Mitsu no Aji [ep 11 Finale]

Things seemed to kinda cool down after both Masato and Naoko quit on their own following the scandal being reported vigorously by the Weekly Magazine. Their faces, well, anyone close to them would know straightaway because covering only their eyes didn't make much difference. Funny thing was, I felt like their relationship hasn't even exactly come that point, but the media had already blown it out of proportion thanks to psycho ex-boyfriend. It was as if AFTER the media made a huge fuss over it that Masato confessed his feelings towards Naoko. Righttt.....

Anyways, since they left the hospital, things kinda quiet down a bit, at least, no more quarrels with anybody and Aya had a breakdown. When I saw her collapsed onto the floor, I only had one question in mind "Do you believe in karma?" because it seemed like it is starting to haunt her. Though from her medical records nothing seemed to be wrong with her. During that period of time, it was good to see her finally coming to her senses, the brief chat with her co-worker over how she should've let it go earlier rather than suffering for so long. And at one moment, I actually pity her. 

And while I thought the day would never come for me to feel the same for this couple, I actually did in this episode. Watching them leaving the city, being pushed to their limits when Masato couldn't find a decent daytime job as a legit doctor in the hospital and Naoko having to work at some wet fish market. That was a huge transition and I hate all the prejudice being thrown at them. I'd be disgusted too but I don't see why it should involve their career. Whatever happens to the saying "Never mix business with personal life?" Besides, Masato is a good surgeon and Naoko too, they could save lives! Well for me, their personal life has nothing to do with what they can contribute to the society.

Also, I really was hoping Naoko or Masato to yell at the obasan who didn't let them stay at the apartment something like "I have the right to rent the place and I can let anybody come stay with me. It's not like the other person's a gangster or drug addict." *I think the society is still very close-minded* Not saying I agree to this uncle-niece complex, I just think they deserve at the very least, a place to stay.

Who else thinks the writers were just trying to let Aya's character do something heroic for once before the show ended by helping Naoko's mother? But I was half cheering for Aya when she showed up and offered assistance when no one else would. And not forgetting the lecture she gave both Masato and Naoko who listened quietly like defeated children. The warning she gave Norisugi was excellent too! She's making a comeback, not as evil Aya but resolved Aya. So glad she finally accepted the fact that she will never get Masato back. Actually, I thought she deserves someone much better than Masato. 

Well, the finale was pretty much the way how everyone predicted I guess. Norisugi left the hospital and will work at his parent's place, turned over a new leaf, much thanks to Aya and LMAO at Kirishima's supposed PROPOSAL to Aya! That was random and out of nowhere! Aya's back to her old self and probably the kind that suits her the most, research on top of everything else. The only thing I didn't foresee was the part where Masato and Naoko was at some war-stricken country serving as doctors. They probably worked as Doctors without Borders etc...I just felt like they were a bit irresponsible leaving everything/everybody behind. It's true that nobody supports their decision but what about Naoko's parents? Even if they don't accept you as their child anymore, they're still your parents. And having sacrificed so much for her studies and everything, she could just dump them and say "As long as I have Masato, I don't wish for anything else". What a whitewash. 

Overall thoughts:

Tough one to swallow because of the complex relationship which kinda disgusts me every now and then. Acting performance wise - Kanno Miho wins hands down as the research obsessed doctor turned evil then good Aya. Her transition and character development stood out the most out of all the characters. Not even both Masato and Naoko, which pretty much stayed rather static throughout could overcome Aya. I think that pretty much had to do with how the characters are meant to be by the writers but still acting-wise, Kanno Miho truly shined. When she was evil, it was so convincing that at one point, you hate her character but also at the same time, amazed by how real it was. She can really bring the character to life, even if it was a bit psychotic at one time, which made it even more realistic. So she made the other two main characters totally pale in comparison. There was really nothing much for Eikura Nana to do here, sadly even though she was supposed to be the lead female. ARATA was decent throughout. 

Overall Rating: 6.5 /10 - pretty much saved by Kanno Miho making it more tolerable

Mitsu no Aji [ep 9]

This is the kind of show that needs extra endurance and patience from me. There had been a point where I thought of dropping because so many things begin to take the wrong course. Two more episodes before the end, I will finish this but that doesn't mean I enjoy it. I think it went with a pretty good start but then after episode 3-4, it began a downward spiral and I don't think it'll ever crawl back up, at least for me. 

The plot is the major problem for me. To begin with, it's hard to swallow especially with the whole uncle-niece complex going on, which at times, disgust me a lot. Stories like these will need a lot of effort to pull off, to attract viewers. The writers however, didn't seem to quite manage to do that and normally, I just can't buy it. Not to mention, there is ZERO chemistry between Masato and Naoko. And yet, the writers try to shove them down our throats, convinced that putting them together on a bed or couch, smooching each other will let us audiences believe that something hot is going on between them. Well, I'd say ARATA is a good kisser but that probably was the only saving grace to not make the whole scene as awkward as it seemed. Though I still can't help but cringe whenever they do kiss. Major awkward moment. 

The characters are pretty messed up as well. There isn't one normal person, okay, saying normal would be stretching it. What I wanted to say here is that, most of the characters are all extreme! Take Aya for example and then Norisugi, both of whom are strong jealous type to the extent of doing anything to take revenge for love. I don't even know where to begin with Norisugi really. I understand where he came from, having been betrayed for 8 years and all. But the guy turned 180 degrees from a nice typical boyfriend to an almost psychotic ex-boyfriend in one night! He's worst than Aya, at least Aya has the brains and think thoroughly before executing, and she won't compromise the patients for revenge. Norisugi is the kind that needs medical attention right away.

As for Masato and Naoko, they may be the victims here, but I don't feel any sympathy for them. Sometimes, you root for the couple with forbidden love in dramas/movies, but they're the kinds I find hard to support. Thing is, they should've just avoided each other. Masato should have never returned from the US or at least, he should find job in another hospital, a normal person would want to avoid any rumors right? And I find it odd that Naoko still works at the same place as Aya! After all the feud happening between them, you'd have thought she'd leave and work elsewhere.If both Masato and Naoko wished to be together whatever it takes, they should just leave to a place where no one knows them and start anew.

The end of episode 9 reminds me of something that happened in Last Friends xD Crazy ex-boyfriend tried to get back with girlfriend, except here, the uncle managed to storm in and be the hero.I still prefer LF over this, and that was a tough one to watch.

Rating: 6/10

Mitsu no Aji [ep 2]

This show begins to remind me of Taisetsu na Koto (Miura Haruma, Takei Emi and Toda Erika) -Two girls fighting for a guy. Though in Taisetsu, the fight wasn't as evil as this. By evil, I mean Aya's pretentious character in front of everybody else and when nobody's watching, the smiles stops so abruptly we know she has some evil plan cooked up in her mind.

So Kanno Miho's character is not all goody good type though she puts on the facade but deep inside, she's easily jealous and very protective over her partner. At times, she can be very controlling too as we see her prompted the marriage plan despite the fact that she didn't want to initially, giving Masato no chance to slow down. But Masato's not complaining much. After all, he was the one who proposed first.

Aya sure is one very sensitive woman, she sees through Naoko from the moment they first met. Is this called a woman's sixth sense? But she is right about Naoko. So knowing that she has one competitor in sight, so near her partner, she quickly takes any chance to hold Masato on the leash - marriage. I'm wondering though why is it that she's feeling threatened by Naoko? Afterall, she's considered Masato's niece. Though they aren't blood related, Masato clearly has no other type of feelings towards Naoko except treating her as his little sister.

Aya pays a visit to Masato's hometown, taking the golden opportunity to be introduced to his brother, sealing the marriage plan. What surprises me is how she doesn't even miss the chance to investigate Naoko's room. But the sight of Naoko's 'height scale' on the wall where she also etched Masato's height totally ruins her mood. Jealousy is definitely on the max in this episode.

And some things aren't meant to be said. Like for example, when Naoko can't contain herself longer and confesses to Masato about her true feelings. I knew from that moment, Masato will never be able to see her as a niece anymore. There'll be a definite barrier between both of them and things will never be the same. Things can easily head for the worst from here on. Masato will feel awkward communicating with her and think of her as a threat to his married life in the future. That's a given though he tries with much effort to tell Naoko to work together towards being good doctors and it'll be just like before. It is so obvious he thinks otherwise. But I understand that he's in difficult position given this kind of situation. Heck the guy's going to marry in a few days and his niece confessed to him?!

Thoughts:

The second episode seems to pick up some speed and steam xD Thanks to Aya's evil character I can foresee some very heated confrontation between these two in the near future. I find Kanno Miho is pretty brilliant in being antagonists and also protagonists. That said, she's doing gorgeously with Aya's character. As for both Eikura and ARATA, they've improved quite a lot from their limited first episode. Seems like they've warmed up to their roles. Eikura seems more convincing too as Naoko in this episode. That said, I've found some glimmer of hope for this show.

Rating: 8/10

Mitsu no Aji [ep 1]

I’m baffled by the opening scene…my first impression was “oh it’s a sunny day and it’s raining” which looked like they were trying too HARD to make a point out of the scene. I think they wanted to create this ‘steamy’ kind of surrounding, hence the hot sun, but to make it even more dramatic with the symbolic red umbrella, they had to use fake rain. I’m pretty sure it was fake. The following scenes however…kinda turned me off a bit and that’s pretty bad since it’s only the first 2 minutes. The shot of Naoko’s (Eikura Nana) soaked uniform, hence the see-through bra and seriously? The MOLE?! I’m not sure whether the mole is like strategically placed for Naoko to notice or if it’s even real…but I can’t say I like the opening scenes much. And obviously, the red umbrella serves a huge role in this show.

 I actually don't know what to make out of this scene

So, with an opening scene that nearly turned me off right from the beginning, I had doubts whether I’ll actually enjoy this drama at all, because judging from the plot itself, I don’t really like the idea of having a niece falling in love with her uncle. Even if the uncle is not blood related. Something is just odd there. I try to be in Naoko’s shoes and understand why she has fallen in love with her uncle who’s much older. We can see that since childhood, she has looked up to him and rejoiced every single time he comes from Tokyo to the countryside to spend summer with her family. Summer is definitely her favourite season I’m sure. However obviously Masato treats her like his little sister as she calls him Masa-niichan dearly. When Masato tells her that he won’t be able to come as often anymore once he starts his medical studies, Naoko’s heart sank immediately but somehow this serves as a motivation for her to go to Tokyo. How? Study hard and try to get in the same medical school Masato is in. And she gets in! Well, good for her but really?! At this point, I’m thinking Naoko must have some serious uncle complex and being too obsessed with her uncle! It’s like her entire life is going to be devoted just for the sake of this uncle…and that’s messed up, really.

the MOLE!

Then we get to meet Aya (Kanno Miho), Masato’s girlfriend who is in the Pathology department working on research instead of being in Surgery or any other departments that need to interact with patients. She gives the reason that she’s not good dealing with patients. Throughout the episode, she can be seen as a rather straight-forward person, diligent, knows what to prioritize, knows how to deal with the higher ups, but also somewhat cold. However, at the end of the episode, we see a different side of hers, a more caring one, and definitely someone who can comfort patients. And this is when I think Aya is a much more interesting character than the main herself. Aya’s much more complex in comparison. She seems to enjoy the overnight stays at Masato’s place and his company but when it comes to more serious matters, for example marriage, she’s not committed. And what I like about her is how she knows exactly what she wants in life, what’s important at the moment and is not afraid for others to see that side hers. But there's this part at the ending scene where she does look quite scary...

Thoughts:

An average first episode, nothing to shout about at all. Naoko is the main character but she's just not standing out enough to make her memorable. In fact, I find Aya more interesting though with limited scenes. Well, that's the difference between a good actress and a new or average one like Eikura Nana. Not that I have anything to complain about her acting, but I think she's still warming up to her character. Most of the time, as a result of that, I find Naoko just looking confused throughout. Even her crying scenes aren't convincing enough. Another thing I find lacking is ARATA's character. Same problem with Naoko, not memorable at all. Writers, what are you doing with your characters? Please give them more life! I don't have problem with the actor at all, but it's the character itself that his only sole purpose is as if to be the guy the two female characters fight upon.

And the last scene...is quite terribly executed. How can they not realize that Naoko has been watching across the road from the beginning till the end?! Sure they got their hands full with the kid's accident, I still think Masato's reaction when he saw Naoko is bizarre! Shouldn't he be uh...surprised or delighted a bit to see his little niece around, instead...he's being BLUR and having that kind of- WHY IS THAT STRANGER STANDING THERE- face.

But cheers to Aya's line "She wants to watch me fail." Well...spot on there.

The first episode was truly disappointing. Is it a mistake having Eikura Nana as the lead? I haven't watched much of her stuffs before this, only one drama and I really think that comedy saved her in that, but when it comes to a more dramatic and complex show like this, you need a certain level of experience and acting skillz to get this right. I was thinking, maybe her role would've been better played if people like Horikita Maki or maybe Ayase Haruka? I think Maki might be able to pull it off because of her previous complex characters in movies. Too bad Maki and Ayase are busy with other dramas. Well, I'm gonna give them the benefit of doubt for now since it's too early to judge. The only reason I can find to continue for now though is because of Kanno Miho. And thankfully, she's doing quite well with her character at the moment.

Special mention

Yeah, I just thought I should introduce this girl, Rai (Kimura Fumino) who's in the same group as Naoko in the university. Her first scene was quite fun to watch. Selling umbrellas during the rain, great method to make money when people are desperate to get one. She's the comic relief in this otherwise very serious or dull drama. And hey look! Mizobata Junpei is also here! Loved him in BOSS so it's a plus to have him. And he gives the girl the nickname Rai Rai...haha

Rating: 6.5/10 -they need to pick up with the plot if not, I'm dropping.