 |
| Tomoya Nakamura and Nana Mori in "Kono Koi" |
As he’s about to taste the latest Pastry from the store, he happens to notice that a live-blogger is right next to him reviewing the SAME pastry and has inadvertently recorded HIM as well.
The girl’s name is Kiki (Nana Mori), a modest youtuber focusing on pastries and sweets. Though she has only a small following, her palate is unmatched and they can always rely on her reviews.
Never one good with dealing with people, Asaba rudely storm, even as he hears her remark to her viewers that the latest snack is somehow lacking, perhaps due to cheaper egg product!
.
They tussle and both phones end up falling to the ground.
“What’s your PROBLEM, old Man???” Kiki barks, as Asaba shrugs her off and goes off to his car!
.In true j-drama fashion, however, the phones have been switched and Asaba must go to the girl’s workplace to get his back. When he gets there after following her directions, he is stunned to find the loudmouthed girl works for his own company!
Back at the company, the marketing team appointed to taste-test the new Cocoevery products are trying out the latest release. Led by Ichioka (Mikako Ichikawa) and Kitagawa (Shizuka Ishibashi), they acknowledge the flaws of the product but know it is to cut costs.
They admit that because they had to use lesser eggs, the taste may have diminished. One team member points out that no one would notice such a small thing…But someone did. Kiki!
They are looking at Kiki’s blog review when president Asaba enters. “So, it WAS due to the eggs” he murmurs, remembering the girl in plaza’s comments. Little does he know, the livebloger and the girl he met are one and the same!!!
Desperate for change, Asaba brings on his colleague Shintani (Taiga Nakano) to head the new sweets team and brainstorm new ideas to rejuvenate the store’s goods. He has plans to start things from scratch and needs fresh visions.
But when he relates to a particular reviewer whom he enjoys and shows him Kiki’s blog, it finally clicks with Asaba that that scruffy girl with the big attitude is the SAME youtuber whom so many respect! Just who IS this girl?
Kiki is a girl who is in the crossroads of her life. She had once been a part of an underground idol group, but she was eventually kicked out to make room for the younger girls. Since then, she has had to watch as the group ascends to success, while Kiki has been reduced to working at a Convenience Store. 
Indeed, the only thing she has is her love of food, hence her deep passion for pastries and sweets, resulting in great and eye-opening observation of what is good and bad in a product!
Realizing he needs Kiki for his team, Asaba shows up one day at the store with a proposition for her. At first greeting him with a "What do YOU want, Old Man?", she (and her manager and co-workers) are STUNNED to find this gentleman (who has been having arguments with Kiki on the regular) is none other than the company CEO!!!
Still, Kiki doesn't quite trust this guy and would probably not sit for any proposition he might offer...so he bribes her with pastries from a high-end patisserie while he gives her his spiel!
Asaba tells her of his plans to reinvigorate the company’s policies and goods, and, amid the happy sounds of Kiki devouring her goodies, tells her he’d like to hire her to create a new signature pastry for the company!!!
At first Kiki is plagued with doubt. Her past rejection in the idol group has left her with deep scars and self-doubt. But with the encouragement of her roommate (Shian (Kotone Furukawa), Kiki decides to put her best foot forward!
Making up her mind, Kiki meets up with Asaba, and, given a one day pass, enters the intriguing world of baked goods! Once she sees the set-up, she knows she WANTS to do this!!!
At last she is behind the scenes in the place where the magic happens, and, along with Shintani, put their heads together to come up with that one perfect product that will save the company! Will they succeed? 
Only Time Will Tell!!!!
Ah, after breaking the Hearts of Haru Kuroki in Nagi No Oitoma, Suzume in Hanbun Aoi, and Fuka Koshiba in Akechi Goro, mumbly Tomoya Nakamura is back to play mind-games with yet ANOTHER clueless young girl!
This time his target is Nana Mori, a new actress I’m seeing for the first time but already really like! She reminds me of Koharu Kusume, that one-time member of Morning Musume who went on to become a very wild girl! Expecting the same kind of sassiness from Nana’s character of Kiki Inoue, a VERY spirited young lass!!!
Oooh, I have such high hopes for this drama, can’t wait to see more!!!!