So Much Potential And Yet…

7.0

Acting is extremely good, probably my favorite thing about the show and the reason why I’m not giving this a 6. Haven’t read the original source but it seems like a faithful adaptation (most of the problems I had with the show probably come from the manga’s plot itself).

Really enjoyed the first arc (episodes 1-3). I liked that they showed us a multi-layered female protagonist that yes, she did a lot of bad stuff as a gachikoi - however, they didn’t mindlessly vilify her and instead showed us the dangerous power imbalance idols can have over their fans. Hina was crazy, but Subaru was an asshole too, I thought their dynamic was really good and interesting and morally grey in a good way. Hina’s and Meru’s relationship was also so well-done and a bit heartwarming. The ending of this arc was my favorite.

And then we get to the second arc and that’s when the show goes downhill for me. Nevermind that the show redeems Subaru’s asshole character in the most passive way possible - I can live with that - it’s the awful romantization of obsessive behavior from fans that ruined it for me.

Don’t get me wrong, the characters, especially Kotono and Ginga were still likable, but sometimes romance isn’t necessary and I think the themes of this story did NOT need romantic endgame. How the story treated the female gachikoi vs the male gachikoi also rubbed me the wrong way, especially because it was the only r/s with homoerotic undertones. Wish we could’ve spent more time exploring Ginga’s character rather than boring Cosmo. I do have to mention that there’s at least two instances where women support each other despite being rivals, those were some of my favorite scenes and I wish we could’ve explored more of that.

In the end, I think I was annoyed at this becoming just another silly romance when the characters and themes were so unique and had so much potential.

If you’re a fan of any of the actors, I would recommend watching, the acting is what elevates the show and the male leads are great eye candy. I watched for Inoue Sora and was not disappointed in his acting. Kanon was magnificent. If you don’t mind some dumb idol/fan plot, I’d recommend, it’s still entertaining, just don’t expect anything mind blowing.

Highlights: the acting. first 3 episodes. ginga.

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Perhaps..... one of my favorite Dramas. Ever?

I think part of my enjoyment of this drama was that I had NO idea what I was getting into, all I knew was that there was some sort of body-swapping going on with very light queer undertones in the form of WLW. I really wasn’t expecting this show to fully embrace bisexuality in the beautiful form that it does. It explores what liking someone is, what gender means within a romantic context, and whether we fall in love with someone’s appearance, their soul, or both things at once.

This show has so much heart, absolutely every single character - even including minor ones - is extremely well characterized. They’re not perfect, there are times when you just wanna smack them in the head, but they’re real, and they’re human and they’re trying their best. The two main leads do an excellent job at making you believe there are different souls within their bodies, both characters with distinctive personalities. Sakurada Hiyori as Yashiro has to be the standout for me, she absolutely kills this role. The rest of the cast is really lovable as well, all with different personalities. I believe some people do not like Kenta for a few episodes and you might feel like this as well, but just know that there is growth in his character (just like with the rest of the ensemble), and I personally thought his prickly, sometimes greasy, personality added so much dimension to the main cast and diversity to how they reacted to situations.

[PLEASE SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO KNOW THE ENDGAME COUPLE - a great part of my enjoyment was going in completely blind.] I never expected a gay couple to be the main focus of the story, not only plot-wise, but thematically as well. It is so easy to fall into bisexual stereotypes, and this show could’ve easily gone that route, but Yashiro is still explicitly shown to be attracted to girls (like Rin), yet his love for Kenta is the one thing that remains unwavering through it all, no matter the circumstance. For a few episodes, I was unsure of who the endgame was going to be - I watched this show thinking it was going to be a straight romance. I thought maybe Yashiro and Rin were going to end up together, maybe Yashiro was going to stay in Kagura’s body and be with Kenta - honestly, the whole cast had amazing chemistry with each other, so I wasn’t opposed to these couples (even the ex-couple had amazing chemistry!). It was still so heart-warming and beautiful to see the male/male couple be the endgame and I was so happy for them. The whole theme of them wanting to change the world was so wholesome and I loved that they reached that conclusion for themselves. This isn’t really a flaw of the show, but Kagura and Rin had unbelievable chemistry with each other as well. I was really rooting for a lesbian couple here, which sadly doesn’t happen, so please be aware of that. Last thing, it was nice that there were queer characters sprinkled throughout the show, not just amongst the main cast - most notably the student who has a crush on Rin (I believe he is implied as bisexual/pansexual), the man in love with Kami-sama, and, I was left unsure, but maybe Kami-sama as well.

Is this show perfect? Well, technically no - I was left wondering whatever happened to certain characters like Ami and Yukihiko - although I’ve come to the conclusion that Ami’s story just ended and there wasn’t much more we as the audience really needed to know. And I wished we could’ve explored Kami-sama’s story a little deeper. And YET - it does feel near damn perfect to me, from the acting to the story, the themes, even the cinematography. I am really glad that I found this gem of a show when I wasn’t looking for it, and I wish more people watched this silly little thing with so much heart and appreciated it as I do! Thank you from the bottom of my little bisexual heart.

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Not Your Usual Revenge Story

Overall solid show. Female leads carried the acting but even the supporting characters were pretty good!

The show definitely has some flaws and people who are looking for a fast-paced revenge story will be disappointed. This is a plot on the slower side of things with a lot of family drama and plot twists.

The highlight of the show is definitely Suzuki Kyoka’s Makiko. The character, whether you like her or not, is superb and an excellent example of a multi-dimensional antagonist. Even with her pretty ghastly personality, I was kinda rooting for her a little bit by the end. She is what I call a milfboss.

Shinji’s character is also one of the most interesting ones, even if at first he seems like a boring background character, the more we learn about him and his broken inner world, the more layered he becomes. This can be said about ~most~ of characters in the show. I don’t think any of them are either black-or-white, and you might like them at one point of the story and dislike them at another.

The romance is a bit weird to me, in the sense that it’s well-paced and there’s definitely chemistry between the actors, however, it didn’t strike me as particularly necessary. A platonic relationship between Anzu and Kiichi would’ve been perfectly good as well. I think at the end of the day, I perceived their relationship as meant to be healing rather than romantic. If you’re not a fan of romance just know that it’s not really a huge part of the plot, and it is not a forced relationship, it’s very natural. Heed of warning though: the main couple are technically step-siblings for most of the show (even though they’ve never really seen each other that way).

The plot twists were actually kind of fun, and whenever I thought I had it all figured out, there came another twist to mess me up. If you’re into happy endings… this might be for you.

Good show to binge watch!

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