Second Love - Review (minimal spoilers)
- Overall 8.0
- Story 6.5
- Acting/Cast 9.0
- Music 5.0
- Rewatch Value 9.5
I just re-watched this series and after a second viewing I can say Second Love is my number one 'adult drama guilty pleasure'!
If you're in the mood for drama and romance then that's great because that's all you get! There's no mystery, or action, or anything like that. It's just two people quickly falling in love and then finding it hard to stick together due to outsiders and their own different ideals.
The Story and Rewatch Value:
It's got a bit of a trashy-romance-novel vibe about it but in a totally good way. The plot is not very realistic so it plays out like a fantasy of a 30+ year old woman rather than a serious take on relationships. It's just pure romantic escapism - what if some sexy, mysterious, troubled, and a little broken hottie fell in love at first site with a slightly frumpy going-nowhere ageing woman. Once that has happened and they try to move on from the initial attraction the plot does become slightly more realistic however it's not long until the story returns to it's fairy tale mindset.
I think this is part of the reason why it's got so much re-watch value. It's short (only 7 episodes), very easy to plough through for a second time and to just not pay attention to the so-so story but then look up when Kame is taking his shirt off (I'm not sorry XD). Even though I say that you'll still be deeply invested at certain moments.
The Acting:
The acting is very well done - as to be expected from Kame and Fukada. Though Kame is a little too short and muscular to be a dancer, and Fukada is far too beautiful and alluring to be that innocent and frumpy. However, I do think they fit their characters well emotionally and look really good together.
To be honest it was quite fun to see Kame acting in a role where he isn't so sweet, perfect, and adorable. This role felt pretty different to other characters he had played. He is a good-looking and hard-working boyfriend, which pretty standard when it comes to Kame, however Kei is not nearly as sweet, caring, and innocent as his previous characters. Kei is single minded, has a much more natural appearance (as apposed to Kame's idol look), and less traditional with relationships - not interested in marriage or children. Kame's dancing is a joy to watch though contemporary dance can sometimes look a bit peculiar on film it was nevertheless well executed.
Though, as I have said, I think Fukada is probably too beautiful in the way she looks and moves to pass for a teacher - though they do explain this slightly. However I did really care about her character and how she grew. I definitely was hoping for a happy ending for the two of them.
The Music:
The music was a bit of a low point for me. None of the music itself was bad but I felt that it often was misplaced. As a KAT-TUN fan it hurts me to say this but KISS KISS KISS does not fit this drama at all. The song is far too bombastic and is used in scenes which really needed something much more subdued. It really took me out of some scenes and ruined really good moments. However the rest of the music in Second Love is great and fits the drama perfectly.
Overall:
I gave this drama a 8 which for some might seem a little high. However I truly enjoyed this drama. Yes the plot is pretty unbelievable and some side characters (though well acted) I found distracting and annoying, but it was fun, sexy, and I could 100% re-watch this again. I would defiantly recommend it but don't go in with high expectations - go in to have a bit of fun!
