Watashitachi ga Koisuru Riyu (2024)

The Reason I...

TLDR; person who loves the manga goes on a mini rant

Watashitachi Ga Koisuru Riyu (The reason we fall in love/ Why we fall in love) is one of my favourite mangas as of recent so naturally I was excited and my hopes were high when I heard that it would be adapted into a drama.

I know it's never good to compare, but I had such high hopes because the drama follows the plot and also uses a lot of quotes from the manga.

The reality was that while I don't dislike the actors, I don't think Fuma and Rinka were the best options for Tomonari and Aoi. They add their own touch to the characters which is all fine in the world of creativity, but in many ways I feel like their relationship and the way in which the plot develops feels very different to how it did(does- its ongoing) in the manga.

This could also be because it's a late night drama and only 30min/ep, maybe they're wanting to keep things short and sweet and dramatic and entertaining.

Someone felt the need to maintain a very Fuma-esque style of comedy to any role he plays and that just isn't Tomonari at all. Don't get me wrong, I love the Fuma adlibs, but I didn't feel like it suited this character. Aoi is also more energetic and mature but I feel Rinka almost exaggerated the level of cute. Also she's not that tall?? They couldn't find a tall woman for the role or at least put her in shoes that made her look much taller? Thats the whole point of how they first connect.

I think the side characters are solid, a shame that they decided to take out Fumino and Munetaka, but I get that in terms of flow it could be confusing for viewers and again with time constraints it could be tricky developing that sub plot and making sure it connects to the main story. I admit when I was first reading it I was super confused as to how they related to the story.

Overall it felt a bit rushed and it was alright but I probably won't rewatch it. The manga is ongoing (Book 6 just came out) so for people who love the plot, I highly recommended it. I think it's a better medium for the story because you get to see more internal monologue which then you can use to justify why characters jump to conclusions/make assumptions and it all feels less dramatic and more just a mirror towards the reality and anxieties of being in love.

Happy holidays to everyone!

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A sweet office romance, if you can ignore the pacing and some filler characters

This office romance ticks off many of the classic cliche rom-com tropes, yet still manages to maintain a certain charm and sweetness that makes it enjoyable overall.
The story features three couples working in the same office and with each other.

The main couple Kurosawa Tomonari & Morita Aoi was by far the highlight for me. Their relationship was simple, sweet and
I liked how they avoided the usual drama with those annoying prolonged misunderstandings. The ML was genuinely sweet from the start and the progression of their relationship felt organic. I was rooting for them from the get-go.

The second couple, Sakamoto Ryo and Ichikawa Ayaka, is a noona romance that had potential but sort of falters in execution. The pacing of their relationship felt rushed, particularly when it comes to the development of Ayaka’s feelings for Ryo. Her feelings came out of nowhere and left me wondering when that even started. They were sweet, but it felt rushed and a bit forced.

The third couple, Ozu Kei and Oshima Kei, just didn’t work for me. There was no real chemistry between them and their storyline felt like an unnecessary subplot. Their lack of connection made their presence feel more like filler than something important. I wish they could have spent more time on the other two couples to give a more fleshed out story.

One thing I did enjoy was the friendships between the boss group and their employee group. It added some warmth to the story and gave a good balance to the overall vibes.

If you are looking for a quick, light rom-com with minimal drama and you don’t mind the typical Japanese pacing, this is a good pick. The relationships could have been developed a bit better, but the main couple is cute enough to make it a fun one time watch.
7.8/10

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