Another Wonderfully Morose Role For Satoshi Ohno in “Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi”

Arashi’s Satsoshi Ohno has been pretty famous for playing these rather cold and moody characters, whether it be dark and calculating (like in Maou) or just plain eccentric (Kagi No Kakatta Heya), and here we have him playing yet another emotionally frigid character in  Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi!

Ohno plays Reiji Samejima, a man of enormous riches and success with the Hotel business (Samejima is a star player in the Hotel development game, and to date, his Hotel chain SAMEJIME has expanded to five hotels) but when it comes to matters of human interaction and romance, he is like an ignorant child.

Eiko Koike and Satoshi Ohno as Secretary and President

 He runs his businesses like a cold machine, nit-picky down to the smallest speck of dust and ruthless and callous about dismissing any employees who dare come up short with his demands. All his employees and underlings fear him and his condescension, and so it with some surprise that when he crosses paths for the first time with thoughtful and outspoken Shibasaki Misaki, though she does many things to aggravate him, he finds that there is something about her that prevents him from lashing out and reprimanding her.

Cute First Meeting: Misaki Meets Big Boss Reiji

 Each time he sees her, she does SOMETHING that gets under his skin, but he finds himself more and more interested in her. He cannot fathom why, but of course, we as the viewer know- she is an incredibly charismatic girl that seems so genuine, in both her personal life and at work, that a materialistic guy like Reiji just doesn’t know what to make of her or how to deal with her!

Haru as Misaki Shibasaki

Ohno as Grouchy President Samejima

 There’s a bit of rivalry in the hotel chain business, and Reiji has his arch-enemy with Hideo Wada (Kitamura Kazuki), the president of Reiji’s competing company STAY GOLD. Throughout their rise in ranks, Wada has always been the dazzling entrepreneur and has always made it a point to point out Samejima’s social shortcomings, whether they be style or fashion. 

"Ooh, what a beauty!! Is she attached?" Wonders Reiji 

"I see you've met my date, Samejima!"

"Good Old Samejima...We ought to get him a girl!"

And so when Wada shows up at a gala event with a bombshell on his arm (the luscious, luscious Anne Nakamura, whom I’ve gushed about here and here, oooh do I love this woman!) and pokes fun at Reiji for having no date,  he makes it his mission: He MUST find a date to show Wada up at the next event, even better, he must show up with a FIANCE! THAT will shut up Wada but good!
 But where to find such a woman? Past experiences have shown that every woman that goes out with him soon learns that Samejima is an arrogant, materialistic and unfeeling person who cares for nothing but money and himself!  After several such rejections, Reiji finally finds a girl that he feels will be PERFECT for the role of his fiancé…Shibasaki Misaki !

He attempts to woo her in his usual gruff and bulldozing ways, but his stoic secretary Muraoki Maiko (Eiko Koike, in a GREAT role) who seems to be only one who can work with Reiji and understand how he is, tells him that if he wants to get a girl, he will HAVE to change his attitude and ways.  Together with Muraoki and his chauffeur (Tetta Sugimoto), the two try and help the awkward Samjima in his endeavors to attract Shibasaki.

Trying to be friendly to a stunned Misaki

Helping Hands: Eiko Koike and Tetta Sugimoto

 Aww, so far, such a fun show, though it DOES remind me not just a little of the Tsuyoshi Kusanagi /Keiko Kitagawa drama  “Dokushi Kizoku” from a few years back, same formula: Icy tycoon meets spritely young girl who opens his heart and makes him see the world in a new light, but I like the characters well enough,  Haru, whom I’m seeing for the first time, has a very affable aura and you like her right away, and as I’ve mentioned before, Eiko Koike is freaking awesome in this show. Time to check out more!

Eiko Koike as Maiko Muraoki, my fave character on the show

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com