"Watashi wo Moratte": Koiji Hen (2024)

Note: I'm reviewing here both this "Watashi wo Moratte - Koiji Hen" AND its "prequel" aka "Tsuioku Hen", since they're basically the same series divided in two parts (I suppose due to the logistics of Japanese TV "seasons" consisting of 13 weeks each - whereas this series has 16 episodes as a whole, so they couldn't fit it in one season and therefore had to split it?)
Anyway, although romance ain't normally my cup of tea (and I tend to be particularly wary of the "CEO" tag, LOL), I can assure you that this is really, REALLY good! Shoujo at its best, seriously!
The script is very well done, with the perfect mix of romance, suspense and comedy (which helps keep everything lighter and more entertaining, as far as I'm concerned).
The leads are simply GREAT! Kudos to both of them! I must confess I didn't know Kubota-chan (her filmography is HUGE but apparently I had never seen any of it before) while I already knew and appreciated Maeda-kun (being a straight guy I tend to focus much more on actresses, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize acting talent in actors too, when I see it! And Maeda Goki, whom I had already noticed in "Edo-moiselle" and "Iyashi no Otonari-san..." surely has PLENTY of that!).
A pretty neat "packaging" (directing, editing, photography, OST) adds to the viewing pleasure.
So why am I not rating this a "perfect 10"? In short (and without spoilers), I found the ending a bit too fast-paced, and the villains a bit too caricatured for my taste. Anyway a solid 9/10, highly recommended!

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The perfect closure

I really liked the first part, and the second is a very good continuation.

Tbh at first I was bugged as why would they make two parts just to finish the story and now after finishing the 2 parts I don't think I'd manage to go through both of them as one drama without feeling bored.

Giving that I had some time between watching the first and the second part, i only had to rewatch the last ep of Tsuioku hen to remember everything about it which means it left some impact on my terrible goldfish memory.

I hated how many times Natsumi had her heart broken or saw her lover fades away, that was too much but again -and as in Tsuioku hen- the drama was light and didn't feel heavy at all, also -which surprised me a little- despite having a good closure and good end to the whole thing, it still got some loose ends, I can't seem to figure out why they ended it like that but I believe the drama has another sequel that would tie them up nicely, or at least i hope, although I'd be reluctant to watch it just to answer some question marks since the main story had a good and happy end so i don't know why would i watch any more of them, I already got my end.

So another sequel is probably not a great idea IMO.

That been said, I loved the two leads and enjoyed their interactions and good chemistry, the second part focus mainly on their relationship which is another reason to watch Koiji hen if you liked Tsuioku hen, aside from the closure we all needed.

Would I recommend it? Yes, absolutely, it's not the best but it's good enough.

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