Aired: April 19th, 2012 - June 28th, 2012 (TBS)
Reason for watching this drama: The premise. I liked that it's about an idol who has to struggle with keeping his personal life secret, and am hoping for it to be Mukodono!-like, except maybe better because Nishikido Ryo actually plays himself, and therefore we get to see into the whole JE life, just a little bit. The promise of Kanjani8 cameos definitely does not hurt.
Reason for continuing to watch this drama: It's funny! One of the dramas to watch for pure enjoyment. I love that Kana-chan's an Arashi fan and then whenever something Arashi-related is mentioned or shown, their song (A-RA-SHI) starts playing in the background.
Episode 1
The episode starts off as one would expect; clips of Kanjani8 while Nishikido Ryo narrates the fact that he's an idol, et cetera et cetera. Then, cut to a scene where he hurries to another photoshoot, except that this time it's for his own wedding.
The story then goes back in time, where the Hanamura family are "preparing" for an important visit from Haruka (Yuka)'s future husband. Her daughters are both busy - Mei (Kawashima Umika), the eldest, is frantically trying to clean up in vain, while Kana (Tani Kanon) is mostly concerned with how she should present herself. Haruka's son, Yuto (Imai Yuki) seems pretty much uninterested in the whole thing, focusing on blogging his teen angst instead, while Haruka's mom (Takahata Atsuko) encourages Kana, who apparently dreams of becoming an idol one day.
Nishikido, too, is antsy - he's being driven to the Hanamura's and practises, over and over, how his "introduction" to the family would turn out. When he's still outside the house gates Haruka greets him, and he tells her that he imagines (and hopes) that they'll be happy and excited that her future husband is Nishikido Ryo of Kanjani8. She asks him if it's okay not to be at work, and he says that he doesn't have to go until 5pm. But at Tokyo Dome his managers are waiting for him, saying that he was supposed to be there by 11am.
Of course, it turns out that no one even recognises him. Everything's very awkward and everyone's trying to be nice for Haruka, but then the Hanamura's pet dog, Eito causes trouble, and shenanigans ensue - resulting with things falling out of the storage cupboard, including a copy of Wink Up that has Kanjani8 on the cover. The Hanamuras are surprised and unhappy to find that he's Nishikido Ryo, the idol. Meanwhile, his managers are still looking for him, and at Tokyo Dome, the rest of Kanjani attempt to make excuses for him.
Back with the Hanamura family, Kana-chan at least is excited to see a real idol up close. Haruka's mother seems happy, too, for a different reason - since he's an idol, he must have a good income (^^;). Mei and Yuto remain unimpressed, as Ryo and Haruka explain the story of how they met.
Ryo had spent the entire day going from job to job, and the day had ended pretty badly for him - his co-workers are complaining that as an idol, he's nothing more than a "pretty face" used to sell their drama, and shouldn't be given special treatment. He went to a convenience store where Haruka works, and saw two guys trying to harrass her. He interrupts them by dumping his purchases on the counter - this doesn't work, as the guys recognise him, and attempt to bait him into a fight, knowing that a Johnny can't be seen fighting in public. He was resigned to be beaten up but was saved by Haruka who scared the guys off with a mop. Then she fed him - and a friendship was born between them. At this point of his telling of their story, Ryo is interrupted by a phone call from his manager - he finally noticed it - and discovers the miscommunication regarding when he's supposed to be at their film location. Ryo's own manager, who had been the one who misinformed him about the time, would probably be fired if Ryo didn't intervene and apologise, saying that it's his own fault for not double-checking.
Haruka, too, apologises to her family for not telling them sooner. Kana-chan scolds her mother for not bagging an Arashi member; apparently she's a die-hard fan of them, and Sakurai Sho in particular. Her grandmother reminds her that she can't marry Sho if her mother does, so it's a good thing. Yuto claims to have no interest in idols or fathers, while Mei struggles to understand why her mother would fall for someone like Ryo.
Kanjani's manager thinks something is going on with Ryo, because he hasn't been behaving quite like himself, but their other manager Mamiya (Yashima Norito) reassures her, saying that he's already got someone to spy on Ryo on their behalf. Ryo discovers the spy early on, though, and manages to shake them off, heading to a family-owned restaurant. It's revealed that Mitsuru (Joshima Shigeru), the owner, is an ex-idol himself, and had been Ryo's senior before he left Johnny's to get married and have a family. He has a son who dreams of being a Johnny himself, one day. Ryo seems to be very close to Mitsuru, and shares his troubles about work or Haruka with him. Aaand, the three of them (Ryo, Mitsuru and Mitsuru's son) perform a bit of Mitsuru's old song together XD
Ryo comments that Mitsuru looks happy, and Mitsuru admits that he is, but is also wistful about his past in the entertainment business, knowing that it's a place he can't ever go back to. Ryo tells Mitsuru the rest of his story - he had thought that the first time he met Haruka would be the last, but he chanced upon her when he had a cold, and walked her home. She still had no idea who he is, thinking that he's a wrestler or fighter of some sort because one of the guys that harrassed her had made a comment about him not being able to fight in public. On their walk home they managed to understand each other perfectly despite him being unable to talk. They exchange phone e-mails, and she spells his name wrongly.
Nishikido's and Kanjani's managers talk about him, and whether or not they should be worried.
The next day Mei is surprised when her classmates talk about Nishikido Ryo, and gets drawn into their conversation despite herself. She insists that he's pretty plain when they gush over his looks, and says that there's nothing special about him. They ignore her and talk about the girl who is playing Ryo's romantic interest in their current drama, and how jealous they'd be if the girl really is dating Ryo. When she goes home after school, the first thing she does is to look at postcards from other countries, from her father.
Ryo visits them, wanting to have a talk with Mei, Yuto and Kana, since he's going to be their dad and all. The reception he receives is lukewarm; Mei is still stand-offish while Kana claims that she's already used to him and isn't bowled over any more. Mei asks if he's in a relationship with Okamoto Nayumi, the actress he's working with, and Yuto adds that Ryo has been linked with many other women in the past. Ryo insists that they're all fabricated rumours - after all it's impossible to be with that many women, but he hesitates when Mei asks if he could honestly say that all of the rumours were false.
Ryo tells them that when he met their mother, Haruka, he knew immediately that she's the only one for him from then on, so he hopes that he could get along with the three of them as well. Yuto's too busy snapping pictures of Ryo with his cellphone. Kana-chan says that she will speak on behalf of her sister, because (being young) she could say anything she wants - what they want to see is Ryo's sincerity, and the way for him to show that is... to get Sho-kun's autograph for Kana. She threatens that she will be against the marriage if she doesn't get Sho's signature.
Later, at Fuji TV, Ryo's in the anteroom with the rest of Kanjani, looking at his autograph board with worry. He calls to the others for an impromptu meeting, wanting to talk to them about his desire to get married. He starts talking about their Junior days together, when their manager Mamiya enters the room and announces that their Tokyo Dome concert is confirmed for their 8th anniversary. Mamiya says that he plans to make Kanjani8 #1 in Japan - no, in Asia - no, the world! when manager Wakisaka (who was responsible for the time mix-up) butts in that "in the world" is a bit impossible. Mamiya retorts that they have to make it, or they'll have to go back to Osaka and never again come to Tokyo.
At the Hanamura's, Mei is telling her grandmother that she's against the marriage because they won't be able to tell truth from lie with an idol in the family, and Kana says that Sho-kun would never lie, because he has clear, honest eyes (haha). Their grandmother reminds them that they had wanted to support their mother's decision. Mei admits that she had been glad to hear that her mother had fallen in love with someone, because she wants her mother to be happy, but she doesn't like the idea of her mother being with an idol - because fans would be ganging up on her, and she'll never have peace. Kana and Yuto agree, in their own way.
That evening Ryo and Yokoyama Yu happen to be guesting on Himitsu no Arashi-chan!, so Ryo has Kana's autograph board ready for him to ask for Sho's signature. He stares at the board/notebook for awhile before finally strengthening his resolve and standing up to head towards Arashi's dressing room. Yoko figures out what Ryo is up to and chases after him. The two Arashi members appearing on Himitsu that episode are Sho and Ohno. Ryo greets both of them, and starts asking for Sho's autograph (ignoring Ohno, who keeps asking about Maru). Sho's about to get up to sign the board/notebook when Mamiya barges in, grabs Ryo and drags him out of the room. Yoko bursts in and apologises for Ryo's weirdness, saying that Ryo's a good kid, but... . Ohno asks about Maru, but Yoko has already left.
Mamiya scolds Ryo for throwing away his pride and asking for Sho's autograph, when as a Kanjani member he's supposed to be working on usurping Arashi's role.
Much later in the day, Ryo and Haruka meet at Mitsuru's restaurant, where Haruka admits a terrible thing - her mother discovered their marriage forms and had sent them out on their behalf, which basically means that they're now actually husband-and-wife. Haruka is really sorry to have caused the trouble and is ready to get an annulment, but Ryo's actually happy about the mistake and decides to remain married. The next time he meets the rest of Kanjani at work he tries talking to them again about his marriage plans, but he's in the dressing area when he's talking, and when he comes out he realises that the rest of Kanjani are gone, but Wakisaka and their other manager are there, and had overheard.
The managers give him a talking to about his stupidity, and he admits that he's thought of giving up on the relationship, many times.
Haruka, too, is being confronted by her family, as Ryo had promised to have dinner with all of them and was a no-show. They told her that this untrustworthiness was exactly why they were against the marriage, and Haruka admits that she had wanted to give up at first.
They tell their story: it started out with just exchanging e-mails, which helped them grow closer than ever. But Haruka came across a bus with Kanjani's poster on it, and realises that she's been lied to. Ryo can't find her at the convenience store anymore, and seeks her out at her other workplace. He calls on her cowardice for not wanting to be in a relationship just because he's an idol, and she tells him that they're in different circumstances - she has a family, and she's a single mother of three... they're in completely different worlds, and don't belong together. But it was difficult to stay apart, and when he was hosting their radio show with Hina, Haruka sends a request for Kanjani's latest song, spelling his name wrongly. After the radio show he ran over to see her, and asked her to marry him.
Haruka concludes her story saying that she had thought, "ah, I'm marrying this person."
Ryo tells his managers that it's true that they have nothing in common in terms of what they do, their background, and such - but that they're also the same where it matters, like the things that make them laugh or cry, or their thoughts when they see something. He says that a person like her is like a miracle, and asks if he isn't entitled to that?
His manager replies - he can't. As an idol, he's supposed to make his fans happy, and they would be heart-broken to hear that he's married. She urges him to annul the marriage, and he refuses. She then gives Ryo three months to prepare for his final decision - either to end his marriage, or retire from Kanjani8.
Walking home, he remembers that he had promised to have a family dinner with the Hanamuras. He takes a cab there, but it's too late, and Mei tells him to leave. She says that she isn't going to respect an idol, who makes a living out of lies, and can't even keep promises - she would never accept him as family.
Ryo reflects that his future looks dark - both as an idol, and as a father.
Thoughts
Well, I do like romantic comedies and I enjoyed this a lot because of the JE thing. I haven't been much of a Ryo fan, having only seen him act in Ryusei no Kizuna before (I did like him in that one, though). It isn't going to provide anything that new or refreshing, especially if you've seen dramas like Mukodono!, but there's something about it that I really like, and it isn't just because of Ohno Satoshi and Sakurai Sho's cameos. Because I know that Ohno and Sho-kun wouldn't appear in the following episodes, and yet I still want to follow this drama to its end. I guess I found myself really rooting for Ryo and Haruka's relationship, and it really is funny and entertaining, despite the fact that it offers nothing new. I like Yuka even more now, and Kawashima Umika, who plays Mei.
Sometimes the Hanamura's attitude towards Ryo strike me as a bit much, but in a way I guess they wanted to have a "normal" sort of family life, and they know that Ryo is never going to be able to give them that. Kana-chan is a typical fangirl, so while I love that she loves Sho-kun I do get moments when I mentally cringe, like when she was saying that Sho-kun's her soulmate. This drama makes me think about fangirl behaviour and how many dream of marrying their favourite idols, and Papadoru! kind of shows what that would really mean, I guess.
I like that the show tries to be as "real" as possible, showing the JE buildings and having the rest of Eito in it - yes, I'm aware that this whole show is a promo for Eito's upcoming movie and their 8th anniversary, but still. But having Yashima as Mamiya, and especially having Joshima playing Mitsuru, made me unable to suspend my disbelief, because if Ryo is Ryo then why is Joshima not Joshima? Ahaha... and in Yashima's case, it's just that his character in Kaibutsu-kun will always come to mind when I see his face now.
How soon did I watch episode 2 after watching this for the first time? Immediately. And I was thankful that I waited until there were at least three episodes before starting on this drama.
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