Title: 磁石男 Jishaku Otoko
English Title: Magnet Man
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2015
Episode: 01
Cast:
- 向井理 Mukai Osamu
- 相武紗季 Aibu Saki
- 要潤 Kaname Jun
- 桐山漣 Kiriyama Renn
- 松岡茉優 Matsuoka Mayu
- りょう Ryo
- 倍賞美津子 Baisho Mitsuko
- 佐野史郎 Sano Shiro
- 三宅弘城 Miyake Hiroki
- 青柳翔 Aoyagi Sho
- 伊藤麻実子 Ito Mamiko
- 戸田昌宏 Toda Masahiro
SYNOPSIS
Oba Sosuke is an eccentric farmer who loves growing vegetables while playing classical music. He owns Oba Farm and Sosuke conducts an agricultural program where people go to his farm and work for a day.
Sosuke organizes the participants into pairs that he thinks can work well together. Known as the Jishaku Otoko or Magnet Man, Sosuke sees people as either of the two types: N (north) and S (south). Sosuke pairs an N person with an S person because they match well, and he thinks that people who are of the same type are not compatible with each other. Sosuke's agricultural program is getting a reputation as a way to meet a lover and even a marriage partner.
A year has passed since dating consultant Kohinata Shion first went to Oba Farm, and she's now managing a dating service management company in Tokyo. Sosuke has signed an exclusive contract with Shion's company and he agreed to make an appearance at their events in Tokyo, but he often does not show up because his priority remains farming.
REVIEW
Jishaku Otoko is an interesting drama because it attempts to divide people into two different types, and promotes that two people of opposite types are perfectly matched with each other. I don't really believe that people are either N (north) or S (south) type, but it's quite an interesting concept.
Sakai Wataru: Sosuke, how could you know people in such a short time?
Oba Sosuke, also known as Jishaku Otoko: It's the left. Human's basic emotion can be easily detected through the left side.
Sakai Wataru: Sosuke said human's basic emotion can be easily detected through the left side... the face's left side. In other words, the right brain easily breaks out one's feelings.
Sakai Wataru: By the way. the right face is left brain's reasoning, language, and public face.
This drama continues where its prequel 磁石男 Jishaku Otoko left off, but it specifically tackles how important it is for people to accept their past so that they can move forward to their future.
Oba Sosuke, also known as Jishaku Otoko: A life that's tied to the past is a waste of time. You should move toward your future. Your own path should become your guide.
Anyway, I think it's frustrating that there has been many times that Oba Sosuke did not show up at Kohinata Shion's events even though he signed an exclusive contract with her company. What was that all about? If he wouldn't show up anyway, why did he bother to agree and make other people expect his presence?
For Shion's most important event, it seems that Sosuke couldn't make it because of an emergency but I don't understand why he can't call her to inform her of his situation. Why is it so hard to tell her that he can't make it so she could either cancel the event or find some way to fix things ahead of time?
In Jishaku Otoko, Shion is shown as having issues to deal with in her professional life, including being at odds with her younger colleague Kitajima Ayumi.
It seems as if Ayumi has a lot of problems with Shion such as the fact that she's still unmarried even though she's over 30 years old; and that she makes some mistakes at work and other people are willing to help Shion out instead of Shion fixing things on her own.
But I think Ayumi's issues has more to do with her own mindset and less to do with Shion's circumstances. Ayumi thinks Shion is trying to purposely act cute, and Shion is manipulating people to benefit her.
Kohinata Shion: Ah! I am not being spoiled by others, you know. This is affection...
Kohinata Shion: It makes you angry, right? Seeing something you can't do, can be done by others.
Kohinata Shion: Ayumi, why don't you do it, too? You are cute... Ah, you can't do it? Is your pride too high?
However, I think Shion is not expressly being cute, it just so happens that she is cute. Shion is the type of person who thinks positively; and she's also a nice person who likes being polite to others. I don't think there's anything wrong with how she lives her life, actually.
In addition, Shion is not really relying on other people on purpose, and it's not as if she's using other people to her own advantage. It just so happens that a lot of people are willing to help her out when she's in trouble, the same way that Shion is always reaching out a helping hand to other people.
Honestly, I think it's amazing that Shion has a lot of people on her side, and she must be a great person to have many people want to support her. Not a lot of people have the ability to rally others behind them, you know.
Related:
磁石男 Jishaku Otoko (2014)
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磁石男 Jishaku Otoko
