The Quintessential Japanese Drama of 2019
First, I want to let you know that in Japanese Drama, THEMES is always more significant than the plot. It's doesn't matter who Nagi would end up with or how the drama would end. What important is how the show will convey its message. This drama is not your typical two-boys-one-girl type of story or other overrated romance crap. You could choose your ship if that entertains you, but just to let you know, this drama was not meant to make your heart flutter, it was meant to speak to your soul.This drama is about the so-called "Hard Reset", not the one you do with your phone but the one you apply with your own life. The important decision you do to make a significant change and start anew. Completely changing your environment is essential, which is what the main protagonist did in this drama, a long vacation. It made her discover more about herself and broaden her perspective of the world, or to make it more precise; it made her have her dream.
Another theme is reading the atmosphere/mood or reading between the lines and I'm sure most of us are familiar with that feeling. When you enter a room full of strangers, most people will remain silent for a while. Judge people's faces, their expressions, their manner of talking etc. "reading the atmosphere" is everywhere, from school, workplace, family and even your relationship. Whether consciously or unconsciously, people do this all the time, this ability is ingrained firmly into us as a species. We as human, always look for a place we can call our own, and we need strong social bonds for that. We always try to "fit in" or wear all the right mask whenever it feels right.
"Stop Trying to Fit In, Aim to Belong Instead"
This drama will teach you fitting in will never get you home because fitting in is trying to adapt to a world that is not your own. Just like Nagi, you have to have your dream and not just live for other people. You have to forget the cool people; you have to find your people. Nagi found these people who help her reboot her life, the film buff grandma, scammer turned best friend Sakamoto, The most level headed mother and daughter (total opposite of Nagi and her mom), the bar owner mama and the most insensitive playboy neighbour. These characters don't only serve up as an exposition for the main character, but their story also conveys the theme of this drama, and the writer did a brilliant job on weaving them in a beautiful pattern.
The Pacing, Setting and Music add so much to the slice of life feels of this drama. Nagi's long vacation is a very well-paced drama; no time is wasted but doesn't felt rushed as well. It is entertaining enough to keep you engaged as you watch it. It also has mundane elements that if you notice would give a smile to your face like shirts worn by Nagi, it seems trivial, but those are valuable shirts you would find in thrift stores. Little details like this make me appreciate the drama more. The location would look very familiar to you after you watched the drama like it seems you also live there along with the characters. The cinematography is terrific in showing the green landscape, clear blue sky and by capturing the calmness and serenity of the laidback way of living. The OST is chill and relax, which complements the slice of life nature of this plot, but it can also get emotional when requires. I also never get tired of hearing the theme song "Reboot" sung by Miwa. It captured the whole theme of this drama.
The acting is ten out of ten, Haru Kuroki never disappoints. She is one of the best actresses in Japan right now and is indeed a national treasure in dramaland. Nagi's portrayal of inner growth is well portrayed, you might get pissed by her actions and decisions, but you always find yourself rooting for her. Haru Kuroki is very skilled as an actress, but it's her sincerity that makes Nagi such a lovable character. The title, Nagi's Long Vacation suggest this is only about Nagi, but this drama can easily be about Shinji as well, the only difference is Nagi only suppress her feelings where Shinji also hurts people around him. Shinji is a character you will despise at the beginning, but you would understand a bit about the character in the end. The writers gave him one of the best character development I've seen in recent years, and the way Takahashi Issei handled it is brilliant, probably his best performance ever. The way he controlled his emotions is masterful like at one moment his character angered you then you will laugh at his comic relief antics then you will feel him as he cries like a baby, what a man child lol.
Nagi's Long Vacation is the quintessential Japanese drama. They are the best when it comes to thought-provoking slice of life genre. You may find the characters caricatures until they slap you with realization quotes that will speak to you on a personal level.
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The beginning is kinda of hard to watch since Nagi is a nice and quiet girl who does not stand up for herself. That all changes when one day, after collapsing, she says Enough, leaves all the luxury of living in Tokyo and moves to the suburbs. Her long vacation is a path of self-discovery and self-acceptance, and being true to herself, which is why all new people who meet her, love her in an instant.
Just like in the book EICF, Nagi goes from a sad and lonely life (and very influenced by her mean mother) to enjoy the little things in life, such as drinking and playing with new friends, and learning to have dreams and that life is not A option or B option.
The music was sweet, suitable for the story. I could have lived without the love triangle (except that I loved the character development in a jerk like Shinji) but I think it was ok in this case since it is an example of not because you have option A and B you have to chose one... it means you can do whatever you want, whatever it makes you happy.
And the redemption at the end for the bully of the office was MEH... but J-dramas are always teaching about that, that people are not black or white... there is grey too and everyone deserves a chance.
"I will live for myself, by myself" (Nagi)
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This review may contain spoilers
The central premise of this show was fantastic, and when it stuck to developing that premise, the show worked exceptionally well. The stories of personal growth, especially that of the titular lead, were fascinating, and Haru's Nagi was so well done. Had that been ALL the show was about, I could have scored it 8.5 or higher.BUT, the "romance" was a lead weight that dragged the whole show down. I am a brony through and through, and love a good romantic Drama, all the Dramas I rewatch most are romances, often sweet and sappy. But this Drama should have been romance-free.
I didn't get any sense of chemistry between Nagi and Gamon, which is a shame as I like both actors. Worse still, and almost a dealbreaker for me, was the way the show lingered for 2-3 episodes on blaming HER for not noticing that the man who used, abused, mocked and belittled her "truly loved her" Somehow, t was HER fault that she didn't see through his vicious behaviour to recognise the "love" he felt. And even in the final episode, she THANKED HIM FOR ALWAYS HELPING HER, AND APOLOGISED FOR NOT KNOWING HIS FEELINGS. That made my blood boil, after what we were shown in the opening 2 episodes. UGH!
The real shame is that the story didn't need ANY "loveline" at all. The depiction of Nagi's growth through her interaction with Sakamoto, Urara, Mama, Midori and the rest was plenty enough for a great Drama. Those scenes were the strength and salvation of the show. Because of that, despite the intense frustration and disappointment caused by the victim-blaming 'romance', I'm giving this one 7/10, while mourning what might have been, and so nearly was.
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This review may contain spoilers
this was such a refreshing little unexpected gem~ it was sweet and healing but also too short and abrupt, I wish it was longer or they made a 2nd season ;(when the drama started I thought, ah Kuroki Haru and Takahashi Isse as a couple! but as ep 1 went by I wondered if he was a guest role, then if he was a 2nd lead, but the casting list confused me and I thought it was one of those 2ml gets the girl reversals, until each ep went by and slowly their stories opened up step by step.
in some ways everyone lives in their own bubble, or aquarium and in some ways we try to fit with others but every once in a while everyone needs a long vacation to better understand themselves away from the herd
but each vacation needs to end too and we need to step right back into society becasue the world continues to spin. in some ways the demolition of the little building was like forcing nagi to jump back into the world
each character had their own journey. and I think they did what was best, nagi finally saw the world from shinji's pov but still even if she ended her vocational self discovery, she still had alot of new experiences left in the outside world and I personally like to think after a while they could cross paths again as 2 more interdependent people who could swim alone besides each other (especially with Ryoko unexpectedly dating his brother xD)
overall it was sweet but I wished for a better in depth characters, but still I enjoyed it alot and I'll miss it~
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Very relatable
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”@ stephen chbosky - perks of being an wallflower
I kept remembering this quote while watching this jdrama. This was such a relatable story for me... from toxic relationships to inner self hatred, to reading too the situations around us and forcing a smile... this story has it all. A jdrama with age related struggles but with plenty of room for lighthearted content and lovely/simple daily interactions!! There’s a lot of layers to these relationships and different characters, that sometimes makes us root for the twisted ones.
I really hope someday they surprise us with a season two, it would be totally doable! Even though the finale was just brilliant! A must watch!
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Heart-warming, fun, and delighful
Peaceful, fun, comforting, positive and moving, Nagi no Oitoma has a great cast playing likeable characters and I loved watching them grow.For me, it was insta-love with that drama, because I insta-loved its lead character, aka Nagi, played by Kuroki Haru with a lot of warmth. The drama manages to give us a clear and instant picture of who she is, and I immediately empathized with her. Nagi spends her time trying to fit in, trying to conform, so much so that she’s leaving herself no space to exist. Something, the drama says, we all do to some extent, as we’ve been taught very early, as kids, to “read the room” and behave, to make adults happy. The drama, as the mdl description says, is the story of how Nagi decides to just leave everything behind and allow herself to first figure out who she is, and then be that person. A kind, warm, sweet person, with lots of weaknesses but immense strength even *she* didn’t know she had. I admired her and felt vicariously freed by her freeing herself. This dama made me very happy.
At the same time, it does have some bittersweetness to it. Nagi’s taking a break, but I think a break is always implied to be finite. It does not mean what she’s building will disappear, though, as everything she’s making are strong foundations for her future, yet I felt some melancholy in the drama, and I like that kind of mood.
The show puts a strong emphasis on community. Through finding herself, Nagi finds others, and through finding others, she finds even more of herself. I liked all the characters she befriends, it felt good spending time in their company. A big surprise, to me, was how much I enjoyed her ex-boyfriend, Shinji. He’s such an unlikeable character at the start, and I was actively rooting for Nagi to get as far from him as she could, but the drama manages to make him, first, very funny, and then actually quite moving. The strong performance by Takahashi Issei is a big part of what makes it work. I was very moved by these two actually *seeing* each other slowly for the first time. Though I was totally shipping Nagi with her neighbour Gon, haha. Not that he’d be a good boyfriend, but he was so soft, and I’m so weak. Kinda shipped him with Shinji too. (Let’s be real, I just wanted anyone to date Gon so I could date him through them :’D)
That being said, I would not go into this drama for the romance. This drama is not about the ships, it’s about character growth and while romance *is* part of their journey, it’s only a part of it, not the main point. If you go in for the love triangle, you might be disappointed.
But it’s a beautiful show and full of love. Japanese dramas are very good at portraying ordinary things and making them heart-warming and beautiful. Even when the “ordinary” stuff is not so ordinary, as I’d argue Nagi’s break is actually not something common. But Jdamas are just good at finding the authentic, the “human”, and Nagi no Oitoma has both the relatability of simple things and the excitement of a small adventure. It also has a good pace. It felt peaceful yet not a moment was wasted, the characters and their relationships were always evolving.
So, yeah, I loved it.
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The story had a nice progress. Although the romance was messy, as they didn't handle the love triangle very well. However, the love story's result was quite realistic and unexpected. The pace of the drama was pretty nice too. Finally, the performances were really good especially from the leading lady.
So, overall, seven out of ten, as the story just lacked something in the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
Palate Cleansing Millennial Coming of Age Story
So my headline probably seems like an incoherent jumble of words. Let me break them down:Palate Cleansing: If you been watching a lot of shows that are filled with too much drama, this is a nice palate cleanser drama that removes those residual dregs. This is especially true if you do not watch many Jdoramas and have gotten too used to the story structures and plot devices from the dramas of other countries. Like Nagi itself, this drama provides a nice reset. Its themes of slow-living, mindfulness, personal discovery and community and the story used to discuss these themes feel like a breath of fresh air. Other nice things about this drama
- The story is well-told and circular in conclusion
- Good pacing with little to no drag
- Each character has his or her own story and almost no 1D villains. I say almost because there is one character who is stereotypical mean, gossipy coworker but the concept is so familiar that she becomes a necessary plot device.
- It's one of those happy, everyone-gets-along kind of stories
Millennial: Nagi, at 28 years old in 2019, is by definition a millennial and the challenges she and other characters go through represent what a lot of millennials are dealing with - unemployment, housing, mental health, parental expectations and Adulting. Which brings me to my last point
Coming of Age Story: given that Nagi has already been an adult for 8 years and is pretty responsible/self-sufficient, this one may seem off. But part of coming into adulthood is finding yourself and your values and passions and dealing with the people and society around you, which is Nagi's journey throughout this story. And Nagi is a millennial and most millennial's define becoming an adult around ago 30. So, yes, I would call this a coming of age = transitioning into adulthood story.
Aside from that, this is very heartwarming and entertaining slice-of-life. Nagi is a great character you really want to cheer on. Shinji is someone that more or less grows on you. I love the rest of the cast of characters and their diverse backgrounds and how they all come together and support one another. The acting is fantastic, particularly our main cast. The production is well-done too with quite meaningful use of specific above head shots and camera angles. The music is also used very well to reflect certain moods. There are these scenes where the music is quirky and upbeat and creates this positive and slightly zany vibe and the music is brought to a screeching halt and it's just so impactful.
Overall, this drama is about accepting yourself and truly observing and learning about the people and world around you to find your values in life.
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Nagi after an incident with her boyfriend (a Coworker) decides to reset her life. Donates all over belongings and moves into a run down apartment building with cheap rent and only her futon.
This is where she finds the true meaning of life ...as corny and cliche as that sounds. Real connections with real people, and the rewards and consequences of those connections.
This did not hit home for me as it did some reviewers, as by the time I was Nagi's age I was married with 2 kids : )and very much not a people pleaser (except at work, my occupation requires it). Still I found the drama very enjoyable and loved the old lady that lived upstairs. Oh and that cutie next door..I must find more of his dramas.
This is a must see of 2019
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