Rich Man Poor Woman - a miracle occurs and I actually love a jdrama!
I confess that while I used to watch a lot of jdramas (I watched jdramas before I've seen a single kdrama), I haven't properly followed one in years - jdramas moved away from romance and slice-of-life stories I adored them for and went in for procedurals and kooky comedies, which were very much not my thing.
So when a large number of flisties told me to check out Oguri Shun and Ishihara Satomi's Rich Man Poor Woman, telling me it was actually a romance drama, I was curious (and I love Oguri Shun - he was in my first ever jdrama) but very cautious. Luckily, I was wrong and it is v.v. awesome.
RMPW follows Hyuga Toru (Oguri Shun), a young billionaire who dropped out of school but has created a huge virtual media company. Hyuga is a little off-kilter, rather abrasive, and has a condition (apparently a real one) where he has problems remembering names and faces or connecting the two. Sawaki Chihiro (Ishihara Satomi) is Hyuga's polar opposite - a fourth-year student of the prestigious Tokyo University with near-eidetic memory, Chihiro should be swimming in job offers, but her awkwardness and odd personality have left her unemployed. Can you see where this is going?
I confess that the first half of the first episode didn't really draw me in and I was ready to write it off...and then, Hyuga and Chihiro met and it was antagonistic and awesome and sparks flew and I was a goner. I spend the second half episode all but hugging myself in glee - every interaction of theirs, whether angry or friendly, had me going gaga.
Credits...
Chiriko noticing Hyuga (on-line, of course). Interesting - she shares the name with Hyuga's mother who he has been searching for (no wonder he remembers her name), but by the end of the episode we learn that this isn't her real name. She clearly used it to get his attention. But the real mystery is how she knows that name is important to him - not even those closest to him know of the name. Taking that and her bitter little comment that it's not like he'd remember her real name anyway together - I wonder if they have some sort of childhood past together or similar. Hmmmmmm.
Loved this scene. He is being, frankly, horrible, using her as some sort of example of redundancy of modern world or whatever and she finally loses it and tells him her name is not "Miss Tokyo University" and he mockingly asks her what her name is and she says "Sawaki Chihiro." GGGGGGG!!!!
I just like this shot.
He hires her for a few days due to her eidetic memory to help him at a meeting with a minister to try to get a new line of business. This means...shopping! I have to say, prior to her makeover, I didn't find the actress goodlooking, but afterward, I definitely how gorgeous she is.
I've loved this sort of moment since forever!
At lunch, she not only uses her skills but helps him out when he doesn't recognize the person who comes over.
Only, then she commits a blunder (not that she would have known that would happen). Uh-oh.
So when they get back to the office, he really loses it, yelling at her and everything. Which is a hell of an overreaction as he's pretty much out of control - either he needs major meds or she really throws him off-kilter.
Well, somebody feels bad, looking at her shoes. YESSSSSS!
So he goes back to the office only to see her go off to lunch with his second-in-command, looking smiley and pretty. Can you spell 'jealous'? I know you can.
I just like this shot of her as she admits to second-in-command that Chihiro isn't her real name.
I am as hooked on the drama as he's hooked on Chiriko and her sensible shoes!
This looks set to give me what I wanted from Tsuki no Koibito and didn't get - cold-hearted rich bastard with issues and plucky poor gal. Yay!
So when a large number of flisties told me to check out Oguri Shun and Ishihara Satomi's Rich Man Poor Woman, telling me it was actually a romance drama, I was curious (and I love Oguri Shun - he was in my first ever jdrama) but very cautious. Luckily, I was wrong and it is v.v. awesome.
RMPW follows Hyuga Toru (Oguri Shun), a young billionaire who dropped out of school but has created a huge virtual media company. Hyuga is a little off-kilter, rather abrasive, and has a condition (apparently a real one) where he has problems remembering names and faces or connecting the two. Sawaki Chihiro (Ishihara Satomi) is Hyuga's polar opposite - a fourth-year student of the prestigious Tokyo University with near-eidetic memory, Chihiro should be swimming in job offers, but her awkwardness and odd personality have left her unemployed. Can you see where this is going?
I confess that the first half of the first episode didn't really draw me in and I was ready to write it off...and then, Hyuga and Chihiro met and it was antagonistic and awesome and sparks flew and I was a goner. I spend the second half episode all but hugging myself in glee - every interaction of theirs, whether angry or friendly, had me going gaga.
Credits...
Chiriko noticing Hyuga (on-line, of course). Interesting - she shares the name with Hyuga's mother who he has been searching for (no wonder he remembers her name), but by the end of the episode we learn that this isn't her real name. She clearly used it to get his attention. But the real mystery is how she knows that name is important to him - not even those closest to him know of the name. Taking that and her bitter little comment that it's not like he'd remember her real name anyway together - I wonder if they have some sort of childhood past together or similar. Hmmmmmm.
Loved this scene. He is being, frankly, horrible, using her as some sort of example of redundancy of modern world or whatever and she finally loses it and tells him her name is not "Miss Tokyo University" and he mockingly asks her what her name is and she says "Sawaki Chihiro." GGGGGGG!!!!
I just like this shot.
He hires her for a few days due to her eidetic memory to help him at a meeting with a minister to try to get a new line of business. This means...shopping! I have to say, prior to her makeover, I didn't find the actress goodlooking, but afterward, I definitely how gorgeous she is.
I've loved this sort of moment since forever!
At lunch, she not only uses her skills but helps him out when he doesn't recognize the person who comes over.
Only, then she commits a blunder (not that she would have known that would happen). Uh-oh.
So when they get back to the office, he really loses it, yelling at her and everything. Which is a hell of an overreaction as he's pretty much out of control - either he needs major meds or she really throws him off-kilter.
Well, somebody feels bad, looking at her shoes. YESSSSSS!
So he goes back to the office only to see her go off to lunch with his second-in-command, looking smiley and pretty. Can you spell 'jealous'? I know you can.
I just like this shot of her as she admits to second-in-command that Chihiro isn't her real name.
I am as hooked on the drama as he's hooked on Chiriko and her sensible shoes!
This looks set to give me what I wanted from Tsuki no Koibito and didn't get - cold-hearted rich bastard with issues and plucky poor gal. Yay!