Review of Innocent Love

Title: Innocent Love
O.A. Start: 20 Oct 08
Number of episodes: 10
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Timeslot: Mondays, 9pm
Official website: here
Theme song: Eternally - Drama Mix - by Utada Hikaru


Cast:

Akiyama Kanon - Horikita Maki
Nagasaki Junya - Kitagawa Yuujin
Sakurai Mizuki - Kashii Yui
Akiyama Youji - Fukushi Seiji
Segawa Subaru - Narimiya Hiroki
Father Yoshimichi - Naitou Takeshi
Toono Kiyoka - Uchida Yuki
Ikeda Jirou - Toyohara Kousuke

Review:

I am feeling amazed that I even managed to finish watching this drama despite the fact that I have lots of complaints about it. I guess the sight of Narimiya Hiroki and Uchida Yuki helped to make things more bearable in a way.

First of all, the story is simply long-winded and silly. The so-called surprise developments e.g. Kanon's past, Subaru's feelings for Junya, Kiyoka's true feelings didn't provide the much-needed twists to the story. Everything was predictable (you sort of get the flow of events after watching so many dramas over the years) so I was really bored and disappointed with the story. Indeed, this being a gekku drama, I think it's seriously lacking in the story department. I think the worst part was when Junya tried to save Seika and ended up being in a coma, causing Kanon to take care of him like what he did for Seika. That's really repetitive and meaningless. I just get the feeling that the scriptwriter was trying to make things more difficult for Junya and Kanon instead of a smooth happily-ever-after ending.

Secondly, Horikita Maki is a big problem here. I don't know whether it is her luck or just that her agency doesn't really choose the right roles for her. Her career has been going up and down. When she appeared in the movie, "ALWAYS", she was quite outstanding. Then came along Teppan Shoujo Akane which did really bad in ratings. Hanazakari no Kimi tachi e followed by Atsuhime pushed her up to new heights again. And then, Innocent Love just made her slip once more. She seemed to be trying really hard to show the so-called adult and feminine side since she turned 20 last year. For example, when she tried to put on a smile, it really looked awkward and forced. I mean, you can smile but you don't have to go to the extent of trying to show off your teeth and your face muscles feel as if they are twitching. Given the fact that I also didn't like Kanon as a whole, I really cannot bring myself to say that I enjoyed Horikita's performance. Well, she can try slowly to break away from her usual youthful image but this drama was too much of a big jump for her.

Thirdly, Kitagawa Yuujin is another issue. I know he doesn't have much acting experience but then the way he speaks, his voice and sometimes exaggerated way of expressing himself simply puts me off. And the chemistry between him and Horikita was seriously lacking.

Like what I said above, Narimiya Hiroki and Uchida Yuki were the bright spots in the gloomy story, at least to me. I think they both looked pretty good in this drama. I dislike Kiyoka as a character but I do like Uchida. As for Narimiya, he looked more at ease in his acting (he's good at playing characters with a dark or hidden side) than he was in Hachimitsu to Clover. As for Kashii Yui, I still don't like her. Maybe it's something in her image which puts me off. I get the feeling that she's quite stiff in her acting at times and that there is a haughty air around her.

With regards to the theme song, I didn't pay attention to the song when I got the album some years ago. That being said, this new version wasn't a hit with me too.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 1 out of 10 (I was tempted to give it a zero...)
Acting: 4 out of 10 (Nothing much to speak of. The leads didn't carry the story well at all.)
Theme song: 4 out of 10 (It didn't leave an impact.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 4 out of 10 (Nothing impressive.)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 4 out of 10

Total: 17 out of 50