Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu (2014)

Office Drama super cute, très révélateur de la condition de la femme au Japon

Drama japonais classique (10 épisodes) relatant l'amour entre une femme de 30 ans, très introvertie, et un stagiaire de 21 ans, au sein d'1 bureau.
Le couple est trop cute (j'envie Ayase Haruka d'avoir pu jouer avec des ML tels que Kamenashi Kazuya ou Fukushi Sato).
Les personnages secondaires sont attachants et bien décrits.

Mais ce drama (influencé par le caractère de la FL, qui manque totalement de confiance en elle) décrit aussi la pression (réellement oppressante) exercée sur les femmes au Japon, que ce soit au niveau familial, professionnel ou personnel (nécessité de se marier, de trouver le partenaire "adapté", d'être féminine, etc.).

Les personnages ont un développement réaliste, "grandissent" bien, et comme j'aime les happy end, j'ai aimé ce drama jusqu'au bout. Je vous le conseille donc fortement.

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I finished this drama this morning. I watched it raw and my Japanese is still rough, so I might have missed some things. On the whole I have to say it was an interesting story, with an interesting heroine. Even though this is a romance, the focus seems to be more on the main character's development.

I don't really like stories where you can't figure out why the guy likes the girl, so when I read the synopsis of this drama I was worried this would just be weird wish fulfillment and there would be no reason for the guys to like her. I was pleasantly surprised in that respect. First of all, even really dressed down, the actress is very pretty. I think it's realistic that people might notice that. Secondly, even if she's not very friendly, we as the viewers get to see inside her thoughts which are frankly hilarious. I like it when she is insightful and sarcastic (only inside her head) and the things she imagines make me laugh every time. I think the two guys are attracted to her in part because she has an introverted, guarded personality, and they like the moments where she lets her guard down.

I just wish the leading men were better developed, especially the younger man. I think there is substance behind the character, but you're left to just guess at it instead of seeing it.

Naka Riisa is worth mentioning here because this character, while still comic relief at times, was a more mature character than I've seen her play in a while. She handled it well.

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This show was recommended to me by a Japanese friend. Reading the synopsis and her summary of it, it seemed like an entertaining and funny love story. And that was what it was.

One of the aspects that stood out in this show was the acting. Ayase Haruka was fantastic and played her role extremely well. She played a modest and anxious woman who didn't know anything of love. She played the character so that she didn't seem anti-social or obnoxious. From her hurried walk and cute smile to the way she fixed her glasses constantly, the role just fit. The other actors were also very good in this respect, but indeed if I were to especially mention another actor, it would be Tamaki Hiroshi. That man can do anything and have me rooting for him - fantastic role, though it was minor.
The other aspect would be the humour. It's been a while since I've genuinely thought a Japanese drama to be funny, but this one had some especially hilarious scenes and it really brought up the mood when things were getting too serious.

The let-down was more or less the story. At times, it was boring, at other times it was over-the-top. Excessive crying, sudden changes with no warning, plenty of monologues. Also, some of the characters were left very (unfortunately) undeveloped. Asao-san (Tamaki Hiroshi) was a prime example - meant to be the third entry into the so-called 'love triangle' - but really wasn't. He didn't pose any threat whatsoever to the relationship and all in all, was actually a more or less useless character. Another example would be Ooshiro-san (Ryuusuke). He was an interesting character but wasn't focused on at all, which was a pity.

I have watched other romance-comedies with an older female lead and a younger male lead (Last Cinderella, Kimi wa Petto) and this really didn't do the theme justice. Having the sole problem in the relationship being age difference (and the ramifications of that), it wasn't really enough. The age problem was handled fairly well, but I've seen it done better.

Overall it wasn't too bad of a watch, but there were definitely some disappointing parts and I personally would not recommend it to someone else.

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While I enjoyed this drama I did not find it very believable. I will start the stuff I liked.

The drama had a lot of comedic moments and humor. Mamorou was a hit for me and made me want to have such an emotionally in tuned pet. The relationships in this drama were very cute- between the lead couple, Asou-san and Hanae-san, Hanae and her family and friends and even the work relations. I liked the relationship between the leads Tanokura and Hanae in the beginning. This drama did a good job of showing how complicated work can become when you date a co worker. It also shows a bit of how single women are viewed after the age of 30 in Japan. I had no issues with the age gap of the couple. In fact i don't think that it's huge at all. The cast was well picked and the acting was well done for the most part. And Tanokura isn't hard on the eyes either.

Now the stuff I didn't like.
I was unable to buy that any adult female in the age of information and technology could be as ignorant of men, sex, intimacy and love as this lead female Hanae-san is presented to be. Tanokura seemed a bit mature for his age, at times much more mature than Hanae. Even though they were cute, at times the chemistry just wasn't there, it seemed forced and sometimes even like they weren't trying hard enough. The kissing left a lot to be desired but that is the norm in Jdramas. There was more chemistry between Asou-san and Hanae than Hanae and Tanokura. Which was probably the point to push the love triangle but this angle while there was potential was poorly executed.

By the end Hanae had started to annoy me. I was glad that she made the decision that she did in episode 9. That was one of the few believable things done in this drama but the progress made in episode 9 was undone in the last episode. The time frame in which this drama takes place, 3 months give or take, is not enough for all the proposals that are made by the end of the drama. The story by the end feels rushed and incomplete. Too much happens in the last episode that is not properly addressed or explained. This drama could have used several more episodes to give all the relationships proper resolutions and plug some of the holes left in this drama.

So to sum up I think this drama was cute, the concept was fresh with a lot of potential however due to poor writing and execution and lack of chemistry it wasn't able to be as good as it could have been.

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The female lead got rather frustrating with how immature she would sometimes act/think. Anytime she went into dream mode was pretty much always a sign to fast forward. Luckily you get the gist of what she's worrying about from the beginning of the sequence but I just kept cringing if I tried to watch the entire scene.

Tanokura Yuuto (Fukushi Sota) looked a bit like Mizushima Hiro from certain angles which I must say I very much enjoyed.

The writing left a lot to be desired for Tamaki Hiroshi'c character Asao Yuu. Nothing was really explained or explored with him which was disappointing. His character seemed like he would be likable if the writers allowed us to get to know him.

If you've seen Last Cinderella already I'd suggest skipping this one, but if you haven't then I'd suggest seeing it to compare the two because Last Cinderella has more well rounded characters then Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu does.

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Funnier than I expected

Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu, also known as I'm Taking The Day Off is well named and a good show.

Aoishi Hanae is a woman about to turn 30 and has never been in a romantic relationship before. She is out drinking with some of her work colleagues when a 21 year old intern, Tanokura Yuto, at her company finds out that it is her 30th birthday shortly after the others have left. He decides to make it special for her and asks her to hang out with him that night. Despite her awkwardness, she decides to spend time with him.

Hanae has always lived in fear which kept her from experiencing romantic relationships but her awkwardness. worries and inexperience keep weighing on her along with the doubts of being in a relationship with a man 9 years younger than her. I found it to be portrayed extremely well and the situations are quite realistic. The whole story is from her perspective so that we get to experience her firsts along with her. Since Tanokura has been in relationships, he is better equipped at handling Hanae's insecurities and quelling her fears. In this way, he comes across as the more mature person in the relationship. He is also very sorted and an upright individual and slowly but surely the trust develops with plenty of ups and downs.

The second male lead, Asao Yuu, also adds an interesting dynamic to their relationship. Asao is fascinated by Hanae's imperfections and a unique friendship develops between the pair. On many occasions, I did find myself thinking he might be better suited for her. It is very easy for a man to be portrayed as pushy and overbearing but luckily this drama understands consent and though they play on cliches, they never overstep boundaries which was important. We also see this when Kagami is trying to express his interest in Ookawa Hitomi

This series has plenty of funny and light-hearted moments. A lot of it coming from Hanae's colleagues, her dad, and also her niece. I also appreciated the positive work environment Hanae is lucky to be a part of, especially for having a very considerate boss who lets her "take the day off" (hence the name of the show) several times at the last minute. This title is also appropriate because Hanae is known to never use her paid vacation days.

My only negative points about this show is that it does not explore beyond the early relationship. I would have liked to know how the couple dealt with obstacles that arose in the future due to the age gap as this was also something that used to worry Hanae. Also, she never overcame the discomfort of communicating what bothered her which would have been nice to see.

Overall I really enjoyed the show for it's simplicity and it was done well. There was room for improvement.

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As it was taken from Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu manga, the story was well written. Truly speaking, It story of 30 yr old women, with complicated in love affair who eventually fall in love with 21 yr old young man. Story plotted with realistic situations with soiled roots. Story is well written, all characters played very well role. Some scenes are hard to digest also with Aoishi Hanae's sister Ichika Sasano pregnancy and role of Ooshiro Sou. As usual acting of all main characters fabulous.

Only drawback lack of characterization of some supporting role. They should either explain well or drop there briefing. In my view, it is better having 5 well explained supporting roles than 10 unexplained supporting roles.

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There's one reason why I finished this drama, and two reasons why I thought about quitting.

Hanae is the reason I finished this drama.

If you've read any of my other reviews, then this won't be a surprise, but I like mousy, awkward, shy, weird, inexperienced, insecure, insert similar descriptions here, female leads. They don't have to be all of these things, but any one or more of them will likely pique my interest. Hanae has most of these traits. She's also played by an actress (Ayase Haruka) whose acting I particularly enjoy, and I think she plays the character very well.

Another thing I like, when it is done well, is characters with really over-active imaginations that we get to peek into. (I'm a very much in-my-head sort of person, so I find this relatable as hell, lol.) Hanae is a good example of this sort of character. She did occasionally veer into the melodramatic, but I found her mini-freakouts entertaining and endearing.

I don't think it's unrealistic for someone in their 30's to be so inexperienced, which is a popular complaint about this drama on its MDL page. Nor do I think it is embarrassing to be so inexperienced, although I can relate to characters who feel ashamed or embarrassed about it. I enjoyed the drama's focus on everything around dating and relationships being new and kind of scary to Hanae as well as watching her stumble her way through all of it.

The romance itself starts out enjoyable. The age gap isn't my favorite, and Yuuto is more mature for his age than is believable, but he's a very likable character (that's probably thanks to the actor playing him), so I didn't mind that he behaved in ways that weren't totally realistic for a university student. I don't really remember what made him pursue Hanae, but he's very forthright and firm about his interest, and they are genuinely cute together.

By the end of the drama, however, the romance had become a paint-by-numbers. All of the most interesting things about the two of them as a couple are the warm/fuzzy feelings you get because this good-looking young man likes her, Hanae's freak-outs and navigating her inexperience, and a pretty strong conflict of life goals that is never truly resolved. (I'll talk about that later.) As an actual couple...they're pretty meh.

Surprisingly, this isn't one of the reasons I thought about quitting this drama. Reason number one is the love triangle.

The writers reallllly play with the possibility of Hanae choosing Yuu in the second half of the drama. There's a whole episode or so where she starts to think about how much easier it is for her to communicate with him, how comfortable she is with him to the point of being able to get angry to his face. She even starts to feel attraction toward him. The drama really honed in on how compatible they are for each other to the point that I genuinely wondered if the drama was going to pull a switcheroo and have the two of them end up together instead. It definitely would have made sense for the story. (And I honestly would have liked it, lol.)

Unfortunately, Yuu is never a real character. He seems to be interested in Hanae early on but chooses to give her advice on her relationship with Yuuto. He starts acting like he's going to genuinely compete for her affections and even bucks up to our young male lead before ultimately backing away for no discernible reason. There's a short period where Yuu and Hanae spend a little bonding time together, which is cute if predictable, then there's the whole section where Hanae starts to waver over what to do about her love life (due, in part, because Yuu full-on proposes to her in a very swooooony way).

But he's an unformed character in a gimpy love-triangle in a drama that thought they would throw in a whole plot arch where they show you just how compatible they would be before yanking the possibility away.

Which leads me to the main reason I thought about quitting this drama.

Hanae clearly wants to get married. And not in some distant date in the future but sometime a lot sooner. This is a fair desire, and one I'm prone to wish for the leads if applicable. But when the female lead being with the male lead means the female lead having to put that desire off for several years, that's a reason for the relationship to end. A situation like Hanae and Yuu's might seem doable in the short term, but in the long term, Hanae's likely going to be dealing with a lot of hurt and disappointment, because she won't be getting what she longs for.

Ultimately, the drama quits on its female lead. It takes her through the learning curves of navigating a dating relationship, but doesn't give her the tools at the end to say 'I know what I want, and I'm not going to settle.' I find that unsatisfying.

...

There are so many noona romances out there, including some that have done the themes of this drama better. I would definitely recommend watching those. But if you do like mousy female leads and don't mind noona romances that ignore the stickier aspects of a noona romance, then this drama might be for you.

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Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu or I'm taking the day off, had nothing original to offer. Actually, only the side stories were funny and spiced up the, otherwise, basic plot.

So, the story talks about the romance between a thirty year old office worker who had never dated before and a twenty year old college student. The plot would ahve been nice, if they explored the relationship and its consenquences for them and the people around them. But, that never happened. Actually, the only enjoyable part was how the leading lady always overthough things and she actually calculated the relationship based on logic rather than feelings.

In addition, the overall performances were good, and that helped the drama. So, five out of ten.

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Okay, this is my first time writing a review so bare with me since i might not make a lot of scene.

Story: This drama is probably now one of my favorite Japanese dramas just because of how realistic the story line is and the emotions the character feel are. The general premise of the story and the sub plot between the main character and the CEO were not very realistic, they did carry along the story and definitely had a purpose. I just absolutely loved how relateable the things these character go through are. Since it's the main characters first time falling in love, she experiences all these new emotions for the first time such as attraction and love and selfishness and shamelessness, along with all the emotions and fear from dating a younger man with such a big age gap. You don't really see much of what the love interest thinks or feels about the situation that arise which kind of puts you in the same shoes as the main character and how she is trying to understand him.
Acting/Cast: I actually really liked the cast for this show seeings as nothing really seamed out of place. The actors were very clear in how they showed the character emotions without always directly saying anything. I don't think there was anything wrong with the cast or acting except for the CEO, I dont know why but not only his character but also the way the actor portrayed him just kind of annoyed me. I think this was due more so to the writing though.
Music: Personally the music wasnt very memorable and was actually really cheesy but it kind of suited the story and the characters so I didn't mind it
Rewatch value: The drama was good but it's not one of those ones that you would watch because its funny or because it has a cute romance, its more of a drama that you would watch an then recommend to a friend or one you would watch again with a friend, not something you would sit down to watch because you're dying to re-watch it. Thats my opinion though.
Overall: 8.5
The drama was good and I definitely enjoyed watching it and I enjoyed the story line. Its probably one of my favorite Japanese dramas I have seen so far but I don't feel it will be one of those dramas that I remember forever which is why I didn't give it a 9 or 9.5. however, i definelty would recommend this drama to anyone who has a free weekend to relax and wants to unwind with a soft and easy drama.

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