Nisennen no Koi (2000)

This is a somewhat old Japanese drama that managed to raise the interest but failed to impress.

I watch older Jdramas (1996-2002) from time to time and I usually enjoy them but this time around, I was a little displeased. Nisennen no Koi is listed under the genre “romance” and it’s indeed a romantic drama but that wasn’t exactly the main focus here. There was a promising chemistry that could have been better handled, there are some good romantic elements but everything took forever to happen and the exaggerated focus on side plots ruined many interesting events.

This also contains the “Spy” theme but as expected, it wasn’t very well executed either. At some point, the screenwriters went on circles repeating similar events that we all know what the outcome will be. That leads us to another negative point about the plot; almost everything was very predictable including the ending. And what makes the matter worse are the irritating side plots that serve for nothing except for the running time. Now, if I have to mention some good things about the screenwriting, I will solely give credit to the concept; the story as a whole was attention-grabbing but the execution ruined a potential great watch.

The acting was good enough. Takeshi is a films’ star but he made three dramas in his career and all of them were Japanese. Although I still believe that his acting is well-suited for the big screen and that he’s better off as a films’ star; I still loved to see him in a drama role and man does he sound so great speaking Japanese! His co-star Nakayama Miho is a good older J-actress that I like to see her around, romance dramas fit her acting on a great level.
The characters were likeable but they were too obvious if I may say. The male lead was a little better though because Mashiro (the female lead) was such a boring predictable character from any angle you look at her. The rest of the characters didn’t raise any interest except for the Saeki, the smart police officer but that little attention I gave to his character disappeared with time when I noticed that he became dumb.

This was made back in 2000 so don’t expect any dreamy cinematography; I know that many people dislike watching older dramas. The soundtrack, on the other hand, fulfilled its purpose in a good way.

Watch if:
-You like older dramas.
-You’re looking for a different type of romance.
-You like the main leads.

Do not watch if:
-You’re looking for gripping romance.
-You dislike older dramas.

Nisennen no Koi had great concept but the execution and the storytelling ruined any chances to make it remarkable or even memorable drama.

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This is not an easy drama, especially if the viewer is not used to the Japanese mentality. Some aspects can be quite difficult to understand or accept. Despite some imperfections, this is a drama that made a huge impression on me. In my opinion, there are more sensational spy threads than romantic, which is a big plus. But the biggest plus for me is the story of the heroes. It really touches the heart. I still think about the song from this drama. She is very beautiful.
My high notes are due to the fact that this is one of the few dramas that made a really big impression on me. I throw most of them out of my mind immediately after seeing them, but this one has entered my heart. The character played by Kaneshiro Takeshi is simply beautiful to me. I watched this drama twice. I'm just wondering if to watch it for the third time.

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