The Japanese are such fascinating people, & their media sector reflects that. I'm not a fanatic about Anime or Manga, yet the latter often produces remarkable material which then makes the transition to live-action. And when it comes to matters sexual, J-Drama ( frequently supplied by Manga ) is light years ahead of the prudishness K-Drama is known for.
This very entertaining series began life as a manga, was then given the anime treatment & is now a live-action treasure-trove of sweet, romantic cuteness which also delves into the unique world of the Otaku : they're passionate devotees of manga/anime ( they'd be called geeks/nerds in the West ), & an all-female group of them living together in Tokyo are the focus of the story. Plus two men.
I like the self-referential aspect, & the principal character is the shy, socially-backward Tsukimi ( Kyoko Yoshine ). She & the other sheltered Otaku women do illustrating for the boss lady of the house, who is a mangaka, or creator. So manga has various interesting categories : "JP" in real life apparently belongs to one catering for a 18-35 female demographic, whereas on the show, the boss creates "BL" material. As in Boys Love, which in reality is mostly created & consumed by women despite depicting male/male romance. So Tsukimi meets/befriends Kurako ( Seto Koji ), a cross-dressing young man & he discovers her passion for jellyfish. Poison aside, they're actually quite graceful when lit the right way. He has a straight & very introverted brother, Shu ( Kudo Asuka ), & their father is a crusty politician keen on a redevelopment which would see the house with the Otaku girls destroyed. They vow to fight, so Kurako talks Tsukimi into designing dresses based on her beloved jellyfish which they hope to sell, & the rest of the women pitch in to save their home.
Sorry if the synopsis is clunky, but the job that Tokunaga Yuichi has done in adapting the manga is not; it's impressive. True, the whole "evil-developer-vs-brave-nobodies" scenario sounds rather predictable, yet there's so much going on that's great & a few surprises too ! There's romance too, and I liked the way it was handled. There's growth for many characters & the message is very much about moving onward/upward. Perhaps the ace in the script pack is the supporting roles, because they're brilliant : we have the driven corporate piranha Miss Inari ( Rika Izumi ) & her drily amusing assistant; the four Otaku ladies with their distinct personalities/styles; the politician's wife & her amused tolerance of a man's faults; the strict yet insanely handsome clothing tycoon Kai Fish & his equally gorgeous lieutenant ( who make a visual statement in black/beauty ) & the best of them all : the hilarious Hanamori the chauffeur ( Kaname Jun ). Always ready to spill the beans for the merest bribe & provider of a genuine belly-laugh when discussing his honesty.
An excellent script might as well be toilet paper without the right cast. Tsukimi is the pivot around which the story revolves, & Ms Yoshine is not only totally adorable but handles a range of emotions very convincingly. Mr Koji as the cross-dresser is compelling with his can-do enthusiasm, Mr Asuka is suitably shy as the brother who steps up when needed & the manic Ms Izumi as Inari is consistently enjoyable. As for the Otaku quartet, they're uniformly good; there's a certain cartoonish though appealing quality to their antics at times though for all I know it could be realistic !
So the cherry on this highly satisfying cake is the visual strategy via the director & the DP. So many TV shows, regardless of their country of origin, are just boring to the eye. Luckily, a lot of the interior shots in the Otaku house are quite beautiful. A diffuse, golden source light will often come through a window, & a short lens ensures everything is nicely in focus & can be seen clearly. There's also an energy to the whole show which is infectious & there isn't a scene that drags.
Complaints ? Not really, except for a brief & jarring bit of violence against a woman early on. There were alternatives available, so it's disappointing. There's also some contradictory philosophy going on when Tsukimi reaches the Fish think-tank. Then again, there's the thrilling, momentous final episode & the surprises it offers. A good, satisfying ending is essential for any TV show or movie & this one is definitely high quality.
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