Adventures in Cuteness: Kuroki Meisa

Finally finished watching One Pound Fukuin, that Kazuya Kamenashi drama that I've been dallying on for months, but now that I got to see it all, I have to say what a fun and hilarious show that one was! A wacky show along the lines of Renai Kekkon No Rule or Tiger and Dragon, One Pound Fukuin tells the tale of a kooky but good-hearted boxer named Hatenaka who falls in love with a soft spoken Nun named Sister Angela.

Kamenashi Kazuya and Kuroki Meisa

Such great chemistry between the two, you can really feel they both care for each other, though most of the time Hatenaka's obsessive cloying for Sister Angela is driving her crazy! No matter, when they're together, they always find a way to get into the most nutty situations! Really a fun, fun drama!

Meisa with Satomi Kobayashi

Everyone in the show was great, especially a scene-stealing performance by Kobayashi Satomi, (one of THE funniest actresses out there) as Hatenaka's Gym Coach, but the one who really made it for me was Meisa Kuroki! Man, her portrayal of Sister Angela just warmed my heart! Admittedly, when I first saw her in that habit, I was pretty skeptical that I'd believe Meisa as a Nun, but you know what? She played it so well that I totally fell into step by the second show!

Stunned Nuns: Kuroki Meisa et al.

So cute to watch her frazzled expressions when something crazy happens, wonderful to follow her as she's shyly spying on Hatenaka (as her interest in him and his silly ways begin to grow on her), and hilarious to watch her befuddled behavior when she's confused or embarrassed!

A terrific example of this sweet naivety is this scene where Sister Angela has gone to the Gym to give Hatenaka some Valentine's Day Chocolate. When she arrives, however, she sees ANOTHER girl giving him a HUGE Candy Heart. Depressed, she backs out and leaves without saying a word. Feeling a twinge of jealousy, she angrily throw her package of chocolate off a bridge, but she's seen by the gym owner's son...LOL

Of course, one of the great scenes for me comes in the last episode, (I think I should warn any potential One Pound Fukuin viewers that there are spoilers ahead, though I'm pretty sure that at this stage of the game, everyone has already seen this one!) where Hatenaka is ready for the fight that will decide if he's to become a Japan Champion, and he's visited by Sister Angela who's decided to choose him as her path of life and has left the convent. Such a GREAT buildup to the reveal of her in civilian clothes, and I have to say, she looked SO sweet and beautiful (in that "ordinary girl" way) that even I felt like this was the first time seeing Meisa Kuroki not wearing a Nun Habit!

...Then the Announcer blares that it's time for Hatenaka's fight, and he goes off to to center ring to take care of business, from there the show segues into the couple moving on to their future married life together... 

And as the show wrapped up, I found myself thinking, BOY was that Meisa Kuroki just the Sweetest Little Thang! Yes, I believed.