The Gist: Chiyomi (Maika Yamamoto) and Minami (Taishi Nakagawa) used to be best friends. After knowing each other since childhood and being neighbors, Minami suddenly pulls away when his father leaves his family. Now in high school, Chiyomi and Minami barely speak to one another. That is, until a rainy night catches Chiyomi out in the storm and she wakes up to be several inches tall (think Honey I Shrunk the Kids). After Minami tracks her down, she begs him to hide her rather than burden her parents with her mystical disaster. Minami reluctantly agrees. While the challenges of having to take care of your tiny next-door neighbor cause troubles for Minami, the new close quarters give them a chance to work out just exactly what went wrong in their relationship.
Love:
1. Unique
I am on a kick of shows that I had been avoiding because they just sounded so stupid. I should know by now that the dumber the premise, the better the show. After reading a couple good reviews, I decided to watch this one. It was short, so despite being skeptical, I dove in. I actually watched this entire show in one sitting on my day off. I can say I’ve been thinking about it every since I finished it because it was just a strange plot that is executed really well.
Really, what is the bread-and-butter of this show is Minami and Chiyomi. They both have some serious acting hurdles to overcome because with Chiyomi needing to be so small, they can’t actually act directly at each other (in real life). I thought both actors handled it really well and they both managed to convince me that they were talking to one another, when it is obviously an effect. It is no small feat to handle a romance when the girl fits in the guy’s pocket, but they handled the chemistry in all the right places.
Not to mention, it was interesting to see how they handled the tiny details of her being so small. Where does she go to the bathroom? (my biggest question and it was answered immediately). How will she bathe? What will she wear? It’s hilarious to see Minami struggle to take care of her like a small child when she’s really a peer.
2. The Romance
So, I think one of the things I really like about Japanese romance dramas is they tend to focus really singularly on the main pair. Korean dramas tend to build a lot of other story lines and multiple romances and it’s interesting, but can be overbearing. Every scene in every episode of this show is in service of the romance and the main problem of Chiyomi being small. This helps with the pacing of the show as it’s relationship-building is front and center.
I also really like that they avoided any major love-triangles, although in another show, Sayori could have been the leading lady. Her and Minami had a lot in common and really her only flaw is that she isn’t Chiyomi. Obviously she serves the purpose of getting Minami to really confront his feelings, but I appreciate that they developed her into a well-rounded character and not just a set piece.
Honestly, the show that this actually gave me a similar vibe to is Mischeivous Kiss. Now, you should all know how much I love that show (Mirai Suzuki was actually in both shows and in the hospital scene, the characters are reading the manga!). Something about the forced cohabitation and the male lead coming to realize the one for him has been there all along has a similar warm feeling. Especially as their families are both friends, even though this plot is totally different, I found myself feeling similarly to how I do when I watch Mischievous Kiss.
Let’s get into spoiler territory here. I love that since the traditional skinship of this show has to be light (she’s so tiny!) that we make up for it with a big kiss scene at the hospital. I wasn’t totally sure how much of this we were going to get, but I appreciate that after waiting all this time, they didn’t shy away from our characters getting their much deserved intimacy once Chiyomi grows again. Also, I know some people will think this show ties up too neatly, but I love a show that ends on a wedding. Gah! It’s so cute!
3. Our defeated rivals
I know I touched a bit on how Sayori is a well-developed character beyond being a rival, but I was equally impressed with Chiyomi’s other potential love-interest Riku (played by the above-mentioned Mirai Suzuki). While he is definitely way too obsessed with dolls (it’s a touch problematic to want to keep a girl in your pocket…you know, without the supernatural circumstances), I appreciate him manning up and stepping aside when it’s obvious that the person Chiyomi loves is Minami and not him. I found him to be a fairly mature character and I was glad we didn’t shoe-horn extra conflict in with him. Also, he handles finding out Chiyomi’s secret like a boss.
4. Family Building
Now, while the romance is definitely the focus of the show, the family relationships are an excellent backdrop. So much of how children see romance is colored by their parents’ relationships. We see how much Minami’s father leaving affects him, but his grandmother and mom are both so strong and so supportive. Although he feels like he has to be the protector, they are both good examples of leadership in his life. I like how when Minami gets into trouble helping Chiyomi, his mom’s first reaction is always to support him, rather than punish him. It is clear that they have a lot of trust in their relationship, which you can see mirrored in his approach to Chiyomi.
It’s obvious throughout the show that Chiyomi’s parents have problems. We find out quickly that they got married after Chiyomi’s mom became pregnant. Their relationship is stressed as their daughter appears to be missing, but I appreciate how they resolve this storyline, especially how Chiyomi gets to be a part of this solution. Just as her parents have to work at their relationship, Chiyomi and Minami have to work at theirs.
Meh:
1. Self-defeating problems
So, throughout the show, I was really wondering what happened to Chiyomi and Minami’s relationship. It was obvious it had something to do with his father, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Slight spoilers ahead - finally, Minami confesses that he pushed her away because he was worried his feelings for her would change and that he would abandon her, like his father did to his mother. All that makes sense in the mind of a pre-teen teenager, but when the solution to that problem is to randomly have a change of heart and abandon her… aren’t you just becoming the thing you’re afraid of earlier? Again, I am willing to forgive this plot line because he is so young when his dad leaves, he doesn’t really have the tools to process what happened to him, but it is a little ironic that he enacts what he’s afraid of as a solution.
Speaking of problem-solving, so it becomes obvious quickly that the reason that Chiyomi is staying with Minami is to get closer to him rather than to spare her parents, but for how much she complains about her parents reactions, they also handle finding out her secret with cool heads. It becomes obvious in the end of the show that she was creating more problems than she was solving, but again, forgivable - she’s a teen girl with a chance to get close to her crush. Eh, I’d do the same.
2. The Special Effects
Don’t get me wrong, as far as dramas go, they did a pretty stellar job with the effect of Chiyomi being tiny. Yet, there was always a little part of my mind thinking “the pillow’s not indenting where she is.” While they got the placement right and the acting is great, they have a hard time making Chiyomi look like she has any weight to her. It’s especially obvious when he’s holding her that it’s not quite right. Again, I think everyone does a great job and it doesn’t really detract from the writing of the show, not to mention how much did the effects cost already, it’s just a little distracting. I will say, they did a pretty good job of making her look like she’s wearing things that are tiny, large knit cloth or doll’s clothes. Additionally, her holding giant pieces of food is always hilarious.
So:
So… color me surprised, I freaking adored this little (get it??) show. It was an excellent watch, with all the right pieces for a good romance. It’s not especially heavy, but it does have just enough that it will keep you thinking about it for awhile (at least, it did for me). At 10 episodes, it’s much less of a commitment than a lot of other shows and the story just breezes by. I definitely recommend for any and all drama watchers, especially those who liked Mischievous Kiss.
Final Grade: A+
