Furrina
This review may contain spoilers
A table full of wholesomeness
Full disclosure, I am hardcore fan of the manga. It is one of my go-to feel good reads, so when the drama adaptation was announced I was both nervous and excited, bécause in my experience the adaptations are generally a miss rather than a hit. I am familiar with Inukai but Hiroki is "that guy" for me. I keep confusing him with Shiono Akihisa (I had to look it up) aka Odajima in High&Low franchisee and Inukai's costar in Zettai BL. So, I waited till the the show was 9/10ths over to binge it, so I could directly watch the finale.
First things first. With the runtime longer than the actual source it was obvious they would need to add some filler to make up the time. And I am NOT a fan of the changes. Yutaka's whole backstory/phobia about sharing the dining table aka THE MAIN CONFLICT of the drama, rests on the emotional trauma he suffered growing up in a kind-hearted but emotionally cold family and a verbally abusive elder brother. Yutaka was orphaned at a young age, then lived with his grandparents for while before they too passed away, after which he was adopted by a rich/kind-hearted but emotionally distant family. The family already had 2 biological children and another which was born right after Yutaka was adopted. In a large family, Yutaka, a twice displaced outsider, felt like had no "position" of his own, not helped by the fact the elder siblings, especially the brother, absolutely refused to share the dinner table with him.
By changing adopted family into a nuclear family and Yutaka's emotional trauma into "oh, you just misunderstood us and distanced yourself on your own" arc, it felt like the drama was making a light of childhood emotional abuse as well as victim blaming Yutaka for his "imagined" trauma. "If only YOU had done more to adjust in the family", like he wasn't a 6 year old kid who had lost his ENTIRE family and was now dependent on complete and unwelcoming strangers for his physical and emotional well-being. Him reconciling with that family also took away from core message of the manga that "family" is something you CHOOSE, not something you are born or adopted into.
That said, now let's talk about Yutaka's REAL family. First, Tane. Absolute perfection, little pig belly aside. Tane is Yutaka's true love (vice versa) and the biggest connection he has with the Ueda family. I like the end scene where Tane calls "Yukata" his family and Minoru is like "he is not!" I like that Yutaka ignored him and talked to Tane's friend himself. Like bitch, he is *Tane's* family, you are just the guy who carries the bags.
Minoru. Like I said Hiroki is "that guy" for me. But he blew me away. Minoru is one of rare semes who is sweet and understanding of Yutaka's trauma and he helps Yutaka overcome his fear of sharing a dining table without being either judgemental or pedantic. He gives Yutaka the family he desperately needs, and turns his trauma into a warm and comfortable hug.
Yutaka, I have no words. Drama Yutaka is Manga Yutaka, warts and all. Inukai portrays Yutaka's trauma, loneliness, sadness, happiness, love, care everything. Yutaka is a complicated guy with lots of depth that a lesser actor would have easily folded under the pressure, but Inukai exceeded my expectations as always.
Tldr; while the drama is sweet and wholesome, by changing Yutaka's backstory and reconciling with his family, I feel like the core message of the manga was completely overlook ed. That said, the actors and wholesomeness of the drama kinda makes up for it, not enough to give it a perfect 10.
First things first. With the runtime longer than the actual source it was obvious they would need to add some filler to make up the time. And I am NOT a fan of the changes. Yutaka's whole backstory/phobia about sharing the dining table aka THE MAIN CONFLICT of the drama, rests on the emotional trauma he suffered growing up in a kind-hearted but emotionally cold family and a verbally abusive elder brother. Yutaka was orphaned at a young age, then lived with his grandparents for while before they too passed away, after which he was adopted by a rich/kind-hearted but emotionally distant family. The family already had 2 biological children and another which was born right after Yutaka was adopted. In a large family, Yutaka, a twice displaced outsider, felt like had no "position" of his own, not helped by the fact the elder siblings, especially the brother, absolutely refused to share the dinner table with him.
By changing adopted family into a nuclear family and Yutaka's emotional trauma into "oh, you just misunderstood us and distanced yourself on your own" arc, it felt like the drama was making a light of childhood emotional abuse as well as victim blaming Yutaka for his "imagined" trauma. "If only YOU had done more to adjust in the family", like he wasn't a 6 year old kid who had lost his ENTIRE family and was now dependent on complete and unwelcoming strangers for his physical and emotional well-being. Him reconciling with that family also took away from core message of the manga that "family" is something you CHOOSE, not something you are born or adopted into.
That said, now let's talk about Yutaka's REAL family. First, Tane. Absolute perfection, little pig belly aside. Tane is Yutaka's true love (vice versa) and the biggest connection he has with the Ueda family. I like the end scene where Tane calls "Yukata" his family and Minoru is like "he is not!" I like that Yutaka ignored him and talked to Tane's friend himself. Like bitch, he is *Tane's* family, you are just the guy who carries the bags.
Minoru. Like I said Hiroki is "that guy" for me. But he blew me away. Minoru is one of rare semes who is sweet and understanding of Yutaka's trauma and he helps Yutaka overcome his fear of sharing a dining table without being either judgemental or pedantic. He gives Yutaka the family he desperately needs, and turns his trauma into a warm and comfortable hug.
Yutaka, I have no words. Drama Yutaka is Manga Yutaka, warts and all. Inukai portrays Yutaka's trauma, loneliness, sadness, happiness, love, care everything. Yutaka is a complicated guy with lots of depth that a lesser actor would have easily folded under the pressure, but Inukai exceeded my expectations as always.
Tldr; while the drama is sweet and wholesome, by changing Yutaka's backstory and reconciling with his family, I feel like the core message of the manga was completely overlook ed. That said, the actors and wholesomeness of the drama kinda makes up for it, not enough to give it a perfect 10.
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