Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
At what cost are you willing to harm yourself, to be loved?
This review will have a lot of spoilers and personal reflections.
Yuki is a college student with a very sad past. Coming from a broken home, where no one has loved and protected her (in that sense and in many others I see myself very much reflected in her). So she has had to learn to take care of herself and protect herself. Her past has left her traumatized, so she has closed her heart so that no one will hurt her and also because she believes that she cannot live a normal life like other girls. However, despite working as a rental girlfriend, she is very intelligent, knowledgeable, cunning and wise. Her tough personality may make it seem like she is a bad person but that is not the case, she takes great care of her friend Rina, advises her and protects her. She is also realistic and sincere and she knows how to read other people very well.
Rina is a very kind and good girl but she lacks self-love, no matter how beautiful she is, she does not see herself that way, and her loneliness and emotional attachment to men makes her have relationships with older men to satisfy her emotional emptiness. It is incredible to see her evolve, to see her take another path, modeling, I left that world and her analyzed herself and realized that depending on other emotional people has not gotten her anywhere. That she has to find her own happiness for herself.
Here we get into the most fucked up part. Personally, I have never liked hosts, I consider them bad people, who take advantage of girls who are not mentally well so that they spend all their money, sometimes on lies like "you are the only one" and "the most special to me."Clearly this is a lie, and it is clearly demonstrated in this drama, but it is a reality that happens a lot. Clearly a person who is mentally well would not believe it but the girls who go to this place are not, so they believe it. When they run out of money, they start prostitution and it's a never-ending cycle. So the hosts don't give a shit about what happens to you, how you feel or what you do to get the money. They only see you as an ATM to indulge in their own luxuries.
With that said, let's move on to Moe. At first Moe does not believe in love and she has many self-esteem problems, because she does not consider herself beautiful like the others, but rather a disposable woman. So when she meets Yua (damn the time she met this girl) she reluctantly goes to a host. At first she doesn't feel comfortable until she meets Kaede (I mean he's not that bad even he cares that Moe doesn't do weird things to make money) and starts to fall in love. Obviously Kaede is becoming more popular and the money she has to invest to be with him is becoming higher, she can't afford the money with her job, so she invests money from her scholarship but it is still not enough. So she abandons university, her old job and starts prostitution to earn money, after all it's the quickest way (unfortunately). The clients they have are disgusting and Moe begins to feel dirty and begins to wear out even more mentally. But when she calls Kaede and he answers, she continues doing that job no matter how disgusting it is. Yua runs into her and listens to Moe's conversation with her pimp (because there's no other way to call her boss). So Yua thinks it's a great idea for her to be a prostitute just like her ??♀️ and invites her to see the boys and continue spending money. Kaede's birthday arrives and she already has the money to celebrate Kaede's birthday at the host club, so she is happy until she sees that he is having a great time with his other clients. Moe's heart breaks and she leaves, just at that moment she receives a very understanding message from her mother and also the invitation from her friends, that they miss her (because even she distances herself from her real friends) and she realizes all the mistakes, that she has fallen very low and the absurdity of it all. There she decides to never see Kaede or set foot in a host club again. Moe also has a big change, and she resumes her friendship with her friends, who really loved her, and begins to study hairdressing, but she still wanted to continue having her "friendship" with Yua even though she no longer goes to host clubs or works as a prostitution. Yua's response is really shit, Yua tells her that they both belong to different worlds and that it was a waste of time to talk to her (it's normal that Yua doesn't have friends, with friends like her, it's preferable to have enemies)
Now let's talk about Yua, I honestly don't know what kind of mental illness she has but she is clearly not a normal person. She is addicted to host clubs and prostitution, although she says she is disgusting.
But her reality is quite sad, since her host boyfriend (what a shitty man, if I can call him a man,he is). He forces her to prostitute herself more and more so she invests even more money for him. He doesn't care that she is so tired mentally and physically, he wants me to work three times as hard. He even tells her that he will get her a new boss because he didn't make her earn or work as much as he wanted. He treats her very badly and when he treats her well, which is only once, he tells her that he would always treat her like that if she didn't always make a fuss, he is really sick shit.
After all, Yua gets tired, she even cuts her wrist and he goes to see her because an intimate photo with another client had been leaked. Yua is tired and wants to break up with him, she tells him that she really didn't care that he slept with other clients but that he was very careless in his work, there he begins to choke her while telling her pure meaningless shit to justify himself, but then he stops and He apologizes to Yua, but she is no longer interested in anything about him. So she breaks up with him, warning him that she will expose him and report him for physical assault. One at that moment thinks that Yua has come to her senses but no, a year later she is still addicted to the host and continues to spend money on they. Unfortunately, but it is a reality.
And finally we have Aya, a fairly irrelevant character but who shows us the obsession with being beautiful. Although she has had many surgeries, she does not stop. And the ending for her is the same as Yua's, nothing changed.
There is also a somewhat relevant character like Tsubasa, a boy who likes "women's" things and who becomes confused by his sexuality. Although he has dated both men and women, he has not been comfortable with either gender. And in the end he repeats to Moe the words he had told him before becoming obsessed with Kaede, is love really that important? The important thing is to do the things you like and love yourself.
Here I want to explain something about the hosts, which I didn't know but through a YouTube video I found out, that rule that you can't get involved sexually with a client is a lie. Yes they can, as long as the club doesn't find out. He tends to flirt a lot on Tinder and they are a walking flag network, so if you go to Japan NEVER think about messing with a Host. In reality, never go to a Host club, it is usually more addictive than going to a casino and you really become a gambling addict.
As you can see, it is a drama complicated by the complexity of the characters. And it also keeps you waiting for how each of the girls will end up. There are cases where things have ended well and other cases where things remain the same. But in the cases that have not ended well, it is not because they have not had development as a character, but rather their obsession with host clubs or achieving a perfection that does not exist are trapped in that world.
There is a phrase by Yuki that stuck in my head from "I will never give my body or my heart for money" and it is a harsh but realistic phrase.
Clearly the director gives you the possible reasons why each girl makes those decisions so that you can understand the girls. The issue of Yuki, Aya and Yue could be solved if they went to therapy. But we all know that the topic of going to a psychologist or psychiatrist is a taboo topic and that there is zero knowledge that going to therapy does not make you a crazy person.
That's why there is a high suicide rate or more people who decide to stay out of society. Because Japan is such a rigid country that if you have a mental problem, it is your fault because you did not know how to adapt to society, that is Japanese thinking. Clearly the government has a great debt with mental health for years and that they have not wanted to solve. It's not that they can't, it's that they don't want to.
Is it a drama that I recommend? Yes, for me it is a must see because it will make you think a lot and open your eyes about Japan. Because the director of this drama does not hesitate to explain this. She doesn't romanticize anything, she just shows you reality.
Everyone's acting is great, so much so that you really come to hate some of the characters and want to get on the screen and give them a good kick in the ass.
The soundtrack is incredible as is the cinematography, allowing you to see how each character feels, especially Yuki.
Honestly there is nothing I don't like. There are 11 chapters and it is rare for a Japanese drama to go beyond 9 chapters and have a long duration, but for me it was very good because it doesn't leave any loose ends.
You feel very sad for Yuki, Yua and Aya, yes but it is a reality. That this could be solved by each one going to therapy, is true. But the director is realistic in this case, since the topic of mental health is a taboo topic and not very well regarded, you could not expect another premise. So it was quite realistic, in all aspects.
Yuki is a college student with a very sad past. Coming from a broken home, where no one has loved and protected her (in that sense and in many others I see myself very much reflected in her). So she has had to learn to take care of herself and protect herself. Her past has left her traumatized, so she has closed her heart so that no one will hurt her and also because she believes that she cannot live a normal life like other girls. However, despite working as a rental girlfriend, she is very intelligent, knowledgeable, cunning and wise. Her tough personality may make it seem like she is a bad person but that is not the case, she takes great care of her friend Rina, advises her and protects her. She is also realistic and sincere and she knows how to read other people very well.
Rina is a very kind and good girl but she lacks self-love, no matter how beautiful she is, she does not see herself that way, and her loneliness and emotional attachment to men makes her have relationships with older men to satisfy her emotional emptiness. It is incredible to see her evolve, to see her take another path, modeling, I left that world and her analyzed herself and realized that depending on other emotional people has not gotten her anywhere. That she has to find her own happiness for herself.
Here we get into the most fucked up part. Personally, I have never liked hosts, I consider them bad people, who take advantage of girls who are not mentally well so that they spend all their money, sometimes on lies like "you are the only one" and "the most special to me."Clearly this is a lie, and it is clearly demonstrated in this drama, but it is a reality that happens a lot. Clearly a person who is mentally well would not believe it but the girls who go to this place are not, so they believe it. When they run out of money, they start prostitution and it's a never-ending cycle. So the hosts don't give a shit about what happens to you, how you feel or what you do to get the money. They only see you as an ATM to indulge in their own luxuries.
With that said, let's move on to Moe. At first Moe does not believe in love and she has many self-esteem problems, because she does not consider herself beautiful like the others, but rather a disposable woman. So when she meets Yua (damn the time she met this girl) she reluctantly goes to a host. At first she doesn't feel comfortable until she meets Kaede (I mean he's not that bad even he cares that Moe doesn't do weird things to make money) and starts to fall in love. Obviously Kaede is becoming more popular and the money she has to invest to be with him is becoming higher, she can't afford the money with her job, so she invests money from her scholarship but it is still not enough. So she abandons university, her old job and starts prostitution to earn money, after all it's the quickest way (unfortunately). The clients they have are disgusting and Moe begins to feel dirty and begins to wear out even more mentally. But when she calls Kaede and he answers, she continues doing that job no matter how disgusting it is. Yua runs into her and listens to Moe's conversation with her pimp (because there's no other way to call her boss). So Yua thinks it's a great idea for her to be a prostitute just like her ??♀️ and invites her to see the boys and continue spending money. Kaede's birthday arrives and she already has the money to celebrate Kaede's birthday at the host club, so she is happy until she sees that he is having a great time with his other clients. Moe's heart breaks and she leaves, just at that moment she receives a very understanding message from her mother and also the invitation from her friends, that they miss her (because even she distances herself from her real friends) and she realizes all the mistakes, that she has fallen very low and the absurdity of it all. There she decides to never see Kaede or set foot in a host club again. Moe also has a big change, and she resumes her friendship with her friends, who really loved her, and begins to study hairdressing, but she still wanted to continue having her "friendship" with Yua even though she no longer goes to host clubs or works as a prostitution. Yua's response is really shit, Yua tells her that they both belong to different worlds and that it was a waste of time to talk to her (it's normal that Yua doesn't have friends, with friends like her, it's preferable to have enemies)
Now let's talk about Yua, I honestly don't know what kind of mental illness she has but she is clearly not a normal person. She is addicted to host clubs and prostitution, although she says she is disgusting.
But her reality is quite sad, since her host boyfriend (what a shitty man, if I can call him a man,he is). He forces her to prostitute herself more and more so she invests even more money for him. He doesn't care that she is so tired mentally and physically, he wants me to work three times as hard. He even tells her that he will get her a new boss because he didn't make her earn or work as much as he wanted. He treats her very badly and when he treats her well, which is only once, he tells her that he would always treat her like that if she didn't always make a fuss, he is really sick shit.
After all, Yua gets tired, she even cuts her wrist and he goes to see her because an intimate photo with another client had been leaked. Yua is tired and wants to break up with him, she tells him that she really didn't care that he slept with other clients but that he was very careless in his work, there he begins to choke her while telling her pure meaningless shit to justify himself, but then he stops and He apologizes to Yua, but she is no longer interested in anything about him. So she breaks up with him, warning him that she will expose him and report him for physical assault. One at that moment thinks that Yua has come to her senses but no, a year later she is still addicted to the host and continues to spend money on they. Unfortunately, but it is a reality.
And finally we have Aya, a fairly irrelevant character but who shows us the obsession with being beautiful. Although she has had many surgeries, she does not stop. And the ending for her is the same as Yua's, nothing changed.
There is also a somewhat relevant character like Tsubasa, a boy who likes "women's" things and who becomes confused by his sexuality. Although he has dated both men and women, he has not been comfortable with either gender. And in the end he repeats to Moe the words he had told him before becoming obsessed with Kaede, is love really that important? The important thing is to do the things you like and love yourself.
Here I want to explain something about the hosts, which I didn't know but through a YouTube video I found out, that rule that you can't get involved sexually with a client is a lie. Yes they can, as long as the club doesn't find out. He tends to flirt a lot on Tinder and they are a walking flag network, so if you go to Japan NEVER think about messing with a Host. In reality, never go to a Host club, it is usually more addictive than going to a casino and you really become a gambling addict.
As you can see, it is a drama complicated by the complexity of the characters. And it also keeps you waiting for how each of the girls will end up. There are cases where things have ended well and other cases where things remain the same. But in the cases that have not ended well, it is not because they have not had development as a character, but rather their obsession with host clubs or achieving a perfection that does not exist are trapped in that world.
There is a phrase by Yuki that stuck in my head from "I will never give my body or my heart for money" and it is a harsh but realistic phrase.
Clearly the director gives you the possible reasons why each girl makes those decisions so that you can understand the girls. The issue of Yuki, Aya and Yue could be solved if they went to therapy. But we all know that the topic of going to a psychologist or psychiatrist is a taboo topic and that there is zero knowledge that going to therapy does not make you a crazy person.
That's why there is a high suicide rate or more people who decide to stay out of society. Because Japan is such a rigid country that if you have a mental problem, it is your fault because you did not know how to adapt to society, that is Japanese thinking. Clearly the government has a great debt with mental health for years and that they have not wanted to solve. It's not that they can't, it's that they don't want to.
Is it a drama that I recommend? Yes, for me it is a must see because it will make you think a lot and open your eyes about Japan. Because the director of this drama does not hesitate to explain this. She doesn't romanticize anything, she just shows you reality.
Everyone's acting is great, so much so that you really come to hate some of the characters and want to get on the screen and give them a good kick in the ass.
The soundtrack is incredible as is the cinematography, allowing you to see how each character feels, especially Yuki.
Honestly there is nothing I don't like. There are 11 chapters and it is rare for a Japanese drama to go beyond 9 chapters and have a long duration, but for me it was very good because it doesn't leave any loose ends.
You feel very sad for Yuki, Yua and Aya, yes but it is a reality. That this could be solved by each one going to therapy, is true. But the director is realistic in this case, since the topic of mental health is a taboo topic and not very well regarded, you could not expect another premise. So it was quite realistic, in all aspects.
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