Uma Garota e Seus Três Amores (2016)

Icicle, cohabitation, hate to love, bickering, opposites, friendship, family and everything nice

Yes this is yet another cliche fest of pretty much all my favourite tropes except for maybe amnesia as we get to watch miss
hard working and bubbly meets hard working icicle just the way I like it on screen, but not in real life.

The food, cakes, people and scenery are all gorgeous. There are a few characters including the female lea that are a little bit over the top in their gestures and acting, but it stopped bothering as the story progressed and I fell in love with them instead. The female leads best friend is pretty much there to cheer her friend on in to getting it on with pretty much anyone. Their conversations lead to misunderstandings and bothered me at first too. However at one point it became a thing and they upped it up a notch making me curious about what the friend would be doing the next time she appeared instead of annoyd.

Our male lead is soooo coool, dude completely lacks verbal communication skills yet is fluent in insults and silent affection and scenery spotting. As well as has this look that will melt the people around him while keeping him frozen no matter what he does he manages to stay coool. While the female lead has a way of staying awkward and warm. A true show of opposites attract.

There is a whole lot of love geometry, of the highly predictable type there not only to prolong the story but also to make sure the viewers know stuff about the characters.

I also loved the way they talked about a family, brotherhood and other stuff... And while I did get mad at a few of the characters I appreciated both loving and hating them. When you watch this I am sure you will understand what I mean, but to not risk spoiling the plot Ill leave it at that.

This is definitely an easy binge that will captivate the cliche lover from start to finish, as for those of you who are in this looking for some kind of gore or action after seeing Yamazaki Kento in Imawa no Kuni no Alice you will not get it here. But damn the boys character is sooooo much better in this than he ever was in that,

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Not that bad, but it could have been better

I enjoyed this drama at the beginning. I even thought this will be in one of my fave dramas list. But in the latter part, some scenes just don't make sense.

The part of the old man who wants to buy the restaurant doesn't make sense. In the beginning, he was there to show the love and conflict between the brothers/family but at the end, his role just didn't make sense.

The acting of ML at the end is a bit forced. Maybe he's just not used to act romantically in front of the camera, as his acting was ok in the prior scenes. I had also watched him in Alice in Borderland and he's also good in it.

Overall, it's not that bad, but it could have been better.

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I prefer korean drama, but after watching Empress Ki  (51 episodes, storical), I needed something sweet and easy..
I loved this dorama, it he cheered me up.. now talking about each characters:

? Misaki, I just loved her..!!
? Chiaki, he is the perfect guy..maybe too much for me.. anyway he was  cute
? Kanata, well I wanted to beat him all the time, how could he behave that unpleasant  way.. anyway I just fell in love with him .. eheh..
?Touma, the best of this story, I just loved his funny way of being.

I found some points useless, for example, the villain I found It out of Place and boring.
The landscapes were stunning, I love Japan  more and more  ...!!
I love the main song, really catchy ..

I give this dorama 10 points because  it made my heart flutter......

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With a picturesque town by the ocean as backdrop, this romantic comedy delivered a breezy watch with its tried and true story. I appreciate aesthetics as much as story in dramas and the cinematography perfectly captures life by the ocean and elevates the look and feel of the show.

As a fan of cold male, bubbly female trope, I found the pairing of Misaki (Kiritani Mirei) and Kanata (perfectly sun-kissed Yamazaki Kento) captivating. From the get-go, they have crackling chemistry and their bickering banter was one of my favorite parts of the show.

I have read criticism of Kanata's personality but I did not find it off putting. As an established chef at his family restaurant, he is focused, hard-working, and holds a no nonsense attitude. And into this world comes an outsider whom at first glance appears shallow, so I couldn't fault him for not being as welcoming as his brothers towards Misaki.

After the initial misunderstanding between them, he unexpectedly becames a friend and confidant to Misaki, albeit grudgingly. As they work together in the kitchen, spending days and nights creating dishes aiming to complement each other, it quickly becomes clear that he is the sort of man who shows affection with actions rather than words; the kind of person that is honest and would be there for you when you needed them the most. I loved watching his gradual shift from annoyance to growing attraction to thoughtful consideration of Misaki, all the while, never changing who he is. I was completely enthralled by those silent, smoldering looks he gives her!

Some may find Misaki's character unflattering and I'll admit I felt the same way at first. She is naive and her conduct is embarrassing. But you've got to understand that she is also a struggling pastry chef wishing for universal things in life, like a thriving career and love life. I merely felt her execution needed some work. We see she has what it takes soon after her arrival at the restaurant though, as she shows her strength by standing up to Kanata. Her determination to create the perfect pastry and the tenacity to not give up until she has accomplished that goal makes Kanata see her in a new light. He realizes her work isn't perfunctory, but rather, she loves her profession and is devoted to it. I found her enthusiasm for new things and love of cakes (me too!) endearing. I get a good laugh every time she adorably exclaims in excitement about something, only to be met with a silent stare from Kanata. Her character really shines at the juncture where Kanata faces an existential crisis as the family as he knows it appears to no longer exist. It is Misaki who patiently waits and draws Kanata out, to serve as the connector to bring the brothers back together.

Viewers may have been frustrated with the last arc of the story, and although I didn't agree with Kanata's approach, I understood nonetheless. We see earlier how he deals with the unexpected dilemma of his biological mother. Disregarding his feelings, he helps her without asking for anything in return. That shows character and maturity. I believe he thought the same way about looking out for Misaki's future. That said, I did want to knock some sense into him so I was relieved when he finally acts on his feelings this time to chase after Misaki.

As you can probably tell from my review, I have a lot of love for this drama and think it deserves a better rating than it currently has. Conventional it may be, but also refreshing; a true hidden gem with misunderstood characters. And the idyllic setting had me feeling nostalgic for summer. So don't mind the negative reviews and see for yourself!

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I don't exactly know why, but i enjoyed this drama sooo much ! I really found myself totally falling in love with each characters and especially the lead couple.
I always liked the pairing of a tsundere boy and a cheerful girl, which is a total classic among dramas and amines, and in this show, i thought that it was exceptionally well made and balanced.
It's actually quite rare for me to not get annoyed by this kind of storyline after a while (even though i like the concept) , but with this drama , i was completely hooked up until the end.
The plot is not the most thrilling one and is pretty mainstream, but what gave this amazingly sweet feeling to the show was, at least for me , the acting.
Yamazaki Kento, in additon to be really hot (^_^) , really fitted the character and made it a perfect tsundere (an actor to watch out for in my opinion) ; meanwhile Kiritani Mirei managed to keep her character of cheerful and determined girl (who can actually get very annoying after a few episodes) interesting and entertaining. Miura Shohei is already a well know japanese actor and even though i don't think it was his best role, he still did pretty good.

To conclude, i would say that this drama was really addictive to me mainly thanks to the sweet and heartwarming romance that the actors managed to keep refreshing despite an ordinary storyline , so i totally recommend it !!

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Miss Kawai & Mr Prickly

To my great surprise, this drama manages to tread the fine line between cute and annoying, finding the perfect amount of sugar without it becoming diabetes inducing.

Well, I thought this was a fairly recent drama. I picked it up on the feeds and never really bothered to notice the year. I also think there is a drama with a similar poster actually released this year. Towards the end of the drama, I decided to look up the actors and while reading their bios, i realized that it was six years old.

(On the unrelated matter pertaining to the private: why is the main actress not working any more? Ever since she started dating & married one of the actors from this drama, she disappeared from the public view. I wonder why? It sounds odd!)

Back to the drama! The story is rather simple: a girl who makes cakes is offered a job in a restaurant run by three brothers. Initially she accepts it since she's had a crush on the eldest brother since forever but clashes from the first minute with the second brother. Basically it is enemies to lovers story.

The FL is a cute idiot on the surface, jumping around like a 3 yr old, squealing and generally behaving like a silly girl) but surprisingly has bouts of lucidity when her good sense and courage come out and she faces her problems directly. And though often she behaves as if she is completely unaware of other people's feelings (confiding in a brother who obviously likes her, that she has a crush on another brother - that seems very insensitive!) she is quick to mend the damages she causes! She is a perfect balance between cute and annoying, never too much of either which makes her highly likable and watchable! You just have to be brave and watch the first episode without dropping the drama. It is worth it.

The three brothers are clichés: the eldest is the responsible one, the middle a talented one and the youngest a rebellious one. In contact with the girl, they change. The responsible brother finds a bit of joie de vivre. The talented one loses some of his thorns and the rebellious one grows up.

The main couple spends a lot of time literally running from one place to another. Apparently there are no means of transportation in this town! LOL

There are some interesting side characters: the best friend who is always surrounded by crowds when she talks to FL (running gag!), the stunning ex and the weird gangster looking guy trying to buy (?) the restaurant. There are no negative characters: on the outside they might seem evil and bad but they are just life weary!

It is a very wholesome cute and kind drama, fluffy and easy to watch, full of tropes sprinkled judiciously throughout. But then they let all caution out the window and went for the most annoying tropes ever in the lest episode: noble idiocy and an airport reunion.

So if you are looking for some limited cute and a little annoying fluffy drama, look no more!

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Running instead of communication

They never communicate. Half of the show is people running. The drama is mostly unnecessary or exaggerated. It might be cute, but there is a substantial lack of depth. If stripped down to the essential scenes, with the unnecessary stuff cut out, without overediting (mostly flashbacks, slomos and shots with too much pathos), and if the hardship of the characters were to be taken more seriously and they would actually talk to each other, this show would truly be very refreshing and heartwarming. It's deeply disappointing how a decent premise can turn into superficial fluff. If Kanata and Misaki would've talked things through after Kanata's confession, this might have been a 7+ star show...

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Although the acting is definitely mediocre, the story balances the romance (which was what brought most of us to this series in the first place) and it's other important plot points: Sea Sons, Chiaki's relationship with Kaede, Touma's personal battles, and Kanata's situation (revealed in around the somewhat climax of the story) along with Misaki and Kanata's cooking adventures.

For the first time in quite a while, this series has kept me eager to watch the next episode not only for the romantic drama. Whilst keeping me interested with the plot, it also provides beautiful scenery and places of Enoshima, Onomichi, etc. etc. that certainly prompt me to visit, and food that makes my stomach grumble (I want to try Kanata's omelette burger so bad!). Let's not forget the infamous seaside in which nearly the entire cast has had a dramatic sprint through.

Though this is only a comment, I disliked how they handled Kanata's character. It is very commonplace for the romantic hero to be cold-hearted and mysterious, but they usually experience some sort of character development. And whenever he DOES show his brooding soft side and kind heart, he ruins it later on by calling our heroine names. Kanata made it a routine to push Misaki away and degrade her to no end without explanation, only to make up for it at the very last minute when she decides to step up. This routine does not change, nor was it ever explained why his rude and apathetic personality came to surface in the first place, even if it turned out to be self-explanatory. Yes, deep down he is not as tough shelled as he is, but how he decides to handle certain situations is really annoying. As Chiaki says, "you're an idiot."

Also what was the villain's purpose in the first place? There was no proper conclusion of what he was going to do and just ended with him threatening Kanata. Like...uh, okay?

On the other hand, Chiaki was a very fill in the blanks stereotype character. The most basic person to ever fall in love with, and his actor practically plays all male leads who have bad timings. ;)

Touma was my favourite character! He's just so lovable and although definitely a background character, he made the series much more upbeat and lively with his antics with Misaki. Oh, and the couple who own the other restaurant follows that same step. They're so cute.

Yet, in the end, I am still glad how the show was concluded. Although it was very much expected (and ended so much like how it does in old American romance films) it was very refreshing. Plus the music was really catchy kek.

All in all, a great series!

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I won't bury the lead. This is a cute, binge-able, perfect for a weekend in when you're looking for that rom-com (with a dash of family heart and soul) drama fix. I highly recommend.

On to the full review.

The female lead starts off somewhat silly in episode one, but she quickly grows and improves as the story goes along. Whenever she finds herself faced with a challenge, she puts her all into facing and overcoming it. The male lead makes the perfect, prickly but with hidden depth, love-interest who starts off antagonistic but very quickly begins to develop feelings for the female lead and a genuine respect for her talent. And of course, the younger and older brother are each great characters in their own right and watching the four of them around the house and running the restaurant is heart-warming.

I'm not actually bothered by the female lead going away to New York to study in the finale as I tink it makes sense for her character arc. But I am disgruntled by the male lead pretending he doesn't like her anymore and he wants to replace her at the restaurant just so he can ensure she will go. There was no reason for him to not just sit down and have a conversation with her about the opportunity. She's not gonna be gone forever, and as ends up happening anyway, they can do long-distance while she's gone. He doesn't give her the opportunity to truly decide for herself, which isn't fair. That being said, his decision doesn't significantly harm the overall drama for me, so I can overlook it.

The only aspect of this series that I think is completely unnecessary is the plotline involving the 'gangster' (I assume that's what he was meant to be) trying to bully the three brothers into selling the restaurant. It is a worthless plotline that ultimately goes nowhere and serves no purpose in the story. It's easy to ignore, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.

The thing that really struck me though, while watching this drama, was how consistent the storytelling was. As I thought about it, I realized that that's what I love about Japanese dramas (at least the ones I've watched so far); their consistency. The events of the story always feel planned out rather than random, and even if I don't like the trajectory of the drama or the behavior of the characters, I never find myself enraged by a writing choice that came out of left field. (Of course, now that I've said this, I'll probably start stumbling upon Jdrama after Jdrama where this is not the case, lol.) For years, Kdrama was my drama land of choice, and I can unequivocally say that consistency is not necessarily common in that realm of the drama world. I cannot count the number of times I've been watching a drama and found myself wanting to flip tables, because the writer decided to throw a wrench into the story for the sole purpose of drama and conflict. It's been refreshing, now that I've fully stepped into the Jdrama world, to experience such consistent...consistency, lol.

So, yes. This was a thoroughly enjoyable watch. It made me laugh, it made me shed a few tears, it made me binge-watch it in one weekend, and that...is a pretty good drama by my standards.

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