Sunday, April 9, 2017

Good Morning Call: Japanese Live-Action Anime Drama Show

            You might recognize the title of this show, as it is based on a manga written in the 90s by Yue Takasuka. The show was adapted to a live-action drama in 2016 and is available for stream on Netflix. The show is so melodramatic it hurts, but I could not stop watching it and finished the series in a week.
            The story centers on Yoshikawa Nao, high school student who ends up living alone in Tokyo. However, upon moving into her new apartment, it just so happens that she will be rooming with the most popular boy in school, Uehara Hisashi. The series follows their unfortunate (or fortunate) circumstance as they frequently bump heads but end up falling in love, of course.
            Right off the bat, we have that convenient coincidence in which Nao just so happens to be living with one of the “three hottest guys” in school. Nao’s actions throughout the course of the show embody melodrama: she has these little moments of daydream that depict her fantasies right in the middle of a conversation with another character. The opposite person always acts confused when she finally snaps out of it back to reality. Nao is also excessively dramatic in all her emotions, only seeming to express one at a time, making the whole show at times very cringe-y but innocent. Whereas Nao is overly dramatic, her roommate Uehara is not dramatic enough, as he displays no emotion whatsoever, often coming off very cold and mean. This polarity makes me question how even Nao and Uehara ended up together since their personalities are so different.
            Finally, there are just so many ridiculous situations in the show I cannot name them all. Towards the beginning episodes, Nao allows herself to me bullied by these three girls that are jealous of her and Uehara’s fake relationship (meant to cover up the fact that they are breaking school rules by living together). The girls are being really nasty to Nao when Uehara happens to walk in on them and goes to save Nao. This all happens in an obscure storage room in back of the gym at the school, by the way. Oh, the coincidence!

            Good Morning Call reflects so many qualities of melodrama. I recommend watching it, if you have Netflix.

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