Title: 恋仲 Koinaka
English Title:
- Best Friends In Love
- Love
Language: Japanese
Year: 2015
Episode: 09
Cast:
- 本田翼 Honda Tsubasa
- 福士蒼汰 Fukushi Sota
- 野村周平 Nomura Shuhei
- 太賀 Taiga
- 大原樱子 Ohara Sakurako
- 大友花恋 Otomo Karen
- 市川由衣 Ichikawa Yui
- 山本美月 Yamamoto Mizuki
- 馬場園梓 Babazono Azusa
- 新川優愛 Shinkawa Yua
- 前野朋哉 Maeno Tomoya
- 永井大 Nagai Masaru
- 吉田羊 Yoshida Yo
- 小林薫 Kobayashi Kaoru
SYNOPSIS
Miura Aoi and Serizawa Akari are close friends ever since they were young until they were in high school. Aoi seems to have developed romantic feelings for his best friend Akari but he can't seem to find the courage to confess to her.
A transfer student named Aoi Shota joined Aoi's class, and Shota became friends with his classmates Aoi and Kanazawa Kohei. Shota also became close with Akari, and the four of them usually hang out together.
But Akari suddenly disappeared in their third year high school because her father incurred a lot of debt that he couldn't pay back. Aoi is devastated, but he doesn't know how to get in touch with Akari as she didn't leave any contact information whatsoever.
After around seven years, Aoi has a fateful reunion with Akari and Shota. However, Shota declares that he is now dating Akari.
REVIEW
Koinaka is a drama about best friends who have fallen in love with each other, but they took their time getting together because of misunderstandings and family problems.
Miura Aoi and Serizawa Akari are childhood friends (and each other's first love) who had to part ways when they were in high school. Aoi and Akari had a fateful reunion after seven years of not contacting each other, but they couldn't really rekindle their old friendship because of misunderstandings, and they couldn't start on a romantic relationship because of a third party.
I wasn't really expecting much from the drama, but I was sorely disappointed as I watch one episode after another. I couldn't believe that everything that went wrong in their relationship were brought on by Aoi and Akari not being honest with each other, or rather not directly talking to each other about things that matter, or rather jumping to conclusions about certain situations and then reacting right away without clarifying if their take on things is correct.
I don't like that Aoi and Akari are having all these conversations where they seem to finally clear things with each other, but then they say that the other person misunderstood without explaining exactly what really happened. So then the situation gets worse, rather than better, because they both remain ignorant about the important things.
Of course, much of the confusion is deliberately caused by their so-called friend Aoi Shota, but I remain convinced that it is possible that Shota's deception wouldn't do much damage if only Aoi and Akari are more forthright with each other.
In addition, I hate that Akari keeps asking Aoi about what she should do in certain situations, such as whether she should date someone else or not, or whether she should accept a marriage proposal or not, etc. Why can't she decide for herself? Why is she purposely trying to make Aoi confess his feelings, when she could just say how she feels about him?
I didn't really want to watch Koinaka until the end, but I felt I had to because I like many of the supporting actresses in the drama: Yamamoto Mizuki, Ichikawa Yui, Shinkawa Yua, and Ohara Sakurako.
###
恋仲 Koinaka
