Koikimo (2021)

[恋と呼ぶには気持ち悪い]

Director: Naomi Nakayama
Studio: Nomad
Starring: Yurie Kozakai, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Rena Hasegawa
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
A shallow businessman falls for his sister's friend after she proves to be the first person to reject his advances.

Impressions:
There was a time when age gap romances wouldn't warrant special notice, but the times, they are a-changin', and while Japanese authors and audiences generally aren't as quick to reject them as many of their Western counterparts, there is an element of conscientiousness creeping in to reflect changing social values and to add a measure of conflict. For much of this story, our male lead makes his frequent and pesty romantic overtures to a girl who's having none of it and enjoying every moment of it because she's not dazzled by his wealth, charm and good looks. It's only as things start to get serious that the drama kicks in. It's all handled rather well with some nice character arcs for our main characters and a solid supporting cast. On a meta level, it's interesting to see the sort of discussion a story like this spawns, particularly with a global audience. As for the series itself, it's a charming little love story that's worth giving a watch unless your the sort of person who breaks out in hives at the premise alone.

Rating:
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