SekaMuzu episode 6 [Spoilers?]

I haven't been the biggest fan of Ohno's drama, Sekai Ichi Muzukashi Koi. I enjoyed the first episode a lot and thought the drama had a lot of potential, but the following episodes... really made me realize that romance dramas are not my thing at all. But I stuck with the drama because I have a TV and it's not that hard to turn it on and do something else to support the Arashi members, so that's what I did.

Then episode 6 aired, and well... I think I'm finally on board the ReijixMisaki train. Kind of. With a lot of hesitations, but I do think they are super cute together right now.

Let me backtrack a bit first though.



As I said, I enjoyed the first episode of Ohno's drama. It was funny and entertaining and Ohno acting as Reiji is hilarious. Then, as each episode air, I realized that the only thing I was enjoying was Ohno acting as Reiji. Notice how I'm not saying that I actually like Reiji? It's because I didn't actually like him. Yeah, he came off as sweet and endearing in a horribly awkward way in episode 1--but every episode after I found it hard to really care about his troubles. The episodes worked like a formula -- have Reiji act silly and desperate and awkward trying to impress Misaki--making his worries and struggles something funny and amusing--and then about 2/3 in, suddenly change the mood so you'd feel bad for him. Like legitimately sad. I could never get over that. I'd be laughing and feeling very amused for the first half hour and then suddenly the drama would try to get "serious" in a way that was jarring and... really out of place.

On top of the drama trying to pass itself off as vaguely serious when it really wasn't, you also had a host of characters who I also didn't really care about at best, and found really annoying at the worst. The Johnny's West dude needs to shut up and get off my TV. Misaki I just thought was kind of boring as a character. She's certainly respectable, but... there's nothing really there for me to like about her. Wada just seems like a prick (and frankly episode 6 has not helped that impression at all). I like the secretary, but I wish she'd stop with the weird love advice that sounds like it's coming out of a self-help book. The way she lectures Reiji about love is so weird--but besides that I really like the camaraderie Reiji has with his secretary and driver. I think it's really sweet how much they care about him and I think his relationship with them is the one thing that actually endeared me to Reiji as a character. If he keeps guys like these around, that means there probably is something to like about him. I really hope the secretary does not get with Wada though and I kind of want to shake her and scream at her for even appearing remotely interested in him. Ew. No. Stop. (Episode 7 preview making me cringe on that relationship...)

I know I sound harsh, but the thing is everything up until episode 5 made this drama out to be your stereotypical romance drama. Every time I tuned in on Wednesday night to watch a new episode, I couldn't help but think that the writers had no idea what they were doing and all the planning they had done when making this drama was "CEO falls in love with one of their staff. The end". Then they were just coming up with stuff to keep that idea floating. When Misaki agreed to date Reiji at the end of episode 5, I was like "...really? Why?" I mean--I wasn't actually surprised, it was obvious she was going to say yes. Otherwise, why dedicate an entire episode to Reiji waiting for an answer? If they had aired episode 5 with Misaki rejecting him at the end, I would have just dropped the drama because there was no way I could ever see Reiji salvaging his situation enough for her to ever like him in a believable way.

Then I saw the preview for episode 6... and I really was all prepared to drop the drama anyway. Seriously? They're going to go with the stupid "misunderstanding" angle where the couple breaks up because she thinks he's a huge jerk who is just using her? Ugh. No. The only reason I decided to watch the next episode was because Ohno said there was supposed to be a "bed scene" in episode 7 and I was curious how they'd go from breaking up in episode 6 to sharing a bed in episode 7. Also--no, I do not think they're having an actual sex-bed scene. I don't even want that. Sorry Ohno, but... I just cannot imagine you doing something like that, and I also think Ohno personally would not want to do something like that either.

But anyway. Yeah. So. Episode 6 - turned on the TV at 10pm, laptop on my lap to work on something else (subbing 99.9 actually ^^;;), all ready to zone out so that I wouldn't get pissed off and turn off the TV before the episode finished.... and for the first time since episode 1 I found myself actually watching the drama with (most of) my undivided attention.

What changed?

It was seeing them actually interact as a couple. Before episode 6, I could not see Reiji and Misaki together at all. I honestly thought Ohno and Haru had absolutely zero chemistry together, and to be truthful they still don't really. Like, when you see them stand beside each other you can't really see them as a couple... then I realized that makes sense? Every single moment we've seen Misaki with Reiji, sure Reiji has been trying to impress her but Misaki clearly has her work-face on. Once you take that side down though and you see Reiji and Misaki on a date together, texting each other, it works. It works really well. Seriously, props to Haru's acting? I've never heard about her until this drama so I didn't really have an opinion--and like I said, Misaki was pretty boring, but... this subtle change in her interactions with Reiji is impressive. Then, there is the in-story reason for why I think their relationship is actually really sweet. Both of them are actively trying to learn about each other and are actively trying to understand each other more in a way I feel most romantic dramas (especially romantic comedies) don't ever portray. At all.

Basically--Reiji and Misaki's relationship is actually portrayed in an actual healthy way? There's no creepy stalking from the Edward Cullen school of Romance, no kidnapping (looking at you Domyouji). It's all about respect. Reiji actually genuinely respects Misaki and vise versa.

Let me explain. You have Reiji take Misaki out on a date to an aquarium and Reiji is still awkward as all hell, but you can see Misaki looking past that. Which I think is sweet of her and makes sense because why else would she agree to date him. Here is the thing--I don't think Misaki actually has feelings for Reiji. Not really. I think she definitely feels something--she finds him endearing--but I don't think she "loves" or even truly "likes" him in the way Reiji likes her. But the thing is, very much like people do in the real world, she has agreed to date Reiji specifically to see if there is the chance that they could get along and match. Like I said, she isn't appalled by him and she clearly thinks something of him, she just needs to work out what. Which is fine and you don't really get a lot of romance dramas that actually portray this. Usually it's all love at first sight, flash, bang, oh wait I hated you but underneath that hate I secretly fell in love with you. There's none of that. Instead, through Misaki, I think you actually get a very realistic version of how someone might slowly fall for someone by learning about them through time.

Then we have Reiji. Reiji is your typical main guy in a romance comedy who falls for the girl at first sight and is trying desperately to impress her. Hahaha. What a stereotype. Then he does the thing, confesses, she says yes *gasp* and... and what? The thing is, Reiji hasn't swooped Misaki of her feet at all and he knows this. Even after she has said yes, Reiji is clearly working his ass off to make this relationship work. And I really mean work in the truest sense. He's not trying to impress her or wow her, he is actively trying to understand her and learn about her interests to show that he cares about her. Yes, he fucked up when he practically ordered Misaki to go to the banquet with him, but that's totally in character because it's obvious Reiji sucks at this whole relationship thing. But  he realizes his mistake! Yeah he moans and whines but he realizes it was his fault and he has to fix it! Which he does, in his own way. In fact, the whole rakugo thing where he listened to the CDs and texts her, and then makes up his own silly characters to reference their relationship, is just really sweet to me and I think for Misaki as well. That was a big turning point for me and how I saw Reiji. Despite Reiji being an petulant child on some fronts--he is trying (and he's not suffering either--he actually wants to try). If Reiji had just left things like that you can bet Misaki would've been like "screw this I'm out", but he didn't. He respected her enough to know that he had to do something on his end to make things work, and that thing was showing a genuine interest in something she likes too.

Then we had the end of episode 6, which was what really got me on board with this couple. Like I said, when I saw the preview for episode 6, I was dreading it. How many Korean and Japanese dramas have had this moment where there is this big misunderstanding because the girl thinks the guy is just using her but it's totally not the case? Then the girl and guy spend a ridiculous amount of time refusing to speak to each other because of dumb plot reasons that make no one happy and you wonder why they even bother getting back together.

Except this didn't happen? You have that montage where Reiji and Misaki are both moping in their respective rooms and Reiji hesitates calling, and Misaki is clearly waiting (because, true to her character she realizes she's being ridiculous and over-reacting?), but then... Reiji actually calls? And not only does he call--but she picks up? But even better is that you'd expect something like an "Omg I'm sorry let me explain, all lies! PLZ TRUST ME" but no--Reiji apologizes in the best way possible. He apologizes in a way that is both an apology and a way of actually showing her that what Wada said was not true and that he is in this relationship because he actually cares about her. He does this by apologizing through the silly characters Reiji made up for them--and I know, he does this because he can't actually bring himself to just outright apologize as himself, but it still works. It works because by using this small "thing" that they had created together, it shows that he genuinely does cherish their relationship and that it has meant something important to him--he was not using her.

All in all... I just think their relationship is incredibly sweet and healthy in it's portrayal, despite everything about the start of this drama making it out to be as silly as every other romance drama. Yeah, you get the love at first sight, and you get the girl saying yes way too soon... but then you also get to see them actually bonding and both of them (mostly Reiji of course--but Misaki as well I think in more subtle ways) actively trying to work this relationship out and see if it can survive.

So. Yeah. I hope this drama continues portraying their relationship like this. There are 4 more episodes left, so I'm assuming some other problem will occur that will "test" their relationship (ugh, just the thought of what it could be is already making me want to not watch the drama). I'm hoping though, that like how they handled episode 6, whatever "problem" they have is less about them being incompatible and "true love solves everything" and more about them tackling on a problem together and figuring out their relationship as a couple and how to make it work... together. You know? Does that sound incredibly boring to most people? I dunno, sounds really sweet to me...

I guess I'm just thrilled to see a couple in a Japanese drama actually SOLVING SOMETHING RIGHT AWAY BY TALKING rather than muted silence, crying into pillows, and whatever the hell it is they do.

Crossing my fingers the drama continues impressing me the way episode 6 has. If it continues like this until the end, I think it'll become a favourite ^_^.