Not sure if Japanese drama will be a staple fare moving forward. But it might just be. Oppa's been telling me about these cute J dramas/stories he sees online. And he's happy because they're short (20 minutes per episode) and they have very few episodes (8 for this one). It's just like watching a movie. And when life gets too busy, short dramas like this are easier to consume. We finished this in two days. :)
Plot
Teasing Master Takagi-san tells the story of two classmates, Takagi-san (Rui Tsukishima) and Nishikata (Soya Kurokawa). The two are very good friends and they're very close. Takagi-san loves teasing Nishikata, while the latter is in an endless quest to beat the former in the teasing game. They obviously like each other but being in a very awkward stage in their teenage lives, the two are caught up in an endless guessing game. Takagi-san thinks Nishikata doesn't like her because he never reciprocates her feelings. On the other hand, Nishikata thinks Takagi-san is just fooling around and is merely teasing him to make him believe/mislead him that she likes him. The story takes us through the pranks and the highs and lows of Takagi-san and Nishikata's friendship as it blossoms into something deeper and more meaningful.
Takagi-san and Nishikata
Rui Tsukishima has a very, very lovely smile. And that makes her super lovable as Takagi-san. Oppa even wondered if her face didn't hurt from all that smiling.
But apart from that physical cuteness, Takagi-san is adorable because of her great character. Yes, she teases Nishikata non-stop - that sneaky arm duel so she can hold his hands, pretending to read from a book when she was actually using her own words to express her feelings, sharing an earphone with him, pretending to be sick so he will touch her forehead, leaving her umbrella despite the weather forecast so they can share one umbrella, among others. But was she really teasing? I often found Takagi-san straightforward and I guess the teasing was a coping mechanism to protect her in case Nishikata rejects her.
But nobody's perfect. Her biggest flaw for me was when she didn't tell Nishikata first about her family's relocation.
Soya Kurokawa was perfect as Nishikata. He often looked so pitiful that you might mistake it for him being dumb, weak, gullible, and wimpy. But he can actually be funny too (can be over the top at times though). And you can never doubt how much he cares for Takagi-san. And you can't really blame him for refusing to believe that she actually liked him with all the pranks she's pulled on him.
Execution
What makes this show very relatable is how ordinary everyone seems to be. The actors don't look made up at all. Oppa also appreciated the underacting. And the sceneries were very pretty too - the sea, the mountains, everything. Imagine going to a school that's overlooking the sea.
And of course, this drama is a joy to watch because it makes us revisit the joys of having young love. How clueless some guys can be. The fear of rejection that makes you hold back on confessing, which can cause conflicts because it can make the other party feel unwanted. And this leaves everyone guessing whether or not there is something there.
This show also gives us a sneak peek into different Japanese traditions - getting fortunes on New Year's day, girls giving chocolates to boys on Valentine's day, and guys confessing their feelings by giving the second button of their coats to girls they like before graduation. AI was so very helpful in explaining these different stuff to me.
The storyline about Takagi-san's family moving to another country was a sad but very realistic thing that people their age face. I cried a lot because it reminded me of moments when I had friends who migrated in the middle of the school year. While it may seem shallow to adults, the very fragile hearts of teens find situations like this very painful. It didn't help that Takagi-san chose to hide it from Nishikata, who was probably the last to know. It was odd that their teacher had to explain that that probably meant Takagi-san liked him.
Proof of how heartbreaking it was for Nishikata was when he told Takagi-san that he'd rather that she tease him forever, as long as it meant that she would stay. But I guess he also needed that push to give him the courage to finally confess his feelings for Takagi-san, even at the risk of being rejected. Giving her the second button of his coat was a very, very sweet gesture on his part.
It was nice that Nishikata got a bit of respite when Takagi-san's departure was delayed. Although I'm not sure if that just made things worse for him because she did leave eventually. But I guess he would have been happy with even just the shortest extension of their time together.
Now I'm looking forward to see the movie, to find out if there will be a happy ending for them. :)
Oppa says...5.
Noona says...4.8.