Shanai Marriage Honey (2020)

It's a good example of a fluffy "forced cohabitation"/suddenly married drama.

I enjoyed the slice of life feel of the episodes and the music conveying its fluffy character.

Because the female lead is the main point of view character and her thoughts are revealed in the narration the story seems a bit imbalaced towards her while the male lead's motivations remain a bit more obscure.

Overall it gives off a feel good vibe that is cemented by the attractiveness of the leads. By giving a glimpse into their married life the drama makes one wish them happiness but it does not make one so overinvested that one leaves unsatisfied.

Leia Mais

Short, racy, & super sweet

This is not for everyone. If you compared dramas to food this would probably be in the junk food category. Junk food has no nutritional value and there are better choices out there, but you can’t help but gobble it up because it’s so tasty. And this drama is just like that. It has no value in that the story isn’t very deep, and there’s certainly a lot of higher rated dramas out there. But you can’t help watching this whole drama in one evening because it’s so sweet and endearing. It’s basically a very toned down version of “50 Shades of Gray.” There’s lots of kissing, skinship, and racy bedroom scenes. It reminds me a lot of “Coffee and Vanilla.”

This drama is a straight forward slice of life story about two people that, because of some unusual circumstances, end up getting married without even knowing each other. There’s not a lot of angst, the reasons for their suddenly deciding to marry a stranger wasn’t very believable, and there’s not a lot to the story. So why is it getting such good ratings? Because after watching so many dramas where you have to watch three fourths of the drama before the couple confesses or gets together, you can’t help but get excited when a drama jumps right into some pretty intense skinship on the very first episode. It’s kind of refreshing to see a drama that boldly shows the affection between a couple right away without teasing us for dozens of episodes.

What is so appealing about this drama is the unique storyline that goes somewhat backwards. They start with marriage, then they flirt and fall in love, then they get to know each other, and work through their misunderstandings. It’s very unusual that events are in such a weird order, but it works. It’s also pretty cute how the male lead likes to tease the female lead. Even though he’s crazy about her from the start, he holds back from telling her because he loves it when she acts cute and tries to seduce him. Both leads are very attractive and their chemistry is on fire. This is definitely much racier than your typical Asian drama.

Overall, if you turn off your brain, don’t think too much, and just sit back and enjoy yourself I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s just a very short, light, fluffy slice of life drama that gets pretty racy right away. But, like I said, it’s not for everyone. If you like deep dramas, dramas with a lot of action, or lengthy dramas, this is definitely not your cup of tea. But if you’re looking for a quick cute little drama that’s light and sweet after watching a deep melodrama that tied you up in knots, then this is perfect. And that’s probably what I’ll use it for. It’s nice to have something super sweet, yet short and easy to watch after a really angsty emotionally draining drama.

Leia Mais

It's super cute sweet short and chemistry between the leads is awesome!

When I started watching this I did not had much expectations but let me tell you guys... It was sook good... It's like I needed something which I can watch and feel good and pass my time too and this was the perfect drama.

The chemistry between the main leads is soo good that you'll never lose interest... Sad thing is that it just has few episodes but those who likes to watch short drama it's perfect for them.

And yes the ost of this drama ... Opening song? I guess .... Oh my god they all look so cute and I did not expect them to dance so good😂 I mean but everyone were dancing so good in the song ....

And because of the ml I got to know about m!lk the band in which he was!!

I can just say that you'll not stop smiling while watching this drama.... ✌️😌

Leia Mais

Ah, what a feel-good series!

After reading the comments and reviews, I was expecting a lot of fluff, and that is exactly what this show delivered. This is truly a show with lots of heart, romance, and on-point comedy, one that is guaranteed to make you smile and cheer at least once.

It is a simple love story, almost entirely focused on the OTP. Where the show excels is with its romance and phenomenal chemistry between its two leads. Both Matsui Airi and Itagaki Mizuki are great in their roles, and I can really feel the warmth they have on-screen together. They are so cute together that I would watch this show just for the couple's interactions. Yes, I did cringe a lot but in a good way.

I like that the ML and FL are both mutually attracted at the same time even though Manatsu-san acts all cool and detached initially, and I enjoyed watching the flirty teasing, cute jealousy, and growing love between them. The almost immediate racy skinship is a plus for me since it is rare in most Asian dramas. What I truly appreciate is the emphasis on open communication in a relationship and how the couple values honesty and respect between each other.

Despite the fluff and the short length, the show is well-executed, and everything is tied up nicely in the end. The starting song is fun to listen to and lends the same tone of optimism and positivity that is infused throughout the show. I have to admit that I kept waiting for something melodramatic to happen since the show would tease the audience with hints of potential rifts or serious issues. Fortunately, matters and misunderstandings are cleared up quickly, and the serious moments would transition into sexy ones.

The cast is a bunch of good-looking actors, and if nothing else, no matter who you look at - either Ami-chan, Manatsu-san, or the other characters, the visuals are pleasing.

Leia Mais

Cute, but inconsequential

This drama goes down easy. It's cheerful and inoffensive. The leads are bubbly and good looking and pleasant. Having said that, there is little genuine emotion, no character development, little reason to form any particular attachment to the characters. This drama is pleasant enough to watch, but artificial, contrived, and entirely forgettable. It's worth watching when you want something brainless and simple. The poo music is irritating, the rewatch value is nil. The actors are constantly flashing enormous, fake looking smiles, which are a bit off-putting.

Leia Mais

Short but Cute Romance

I just finished it in a day, it was short but beautiful one, after the Korean and Chinese dramas it was my first Japanese drama. To be honest I don't like Japanese drama that much but this was really good. what a cute, sweet romantic short series, I really enjoy each and every episode both ML and FL was literally a perfect soulmate.
Their chemistry was mind blowing, they really look good together, their smile, the way he teased her was really good and the way he react. I laughed a lot and enjoyed this series.

I agree the way their marriage started is not real (which is a negative marking of the series), but the way they showed a newly married couple, I liked that, all the romance, slowly knowing each other, starting to understand each other and all the stuff newly married do. If you like to watch the life of a newlywed couple or if you want to watch a romantic movie or something, It's really a size of a movie, then go for it. Happy watching.

Overall I would definitely recommend you this show. It does not 100% show couple love only but more towards a happy family love. I really love it.

Leia Mais

Fun And Enjoyable

Great story and very different. The story about 2 people that meet and get married the same day. They show how they conquer each other hearts and fall in love. How they survive, understand, communicate to make their marriage last. The characters in this drama are so cute. Both lead characters make this drama, especially when they smile at each other. The chemistry between the lead characters are perfect to make you believe in their characters. The actors performance is great. I like how the writer stay in one subject with no other conflict then what we have in an everyday week as newlyweds. It will put a smile on your face and you will enjoy it.

Leia Mais

Feel Good Romance in a Class by Itself!

My first J drama has set the bar INCREDIBLY high and is right up there with my gold standard Hello Again! The writers have concocted a clever story with two extremely likable, attractive leads who start off with a happy beginning and elevate their romance to the happiest of endings. They're a couple of good hearted young people who find themselves in a hasty marriage and then start to fall in love with each other. It's just popcorn bubble gum sweet to watch their flirtations as their feelings deepen as much through their thoughts as their dialogue.

Everyone in the drama is as happy for their newlywed bliss as we in the audience are. His ex, their families, and their co workers all support their surprise marriage. There's no jealousy or resentment about how they tried to keep the relationship a secret or she's not good enough for someone's precious son. Every mini conflict results in a harmonious resolution and cementing their bond even further.

She sets out to "conquer" his heart and they're soon declaring their love and quickly behaving comfortably enough with each other to become physically intimate by the second episode! The skinship only picks up from there as the close-ups, kind words, and lovemaking will melt your heart as they get to know each other as husband and wife. The scene when she meets his mother is beyond cute and touching.

I'm surprised that Marriage Honey is only my first J drama as I lived in Japan for three years in the 90s and still love the sound of the language and Japanese movies. Now living in China I've sought out dramas in Mandarin, especially those from Taiwan, which bears some cultural similarities to Japan. Marriage Honey exemplifies the Japanese ethos of preserving harmony so I'm not surprised at how perfectly romantic this drama is and how captivated I was by every episode.

Leia Mais

Great chemistry, but a silly plot

Warning, DETAILED SPOILERS!! My review is basically an essay, so the TL;DR is that the lead actor and actress have great chemistry, but there are endless problems with the plot.

This drama had great chemistry between the lead actor and actress, which largely went to waste because one can’t help but be distracted by the silliness of the plot. I’ve seen my fair share of contract marriage dramas because I’m a sucker for this cliché, but never have I seen one which so egregiously fails to justify the reason for the parties entering into the contract marriage. For the lead girl, her “reason” for entering into the marriage is that she’s just come out of a 5 year relationship, with the guy cheating on her, and she just wants to get married and doesn’t care whether or not the marriage is loveless. Uh…what?? That makes absolutely no sense. With no real incentive e.g. financial, it’s completely illogical for someone who has just come out of a long-term relationship to go, ‘oh yes, let me get married to a stranger!’ For the lead guy, his “reason” is that his mum had recurrent breast cancer and he knows she doesn’t want to see him alone. And yet, despite him supposedly marrying to please his mum, she doesn’t even meet the wife until they’re well into their marriage. Oh, and of course, isn’t it oh so convenient that the “recurrent” breast cancer resolves itself, so that his mum is now perfectly fine!

So we’ve already got this ridiculous setup, but to make the plot even more egregious, we’re meant to believe that these strangers married without knowing anything about each other, not even where they work. Simply out of concern for your safety, as if you’d do that! But again, conveniently for the plot, they work at the same company and run into each other regularly at work once they’re married. Funny that, given they never ran into each other before marrying.

Now to dissect the idiocy in some serious detail…the pacing of this drama is ridiculous. We’re only half-way through Episode 1 (24 minute episodes mind you), and the lead girl's already fallen for the guy, with no time jump or anything involved. Also within the first episode, they’re flirting and kissing. The flirting and kissing was so ridiculous in its suddenness, that at first I thought the lead girl was fantasising but alas, despite them not even really knowing each other, I was wrong! There’s also straight-up plot holes, like the fact that in Episode 2 they both say ‘I love you’ (again, they hardly know each other), but then when the lead guy says ‘I love you’ again to the girl in Episode 3, she’s really surprised by it. Another plot hole in my opinion is that in Episode 6 we find out that the lead guy wants kids, even though we also found out that before his contract marriage, he never even wanted to get married. That hardly adds up.

There’s so many more examples of lazy writing. The girl repeatedly calls the guy a sadist, and he repeatedly calls her crafty and says she’s cute. Like, could you vary the dialogue a bit please? Then there’s the whole silly justification for keeping the marriage secret (he “missed the timing” to tell people, and “when my wife is trying to keep it a secret her reactions are cute” - Episode 4) which doesn't add up because it's so nonsensical and childish.

I also can’t help but be disappointed by the female lead. I’m not sure whether this is worth mentioning since it’s omnipresent in jdramas and films and it’s pretty scathing commentary, but we yet again have on our hands a boring, one-dimensional female lead. While the lead guy is (only naturally) a leader in his field, being at the top of sales every month, our main girl is thoroughly mediocre at work and at the end of the day, like all good Japanese women in jdramas, is above all else happy when she can please her man by acting like a good housewife. You know, despite her also working full-time…While she’s super-duper impressed by her husband cooking one meal (that apparently makes him the perfect husband), we see her frequently cooking up impressive meals for him. But not only that, when her husband’s friend comes over to their place, she’s over the moon about being able to impress him (and thereby her husband) with her cooking skills. As she says, ‘I’ve always longed for this’. Wow, isn’t that just fabulous, a woman longing to impress her future husband by feeding his friend. And if you think I’m being too harsh, think about how ridiculous you would find this scenario if the genders were reversed.

I’ve honed in on all of the bad things with this show deliberately, because I think it has an inflated rating on MDL and others have covered the good things already. However, I should briefly mention the good things. I absolutely love the chemistry and sensuality in the relationship, and love that they regularly have sex, like a normal couple does! I also love that the girl wants it just as much as the guy, even if he’s the initiator. I think it's great that their relationship is healthy, even with all of the plot holes. The show is sweet, with no over-the-top conflict. It's also the perfect length, great for a binge watch. While I was frustrated the whole time I was watching it, there’s something addictive about it (I’d say because of the leads’ chemistry).

So if you’re someone who just wants good chemistry between the leads and don’t care too much about a well-constructed plot, I’d say go ahead and watch! Otherwise, I’d say go into it without any serious expectations.

Leia Mais

A cute funny romance. Worth the watch

really enjoy this drama. The main cast had great chemistry in which made it fun. It was a storyline about ML wanting to get married as soon as possible in order to put his mom as ease.(she had breast ca). FL just broke up with BF of 5yr since he cheated and needed to get over him when an app on her phone popped up and showed her his add. So they meet and find each other cute and agree to marriage and he buys a house so it looks real and she moves into her own bedroom. At the beginning it was awkward, but soon they each found ways to learn about the other. Then one day they meet at work by accident and agree not to tell anyone at first.. The more she was cute he'd fall more in love, but he would play and tell her not to coddle with anyone but him. Since she was a little nieve and saw the best she never realized when the guys at work talked to her they really wanted to ask her out.
They meet each others families and all is good except her mom kept comparing him to her ex. Which is wrong, but it was funny. Then she looses her ring and goes a little nuts about it, but he tries to wave it over. Continue watching for the end
The whole drama 7 episodes 25min each well worth the watch it was a cute, sweet and loving drama and a few Hotties. Lately really enjoying Japanese drama/movie👍🏻

Leia Mais