Muchu sa, Kimi ni (2021)

an escape into nostalgia.

It’s a mighty feat adapting any kind of work. There’s always something lost in the translation from one medium into another—the trappings of form too integral to the creation of any piece of media’s spirit. Muchuu sa, Kimi ni is, then, a rare case of an adaptation that not only captures the essence of its source material but almost elevates it.

In its original form, Muchuu sa, Kimi ni is a loosely tied together collection of vignettes: one, the tales of Hayashi, a “quirky” high schooler who revels in using his free time to its fullest, attracting companionship along the way; and the tale of Nikaido and Medaka, a “ghostly” outsider with a secret he intends to take to his grave and his classmate who wants to break him out of his shell.

In the drama, these two separate lines are expertly pieced together by director Tsukuhara Ayuko (who knows how to play with the material to shine a light on its best qualities) to craft a pseudo-fantastical narrative that celebrates the wonders of youth and camaraderie in deep vibrancy. Its charm is in its characters (plus their actors—a curated selection of some of the best up-and-comers in the industry) and the quaint little world they exist in. It may be quiet, but it's no less exciting. If you let yourself level with these kids, you'll find their joys and anxieties over the tiny things feel exactly as they should: earth shattering, life changing... but what else would you know when you still have so many years ahead of you?

If there's any gripe to be had, it's that the series ends. Not because things are left unfinished, but rather, because it’s hard to say goodbye. Muchuu sa, Kimi ni offers an escape into nostalgia: for days of youth gone by and freedoms once had, for friendships now lost and ones that could have been if we had let them. Still, it leaves you with a reminder that none of those are ever really out of reach. It's in your hands—you need only make a pitch for it.

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Wasting time never felt so valuable

"Muchuu-sa, Kimi ni" is a whimsical and charming drama that teaches you a thing or two about the value of time.

At the center of this drama is Hayashi, a quite eccentric high schooler, that spends his days searching for the best ways to "waste" his time. Whether that's counting all the stairs in his school building or creating word games by photographing letters around him. Wasting his time brings him joy because it makes him feel like he's got time to waste. Throughout the story, he comes in contact with all kinds of characters, attracting their attention and impacting their life in different kinds of ways. The beginning of this drama might be a bit confusing since it's a series of vignettes telling the stories of different characters, all loosely connected to each other. It's a celebration of youth, companionship, and finding people with who you can truly connect.

Sometime last year, I noticed I'm always rushing in my everyday life. So I started getting off the subway earlier and walking home while listening to an audiobook. At first, this was "hard" because when I'm not hurrying to get things done I feel like I'm "wasting" my time. So, you might be asking yourself, why am I telling you this nonsense?

While watching this drama, I got reminded of my own situation. Of course, we're busy. We've work or school, chores to do and people to take care of, but sometimes we don't even realize how much time we spend mindlessly. So next time you're stuck in traffic or in the line at the grocery store, put on your favorite song or podcast and just enjoy that moment. Get off the subway earlier or take a detour just for the sake of slowing down a bit and taking in the world around you. Don't get stressed out over wasting your time, but rather embrace it every once in a while.

This is just one of the relatable themes of this show. Even though it's such a short drama, it managed to make me care about the characters and their different relationships. All of them were so incredibly charming in their own way and it was heartwarming to see them bond. I would have loved to spend more time with them, following their amusing antics, but even in these 5 episodes they already conquered my heart. It's a quirky show that managed to make me laugh but also think about different aspects of my life, which I didn't expect from a drama of this length. It's probably not a show that works for everyone with its eccentric characters, wacky humor, and expressive acting style, but when it does, it's incredibly captivating.

The fact that this drama is full of people I know is an added bonus. We've got the adorable Hashimoto from Kieta Hatsukoi, Nishi from Life: Senjou no Bokura and I've seen a few more of them before as well. For me, Bando Ryota as Medaka was the scene-stealer of this drama. I really enjoyed his performance and hope to see him in other projects in the future.

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Captivated, by this drama

As someone that hasn't read the manga, it was difficult at first to understand the message "Muchuu-sa, Kimi ni" was trying to portray. But even without considering the message; the editing, acting, sets, the relationships between the characters, the addition of new side characters every episode, the multitude of genres woven into this show and the reoccuring theme and extract from the book had me captivated. This really felt like a whole new world coming to life.

After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that the message might be to 'live in the moment'. One of the main characters, Hayashi Miyoshi (played by Onishi Ryusei), is very impulsive and carefree. If he wants to do something, he does it. If he wants to speak to someone, he speaks to them. He puts himself out there whilst also living an enjoyable life, spending his free time doing 'meaningless things'. He realises that he might not have so much free time in the future, so he lives in the present instead.
On the other hand, Nikaido Akira (played by Takahashi Fumiya) lives in the past, haunted by his middle school horrors. His classmate Medaka Yuichi (played by Bando Ryota), enraptured by Nikaido and the rumours surrounding him, tries to bring him out of his shell and help him to live in the present once again. We can see that Nikaido becomes much happier due to his budding friendship with Medaka and is able to be himself without his past dictating his life.

Overall, this little production was enjoyable and interesting. I'd recommend it if you want to binge something short or need a getaway from real life for a bit.

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I'm glad I wasted my time just to watch this

Captivated By You is your typical feel-good drama. But what made me stunned and literally captivated by this is how simple it was, but the way they told the story of these two characters was endearing. It's literally just nothing but everything, a series of vignettes that tells the story of the two characters and the reason they are how they are.

Maybe at one point, you'll think why does Hayashi do all these meaningless things just to make himself think he "has time to spare", or why does Nikaido put in so much effort to not stand out because he was too handsome? These things seem really unnecessary and over the top at some point--but you know, that's youth. When these decisions although you may not know how much of it is right, just felt like they made sense during that time. This is a story about one's youth and the companionship that blossoms around it. Because at some point they were captivated by them and something about them gave out a lasting impact that changed the direction of their lives.

We all know very well that feeling of anxiety or uncertainty. Life seems so scary not knowing what you want to do and how you want to be--yet you march through it anyway. At some point in your own story, you meet people who will never glance at you ever, but you also get entangled with those who are drawn by you yet you never realize. I think this is what the drama wanted to present. It was so nostalgic and it actually made me miss my high school life, even if my past self wasn't as refined as who I am now, it validated that part of me because it's something that really does happen to everyone. Ah, youth.

It's not very straight to the point so for some it may seem confusing. Again, it's nothing but a narration of the lives of typical high schoolers. But if you're like me who likes to look into things a little bit more than what is shown in front of you, you'll realize how beautiful this drama is.

I want to commend the beautiful OSTs and the cast who (during this time) were still up-and-coming celebrities. This may look like a low-budget production with all the simplicity it held, but they made use of the cinematography to enhance the story, and the actors did a really great job portraying their characters.

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quirky, poetic, dreamy

Really brilliant!
A short nonlinear drama (based on the manga by Yama Wayama) that you can come back to and continue to unpack- quirky, poetic, and dreamy. If you are a person that pays attention to and enjoys the minutiae of everyday life then this might be the sort of show you'd enjoy. I didn't really find it difficult to understand (though several comments might lead you to believe otherwise) there are just a lot of moving parts like the small clockwork of a pocket watch.
Oddly, it made me think (in a good way) of a Japanese take on the old American series ABC After School Special meets Run Lola Run and/or Lucía y el sexo (only happy and much more gentle). I guess for me it felt a bit like comfort food.

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People captivated by others may not captivate me but it was nice anyway

I can´t really say I was captivated by this but it did confuse me as well as show a bunch of people captivated by other people and a book that seems to have changed peoples lives which is kind of nice.

A moment of youth, people who happen to be at the same crossroad at the same time... a guy in a panda suit... It is actually pretty nice to see people show interest in other people beyond sexual attraction or stereotypes, just true interest in the person behind the uniform, or the cute panda suit. The person who proves that you may just meat a bear in the middle of Tokyo instead of a bunch of testosterone and what not we get to see a softer side to young men, sure there is a bully here too and the use of a monster/curse/ghost to hide away from crazed teens... So I can't really say it is all fluff and games. But somehow it feels kind of genuinely sweet and that is kind of nice.

Like I got to peek in to a window and see a moment in time, a moment of youth a moment that is far far away from me...

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Good Enough

Japanese Drama "Muchuu-sa, Kimi ni" had one thing not going for it, its length.

It follows two main stories that try to blend together, but hardly do so, eventually leading to an open ending for the second one, and an okay one for the main one. However, and there being two plotlines to follow, the drama does not manage to present the stories well enough and it is obvious that there is need for more time for a better outcome.

As for the stories, the main one was pretty cute, with the short adventures of the main character. who was has a unique personality and an upbeat mood. On the other hand, the second story is more towards the joys of a rising friendship between two unlikely characters. And there was a lot of potential in it, however, it ended up with an open ending. As for the characters, and even though the cast did a great job with the performances, they were not well explored.

So, overall, 5 out of 10.

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A film experiment

The whole thing seemed like the director was experimenting with different genres which resulted in one of the most confusing shows I have seen in my life.

It wants to be scary but it fails, dramatic but it fails, funny but it fails.

The development of the characters it's halfway, you don't really get to know any character and it seem like the writer just threw in ideas but never got to develop anything.

The acting is the only decent thing in this show, which is good on them considering the half way un clear story they were performing.

It just seems like a wasted oportunity

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"The world is complicated and ambiguous. In this world, we mix and connect."

Have you ever looked at a Wimmelbilderbuch? These are books for children, where every page depicts a scene -- a market, a school, a street, a park -- with lots of people. You look at each person and discover a bit about them. Then you turn the page, and there's a new scene. Sometimes you'll meet some of the same people, and can continue their stories. Sometimes, there are new people. On some of these pages, the little people meet (or miss each other by seconds), which changes their course for the next pages. At the end, you close the book, but the stories about the people will never be finished.

This show is much like that. We get to see episodes of the lives of several teenagers, glimpse into the wide universe of their thoughts and emotions, turn the page -- and someting new might happen. That something new is more often than not hilariously surreal in this show, but -- like in other Japanese Dramas -- deeper than it seems at first glance.

Release all your preconceptions about how dramas are supposed to work, and look closely.

Look at another person, really look beyond what's immediately visible; listen to them, and you may find that you are Captivated, by them.

"Even so, you'd throw yourself into the world, in secret, with all your might, in an ambiguous form, in a complicated straight line."

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