CALM before the STORM!

PS: If I have one small nitpick, it’s that this drama suffers from what I always used to call the “Top Gun Wrap Up", named after seeing Top Gun and every time I thought it was the end, there was one more scene, and then one more scene, til I had to go “MAN when are they going to wrap this?”  (Mentioning this to younger co-workers, they call this the “Return Of the King” ending, since I guess the final film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy had multiple "non-endings” as well…. )

Anyway, I felt same thing watching Marry My Husband’s last 20 minutes, where it seemed every time I felt it was a great conclusion, there was another scene! Nonetheless, a GREAT little drama, and a MUST SEE! 

From Fuka's Instagram :"It's a WRAP!"

We'll certainly be keeping an eye out for what she does next!!!

Mitsuwa Update, Fuka Koshiba, etc

Dropped by Mitsuwa Markerplace in the International Marketplace after a long while, and was pleased to see another ramen vendor taking the place of my old favorite Hokkaido Ramen Santouka which closed in the wake of COVID years back! The new ramen place was called "Ramen Taiga" and while not the same taste as Santouka, was pretty yummy and I enjoyed it!

Shoyu Ramen and Gyoza Combo

As I ate in the food court area, I noticed they installed a huge Gashapon section against the wall, surely a boon for those into those collectibles as Shirokiya Village Walk had to shut down, though the tourist kids I saw there were confused with the token system and just kept mindlessly cranking the machines for prizes, to no avail!

 Yep, so much has changed or been re-arranged, but it was nice to see that the CANMAKE makeup display area is still up and thriving, and still featuring their cute spokesperson Fuka Koshiba as the pretty campaign face!

As some might recall, I was thrilled when I first discovered the little Fuka Koshiba set-up and had to post about it- it was like seeing a friend at the mall!

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…and SPEAKING of Fuka Koshiba, we are at episode 6 of her thrilling drama Watashi no Otto to Kekkon Shite- MARRY MY HUSBAND, and HOLY HELL, is it AWESOME!!! Every episode is just a ROLLER-coaster  ride of emotional battles-of-wits between the principle cast as Fuka's character struggles against cruel fate and tries to steer her life into bluer oceans!

Fuka Koshiba and Takeru Sato are terrific as the  lead couple whom have GREAT chemistry and you really root for them-

Takeru Sato and Fuka Koshiba

Yu Yokoyama solidifies his reputation as a J-Drama SOB with his weaselly, narcissistic and deplorable turn as the shifty and adulterous Tomoya

And of course EVERYONE is raving about the new villainess that you "Love To Hate" with the evil and calculating Reina Isaka, the girl with the 100 watt smile that hides a heart as black as the Grinch! Below: We see Misa (Fuka Koshiba) saying a cheerful goodbye to her "best friend" Reina (Sei Shiraishi) after a day of fun shopping...

...only to realize once Misa is gone....

...that this Girl got some TROUBLE in mind planned for her!!! With friends like THIS, who needs enemies?

At episode 6 we are now into the final arc of the series and MAN, it is GOING DOWN! Forget Star Wars, with Misa and Reina facing off with their futures at stake, THIS is the real "Duel of the Fates!!!!"

Just can't WAIT for the next few episodes- thank GOSH ALMIGHTY that Amazon Prime is doing the unusual tactic of  releasing TWO episodes per week- we are all in a feeding FRENZY with this show!!!

If I Could Turn Back Time: Fuka Koshiba in “Watashi no Otto to Kekkon Shite~Marry My Husband”

A Life Relived: Fuka Koshiba in Marry My Husband

Just began watching the new drama “Watashi no Otto to Kekkon Shite~Marry My Husband” and so far, it's been a heck of a ride!!!! 

The story: Misa Kanbe (Fuka Koshiba ) is a woman who has grown up surrounded by love from those around her, including caring Father (Shigeo Kanbe and Grandmother (Satoko Abe)...

....a best friend from childhood Reina Isaka (Sei Shiraishi) 

a satisfying job at a marketing company...

...and a happy and successful marriage to a well to do businessman Tomoya (Yu Yokoyama)! Yes, life seems good!

But by the time we meet up with Misa, it is at a low point in her life- despite working hard all her life she is now stricken with cancer and is currently hospitalized. Her beloved father has passed away and her elderly grandmother is languishing at a care center, suffering from dementia.

Despite how bad things are, however,  she still has her best friend Reina at her side, and with her hard-working husband Tomoya to support her, this helps get her through the trying days and keeps her spirit positive...or at least, that's how it looks on the surface!

This all comes crashing down, however, when one day the hospital grants her a one-day pass to leave the hospital and go home...

…only for Misa to find her best friend and husband in BED with each other! 

At first trying to play it off as a spur of the moment thing, it’s revealed that they;’ve been at it for almost half a year- all the time while Misa is dying of cancer and bedridden. “Why couldn’t you have waited til I was gone?” she cries in anguish, but it gets worse when she finds her weaselly husband has managed to steal the huge insurance payout when she does pass, a payment that was meant to care for Misa’s afflicted Grandmother.

With this truth out, the supposed best friend and caring husband lay it all on the table- they’ve never cared for Misa and have only used her to get what they want from her.

In an argument about the insurance, Misa gets into a scuffle with Tomoya and, in the heat of the battle is pushed off the edge of their apartment floor and plummets to her death, the true knowledge of her friends and husband’s betrayal going with her to the grave… or so she thinks!

After her life fades to black Misa is stunned to awaken back at work and not just any work, it is her job as it was in 2015, some 10 years ago! 

She can scarcely believe what is happening to her, even as events she has lived once before begin playing all over again!

So much is different from her 2025 life- here in 2015, she still has her health and appetite. COVID hasn’t happened yet, the Olympics are still around the corner, Reina is still her “best friend”… and Misa has yet to marry Tomoya!!!

The situation with Reina and Tomoya is tricky at best. At this point in 2015 Reina is still playing the sweet and caring friend, and Tomoya is aggressively pursuing her as a marriage partner. Knowing what will happen, she must do all she can to stop the future!!!

As Misa’s mind reels with this discovery, she absentmindedly lets a percolator overboil and is about to be scalded by it- until her senior at the company Wataru Suzuki (Takeru Sato) leaps in to save her and HE gets burned instead! 

Misa has a distinct memory of it being HER that got burned, and realizes that with some intervention, her fate CAN be changed!

This Wataru Suzuki seems to read Misa well- he tells her that he’s been watching her and how she’s always let herself be pushed around and bullied by insidious people around her because of her naive and trusting nature.

“A person with common sense would steer clear of those kinds of people, but you naively go in and expect the best outcome. But garbage should be thrown out. Anyone who doesn’t wish for your happiness has no place in your life.”

This is a wake-up call to the mild mannered Misa, and as the events begin approaching that will take her down the path to that sad life in the future, she makes a strong resolution to take her destiny by the hands and twist and wrangle it into the life she truly deserves all while taking all her misfortune and redirecting it to her adversaries!

WELL, that’s a wrap for episode 1 of this highly anticipated show- it was based on a popular Korean drama and there has been quite a BUZZ for this Japanese adaptation!  As for me, you all know how much I hate “persecution dramas” where a huge chunk of the show shows the hero/heroine being bullied and oppressed, and WOW, did Marry My Husband have a lot of THAT! So much that I actually began to speed- watch through those scenes, eager to get past it and on with the show! But Fuka Koshiba is her usual great self- so lovable and likable that you want her to succeed in her goals, I just wish I didn’t have to sit through all the “bad” stuff. She’d better develop a spine by next episode! 

Sadly I was so worried that this was going to be nothing but another persecution flick, that I read the synopsis of the Korean drama so I could get a sense of where it was going to go...and ended up spoiling a HUGE plot twist for me, GAHHH! Well, folks are saying the Japan version is way different from the Korean one, so maybe the plot will be completely changed, who knows.

PS: BOY OH BOY, with all his jackassery roles in shows like Mai Agare and Zettai Reido, my friend Saburo is convinced that actor Yu Yokoyama is a douchey guy in real life, despite my telling him how much fun he is in Kanjani8. WELL, after THIS role as the jerk husband Tomoya, I’m guessing Yokoyama's reputation as a lowlife scum will be cemented in the books forever!

And Sei Shiraishi, pretty Sei! I hope this role  doesn’t permanently tarnish her image as Japan’s sweetheart. I mean, Sei’s done bad girl roles before but BOY, her portrayal of the evil Reina just shrieks of “THIS WOMAN MUST GO TO HELL vibes!!! LOLOL

In any case, the Fuka Koshiba factor makes this a must watch anyway, so we'll definitely be tuning in to this one to see where it goes!!!!