We Married as Job

You know, I'm a sucker for a scheme where two people are forced to get married under certain circumstances, even though it's definitely not out of love. Usually this scheme starts with some misunderstanding that causes the two to get married, even though they actually can’t stand each other. But over time they see through their prejudices and fall in love. But watch out! That’s not the case in this series. Here, Mikuri and Hiramasa arrange a "marriage" without anything like that happening and without having to hate each other. All the clichés of that scheme are discarded and NigeHaji comes up with something completely new and, wonder of wonders, I loved it. Because their relationship is built from the start on mutual understanding. The series has a lot going for it – the script was written by my current favorite screenwriter, which guarantees a lot of interesting dialogue, gentle (predominantly verbal) humor that carries us through the whole series, interesting characters, an ending by Hoshino Geno, “Koi", whose dance has become such a hit in Japan that everyone is doing it, and above all the main duo Mikuri x Hiramasa, who were incredibly cute together. It's a totally relaxing series that in no way looks down on the viewer for coming to watch just to relax. It's got the right stuff. If you want to see a romantic comedy from 2016, I think this one is the best of the bunch; though there were several in Japan that year, this one is by far the best (if you don't count Kazoku no Katachi in the genre). A strong 4 stars. Watch out for a reprise. (05.01.2017)

I love the way this writer can hit the mark. Almost as if by accident, her characters directly and indirectly criticize the setting of society. At the same time, it doesn't go into some drama, it's just the characters going through their lives and the environment affecting them at various stages. Anyway, for me, a cool sequel to NigeHaji that also reflected the craziness of 2020 in its second half. It was even more of a closer theme for me, having lived through something similar myself. In some ways worse, in some ways better. So for me it was highly personal to watch, truthful, and I could totally relate to everyone. Not to mention that COVID, a thing that affected all of our lives, starts in the second part and isn't presented in a particularly draconian way in the special. No madness. Just sort of an intervention in ordinary life. I found the subject matter very sensitively presented. Just like that; for me it was almost like I was partly watching my own experiences, so I'm adding an extra star; if I were to rate it "objectively" it would be a 4. After all, it's still a good Nogi Akiko, a quality cast, fitting music, and a story that has an idea. (17.01.2021)