J-Drama Deja-Vu: That “Affluent” Apartment

 

Whenever a drama needs a shortcut to show that a particular character is succesful, they rely on  what I call the “Affluent” apartment, an apartment set made to suggest wealth and/or success!
I first took notice of the place in the wildly fun drama “Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho” where  novice youtuber Negoro (Junki Tozuka) has gone viral and hit it big. Suddenly loaded with dough, what better way to indicate his newfound status than a ritzy apartment?

This was a very impressionable set, with a faux brick facade on one side, a gorgeous penthouse view on the other, an artistic styled staircase to the bedroom…and an antique African-styled mirror against the wall!

With these unique features, you had a very easily identifiable abode, one I instantly recognized next time I saw it in  "Toshi no Sakon", where Wakana Aoi moved in with the highly succesful Terunosuke Takezai:

 then the romcom "Usokon" with Neru Nagahama and Fuma Kikuchi:

This one was a surprise-I did not realize til I re-watched the Ikuta Toma drama "Ore no Hanashi wa Negai" recently that the affluent Kana Kurashina lived in the same apartment as well!! Watching it, I jumped up, saying "Hey!! it's the affluent apartment!!!" LOL

 ...and when that fancy apartment made an appearance in the latest episode of the new "Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai" series  (as the home of the svelte Rinko Kikuchi), I just HAD to “speak out” about it finally!!!

I'm sure I've seen this place in many more dramas but just didn't recognize it, and I'm sure there's more to come as well!!! I'll certainly be on the lookout for it!

The Latest In The Long Line of "Sham Marriage" Scenarios with "Usokon"

 THOUGH I'M SURE this plot device has been around since J-dramas were a thing, it seems to me that the "Fake Marriage" Drama Set-Up is becoming more and more overused to the point of concern: "Hapimari-Happy Marriage?" with Nana Seino and Dean Fujioka, "Konin Todoke ni Han wo Oshita dake desu ga" also with Nana Seino, but with Kentaro Sakaguchi, "Ousama ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi " with Kanna Hashimoto and Ryosuke Yamada, all of them had basically  the same scenario: two individuals who have nothing in common come together for reasons of their own and pretend to be married...but soon develop REAL feelings for each other! 

And now we have "Usokon", this time starring Fuma Kikuchi as Takumi Natsume, the affluent bachelor in need of a Bride, and Neru Nagahama as Yae Sendo, the down on her luck and broke single lady in need of support.

A chance meeting by the two once-childhood friends creates an opportunity to achieve each of their goals by pretending to be wedded: Takumi will have the face of a happily married man for the sake of his business image, and Yae will have a place to live and put on an allowance.

It's strictly business, but will the two of them find romance with each other as they dupe the public and people around them? 

Well, WHAT DO YOU THINK. LOL!

Also starring Shota Watanabe and Lisa Oda as Takumi and Yae's respective best friends...

BONUS! Looks like Yae is living at the famous Love Distance Apartment featured in so many other shows!

Where will it turn up next!

Unrequited Love Everywhere: More "Fight Song" Musing

 In the immortal words of the J. Geils Band song “Love Stinks”, the lyrics go
“You love her but she loves him and he loves somebody else, you just can’t win”, and this is a tried and true trope of the everyday Japanese Rom-Com Love triangle!
 Ex-Karate enthusiast Hanae and struggling songwriter Haruki are trying to make a go of a love relationship though neither has any experience. 

As usual for a J-drama romcom, each has a certain someone who secretly holds a torch for them, in this case manager Yumiko Date pining for Haruki...

and childhood friend Shingo in love with Hanae...

But that triangle is squared when you add in Rin, a fellow orphanage friend, who is in love with Shingo, and has to sit by idly while the man she loves moons over Hanae.

Unlike Shingo, Rin’s affections seem to be pretty clear but Shingo has no interest in her and is constantly ignoring/shrugging off/oblivious to her advances...

I think it’s one thing when you see Shingo struggling with his unrequited love for Hanae, seeing as how Hanae’s such a sweetie, but when you see his disinterest in the beautiful, spunky and always reliable Rin, you wonder how thick he can be! Well a girl can only take so much and after three episodes of his indifference, Rin gives Shingo a taste of what he deserves!

LOLOL, All delivered with a dazzling smile on her face, no less!

Yeah, yeah, these two are probably gonna end up together by the drama's end but will we really believe in our hearts that Shingo has truly realized how great Rin is? Or will it be another "John Hughes Consolation Prize" send off?

PS: This is my second post in the "Girl Kicks a Johnny's Boy in the Butt" Series which began with Mirei Kiritani and Jun Matsumoto back in 2010....HAHAHA