Fabricated Relations with Yuki Amami in "Giso No Fuufu"

Ikki Sawamura and Amami Yuki in Giso No Fuufu

 The drama “Zannen no Otto” was about a childish husband who constantly exasperated his (admittedly overbearing) wife, and I don’t know if this show got any better, but one episode of the husband shirking his parental duties while his wife struggled was about all I could take! So when I saw the pics for the new Yuki Amami/Ikki Sawamura drama “Giso No Fuufu”, my first thought was, “Oh man, another drama with a wacky husband and demanding wife…best to pass on this one”
 And so I assumed, but as the weeks went by and I kept seeing new episodes of the drama being uploaded, I shrugged and decided, "Hey, it’s Yuki Amami we’re talking about here, it can’t be too hard just to TRY it, can it?" So I downloaded one episode and watched it, and not only was it much more entertaining than I thought, I even shed a tear or two at how touching it was at times! From there it immediately went onto my viewing list!

 Giso No Fuufu tells the tale of a cold and reserved librarian named Hiro Kamon who feels that the only things she needs in life are books because people are so fundamentally flawed. Hearing her thoughts as she goes about her days, she has nothing but contempt for her fellow people, but as we are soon to learn, she was not always this way.
 Once she was a dynamic and outgoing person who excelled in everything she put her mind to: studies, piano, etc. But when the man she loved ditched her high and dry one night, she retreated to a life of conservatism, additionally, she learned that because of her overachievements, her relatives have become UNDERachievers, one neurotic and the other a hikikomori! No more will Hiro ever proudly assert her skills.
 So one day she’s at work reading stories to some visiting kindergarteners, when who should pop in as one of the kids’ teachers, but Choji Himura, the man that dumped her all those years ago! Though Hiro is taken aback at seeing him again, Choji is delighted to get reacquainted with her, excitedly chattering in remembrance at how stunning she was, and surprised at how morose and uninspired she has become.

 He wants to meet up and have a talk and reminisce, but the only reason Hiro shows up is that she HAS to know: Why did he stand he up after that night when they were together? Well, she goes down, preparing to ask him, but once she realizes the café is a gay bar and Choji is gushingly friendly with everyone there, she realizes the truth! 

 Choji affirms her deduction and tells her, “after I slept with you, I knew I was gay.” (LOL) Hiro is properly offended, but he swears it has nothing to do with her personally. But if she was surprised by his sudden admission of gender stance, she is more shocked by what he asks next: His mother is ill and dying of cancer. She doesn’t know anything about Choji’s gay status and he knows the one thing she wants to see is him getting married to a fine lady. And as you know how J-dramas like this go, he wants her to pretend to be his fiancé in front of his mother.

Floor Collapse from Too Many Books

 She at first refuses, but her sudden lack of residence (Hiro has so many books, the floor of the house she was staying at collapsed under its weight, LOLOL) and needing of money gives Choji something he can offer her if she should decide to help him in the masquerade.

Hiro acting as Fiance for Choji's Mother (Fuji Sumiko)...

And looking incredulously at Choji when he says they're expecting!

 Well, by hook or crook, Choji manages to trick Hiro into playing his future wife for his mother, but more than that, Choji is a person who is there to remind Hiro why she’s special and how much good she has inside of her and how much she can help people. With his encouragement, she begins helping a single mother (Yuki Uchida) and her child that come to the library, and slowly, she finds herself crawling out of her shell.

Mom Shiori (Yuki Uchida) and daughter Yuu (Inoue Rinna)

So far so good, man, I really didn’t think I’d be enjoying this drama as much as I have. Yuki Amami is great as usual here, but I have to say that after seeing Ikki Sawamura playing so many hard-edge characters (most recently in Napoleon no Mura) that I’m having a REALLY DIFFICULT time believing him as a gay man (though he commits to the character 100%)!  Fortunately, the dialog is so good that I believe in the characters anyway!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com