JDRAMA: love shuffle

is this person i am with, the right one for me?

the story revolves around that main theme. but unlike most romantic comedies out there, love shuffle is more mature which makes it stand out. the dialogues are believable.. though the main plot is a no no to me, but i guess it is possible in here... after all, i am in JA-PANda!!!

the story revolves around 4 couples who each have problems (sorry for the repeated phrase...): the postponed-engagement couple of it-professional kei(tamaki hiroshi) and mai(kanjiya shihori), the bothersome coupling of interpreter airu(karina) and yukichi(daigo), the adultery between photo artist ojiro(matsuda shota) and reiko(kojima hijiri), and the doctor-patient relationship of psychologist masato(tanihara shosuke) and kairi(yoshitaka yuriko). it all started when kei, all broken hearted after getting dumped, got stuck in an elevator to his condo unit. coincidentally, his three other floor-mates were with him. as they talked their boredom waiting for the power to come back, the master plan was born. they have decided to shuffle their partners in the hope that this will solve their individual problems.

the story line was pretty solid and captivating to keep you watching more. honestly, i checked this series out because of the familiar actors: chiaki of nodame cantabile and sojiro of hana yori dango. a pretty bad way to start a series. but i got hooked by the simple conversation in the elevator of the first episode. there is this genuine feel to the story, this must be because of the superb acting and chemistry between the actors. and the comedy part of it was not over the top. oh oh oh... and the OST was splendid-- fantasy by earth, wind and fire and eternal flame by the bangles. how's that??? i sang my way as each episode unfolds. and oh oh... they also show bloopers at the end of each episode, what a fun way to end each...

as i have said earlier, it had mature stuff. it wasn't afraid to tackle suicide, adultery, bisexuality, open relationship among many others. in short, this is one of those dramas showing the realities of life: in this case, the realities of japan...

though they were all troubled at first, the ending was the best-- no loose ends... one of the best endings i've seen. yeay, panda!!! it is a series you definitely must watch. see the 10 episodes in either mysoju or dramacrazy. it is but your discretion. yeay yeay, panda!!!

credits:

dramawiki, mysoju, dramacrazy

(-_\\)