The Happy Worker: Yui Aragaki stars in "We Got Married As A Job!"

Gakky is Back!

Like I’ve said before, this is a GREAT time to be a J-drama watcher, with a new show from just about all of my favorite J-actresses, and the latest up is the charming “We Got Married As A Job! " (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu), starring the sweet and lovable Yui Aragaki!

Yui Aragaki as Mikuri Moriyama

Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu tells the tale of a hard-working and dependable girl named Mikuri Moriyama working as a temp in an office.  Though the job is menial and often aggravating, she gets satisfaction out of doing her job to the best of her abilities. Though there may not be any future on it, she considers it an adequate way to live her life!

The rug is pulled out from under her one day when she finds that despite her efforts, she is being let go by the company. The higher ups had to choose between her and another temp, and, as usual with Mikuri’s luck, she’s the one not taken.

"I Have Some Bad News..."

"I've Been Fired?"

Mikuri is shocked- true, the job wasn’t really anything one could call a life’s work, but it fulfilled a place in her, and without the satisfaction of job to work hard at, where can she go? For the first time in her life, Mikuri feels lost!

Talking it over with her Aunt Yuri (the always stylish and sexy Yuriko Ishida, stunning as ever), she moans that her Graduate Skills have done nothing to help her out in the real world and that there just aren't any jobs out there for her. Aunt Yuri says that she’s just too scared to go back out and do serious job-hunting.

Talking it over with Aunt Yuri

The Exquisite Yuriko Ishida as Yuri

Having dinner with her Mother and Father later that week, Mikuri still hasn’t decided what she’s going to do, when her father tells her about this guy he knows who lives alone, but, since he doesn’t want to spend his days off doing chores, hires a housekeeper to drop in once every week to do the chores.

"I know a man who hires a girl once a week to do the housework....

"That sounds good for her...."

Her father tells her the pay is good…and it’s here that Mikuri realizes her dad is talking about HER! Yes, he’s already made the arrangements for Mikuri to take the job as his co-worker’s housekeeper, and a flabbergasted Mikuri can only concede and meet up with this man. After all, she’s unemployed and she DOES like working hard! This could actually be worthwhile!

"You're talking about ME?"

The following Friday Mikuri meets up with the gentleman in question for the first time. His name is Hiramasa Tsuzaki and is an extremely picky and strict employer. He is so fixated on how things should be done that he’s already gone through a bunch of housekeepers before her, all of whom have lasted only a few days.

Ding-Dong, It's your new Housekeeper!

Tsuzaki (Gen Hoshino)

Meeting the Happy Housekeeper

Mikuri, however, who loves working hard and efficiently, is immediately agreeable and excited to be taking on the job! She loves bosses who explain things clearly and orderly and knows she can do a good job here.

Tsuzaki tells her that he will pay her up front because if for some reason she doesn’t meet his expectations, he can dismiss her without ever seeing her again. “I Understand!” Mikuri beams happily, “It’s like a trial period, right? VERY thoughtful!”

 She goes to work and is surprised at how quickly she takes to the job at hand. “I never thought doing housework could be like a real job!” she says to herself as she realizes how exilarated she is doing this cleaning. She does so pride herself in a job well done and when she is done, the house is spotless, shining and gleaming with her handiwork!

 Tsuzaki, a computer programmer by trade, spends all of his day in the office dealing with the myriad of problems that come with the job, but when he gets home, he is completely impressed with Mikuri’s work. She recieves a text from him that night, instructing her to come back again for the following week! She’s been hired!!!!And from that point Mikuri makes it her mission to go beyond the call when it comes to taking care of the house, even going as far as cleaning the windscreens outside! For one happy month the two go about with their arrangement and Mikuri even feels like this is a job she could see herself working at forever!

Once again the bad Mikuri luck strikes, however, when her eccentric father announces over dinner that they are moving the whole family to a old-fashioned house out in the countryside! Mikuri is devastated because she had come to love her job, but as the new house is far away, she must either find a new job there, or get full-time employment here so she can find a place to live.

"We're all Moving??"

"What about my Housekeeping Job?"

Mikuri has lunch with her best friend Yasue (Erina Mano) who is seemingly happily married, but she's shocked when she tells her confidentially that her husband is cheating on her.

Meeting up with friend Yasue (Erina Mano) 

She grouses about how she cooked and cleaned and slaved for him, and if they divorce, she will have nothing. “At least if you work for 3 years, you have your career. But if you’re a wife for 3 years and divorce, there’s nothing!”!”

Then Mikuri says, “did you know that if they calculated a housewife’s labour, it’d be a salary of 3 Million yen!” “Yeah, but if you’re married, you have to do it for free!” “What if WAS a way to get paid for doing that? What if there was a contract marriage where you could just HIRE a woman to be your wife?” The gears start spinning in Mikuri’s head….

The following Friday Mikuri returns to her beloved housecleaning job with the bad news that this will be her final two weeks because her family is moving out of town. Tsuzaki is disappointed with the news, and tells her, “Just this morning I was wondering why the house seemed so bright…then I realized you’d cleaned the fly screens! The house was so bright, and it was then I thought…I’m happy when Mikuri is here.”
Hearing this, Mikuri leaps up and excitably says what’s on her mind: “I was thinking I could work here full-time...as a live-in housekeeper! When Tsuzaki points out that as an unmarried man, living with a woman would be unthinkable, she blurts out, “Then won’t you MARRY ME? We can call it marriage, but it'd be just like a job...like a contract marriage!! ”

"You Should MARRY Me!"

Tsuzaki: "..."

WELL! Tsuzaki is properly STUNNED to hear such an OUTRAGEOUS suggestion coming out of the usually level-heaed girl, and after an agonizing silence, Mikuri realizes what a CRAZY thing she’d just said. “J-joking!” she stammers, “It was a joke!” She hurries him out, saying ‘Don’t be late for work!”, then collapses in the foyer, cringing with embarrassment  for what she said! “Agghhh, this is all because of that conversation I had with Yasue!!!” she sobs, but what’s done is done.

It looks like the two will have a very rough last few weeks together, but just then Tsuzaki’s company gets hits with a massive reprogramming job, one that requires his to work day and night for five days without sleep or proper nutrition...

When Friday arrives, Mikuri is greeted at the door by a very, very sick Tsuzaki.  She takes it upon herself to help him out, running to the store for medicine and supplies as well as doting on him as he fights a fever, and by the time his fever breaks and she’s made him some soothing soup, he clearly has begun thinking seriously about this wonderful girl.

Finally, the last Friday of Mikuri’s employment is here, and Mikuri arrives with heavy heart.

"A Parting Gift. Though it's been short time, thank you."

"Moriyama, Can I show you something?"

When she gets there, the fastidious Tsuzaki has printed out pages of  numbers-crunching data with what a marriage would cost a person, what a housekeeper needs, and how much the costs would break down…

Looking at it logically as well as financially, Tsuzaki has decided that it IS in his best interest if he takes Mikuri up on her offer... "Mikuri", Tsuzaki asks, "Won’t you accept this “De Facto Marriage”? "I ACCEPT!" Mikuri yells!

Without a MOMENT’s hesitation, Mikuri leaps up into Tsuzaki’s face and agrees to the terms! The are already ready to face whatever obstacles are coming their way, and there’s gonna be PLENTY…but first…to explain to her PARENTS…and stop that Moving Van from driving away with all her things!

Awwww, Yui Aragaki is in FINE form in this show, so sweet and lovable as she always is, and this is a fun and quirky story as well, reminding me not just a little bit of the Kyoko Fukada /Dean Fujioka drama “Dame Na Watashi Ni Koishite Kudasai”, with the stern, stoic “husband” and the carefree and eternally optimistic wife!

With this wonderful drama as well as the sweet Satomi Ishihara show and the Keiko Kitagawa drama scheduled to be subbed, I must once again reiterate: It's a GREAT time to be a J -Drama fan!!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com