Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (2010)

Kamenashi Kazuya is the Standout - LOVED HIM

I preface this review by stating I am a huge fan of the anime and only watched b/c of this fact. I have never read the manga but that's usually the case for me. I watch the anime, live action and if i like both enough I sometimes read the manga. After the first episode I was a little annoyed by the changes including the addition of Takeru. I just didn't think having a little kid in the series was necessary.

I also didn't like the fact that the series makes Sunako's character seem weaker and less fierce than in the anime. She was a way tougher customer in the anime. That's not to say I didnt like her here b/c I found actress Aya Omasa extremely likable and relatable; I was just disappointed.

What I love about this series and what makes it worth a watch is Kame as Kyohei. He is so good and really carries the show. He's the conscious of the series and he does a great job with his advice and care for Sunako and the others even when he is being stubborn to his own issues. Epsiodes 8 and 9 had me in tears and he was just so great in those scenes with his mother and his interactions with Sunako.

The theme song Love Yourself is ok. It's an earworm and at first I hated it but it grew on me plus i loved how the cast sing it in the opening credits.

I'm really giving the music a 10 b/c of the music playing in the bar b/c it was a lot of rock music I enjoy especially the Guns-n-Roses, Led Zepplin and the Ramones.

Overall, I enjoyed the series even with the crazy ass last episode; worth watching at least once.

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Beauty is within

I decided to watch this because at the time it had really nice reviews and very appealing eye candy. I wasn't expecting it to be a masterpiece, but it could at least be entertaining. That was not so for me. I have not read the manga, so I cannot tell how well it compares to the source material.

All and all it had an interesting premise. Both leads deal with problems of self-image. Kyohei hated the fact people would place too much importance on how great he looked disregarding him as a person and Sunako hated herself because she was regarded as ugly by others which made people not be interested in the real her.

The problem for me with this show is that it depicts the problems mentioned in a superficial way. The situations characters get into are over the top and the comedy is a bit cringe. There was nearly no character development or depth to the story, including the romance. Mainly a sequence of clichés and repetitiveness.

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[WARNING: the rating and review I give have the possibility to be subjective due to my preference for the genres, scenes or casts]

Yesterday I re-watched this movie with my best friend while we taking a lunch at the office (^_^) It brings back the memories, so I decided to post it here. The story is so entertaining, quite similar with the manga although sometimes they have the different timeline. A little bit too much in some parts, but it's okay. So far the minus part is for the casts. Yukinojo is less cuter than what I've imagine and Ranmaru a little bit too old (^_^:) My most favorite scene of this movie is from the last episode (^_^)

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Good Messages with a side of Cheese

LIKES:
OST- The cafe with the old guy by the bar, plays great rock music, like AC DC’s Back in Black, Led Zeppelin, Gun’s and Roses, etc. WRITING- The messages: Love yourself first, above what others think or say. Accepting people for who they are, not just superficial things: looks, money, status, etc. ACTING- Good character growth for ML1 Kazuya as Kyohei [showcased his ability to show a good range of emotion] and Sunako too. The kid Takeru, the actor did a great job and at such a young age too! The friendship theme was carried throughout. Some of the cinematography was beautiful. The Director did a good job too.

DISLIKES:
Right in Episode 1, shaky camera issues, like they don’t know what a film stabilizer is. The mother abandoned her son way too much, she should love her son more, he’s a smart cutie. The growth of the other characters (excluding Kyohei and Sunako), was rushed and for Ranmaru his growth due to the situation he created was ridiculous. The boarding house’s female owner had no growth or development. The special FX for Sunako’s super power were more cheesy than anything else. The supernatural events in the house, made that part of the show very lame and stupid.

OVERALL: The music and acting was the biggest reason this show got 6.5, otherwise I would've scored it 4.5 or 5/10. I had to rewatch it to leave a review, since I had watched this originally over a year ago. The parts I liked back then, were the same parts I liked now. I would recommend this show if you like campy/silly storylines.

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Quirky and amusing - anime/manga fans would like most liekly

7.5/10 is my rating. This is close to the ratings I have seen of 7.8 average over thousands of reviewers on other sites. This is a 2010 Japanese television drama spanning 10 episodes (60 minutes/episode). It is an adaptation of a popular Manga and Anime series Wallflower/Perfect Girl Evolution. It takes place in a boarding house and the premise is if the four young men living there can convert the landlord's shut-in niece from a "horror girl" to a proper lady not only can they continue to live there but they will be able to do so rent free. Takano Kyohei ( Kamenashi Kazuya) is a college student who has exceptionally good looks. Everywhere he goes he draws a crowd of young ladies hoping to catch his attention. These unruly crowds of young women cause him to lose jobs and even ends close personal relationships with friends and family. He does not feel being born exceptionally attractive is a good thing and often hides himself to keep away from the unwanted attention. He has three other housemates, Yukinojo Toyama ( Yuya Tegoshi), Oda Takenaga ( Hiroki Uchi) and Morii Ranmaru ( Miyao Shuntaro), who are also college students and have become close friends over their time of living together. They feel up to the challenge even when they see the niece who moves in with her black hair covering her face, black cape and overall gloomy demeanor. She loves skulls, anatomical figures and all things spooky and does not relate well to others. If she sees someone attractive it causes her to say "dazzling" and typically head butt the beautiful being before her. Each episode has a bit of a side/additive story on each of the leads and keeps the story moving along.

Spoiler 🚨 This one felt like one part Adams Family, a portion of Beauty and the beast, maybe some Meteor Garden, and then perhaps Deadpool all mixed together. It kept me watching but I could see where some say things that have been converted from Manga or Anime in Japanese literature are not typically converted well into a live version. There were aspects that really took you out of the story when one of the characters did something that would not happen in the context of a live story. So it has some elements that were more cartoonish and silly relative to the story line. That is why I rate it down. The love story was good but I felt like it was more an aside than a central part of the story. Some of it is it is hard to imagine a woman falling in love with someone that can be so cruel at times and for a man to fall in love with someone that has such deep seated psychological issues that remain unresolved. I could a bit see why they "worked" both hid themselves for different reasons so you could understand how they related on that level but love is something else - not just having things in common but feeling really attracted to certain things about the other person and I just did not see that part. He continued to seem repelled by her love of horror and she did not change his knee jerk reaction to respond to certain situations by striking back with cruel words. You sensed that evolution of both starting but hadn't fully seen it by the end. It is entertaining and worth the watch if you really want something different but if you are into a realistic scenario and a strong love story this could be a bit of a turn off.

This was nearly impossible to find. I looked for ways to buy it or to livestream it on sites I subscribe to. I wound up watching it segmented on you tube with lots of advertisements. So, just be aware, it might be difficult to find it.

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Okay so this drama proved to me that japanese dramas are also pretty good.

Even though I watched this drama years ago Im still gonna write a review. People just need to know how good this drama is. So ill do my best. Fighting !

Ok so if you are a also a girl who has been bullied in school (like me) . And you dream of handsome guys living with you and making friends with them and even have a relationship with one of them. Then this is a drama for you. I could easily feel myself in Sunakos place . There for ofcourse i like it :) .

It ghave me mixed emotions. At first Im exited, then mad, then happy. Its a bit confusing but overall leaves me satisfied.

It has funny moments in it. Without comedy Im sure any drama would be boring. Well for me.

Did I mention the guys are hot in here. If it had been me I would have ended up with Takenaga :P .

Oh and the kiss scene suprised me in a very very good way. Loved it :D .

So in the end i want to say that you should definetly put it in your list :D.

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Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is a drama adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name. The story has four drop-dead gorgeous men trying to help a socially awkward girl to become a normal girl. Now the heroine Oomasa Aya reminded me a lot of Athiya Shetty probably because of her angular face and ultra-slim figure. So, Oomasa Aya plays the role of Nakahara Sunako who is a ‘shut-in’ i.e. someone who prefers keeping away from human company and feels nervous around people. She especially feels nervous around good-looking people and head-butts them when she is unable to bear their ‘dazzling aura’. Now, such a girl is forced to live in a house co-habited by young boys who have women dying for their attention. If Sunako had a problem living there I would have volunteered to take her place but she never seemed to have any problem so I never got my chance to help her out. :P

Let’s weigh this funny story of a ‘wallflower’ and four hot men on our drama beam balance and see if this dorama is worth a watch.

Good Weights
I enjoyed watching Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge because…
…I am a Kame fan. :)  Yes, I know I hated him in Second Love but he was really bad in that drama unlike Tatta Hitotsu no Koi where he was fabulous. In this drama, he was good. Not fab but good. I would watch the drama because of him.

…all characters are battling their own problems and have certain personality flaws but each one is accepted the way he or she is. Sunako is a ‘horror-girl’ and an extreme case of a person suffering from social anxiety. Her aunt wants her to become more social and live a normal life. Though she does gradually become slightly comfortable around other people she still remains a ‘horror-girl’ and her family and friends don’t mind it. Kyohei is short-tempered and grumpy. He often gets into fights with his friends but despite his poor manners, they love him for the sweet guy that he really is. Each character has an episode explaining his backstory which blends easily with the plot.

…the drama is funny. Okay, this is a Japanese dorama so the ‘funny’ scenes will be over-the-top but the cast is cool so they do managed to get occasional laughs from me.



Bad Weights
I did NOT LIKE Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge because…
…Kyohei’s problem made absolutely no sense to me. Kyohei hates his face because he is so handsome that random women pursue and stalk him relentlessly. Really? He hates being good-looking. (Reminds me of a t-shirt I had in college which read ‘I Wish I Was Rich Instead Of Good-Looking. I think that t-shirt would have suited Kyohei.) If he is ‘that’ handsome why doesn’t he become a model or an actor which will solve all his problems in life? Why doesn’t he put his good-looks to some use? Don’t normal (read good-looking) people usually do that?

…the screenplay got overly exaggerated at times. Though I liked Sunako I did not like how she transformed into a fighter when someone called her ‘BuSunako’ (ugly girl). It is a typical Japanese drama trait where they tend to get very anime-ish and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes each time she transformed. The drama is adapted from a manga so such stuff is expected but something like this gets annoying for someone like me who does not gorge on Japanese anime and manga.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is about accepting a person the way he is no matter how weird that person may be. Each episode you see the characters deal with a new problem while making their way for love.

I give Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge 2.5 out of 5 rating. If you are Japanese anime/manga lover you might just like this dorama.

Originally posted on AlphaGirlReviews.com.

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I rewatched after 14 years

I was a fan of the anime first and then I tried to read some parts of the manga before I discovered that there’s also this live action adaptation. After more than a decade, I felt stressed watching dramas rife with tropes so I tried rewatching comedic dramas I loved in high school. I started with Hana Kimi (Japan) and then I finally had time to rewatch Yamato. And I wasn’t disappointed. The laughs I had were very refreshing!

I was surprised to still find it very entertaining (anime’s more hilarious because of more nonsensical elements) and funny how I think I understand the themes explored this time compared to how I viewed it before. Loving oneself, being honest with self and friends, expressing feelings, treasuring friendship, embracing indifferences, discovering love, and others were some of the themes shed light on. More than the hilarious acts, I also liked how the show balanced it with the drama and the serious dialogues.

The opening song was so absorbing that I never skipped it, not even once. For years, I kept it in my playlist. Same goes for the anime’s OST. As for the cast, they were perfectly chosen for the role. I love how Kazuya brought grumpy Kyohei into life. Just perfect! While the actress who played Sunako acted it out well too. For the setting, the entire setup is cozy- from the mansion to the cafe. I don’t know but Japanese dramas always have this effect on me. I always feel at home in their locations. Setups were always emphasized in episodes and the camera would always focus on the whole environment. The places shown in the show just gave me another dose of nostlagia.

Watching Yamato Nadeshiko once again, made me feel super nostalgic. It holds a special place in my heart and knowing that it has the same impact to me just means that it’s such an amazing drama. Plus, it’s a wholesome watch! 🖤

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