Beijo da Morte (2018)

Todome no Kiss, when translated into English, reads ‘Kiss That Kills’ which makes a very interesting name for a drama. I was drawn to this dorama because a lot of drama fans were praising it. And the praise was surprisingly not for Kento (who is extremely popular with female fans) but the drama as a whole. I am not a big Kento fan so I would not have picked the drama had I not been intrigued by the plot. And once again a big thank you to all my drama-loving pals for recommending this terrific drama. I have lost count of how many times my jaw dropped to the floor while watching this gripping drama. There is absolutely NOTHING predictable about this drama. The actors too did a good job playing their parts but it was undoubtedly the script that was the actual hero of this dorama. Of course, Kento’s kisses and Mackenyu’s dreamy gaze came as additional perks. ????

Let’s weigh this totally unpredictable dorama on our drama beam balance and see what makes it such a huge hit amongst drama lovers.


Good Weights

I enjoyed watching Todome No Kiss because…

…the plot was highly engaging. Time travel is not my favourite concept and I have hardly watched any movies or dramas based on it. But after watching Todome No Kiss I feel like watching more time-travelling dramas. ???? Yes, frequent repetition of scenes would become a little tiresome but it was still interesting to see the same event occur differently. The suspense around the ‘kissing girl’ and her link to Otaro’s life will surprise you. Even the reason why she does what she does is nothing expected. The plot is very fresh and unique.

…the writing was crisp and the story concluded excellently. I specifically want to applaud the show’s conclusion because I have seen several dramas that add all kinds of diverse story arcs but do not give a reasonable ending. This drama knew exactly what to do with the arcs added. It started well and concluded even better. With all loose ends neatly tied up by the end, it has me content and happy.

…I was genuinely stunned by all the shock elements in the drama. I was at the edge of my seat (literally) throughout the drama. The drama is fast paced and leaves no room for a single dull moment. Even when scenarios were repeating it did not feel boring because of its different treatment.


Bad Weights

I did NOT LIKE Todome No Kiss because…

…the director keeps panning to left and right for dramatic effect. This is not really a bad weight and I am not reducing my ratings because of it but it was annoying to see the same camera movement after every alternate scene.

As you can see there is no bad weight on our drama beam-balance which shows how much I loved it. When you watch a drama like Todome No Kiss you also wish to be able to go back in time and correct your mistakes. However, the drama beautifully depicts the futility in attempting to change one’s past. Unlike a regular Japanese drama, Todome No Kiss is replete with kisses. It has all kinds of kisses from romantic to angsty to angry to desperate. However, this drama should not be watched for steamy scenes because there is a lot more to it than just the kisses. Also, the kisses may not appeal to everyone as the main leads appear to be in a lot of pain each time they kiss. So, do not watch it only for some intimate ‘action’.

I give Todome No Kiss 4.5 out of 5 rating. It is a well-written and terrifically executed dorama. You just cannot afford to miss this one.


Originally posted on AlphaGirlReviews.com.

Leia Mais

Just finished the drama and I have to say I think it is probably gonna end up being my favorite drama of this year.
Story:
The story is soooo unique. I love time travel dramas in general, but have never seen one even a bit similar to this one. The main character Otaro/Eight is a complex character, and is very manipulative. I love him, and sometimes I love to hate him; he is so intriguing throughout the whole drama, and the way his character develops and changes throughout the drama is amazing. With Otaro being such a unique main character I think you could suspect the romance isn't quite like other dramas. The romance is different and is not very lovey dovey, but it is still verrrry good, their chemistry is just amazing. I would have to say this story's focuses are mystery, manipulation, changing for the better, and lots and lots of twists (as to be expected in time travel dramas). Everything is so well crafted.... I just love it.

Acting/Cast:
The casting for this was just perfect, I think the actors did an amazing job.

Music:
I have no complaints with the music, and I loved the theme song. Just great music in general.

Rewatch Value:
I don't really rewatch dramas, however I do think I will probably rewatch this when I show this to my sister. I show her some random dramas I think are good, and I think this is definitely next on the list.

Overall:
Great drama, please watch it. You won't regret it!

Leia Mais

I don't really watch japanese drama but this one catched my eyes when I saw the plot, that was interesting but I watched it without expectations and I don't regret it!
When I watched it the first three episodes were good but not the best, and after this was just like a drug I couldn't stop watching it even though it wasn't perfect at all, but it was funny, and intense so I kept watching it.
Yamazaki Kento was really good, and this kind of characters suits him better so I wasn't disappointed, and all the cast was great, I especially liked the acting of Mackenyu, god this boy can really act.
I could definitely rewatch it, and I think this will be one of the best drama jdrama of 2018!

Leia Mais

A guilty pleasure (includes tw/cws)

There are many "yikes" moments in the writing yet this drama is creative and entertaining. I adored Saiko so much and wanted to see her get a happy ending. Otaro is a horrible person but incredibly charming and Saiko is so lovely but susceptible to manipulation :(( I found her very relatable. This drama is hard to explain/recommend because of the problematic content, but after 3 years since I watched it I still think about it all the time and would love to talk about it with someone/rewatch.

Important for people who haven't watched it yet, here are some content warnings!
- Non-consensual kissing (quite literally the main plot device)
- Homophobic representations of gay men (making the singular one homocidal); homophobic reactions to ideas of gay male relationships/men kissing; fetishization of lesbians (this one is debatable but it was immediately a red flag to me amidst this other stuff!!)
- Emotional manipulation and abuse
- Pseudo-incest (or straight-up incest depending on your personal definition. the feelings are between individuals who always knew they weren't blood related but were raised as adoptive siblings)

Leia Mais

I liked this drama because the main character (Ootaro) reminds me of my ex-boyfriend to be honest. (lol) Let me explain - he is an arrogant narcissist, semi-psychopath, very good looking and the female characters see the heart in him. He has a "dark past" of family drama and misfortune and a kind of crazy mother who comes to his house and cooks him dinner randomly but is generally struck by PTSD. Most of all he is a womanizer and the emotions he does express are generally lies to get what he wants. Basically a very flawed and a horrible person - so why did I want to keep watching this? It is entertaining, a kind of hilarious and strange concept weaving in time slips and murders and this really weird girl named Saiko, who is pretty awkward and sweet. It is a story that you wanna keep watching.

To be clear though, the ending left a lot to be desired - pretty trite way to end things but what can you expect? ... like they have to pull things together to end in this feel-good way. All in all, I think this is pretty entertaining.

Leia Mais

WATCH THIS DRAMA...LIKE NOW

I loved this so much. I loved everything about it. I loved the concept, the writing, and the twisty nature of the plot, I loved the characters, and how awful and awfully flawed and wonderful they were all the same time. I loved the acting - OMG, I loved the acting. All of the leads earned their paychecks in spades, but even the supporting cast were top-notch. First of all, Yamazaki Kento and Kadowaki Mugi were just flat-out BRILLIANT, but Mackenyu was a huge and welcome surprise. My perennial favorite Shison Jun never disappoints, and Suda Masaki......Suda Masaki, my word, he electrifies and just *possesses* every role he plays.
I am actually sad that I finished this, I need more from these characters and from this story - it deserves more than ten stars.

Leia Mais

PLOT: Very intriguing and keeps you thrilled, although these time travel concepts always make me feel a bit iffy too - it's hard to make/keep them "realistic" (they did quite a good job in this drama though). I also appreciated that being a host or homosexual was not portrayed as something special or weird, it's just there and treated as it is and that's a good thing! I just wished this drama had a better solution in the end; it was wrapped up nicely and provides a good message, but also left me with lots of questions (as it often happens with such concepts).
CHARACTERS: Not perfect and not romanticized and therefore, I really enjoyed them and was happy to see well done character devolopment. Sometimes the acting seemed a bit over the top, but then again, it was actually so good that I really felt for the characters (especially Saiko #protec).
SCENERY / MUSIC: Nothing too outstanding in the cinematography itself (the fight scenes LOL), but I reeaaallly liked the music in here. Suda Masaki's voice especially <3

Would recommend to someone who: likes mystery elements and needs something to binge watch | is interested in time travelling and the correlation between greed, happiness and redemption | enjoys sexy times haha

Leia Mais

This review/opinion may have no structure, as I'm writing this on the emotional high of having completed it. Furthermore, this may contain minor spoilers.
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The story isn't something epic. we've all seen it. the revenge plot, the greed plot, the "bad guy" who doesn't believe in love turning good after falling for the innocent, pure, slightly awkward girl. all these concepts and themes are cliches. what wins here is the storytelling. the JAPANESE STORYTELLING.

Even though I knew Eight will fall for Saiko, even though I knew that they, together, have god-like power to 'turn back time', still each episode had so many twists and turns, they kept me on edge of my seat.

I couldn't drop the drama until I completed from the very first episode. It's VERY gripping. and that too goes to the power of storytelling.

I believe that cliches can never be avoided. they are part of stories, and they'll forever remain so. what makes an okay story, great is HOW you tell those cliches to your audience. I think this show did a pretty decent job at it.

Though, I do have criticism. I didn't like how Namaki was just the love (or precisely 10B) interest. She had no depth to her character and was at times very dumb, just casually revealing every important information to her adopted brother. it really became irritating after a certain point.

Also, the ending episode was underwhelming. They wasted too much time and then tied all the loose threads very conveniently and quickly.

I wanted Kento's character to go through more emotional scenes and actually become a nice guy totally, but i think writers wanted to show that humans cant change that quickly, so i wont complain.

In all, I think it was a great watch for just 10 episodes. Would recommend!

Leia Mais

[WARNING: the rating and review I give have the possibility to be subjective due to my preference for the genres, scenes or casts]

TOO MUCH KISS!!! (^o^)

Finally I finished this. Honestly, in the beginning I'm a little bit lazy to watch because for me it's kinda absurd and I don't really like Yamaken being kissed forcely XD But, my bestfriends convinced me to watch until the end and I'm glad I listen to them.

The early episodes quite bored me, because for me Otaro is totally jerky-ass, but when the secrets and conflicts appear, when all their connections reveal, I enjoyed it. I love how Saiko slowly take Otaro to the right path (^_^) I have an early theory about Suda Masaki is Kouta, but I'm wrong XD I never imagine that role of Suda.

And even I prefer the totally happy ending, but I love this kind of ending too ... happy-sad ending (^_^)

Leia Mais