Super Rich (2021)

Plaire sans argent n'est pas mortel

Super Rich est la romance de l'hiver 2021 qui réchauffera votre cœur desséché par un monde sombrant dans l'égoïsme et l'argent roi. On ne parle plus de protéger les anciens ou les faibles, mais de protéger l'économie et surtout de relance, de production ou d'investissement, tout en se méfiant du méchant étranger venu profiter de nos maigres richesses. Ça y est le monde d'avant est de retour, en plus grand et plus fort et Super Rich semble au 1er abord faire l'apologie de celui-ci en la personne de Eguchi Noriko, super à l'aise working girl en pause sur l'affiche comme dans les premières minutes de la série, retraçant sa passionnante vie de fille à papa investissant sans compter son argent.

Cependant, connaissant cette fabuleuse actrice trop longtemps cantonnée au second rôle de grande sœur du héros, collègue de bureau ou autre faire-valoir un peu strict, on ne pouvait qu'attendre un drama sensible et drôle à la fois. Où son franc parlé et son charisme naturel peuvent faire la différence. Et c'est exactement ce que Noriko-san, visage poupon et 40aine assumé, dégage à l'écran. Un trop rare premier rôle, qu'elle endosse avec brio. Grâce à sa voix, son élégance et son air hébété quand elle se retrouve au centre d'un triangle amoureux, convoité par les jeunes hommes qu'elle prend sans trop réfléchir sous sa protection. Mamoru (ah, ces jeux de mots), comme chacun la nomme, sans le San donc, pour plus de proximité, est à la fois la patronne juste et dure en affaire, la bonne copine de ses employés et une célibataire endurcie qui ne semble pas intéressée par les love story. Mais qui récupère les destins brisés par un monde du travail japonais impitoyable avec les faibles et surtout qui reste ultra fidèle en amitié.

Si l'étalement de la richesse vous écœure (car vous n'êtes pas riche). Rassurez-vous, Mamoru perd toute sa fortune après 10 mn du premier épisode. Et c'est partie pour 10 excellents moments de vie en communauté. C'est la survie d'une petite entreprise d'édition repartant de 0 qui se joue. Impossible pour l'héroïne de virer sa dizaine d'employés préférant délaisser les grands bureaux de Ginza contre une veille maison tradi qui fuit de partout, tous entassés dans le salon pour trouver des moyens de survie. La proximité renforce les liens notamment amoureux et effectivement l'attirance se fait vite sentir, pour beaucoup de jeunes hommes de la maison, envers Mamoru.

Néanmoins, rassurez-vous, on est loin d'un harem manga ou celle-ci profiterait de la situation. Elle nous pousse à nous interroger justement sur ce qu'est l'amour... de son prochain. Elle qui n'a plus de parent et donc peu de famille depuis son enfance. Elle a toujours recueilli et considéré comme sa famille ses employés, notamment hommes, notamment jeunes et notamment beaux (tant qu'à faire) et explique très bien à ceux-ci et de ce fait au spectateur, qu'ils ont peut-être le syndrome de la maman protectrice envers elle. Bref, le syndrome œdipien dans toute sa splendeur.

Bien sûr, ses sentiments vont être mis à rudes épreuves comme tous dans la série. Attendez-vous à sortir vos mouchoirs régulièrement et même les jeunes stagiaires vous toucheront. Le Cast est impressionnant, vu le nombre de collaborateurs, en beaux mecs, actrices et acteurs doués (un peu moins bô, du coup). Akaso Eiji et Machida Keita se tirent la corde et un seul des deux aurait déjà suffi à rendre jaloux n'importe quel mâle tombant par hasard devant la TV. Oui, c'est toujours par hasard que l'on regarde ses mélodrames, messieurs, n'est-ce pas.

Un mélodrame plein de joie, car on s'amuse finalement beaucoup. Les situations tout en étant réalistes, sont souvent drôles. Quiproquos et gags parsèment des torrents de larmes versées. Des montagnes russes d'émotions, richement mise en scène (on sent qu'il y a du pognon pour le drama du jeudi soir) et en musique. Celle-ci d'ailleurs joue un rôle important dans la montée de tension, rappelant, mais s'en moquant aussi, les soaps de famille super riche américaine.

Évidement, tout n'est pas parfait. Les gros caractères et le retour continuel dans le temps irriteront plus d'un. Surtout, si on n'est pas adepte du maquillage rajeunissant loupé, mais assumé. Mention spéciale au directeur de publication et sa compagne ( vous comprendrez ;)). La mise en retrait de certains acteurs aussi, sonne comme du gâchis. Je pense évidement à Nakamura Yuri ou l'éternel second rôle Yamoto Yuma obligé de porter toujours des shorts, pour ne pas faire d'ombre aux trop beaux premiers rôles. Cependant, comme toujours, ils auront droit à leurs épisodes spéciaux, alors on se rassure.

Enfin, Bonus sur le salaire, l'utra doué Yuri nous propose un nouveau tube en puissance pour l'ending, futur number one au top Oricon, sans aucun doute. Comme si la série avait besoin de cela pour étinceler. Décidément, on ne prête qu'aux riches.

Lire davantage

came for Cherry Magic actors, stayed for everything else

I'm truly loving this series so much!

As in the title, I had originally started watching this for Eiji and Keita. However, I ended up staying for the many other great qualities of this series. Not only have the characters, acting, and plot continued to surprise me non-stop, but the romantic interests are also lovable.

The biggest aspect of this show that keeps me hooked is the main character Mamoru. As a woman CEO, she is a very refreshing representation of what all CEOs should strive to be: a hardworking, strong, and honest boss who sincerely cares about their employees.

Overall, I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves a funny, romantic, and surprising workplace series to enjoy!

Lire davantage

Drama in which money speaks - and characters answer

Living in a capitalist society while simultaneously juggling work,relationships,family(life in general) will inevitably lead to people changing or showing their true colors.Sooner of later.But it`s the way we,as humans, decide to paint with those true colors that determines how the actual painting will turn out.And with "Super Rich",it`s a jumbled,chaotic,overblown,but FUN - mess.

I like to start off my reviews by saying a word of thanks to directors,writers,actors and anyone else involved in this drama,as I know how stressful and tough it can be to complete a project like this.However,unlike my other reviews,I`ll start this one off by listing the negatives first,as this seems like a better option for what I have in mind.

The actual construction of the plot is,well nonexistent.And for those reading this,I`d recommend you not hope for some strong,emotionally investing story in that sense.This drama is very much about motive and theme of MONEY.Debts,embezzlement,living conditions,takeovers...they are all linked to money.We follow how characters` relationships are torn and put together again because of it.Another point I`d like to make is,this drama isn`t void of clichés that show up in most dramas(stabbing,plot contrivances and convenience for lead and side characters alike).It is not original in regards to the plot or scenes shown.DON`T expect that from this drama.I`d caution you for repetitive plot devices as well.This drama is quite literally,a one trick pony.What I mean by this,contrary to popular belief,is that it repeats one conflict with different characters over and over again.In fact,if you`re not enamored with these characters,you won`t find many things to like,except for slivers of genius thoughts from time to time.

Another thing is the romance.It`s um,so lackluster.I`d even say it`d been better if they made both leads be married from the start and then flashback to their past.No serious damage would`ve been made and it`d have the same effect.So,this drama is not a satisfying romance,if you`re looking for that.I saw some people hold that fact against this drama,but while watching it,I`ve learnt to not regard this drama as a romantic contender,but rather as a collection of layers tied by money,romance being just one of those layers.

It`s also not particularly aesthetically pleasing,nor thought provoking.So why do I like it,despite all of this flaws?Well,the characters are a joy to watch.And whats more,the main character Mamoru, has become one of my favorites this year,if not ever.These are the aspects of this drama I immensely liked.

First off,the length.Coming here from a slew of convoluted KDramas that have to stretch their conflicts because of 16 episodes they are confined to,watching "Super Rich" was refreshing.It doesn`t overstay it`s welcome with 11 episodes of 45 minutes,something Japanese dramas seem to understand far better than Korean ones,even if the latter is starting to catch wind of this tactic.Despite drama suffering from some dip in quality in the last three episodes,as a fluffy piece of entertainment,it succeeds in everything that the makers wanted to achieve,I reckon.

Second off,most of these characters latched onto my heartstrings and refused to let go.Mamoru,Yuu,Miyamura,Kitabeppu,Shoji etc. I remember all of them and their philosophies to life.And that`s a real compliment to the writers of this show,as most drama characters in my mind coagulate and disappear quickly,leaving not even their name in my brain.This is not the case here.I`d especially like to single out Hyoga Mamoru,the female lead of this drama,as a highlight.She is AMAZING.

You know how,when you`re playing games or watching a horror movie,you wish for a character who thinks and voices his/her/their thoughts that are in line with yours?You know,rational in the moment of conflict?Well,in dramas,that for me is Mamoru.She just seems to have such appropriate reactions(most of the time) to what is happening around her.Not dramatic,not slow,not jumbled,just...right.When a brewing love triangle rears its ugly head,she cuts it down in less than five minutes of viewing time.When she`s proposed marriage to in a rush,her underwhelming response is exactly the one I`d make.Bit by bit,Mamoru made me fall for her.And I completely understood why others did as well.She`s delightfully knowledgeable,reliable,silently strong and adorably clueless all at once.And that`s without me mentioning her unconventionally attractive appearance and it being a net positive to her as a lead.I always say this:Even if Japanese dramas go through a rough patch more often than any other country,you can at least be comforted in the fact that you`ll always be able to see relatable looking characters within their dramas.This is what most others struggle with,as beauty standards are rigorous and play a big role in whether one will be chosen for a drama or not.And that`s not how dramas should be made.Mamoru is a great proof of that.Without her,this drama would fall in 6s for me,but with her,it transforms and gains credibility.I always want to see more of Mamoru and leads like her.Make introverted,yet easygoing and smart leads popular,drama viewers.Because they have a lot to offer.

And thirdly,the set design,way of filming and OST used for this drama are great.These aspects are competent in their goal and evoke feelings of unity and sense.They`re the method to the madness.I just personally adore the way Japanese dramas are filmed.Because they don`t have the highest of budgets,many would consider it dated,but in my eyes,the fluidity of characters` movements,the lighting...All of these add to the realism they tend to excel in accidentally.

In conclusion,"Super Rich" is a drama whose ingredients are less than compatible with today`s standards of drama viewing,but they manage to create something heartwarming,fluffy and fun to watch.I`m looking forward to more dramas like this and this one is immediate proof that you don`t have to have luxurious sets,blingy wardrobe,amazing camera work-as long as it`s got soul.After all,there are more important things than money.

Lire davantage

"Super Rich" - what does it mean to you?

"Super Rich" starts off strong; in the very first episode, a lot of things happen but it still feels coherent and not too rushed to get to the point where the first episode ends. Most of the series, I would say, is fairly coherent - but there are certainly hiccups, plot holes, and loose ends that aren't tied up at the end of the final episode. Even so, I would say that this is a recommended watch with a side-note that it's a bit more "adult" in that it delves into a lot of somewhat complicated business terms and the general inner workings of running a company.

That being said, I'll move onto other parts that made up "Super Rich". In the first episode, we see CEO Mamoru Hyoga at the top of her career which is crushed nearly to smithereens by her close friend since university, Ryo, when he steals 300 million yen from the company. This becomes somewhat of a central theme, where Mamoru is betrayed by people close to her or people who she during the series chooses to let in close, either personally or work-wise. Even so, it doesn't get Mamoru down. I have to say that, having finished this series, I came to love Mamoru the most out of all characters. She started off as a snob with a lot of money who during the series run had to learn what the meaning of being rich, and also "Super Rich", means to her. And, surprise - money isn't at the top of her list in the end.

One of the main things that disturbed me with the series "Super Rich", that I've come to learn to expect with certain dramas, is that the pacing can be all over the place. In some episodes, only a day or two pass. Then in one single episode, two or more years can pass and they show a few seconds for each month/season/etc to show that progress is being made 'without skipping out on stuff' (which, of course they do). One particular moment that took me out of being immersed with the series was the episode during which Yuu got stabbed. In less than five minutes, he manages to get stabbed, have his heart stop while in surgery, undergo rehab, and be back home and all is back to normal. And then, that event is mentioned maybe once or twice afterwards and such a big event that would happen in one's life, seemingly didn't seem to affect them at all after it happened.

Other than that, I would still say that, overall, I'm glad I watched "Super Rich". It had a lot of great messages, delved into some sadder/darker topics and handled them fairly well (such as Sora's almost-suicide-attempt, his sexual harassment, stress, Yuu and the Haruno family's continuous struggle with poverty and how they handled that, depression, among others), the main people at Three Star Books/TSB all had at least psome personal story injected into the series so we could get to know them and they didn't feel like just chess pieces. Some characters were left in the dust, like two of the seemingly hundreds who were in love with Mamoru, and some may be dissatisfied with how their storylines ended up (like Sora still being seemingly single at the end of the series while Reiko found love in another woman) but I think it was fine. That's how life goes sometimes. And, I mean, we already knew that Yuu and Mamoru were main characters so for them NOT to end up together would be strange.

Like previously mentioned, I recommend this series if you're looking for some thing with good production, good music (Yuuri is SO GOOD), good acting, and some life lessons/messages to learn. While the story has its flaws and hiccups, I still it flowed fairly well. As long as you don't have your expectations shooting through the roof, this is a good watch.

Lire davantage

Came to watch Akaso and Machida Together Again

I was attracted to this drama after thoroughly enjoying the chemistry between Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita in the BL drama "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?" "Super Rich!" pales in comparison to the former. In the first few episodes, it's hard to like the lead character of Myoga Mamoru, played by Eguchi Noriko. Machida's character, Miyamura Sora, is also pretty disagreeable. So, we're mostly connected with poor little Haruno Yu, Akaso's character. No doubt my pre-conception of this drama was tainted by the earlier BL pairing of Akaso and Machida, so I kept hoping they'd end up in a romantic relationship. That would have been a far more interesting storyline, but no such luck and the pair really don't have any good scenes together. Akaso plays more or less the same role he played as Adachi, but this time as the cub in a cougar-cub romance with the older Myoga. Actually, I appreciated the challenges to social cliches like ageism and gender roles -- Yu does the cooking in the household and says his father was the better cook when he was a child. The production values in "Super Rich" are quite a step down from "30 Years." The pacing and editing is uneven. We bounce around from lurid violence to slapstick comedy to chick flick romance. This drama doesn't seem to know who the intended audience is and it feels like there were multiple directors who could not agree on the overall tone. There are a number of plot holes and contradictions. There are ambient sound gaps throughout the soundtrack. All that said, Akaso's scenes are well worth watching, but you might want to scan quickly through the rest of it. If they edit this down into a 2-hour movie, they should shift the "central character" focus from Mamoru to Yu.

Lire davantage

A Heartwarming Trust & Loyal Companionship built thru Tough & Challenging Times.

SUPER RICH is having just enough and being contented of what you got while trying to nurture and improve what you have; at the same time taking good care of the people around you.

First thing first... The Value of this drama for me will forever remain on top. I always have high expectations for J-dramas and this piece didn't taint that any one bit. Instead, it even solidifies how I appreciate and think highly of J-Production as a whole.

At this point, I would like to say 'Always trust Japanese Production in any way or form' they don't only know what they're doing but they excel and are experts in every single aspects of it; specially with incorporating Life Values, Lessons and General World building processes and experiences.

Moving on with the Actors/Actresses, I was initially interested in this because of The Male Leads (Yass! I'm a big fan of Cherry Magic Hehe) but this drama overall proved me that everyone in this production deserved all the attention and love they can receive from us viewers. All of them excelled on their own crafts and executed their characters like no others with high expertise and accuracy.

I felt like having a real break by watching this story unfold episode per episode. Every tidbits of it made me think and realize a lot of things. Made me reflect and look back on my previous reliefs, beliefs and aspirations. It was a comforting drama that brought me reassuring warmth and comfort.— I literally reminisce of my past years while watching it and unexpectedly repented, regreted and swore to do much better moving forward.

One last thing is its unique way of presenting its ending trailers that can make you interested and eager to watch the coming episodes. This drama felt so original and new, like it was made to break those recycled plot twist by creating an unexpected outcome that no one can think of.

Story - 10, It was refreshing, full of warmth and has so much values to offer in every single area you can think of. A very well written drama that can make you admire the writers passion in making and creating such a masterpiece. It was full of different and contrasting stories that are united because of their passion and love for what they're doing and the people they're doing it with.

Acting/Cast - 10, Teremendous set of Cast who embodied their characters in perfect sync + Stellar acting that can easily move and convince the viewers by their raw emotions, expressions and flawless line delivery.

Music - 10, Probably my theme song for the coming months, I'm LSS. It has been a long while since I last felt deeply connected to an OST and it's always a fleeting feeling. I'm highly satisfied and is in love with the BGMs Used.

Rewatch Value - 10, Rewatching it a thousand times would never be an issue. Specially if you feel like you've lost your way and wanted to gather and build it back in a whole piece; this drama can be a great inspiration and motivation to do that.

Overall - 10, PERFECTION. This drama in General is a hidden Masterpiece that everyone should be watching. I will make sure to recommend it to everyone from now on. A truly refreshing and inspiring story to put someone's lost self back to track.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Lire davantage

An OK J-Drama

SUPER RICH was an alright J Drama about a business woman named Hyoga Mamoru (Noriko Eguchi) who grew up very wealthy but yet has very little in terms of relationships and family. This is a romance drama but also focuses on business and human nature.

Although the drama was kind of slow, I personally enjoyed the main character. Mamoru was very quirky and confident, a very unique person. Not your typical drama heroine. Even though this drama deals with business and romance, I wish there was more going on besides those two aspects, or at least they could have made the business storyline less repetitive and added more depth. Otherwise it was an interesting watch, but more for casual viewing.

Lire davantage

Not Good Enough

Japanese Drama "Super Rich" is a business drama with a romantic twist.

The drama deals with the themes of human relations, and people's beliefs when it comes to money and business, as it is seen through the leading lady's interaction with those whom she thought were close to her up until she got bankrupted. Unfortunately, the main focus tended to be the romance, which was lukewarm, as it was the love triangle that did create some friction to the couple's story, but was predictable nevertheless. Also, the story, and even though it started strongly, with an intriguing intro, an interesting directing choice, and a strong female lead, got repetitive. The company kept getting bankrupted, or the boss got betrayed more than once, and that was a loop that got tiring, along with the time skips that were, at times, unnecessary. Thus, the drama got boring and the story had few things to offer.

At least, the performances were excellent and the chemistry between the characters was enjoyable.

So, overall, 3 out of 10.

Lire davantage

Everyone falls in love with Mamoru and so will you

Like a lot of people I came to this drama after watching the two MLs in Cherry Magic. But I ended up falling in love with Mamoru, one of the most unique and interesting drama leads I've ever seen (played to perfection by Eguchi Noriko).

The drama opens with her on top of the world as an orphaned heiress who has built a growing e-publishing business. Mamoru is smart, funny, brave and passionately devoted to her business partner and employees who she treats as her surrogate family. But when her partner betrays her and embezzles all of the company's assets Mamoru is dead broke for the first time in her life and forced to restart her business from scratch with only a small, ragtag group of loyal employees and inexperienced interns.

Mamoru is so charismatic that not only does she find herself in a love triangle with two younger men (played by Cherry Magic leads Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita), there's also a female employee in love with her. Even the employees who aren't in love with her practically worship her and it's not surprising. What I love about Mamoru is she always leads with her heart. She's piercingly intelligent and willing to take risks but she's also endearingly quirky and awkward and unexpectedly shy. It's a joy to see a drama female lead who's allowed to be a badass leader but also imperfect. She makes a lot of mistakes, mostly trusting the wrong people, but her unerring moral compass and devotion to her team makes up for it. Eguchi does a fantastic job with the portrayal and her unconventional beauty really fits with the character.

The side characters are also delightful and well acted. Special shoutout to Miyamura Sora (played by Machida Keita), a younger man whose life was literally saved by Mamoru and has sworn lifelong loyalty to her, and editorial director Ikari Kenji (played by Furuta Arata) the company's oldest employee who enjoys a strong drink, mentoring young comic artists and snooping into his boss's business.

Even though I loved this drama, there are two big flaws that I think are why this drama has very low ratings on MDL. Number 1 is the plot, which is all over the place. Big events take place that are never really dealt with and have no influence on the rest of the story. For example, a major character is stabbed and hospitalized but the entire incident is wrapped up in one episode and never referred to again. The plot also gets repetitive as certain incidents get recycled with different characters and similar outcomes. There's also a lot of time skips and after a while I gave up trying to guess how much time had passed in the story. The ending isn't terrible but it isn't terribly exciting either.

The second big problem is the tepid romance between Mamoru and the ten-years younger Yu (played by an admittedly very handsome Akaso Eiji). I'm normally all for a May-December relationship but these two don't have any sexual chemistry. I did enjoy their domestic scenes cooking and talking together but it felt more like a comfortable friendship than two lovers.

I think the best way to approach this drama is not to expect a tightly written and coherent plot or a burning hot romance and instead view it as an office based slice of life with an incredibly interesting and compelling female lead.

Lire davantage