Shomonai Bokura no Renairon

 

OK, also caught the sweet drama “Shomonai Bokura no Renairon”, following the story of an Art Designer named Takuro Tsutsumi (Hidekasu Mashima) who, at middle age, is beginning to feel past his prime, with signs of younger folks beginning to take over his jobs.

In the midst of this semi-mid-life crisis of sorts, he suddenly gets a friend request from an old friend of his whom he once had a band with…as well as an unrequited love with.  

Her name is Anna, and, though nervous about the prospect of reconnecting after all these when he gets there,Takuro is stunned to see a girl whom looks like the perfect memory of Anna as she looked all those years ago! But when she introduces herself, she is revealed to be Kurumi (Seina Nakata), Anna’s 17 year old daughter!

This spritely girl wants to know all about him, his memories and feelings about her Mother. Takuro remarks how much she resembles her Mother, and, looking around, wonders when he can meet her. It’s here that he finds out that his past love has passed away a month before, a devastating fact he knew nothing about.

 

That evening he informs the others in the band about their keyboardist's passing and laments about the almost-love he once had with Anna, and of how he never got to see her again.

 

Meanwhile Kurumi has been dealing with her Mother’s passing in her own way by going through her treasured keepsakes, and over and over again, Takuro and the band they had keeps coming back into the picture.More and more she realizes how important this guy was to her Mom. 

 

Finding an old cassette of Takuro and her Mom playing music, she excitedly brings the tape over to Tsutsumi, and listening to the tape together, He finds the music takes him back to those good old days with Anna and the band, how happy they were and with so much to look forward to. 

  

After reminiscing a bit, Takuro asks Kurumi why she decided to meet up with him in the first place, to which she says, “I wanted to meet the Man that my Mom liked.”. 

And with that, she takes her leave, but little do the two know how much they will figure in each other’s lives from this point on!  

For one reason and another, Kurumi keeps finding ways to be involved with Takuro and his own meandering life.  And as the show goes on, we see how their presence affects the other, with Kurumi dealing with her schoolwork and future choices, as well as Takuro in the crossroads of his mid-life dealing with a job he is becoming unsuited for and an aging father! In times like these the other is there for them ... 

(with Syoya Mikata) 

 

A very captivating show with Hidakasu Mashima doing his best mopey uncle and support roles from other actors such as Akako Yada as his childhood friend /maybe love interest Eri Morita: 

Tetta Sugimoto as Takuro's Boss...

Satomi Tezuka as Kurumi’s Grandmother…  

...and then there’s Seina Nakata as the uber genki and spazzy Kurumi Tanimura! WOWW I’d already fell in love with her shenanigans in her episode of the excellent 2021 drama “Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1 Jikan” as the naughty little sister who tries to steal her big sister’s boyfriend:

If you saw that episode, you'd know how cute and rascally she was...Happily, she gives off the SAME energy here!  So CUTE!

Reminds me of Mitsuki Takahata in her early Kahoko days! 

This promises to be one fine little drama!  

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com 

Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1-Jikan~ Each Episode Ranked!

 Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1-Jikan~One Hour Before The Affair

 A series of winsome vignettes following two people one hour before they end up in bed, documenting the circumstances which lead them up to their inevitable sexual destination!

WOW This was SUCH a great little show, with each episode entertaining me immensely and making me re-watch them over and over! By the end I loved it so much I wanted to make a ranking list of which ones I loved the most, ranked from 8 to 1!

Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1-Jikan~ Episode Ranking!

No.8:

“Before” (Ep.3)

Matsuyuki Yasuko and Omori Nao

Two childhood friends who have reunited after many years talk about life while on a delivery run for their Alcohol business. The lone “mature” themed chapter of the series was quite a sombre one and might be the reason this didn't grip me as much as some of the others. loved the modest way they ended it, with the couple going back to the house, closing the doors and turning off  the lights as the seconds countdown to zero, nice touch!

No.7:

A Vessel For The Soul (Ep.1)

Usuda Asami and Kudo Asuka 

Two Doll Enthusiasts meet at a Convention and end up at a hotel together. A cute and quirky chapter in the series and it was quite interesting seeing Asami Usuda paired with Asuka Kudo as they’ve both been part of “Ie Uru Onna” for years! 

No.6:

“In The Pot” (Ep.8)

Otomo Karen and Hosoda Kanata 

A self-centered girl who sets her sights on an up and coming indie film writer, seducing him with calculated precision despite all his friends seeing her for what she is and calling her out right off the bat! Karen Omoto is making a name for herself playing these “So innocently evil ya just gotta love her” kind of roles and this might be the best yet!

No.5:

“A Pretext For Cheating” (Ep.6)

Sato Honami and Nakao Akiyoshi 

Two co-workers who have fantasized about having an affair with each other end up in a hotel together. Once there, they struggle with the pros and cons of cheating on their respective partners. This episode made me think of the song “Reasons” by Earth, Wind and Fire, their ode to the excuses we give ourselves to justify cheating!

No.4:

“Plus-Minus, Interesting” (Ep.7)

 Shuri and Watanabe Daichi

Hilarious story of an unlucky girl who believes she is cursed falls for a happy-go-lucky guy who tells her her misfortune is all in her mind. But as the two get closer and closer, the seemingly coincidental mishaps happen over and over til he thinks she might be right after all!

This is the only flat-out comedy in the series and it’s a FUN one, with the already stern Shuri channeling her best “Sadako” against the positive and sunshiney Daichi!

No.3:

“Elder Sister and Younger Sister” (Ep.4)

Nakata Seina, Mochizuki Ayumu and Aoyama Misato 

 

A story of two sisters, one shy and reserved and one outspoken and carefree, and the hapless guy who is thrust between them. When the bookish older sister brings home a boyfriend, a competitiveness awakens in the rascally little sister who decides to make a play for the guy herself, and it is a joy to watch the poor boyfriend juggle the rejections of the older sis and advances of the little sis, wondering who will win out in the end!

No.2:

“One Hour Before the First Time”(Ep.2)

Kiryuu Mai and Hagiwara Riku 

Two extremely naive virgins struggling through the awkwardness and embarrassment of doing it for the first time. This was a really gentle and nicely paced story, which, though fairly basic in plot, had so much charm as the two clueless kids stumble through their first time together.

No.1:

“The Decisive Friday” (Ep.5)

Okamoto Rei and Laland Nishida  

Story of a beautiful and sassy girl who always replies on her schleppy co-worker for snacks and companionship during her late nights at work. She counts on him because he is always there for her no matter what, but the guy holds out hope that their relationship can go further…

This was by far my favorite episode of the series, with Rei Okamoto giving a fantastic performance as the outgoing, charismatic girl who ignites a desire in her fellow co-worker to hope against all odds that she will give him a chance!

Part of me was bothered by the guy's assumption she'd so readily sleep with him, but there's a side story of the girl trying to get a golden sticker in her candy and the guy telling her it's only possible if you have the patience to go through countless regular stickers to get one...as a metaphor, I guess it works...

Sex storyline aside, it was Rei Okamoto's character that really sold me on this one. Such a vibrant, energetic character, you can't help but fall in love with her and you see why the guy has pined for her for so long!

Such great interaction, I could have watched a whole series with these two, but perhaps the magic of it is because it’s contained in one 20 minute clip. And that's really the magic of this series! Something fun to watch at the end of the day!

EDIT: Just found out they created 4 more episodes of the show for an online-only airing! Hmmm, wonder if there's a way I can see those!