[Rating: 8.5/10]

Genre: josei, drama

Kinue, a plain and totally unfashionable saleswoman in the futon section of a big deparment store suddenly finds herself transferred to work on the women’s fashion floor. Her views on fashion and the people who work in it start to change as she goes on her own clothing journey, mentored by Miki, her new boss and no-nonsense ice queen.

It’s rather amusing how I originally did not have much interest in watching this as it sounded like a clone of Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty, but when I gave it a chance it ended up one of my favourite jdramas. What I liked about it was that Kinue’s colleagues and boss were less bitchy and shallow than the fashion workers in abovementioned american productions. In otherwords, the characters were more real and likeable. While Jinbo Miki was portrayed to be an ice queen, Miranda Priestly she is not. She actually showed concern and interest to her subordinate’s well being and understood her personal assistants quite well, often delivering some good advice and insight to both the fashion industry and to life. Kuroki Hitomi played her role with grace and poise, and the moments where Miki was dealing with her long time customers were warm and inviting. Her back story added an extra dimension to the character. Karina, who played Kinue didn’t come across as too stubborn and ignorant, and when as she learned the importance of personal presentation, her own fashion style was quite nice. I also liked when she became a mentor to the new sales assistants later on. I also enjoyed the rivalry between the two male leads, Tabuchi and Hachiya, played by Nishijima Hidetoshi and Koizumi Kotaro. Absolutely loved their dress styles and contrasting personalities, especially how they dealt with clients. Another thing was that while there was a little romance going on, it was played down and did not take up the plot, rather it was a relationship that subtly progressed from being colleagues to friends to mutual attraction but not an all out romance at the end. It made their working relationship more realistic as well.

So strong casting and overall a very enjoyable series. I think it can be appreciated by many types of jdrama fans, and is a safe choice people who are new to the jdrama scene.

[Rating: 7.5/10]

Genre: Josei, Romantic Comedy

A 33 year old highschool teacher who has prided herself for leading a successfully independent and not depending on a man finds herself in an unexpected spot when she offers her home to a new substitute teacher at school until he finds one of his own- previously he had been doing random jobs and living in manga cafes. They have to keep it a secret as though they aren’t romantically involved will be improper if anyone finds out, especially considering that he is ten years younger than her.

I’ve never really been fond of olderwoman/youngerman stories, for example Kimi wa Petto, which didn’t really appeal to me, but this one had an adorable pulling card by the name of Koike Teppei. I tend to like older Japanese actors but he is one of the exceptions, though he’s really not that young either. And Maya Miki was in the show as well, but other than that I wasn’t familiar with most of the cast. The show turned out to be a pleasant surprise and actually one of my favourites for this seasons of strong contenders. I’m glad I decided to give Ohitorisama a shot because I ended up liking the two lead actress Mizuki Alisa and Matsushita Nao. I actually felt sympathetic for Matsushita’s character because though she says she was acting for selfish purposes, she was actually pretty helpful. And I’d like to say that she’s really pretty. I haven’t found a Japanese actress particularly attractive since Kuroki Meisa in 1 Pound no Fukuin (how gorgeous was she in the final ep~). I think the romance was pretty realistic in this one as there was no love at first sight thing, just a simple mentor-mentee relationship and they were really compatible. I’m also glad that the main couple did not get married in the last ep because while I like them, it’d just have reinforced that you need to be married to be happy. I’d actually be interested to see an SP of some sort of what happened after Shinichi returned from his new placement. And Sawai’s developing relationship with the other guy. It’d ba funny if Sawai became the next ‘Ohitorisama’ though I doubt it. I think what made this show likeable is that it was in a romantic comedy style compared to angst which is prevalent in older/younger pairings (whichever gender combination, Kimi wa Petto was one of them, and there’s series like Majo no Jouken, Kou Kou Kyoshi and Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi dake. Also it did not have a dragged out story which was an issue with me in the others. KKM and KMSD were good, but they were also among the first few dramas I watched, so I have no idea if my thoughts would change if I rewatched them.

That said, I do recommend Ohitorisama, I think Akiyama-sensei makes a great role model for young women in terms of her outlook on life~ loved the narration bits as well~ come to think of it she reminds me of my mom in some ways.

Ristorante Paradiso

[Rating: 9.5/10]

Genre: Josei, Slice of Life

Nicoletta is a city girl who winds up working as an apprentice at a quaint little restaurant in the Italian countryside, where she learns much about life in the process. The Casetta dell’Orso is not your average restaurant- for one thing, the staff are all older men, and the place is never short of customers… what is its secret?

At first glance, this show does not seem like much. What could be so interesting about a girl working in a restaurant with a bunch of much older men?

But Ristorante Paradiso is anything but boring.

First of all, these ‘older men’ are some of the most charming and lovable characters you’ll ever meet in anime. The fact that they are not your stereotypical pretty bishounen (pretty boys) already gives it a unique twist, and no, nothing squick about it at all. And… it doesn’t hurt that said men are not that bad looking either.

Nicoletta was a surprising character for me, because though in the beginning she seemed like a naive girl with a silly crush, but by the end of the series I really liked her. How she handled Olga and ‘the secret’ in the end was very classy and mature. It was hard to believe that she was the same girl from the first episode.

Also, I love shows where all the characters get their stories told. It just adds so much more depth, and even better when the backstories are good. You’ll find yourself getting the warm fuzzies at at least one of them. And the characters just have this natural way of interacting with each other like a big family~ then again, it is set in a little Italian town.

And though the main relationship arc is between a older man and younger woman, in no way did it seem perverted or strange. Claudio and Nicoletta just balance each other out so nicely, and Claudio is so adorable in this shy awkward way, even though he used to be married. I also loved Teo, Olga and Luciano’s stories~ and Gabriella was quite memorable for a secondary character. I can totally see how Claudio fell for her, and she and Olga balance each other as friends as well. Olga’s impulsive and whimsical whereas Gabriella is a very independant and self-reliant woman – I was glad that she didn’t hook up with another guy after her divorce, and I love how she was not made out to be a bad character though she was ‘the other woman’. After Claudio’s past experience, she was probably the best thing that happened to him.

One of the good things about Ristorante Paradiso was that it did not fail to disappoint, but seemed to give more and more as it went along while keeping the mood and pacing at a consistent and relaxed manner. Casetta dell’Orso is like a foodie’s dream restaurant – good food, great atmosphere, and stellar service.

Also, this show had probably the best and most satisfying ending I’ve seen in any anime series, so that gets two huge thumbs up from me, if anything. A delightfully solid show~ I wouldn’t mind seeing a second season or movie although that’s just really pandering to the fact that I can’t get enough of it. Definitely has a good re-watch value as well.