Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu

I've been itching for Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, or We Got Married as a Job, to end so I could hurry up and review it. I tuned in for the fourth episode or so, and I've been following since. It's nice to have so many things to say that I can't wait to put them into sentences.

Nigeru wa Haji is about Mikuri, a woman overflowing with passion who is desperate to get a full-time job, but sadly has yet to find one. Desperate, she takes an offer to clean the flat of a acquaintance of her Father. His name is Hiramasa, and he's about ten years older than her. It's whilst she's working for him that she comes up with a theory - women are often expected to cook and clean, so shouldn't 'housewife' be considered a profession? This leads to Mikuri proposing an idea with Hiramasa, in which she 'marries' him and performs housework as a live-in employee. To her surprise, Hiramasa calculates the efficiency of this idea and agrees. I don't think these two ever expected that they'd fall for each other.

I remember considering writing a first impression for Nigeru wa Haji right after it came out, but I never did. It was interesting, because I'm not usually brimming with things to say after the first episode of a drama. I liked how the drama used parodies to convey information in a fresh and fun way. I found the choppy editing of the first episode made it even funnier in a blunt kind of way; and the bright colour palette used for the show just made it all the more inviting.
  What I really enjoyed was how this show advertised itself as a 'contract marriage' drama, which is a pretty well-known little romance sub-genre in Asia, but then flipped off every typical contract marriage trope and went in a new direction. The idea of Mikuri technically being Hiramasa's employee was golden, and it made the hurdles the couple had to face entirely new. Other than that, the director often made me laugh with the way they often led you to believe you knew exactly what was about to happen, when the reality was completely the opposite. It's always fun to watch something that breaks every expectation you have for it. Nigeru wa Haji has set a new standard for itself in that respect. 

  In addition, the characters were a complete delight. Nigeru wa Haji was also inventive in the sense that the main cast were people of all different age groups. This added new dynamics to their inter-personal relationships which Nigeru wa Haji never hesitated to play around with. They were also all wonderfully weird.
  The writing behind Mikuri and Hiramasa's characters was especially crafty, I think. This drama didn't try to brand them with one single personality trait, which happens often, and instead they were portrayed as messy but adorable people with winning performances by Aragaki Yui and Hoshino Gen. Regardless of all the differences between them, they always seemed completely perfect for each other. What I liked about their romance was that the conflict was never too great - they weren't being forced apart by their families, neither or them were terminally ill, and they weren't star-crossed in any shape or form. The only problem they ever had was communication. Mikuri and Hiramasa were always on the same wavelength, right from day one (which we discover through a multitude of beautifully-orchestrated monologues that keep us up-to-date with their respective thoughts and feelings), but the issue was that they never confirmed this with each other. The show addresses other problems often found in relationships; sharing responsibilities is one, but a massive theme in the story is how a relationship can only work if you put the effort and time into keeping it alive. I loved that. It brings a sense of realism to the story, so despite the fact that their romance was cautious and approached rigidly step-by-step, it never failed to actually be romantic.

In conclusion, Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is a must-watch. Sometimes people look down on the romance genre, thinking it's hardly difficult to produce a story that the demographic will like as long as you follow the rules. The sad part is that some of the incredibly popular romance stories I know are just like that. But Nigeru wa Haji is different; every aspect of the show is so clearly thought-out, constantly musing about life and society. It's a prime example of what you can create when you cut out what isn't needed and focus solely on the relationship-building. It's been a pleasure to follow and I hope you'll have the sense to do the same!