Winter 2013
Saikou no Rikon ~ The Great Divorce! is a romantic comedy about a couple who constantly argue and bicker about every little thing. They don't see eye to eye and their personalities are so vastly different that it's hard to contemplate how they got married in the first place. Nearby, a seemingly happy couple suddenly encounters a major problem when a secret is accidentally revealed. Why do people get married? and why stay married when it's so hard to do so? Could the only solution be...divorce?
Recommendation: (Spoiler alert!) The screenwriter and directors of "Soredemo, Ikite Yuku" return with another high quality drama, this time working on a romantic comedy. I wanted to write a review sooner, but I didn't have access to the last few episodes for a long time. I'm so glad that I was able to finish watching this drama though. It was well worth it from start to finish. The story of two couples going through trials and tribulations and their coincidental run-ins with each other complicates an already difficult situation. It was fun to see how these characters interacted with one another as they all had different personalities and views on marriage. The story really gets to the heart of what marriage actually is. The acting was great especially by Eita who played Mitsuo Hamasaki, a high strung yet kind and caring young man and Ono Machiko who played Yuka Hamasaki, a careless free spirit. They had great chemistry and I'm starting to believe that Eita may be the most versatile Japanese actor right now in the drama world.
I enjoyed the directing and I'm a fan of the screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto. This drama is not fast paced and there is a lot of dialogue, but most of it is not meaningless banter. Also, there are a lot of dramas that have this "cliche" shooting style which I despise and I'm grateful this style is avoided. Obviously, directing is very important and I felt the difference in this drama. The directors begin the story with quarreling couples that evoke a feeling of hopelessness. Many times, as a viewer, I can "predict" or sense that the ending is going to be happy or sad, but even though you know the outcome, a good director will keep you on your toes. It was great to have some funny scenes that were not outright hilarious, but quite subtle and quirky. For example, I loved the scene in episode 4 when Mitsuo is cooking cabbage rolls and his eye glasses fog up. The beer scene in episode 6 when all four main characters are sitting at the table having a serious conversation was really good. I also liked the contradictory scenes like when Mitsuo needs to blow off steam and rents pornography, but later begs Yuka to refuse becoming an actress in that field or when Ryo Uehara (Go Ayano) talks to a senior citizen at the park about protecting his yet-to-be born daughter from scandalous men, when he himself acted the same way. The drama was able to project what it means to grow as a person. Again, this is very subtle, but I think it mirrors what happens in real life. In the real world, it's hard to change who you are once you reach adulthood and I think by trying to make marriage or even your everyday life to work, you need constant reflection. That reflection was manifested in the last scene when Mitsuo gets his routine dental check up and states that he used to get irritated and corrected people who called him "Hamazaki" instead of "Hamasaki" but now he doesn't mind being called by either name. The last episode was nice to include a scene in which Mitsuo and Yuka walk back to their apartment for the whole night which was similar to the scene where they first met after a major earthquake. In my opinion, this was a smartly written and well executed drama. There is no perfect drama, but this one was a gem.
I enjoyed the directing and I'm a fan of the screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto. This drama is not fast paced and there is a lot of dialogue, but most of it is not meaningless banter. Also, there are a lot of dramas that have this "cliche" shooting style which I despise and I'm grateful this style is avoided. Obviously, directing is very important and I felt the difference in this drama. The directors begin the story with quarreling couples that evoke a feeling of hopelessness. Many times, as a viewer, I can "predict" or sense that the ending is going to be happy or sad, but even though you know the outcome, a good director will keep you on your toes. It was great to have some funny scenes that were not outright hilarious, but quite subtle and quirky. For example, I loved the scene in episode 4 when Mitsuo is cooking cabbage rolls and his eye glasses fog up. The beer scene in episode 6 when all four main characters are sitting at the table having a serious conversation was really good. I also liked the contradictory scenes like when Mitsuo needs to blow off steam and rents pornography, but later begs Yuka to refuse becoming an actress in that field or when Ryo Uehara (Go Ayano) talks to a senior citizen at the park about protecting his yet-to-be born daughter from scandalous men, when he himself acted the same way. The drama was able to project what it means to grow as a person. Again, this is very subtle, but I think it mirrors what happens in real life. In the real world, it's hard to change who you are once you reach adulthood and I think by trying to make marriage or even your everyday life to work, you need constant reflection. That reflection was manifested in the last scene when Mitsuo gets his routine dental check up and states that he used to get irritated and corrected people who called him "Hamazaki" instead of "Hamasaki" but now he doesn't mind being called by either name. The last episode was nice to include a scene in which Mitsuo and Yuka walk back to their apartment for the whole night which was similar to the scene where they first met after a major earthquake. In my opinion, this was a smartly written and well executed drama. There is no perfect drama, but this one was a gem.
Story: 1.0
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 1.0
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 1.0
5.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns
another plus point about this was to ending theme, which connected so well with the drama, not to mention the choreography.
ReplyDeleteWell, personally i am not such a fan of movies or dramas about marriage, divorce or infidelity ...i think most of them are boring and exaggerated... however, since they put a lot of humor into this, i think it worked. And also the main protagonist, Eita is not your conventional hero, he nags, talks to much, complains like a women, has bit of OCD and almost gets into your nerves...therefore i think he did play out his role well.
For me, it was an ok drama, at some point i was not bothered to see how it ends...usually dramas has this thing to draw you in to see what happens next, and i thought it was pretty weak in that aspect. However, like you said, the acting and script is great.
Please review Yorozu Uranaidokoro Onmyouya e Youkoso, i love this drama. I think its the best this fall :)
Yes, the ending theme was nice and went well with the dancing. I understand what you mean by boring which this drama could be at times. I also thought Eita played his character well. I really think he is a versatile actor. Sorry you didn't like it so much! I think I just really like the director's style and I also thought the characters were memorable. I will review Yorozu Uranaidokoro Onmyouya E Youkoso when I get the chance. I am getting some episodes in from Papa Doru. I'm not super hooked on it, but I think it's pretty good. It's well paced so far and the story is unique in the sense that I never watched a drama about an idol that actually plays himself! I hope to write about it soon.
DeleteThanks for considering the request :)
ReplyDeletewill be looking forward to your new reviews.
Not a problem! I love watching dramas!
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