Love Shuffle: Postmodern romance, jdrama style. "I'll protect you forever... or something."
Love Shuffle
They're neighbors brought together by a blackout. Together, they rotate partners to find true love!
I dropped this ages ago because of a dull start, but certain spoilers inspired me to give it another try... and then I wound up devouring the entire thing in one sitting. ONE SITTING. I had to know what happened next. By the end I was wild-eyed and sleep-deprived, curling my toes and stuffing my fist in my mouth to contain noises of COMPLETE GLEE.
If you were in a similar boat (bored by the beginning), just... give it a few eps.
And make sure you don't have anything planned the rest of the night.
IN A LAND OF MYTH AND A TIME OF MAGIC... there are a group of neighbors who hold pajama parties in the lobby and randomly bust into rounds of Dancing Queen. HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS, THE CUTE HAS NOT YET BEGUN.
Weary of their respective romances, they decide to shake things up with a "love shuffle": every week they'll swap partners and wait for sparks to fly.
And fly they do!
Even the dudes aren't immune!
Kei has been dumped by his fiance, Mei, who might or might not be interested in someone else.
Airu is a brash, straight-talking lady with a bad track record when it comes to relationships. Probably because she can make men cry and isn't afraid to slap the shit out of someone who's disappointed her. Yes, Airu is awesome. ♥ ♥
Kiku-rin is a psychiatrist trying to get over a mysterious lost love, whose identity is known only to the horny cougar, Reiko.
Reiko is also awesome, one of those women who knows what she wants -- and if that happens to be a 20something hottie naked in her bed, SO BE IT.
Yukki is a hopeless dork who'd like a little love from... well... anyone. What he doesn't realize is that he's played by DAIGO, and if he'd just take off his glasses, he'd look like this:
Ganbatte, Yukki-kun!
Ojiro is the group's pimp, notable for having chemistry with anyone, everyone, even a few trees, a lamppost, his camera...
But above them all Ojiro/Kairi wins the "most unexpected OTP of the year" award. He's a playboy photographer struggling with feelings of inadequacy! She's a suicidal painter who cuts herself and sees the spirit of death! THEY SHOULDN'T WORK YET SOMEHOW THEY DO.
LOOK AT THEM. LOOK AT HOW PERFECT THEY ARE.
I should've known I'd be drawn like a moth to a flame to the pairing full of angst, suicidal thoughts and messed-up functionality. In one scene he breaks down and crumbles to the floor, and she scoots over and LICKS HIS FACE. Let me repeat that. SHE LICKS HIS FACE. HIS FACE: SHE LICKS IT.
Kei/Airu is adorable like baby ducks and I took a zillion caps of them smiling and laughing and dancing at their pajama parties and Airu making him cry (it's a sign of love!) and Kei pulling her fully-clothed in the pool.
I LOVE THIS CAP. Yeah baby, you know you wanna rub yourself all over his flannel pajamas. Feel the heat. Feel the sexual tension.
Did I mention how adorably lovable and squishable they all are? One of their running jokes is about pandas, and I DON'T EVEN KNOW, IT'S JUST HILARIOUS. What did you have for breakfast this morning? Pan da! Who never grows up? PETER PAN DA!
If I haaad to choose a favorite character (which in Love Shuffle is akin to choosing your favorite ice cream in a whole room of ice cream), I think Kairi wins overall. HER POKER FACE. :| :| :|
Also, not ten minutes go by without someone getting 1) wet, 2) naked, 3) a combination thereof.
Do you feel enlightened?
I feel enlightened.
I feel like I'm really getting the deeper meaning here.
Though we should all look closely to make sure we're fully commited to plot.
OH YES PANDA!!!
Now, you may be asking yourself what could be possibly be prettier than Matsuda Shota's nipples. It's a question I also contemplate daily. But LS is full of cinematography you can't ignore:
Isn't it gorgeous? A gorgeous drama full of gorgeous people dedicated to looking gorgeous with one another.
Het, slash, hijinks, kissing, quirky friendships, random gangster beatdowns, partner-approved swinging, and more panda puns than you can shake a stick at. There is no reason you shouldn't be watching Love Shuffle RIGHT NOW.
They're neighbors brought together by a blackout. Together, they rotate partners to find true love!
I dropped this ages ago because of a dull start, but certain spoilers inspired me to give it another try... and then I wound up devouring the entire thing in one sitting. ONE SITTING. I had to know what happened next. By the end I was wild-eyed and sleep-deprived, curling my toes and stuffing my fist in my mouth to contain noises of COMPLETE GLEE.
If you were in a similar boat (bored by the beginning), just... give it a few eps.
And make sure you don't have anything planned the rest of the night.
IN A LAND OF MYTH AND A TIME OF MAGIC... there are a group of neighbors who hold pajama parties in the lobby and randomly bust into rounds of Dancing Queen. HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS, THE CUTE HAS NOT YET BEGUN.
Weary of their respective romances, they decide to shake things up with a "love shuffle": every week they'll swap partners and wait for sparks to fly.
And fly they do!
Even the dudes aren't immune!
Kei has been dumped by his fiance, Mei, who might or might not be interested in someone else.
Airu is a brash, straight-talking lady with a bad track record when it comes to relationships. Probably because she can make men cry and isn't afraid to slap the shit out of someone who's disappointed her. Yes, Airu is awesome. ♥ ♥
Kiku-rin is a psychiatrist trying to get over a mysterious lost love, whose identity is known only to the horny cougar, Reiko.
Reiko is also awesome, one of those women who knows what she wants -- and if that happens to be a 20something hottie naked in her bed, SO BE IT.
Yukki is a hopeless dork who'd like a little love from... well... anyone. What he doesn't realize is that he's played by DAIGO, and if he'd just take off his glasses, he'd look like this:
Ganbatte, Yukki-kun!
Ojiro is the group's pimp, notable for having chemistry with anyone, everyone, even a few trees, a lamppost, his camera...
But above them all Ojiro/Kairi wins the "most unexpected OTP of the year" award. He's a playboy photographer struggling with feelings of inadequacy! She's a suicidal painter who cuts herself and sees the spirit of death! THEY SHOULDN'T WORK YET SOMEHOW THEY DO.
LOOK AT THEM. LOOK AT HOW PERFECT THEY ARE.
I should've known I'd be drawn like a moth to a flame to the pairing full of angst, suicidal thoughts and messed-up functionality. In one scene he breaks down and crumbles to the floor, and she scoots over and LICKS HIS FACE. Let me repeat that. SHE LICKS HIS FACE. HIS FACE: SHE LICKS IT.
Kei/Airu is adorable like baby ducks and I took a zillion caps of them smiling and laughing and dancing at their pajama parties and Airu making him cry (it's a sign of love!) and Kei pulling her fully-clothed in the pool.
I LOVE THIS CAP. Yeah baby, you know you wanna rub yourself all over his flannel pajamas. Feel the heat. Feel the sexual tension.
Did I mention how adorably lovable and squishable they all are? One of their running jokes is about pandas, and I DON'T EVEN KNOW, IT'S JUST HILARIOUS. What did you have for breakfast this morning? Pan da! Who never grows up? PETER PAN DA!
If I haaad to choose a favorite character (which in Love Shuffle is akin to choosing your favorite ice cream in a whole room of ice cream), I think Kairi wins overall. HER POKER FACE. :| :| :|
Also, not ten minutes go by without someone getting 1) wet, 2) naked, 3) a combination thereof.
Do you feel enlightened?
I feel enlightened.
I feel like I'm really getting the deeper meaning here.
Though we should all look closely to make sure we're fully commited to plot.
OH YES PANDA!!!
Now, you may be asking yourself what could be possibly be prettier than Matsuda Shota's nipples. It's a question I also contemplate daily. But LS is full of cinematography you can't ignore:
Isn't it gorgeous? A gorgeous drama full of gorgeous people dedicated to looking gorgeous with one another.
Het, slash, hijinks, kissing, quirky friendships, random gangster beatdowns, partner-approved swinging, and more panda puns than you can shake a stick at. There is no reason you shouldn't be watching Love Shuffle RIGHT NOW.