Thoughts about "Tsukuyomi-kun no kindan no oyashoku" Ep 1 (spoiler alert!)

The first word that came to my mind after watching this episode was "sensual".

Not that there was anything sexual or explicit about the drama but the way the filming of the scenes was done and the pacing of the developments created this very dreamy and sensual atmosphere that would be sure to tickle the viewers' senses, in a good way. 

First of all, the key theme of the drama was about having late night supper which is supposedly a sinful thing to do because we've all been told how bad it is to be eating after a certain time at night. Especially for the lead character Mikami Soyogi (Triendl Reina) who is a fitness trainer and has to have the perfect figure, eating has become somewhat like a taboo for her as she eats to survive, not to enjoy. As such, it was no wonder that when Tsukuyomi Yuuga (Hagiwara Riku) cooked a late night meal for Soyogi under rather unusual circumstances, the cinematography was probably done in a such way to show what kind of a temptation this would be for Soyogi. As a viewer, it is nothing surprising to be able to see and listen to the food being prepared on screen but for a brief moment, I thought that I was even able to imagine how it would smell. This is thanks to the deliberately slower-than-usual close-ups lingering on the food to make it look so tempting which would no doubt whet your appetite. I really think that this is something best not to be watched late at night and on an empty stomach because it is going to be such a tough fight against temptation. In this sense, I think this can be considered a success as a food-themed drama.

Secondly, the leads are definitely pleasing to the eye. There are a number of similar pairings this season featuring older women with younger men. While my personal favourite for now is Kurashina Kana and Kikuchi Fuuma who have a sizzling hot chemistry on screen (thanks to the way they hit it off real quick in their drama), these two have the potential to become a really sweet couple as the story progresses. I was especially impressed with Hagiwara who definitely looked like he could be the next heartthrob through this drama. The issue though is, this drama already introduced potential problems which would obstruct the lead couple's path to happiness so it looks like it won't be a straightforward journey for them after all. Some misunderstandings here and there but most likely, it wouldn't be the heartbreaking kind of agony for the couple.

Perhaps the more surprising thing is seeing the handsome brothers i.e. Yuuga and his elder brother Asahina Taiga (Asaka Koudai) who seriously look like they are in a BL universe of their own. In fact, the first episode made it look like there was a weird and ambiguous tension between them and frankly speaking, it was a tad sizzling to see their interactions. If I didn't know beforehand that they are brothers, I would be really mistaken about the nature of their relationship. And I must say, from the first time I watched Asaka in "Anata no ban desu", he sure has come a long way to look as good as he is now.

In summary, the first episode turned out to be better than I expected. Since I don't expect any surprises with the love story part, I think that I would be staying more for the food scenes and the couple pairings (yes, both the lead couple and the brothers). Since each episode is about two-thirds of the norm in terms of length, it is short enough as a quick night snack without feeling overburdened with angsty developments. Unless something major happens to turn me off, I think I should be able to stay with this till the end.