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Saturday, February 13, 2016

My Epic Rave on Awesome 2006 Drama "Kekkon Dekinai Otoko"

Hiroshi Abe as the Insufferable Shinsuke Kuwano
Man, I’ve just finished one of the best dramas I’ve seen EVER, and it only took me 10 years to getting around to watching it! The drama is the Hiroshi Abe “Kekkon Dekinai Otoko” (The Man Who Can’t Get Married), and though it came out in 2006, it looked so much like “At-Home Dad” or  “Otono No Otoko” that it just never interested me enough to actually sit down and watch it! But when I saw the drama listed in both Desertraven’s AND John’s TOP FIVE Japanese Dramas of ALL TIME, I knew I owed it to myself to check it out…and I’m SO GLAD I DID!
Man Meets Dog
Cute Neighbor Michiru (Ryoko Kuninaka)
 As the title might suggest, Kekkon Dekinai Otoko tells the tale of a successful architect of marrying age named Kuwano Shinsuke (Abe) who, because of his awful social skills, condescending attitude, and stand-offish demeanor, just can’t seem to land any marriage prospects. Not that he minds. His attitude is that marriage is for losers and being single is the only way to live has served him well his whole life, and indeed, he does seem to enjoy being on his own. But when a chance interaction with a rambunctious young girl (Ryoko Kuninaka) next door occurs, things begin to change, and slowly but surely he begins to change as well! 
  Kuwano has lived a life shielded from others, but when he collapses due to stomach pains, he gets his first interaction with the outside world when Michiru helps him get to the hospital. There he is introduced to another woman who will play a big role in his “coming out of his cave” lifestyle, the smart and sensible doctor Hayasaka Natsumi (Yui Natsukawa).  
Michiru Checking in on her Neighbor
"Are You Okay?"
"What Does it Look Like?"
Meeting Dr. Hayasaka
Won't listen to Doctor's advice
These chance meetings create a web of socializing around Kuwano, and with the help of his Architectual Firm’s partners  Eiji Murakami (Takashi Tsukamoto) and Maya Sawazaki (Reiko Takashima), turn Kuwano into someone halfway decent!
Kuwano with asistant Eiji (Tsukamoto Takashi)
Producer Maya Sawazaki (Reiko Takashima) pleads
Kuwano and Dr. Hayasaka
Bright and bubbly Michiru
Meet The Family
Concerned Little Sister Keiko (Rieko Miura)
The Hard-Headed Shinsuke Kuwano
  Like I said, I first thought of this drama as kind of like Masahiko Nishimura’s “Three Grown Men”, but really this story owes more of its inspiration to the Jack Nicholson/Helen Hunt movie “As Good As It Gets”; both feature crotchety men with bad socializing skills who slowly come out of their shells thanks to the affection for the neighbor’s dog. And as Greg Kinnear reaches Jack Nicholson with his dog Verdell, so does Kuwano’s neighbor Tamura Michiru touch Abe, with a cuddly pup named Ken-chan.
A Stand-Offish Pug
"Hey...you're okay!!"
Friends
 Hiroshi Abe is really something else! He’s the only actor who can play such COOL and DASHING characters in movies, and then turn around and play these TOTALLY DORKY misfits! He is SO hilariously BELIEVABLE as the manic OCD Kuwano, there are complete scenes just featuring him doing his thing, exercising, dressing, cleaning his house, and EATING! Boy does this guy LOVE to EAT!
    You can see, with his fussy attitude and prissy behavior, why he shuts out other people and enjoys being alone, a guy like this SHOULD be on his own, and yet, despite his horrible attitude, people still like him and won’t give up on him!
Kekkon Dekinai Otoko is, of course, totally Hiroshi Abe’s show, but I believe the thing that elevated this drama into one of the very finest out there comes down to his supporting cast, MOST IMPORTANTLY, these THREE lovely ladies, Michiru Tamura, Natsumi Hayasaka, and Maya Sawazaki, as played by Ryoko Kuninaka, Yui Natsukawa, and Reiko Takashima...
Oh my GOSH, it was THESE gals that really propelled the show and I have to make a special point to sing my praises to their efforts, in the gushing essays that follow below! (or you can just click on the links here)
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