WOW, just HAD to drop a note GUSHING about character Aoi Asamiya in the current episodes of ROPPONGI HOUSE! She has GOT to be the coolest, most interesting character I’ve seen in recent times, and actress Yurina Hirate has been playing the fierce, outspoken and unabashedly SOCIOPATHIC Aoi with decided RELISH and FERVOR!
She’s been stealing the show from the very first episode as the self-proclaimed love rival for Miyabe’s affections, and pitted against the svelte Yuka Kusunoki (Yuko Araki) we have a formidable CLASH of wills, and it's their pointed POWER STRUGGLES over the heart of Miyabe that have me on the edge of my seat!
When she was first introduced, I was like, “Is this girl’s role going to be the obnoxious character who keeps sabotaging the hero's plans?”, but OH! How wrong I was: After initially messing with Miyabe at his newly-opened restaurant, (where it DID seem like she was going to be there strictly to screw him up), LO and BEHOLD, she is INSPIRED by him rather than DISMISSIVE, and instead of being a foe, becomes a a steadfast ally, a move I was NOT expecting!
I LOVE Aoi Asamiya here, and at once it’s easy to see why: Her candor and lack of tact makes her an unusually RELIABLE character in the world of J-dramas where MOST problems arise simply by everyone being "nice" and not wanting to "hurt others feelings"- i n CONTRAST, the BLUNT and EXACT way Aoi speaks her opinion no matter who she offends is a HEAVENLY breath of FRESH AIR!!
She is constantly surprising me, and her “DEFENSE!!” line has to be one of the most ORIGINAL moves on an love rival that I’ve EVER seen in my 25+ years of J-drama watching!
Thanks primarily to her, my assessment of the show, which initially languished at ROCK BOTTOM of my rankings, has SHOT UP to become one of my most anticipated shows each week! NOW, it’s a MUST SEE!!!!
PS: MAN, looking over her dramawiki stats, It’s hard to believe this is only Yurina’s FOURTH drama…ande even MORE surprised to find that she’s apparently AKB alumni! So many of these fresh faces are coming from there it seems…
