My Impressions of Love Song

(Using image from http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_Song)

I watched the Japanese drama called Love Song recently. It aired during the Spring 2016 season from April 11 to June 13. It stars Fujiwara Sakura and Fukuyama Masaharu. The premise of the series is that Kamishiro Kohei (Fukuyama Masaharu) used to be a professional musician for his band, and had a one-hit wonder before his contract expired and no one wanted to sign him. He retired from being a musician and works as a counselor for the hospital and a company.  Then comes in Sano Sakura (Fujiwara Sakura) into his office for counseling due to her poor communication with her co-workers and her boss. He finds out that she's a stutterer and lived a lonely life while growing up. However, when she sings, her stuttering goes away and she's blessed with a beautiful voice surprising her co-workers, Kohei, and her best friend. Kohei hopes to give Sakura hope and inspiration in life. That's the gist of the story line without giving away anymore spoilers.

In just the first episode, I could relate entirely to Sakura's character as I had a similar childhood. I stuttered when I was younger, and it would hurt a lot when the other kids laughed at me, teased me for being different. It taught me to avoid talking to people at all cost, and to not want the things that I really wanted if they were difficult to say. Sakura goes through similar scenarios. The insert songs that the show chose at key scenes help really convey that message. For being her first time acting, Fujiwara Sakura does a really good job at acting and adding the stutter to her speech. It's not so exaggerated and I believe it is accurate to what stutterers do since I stutter too. Kohei has his developments as a character, and the show delves into deeper on why he quit being a musician years ago.

Being a TV show rather than a movie, it has time to develop the characters and you can see the ups and downs of Sakura as she tries to change herself for the better. You want to cheer for her. The music creation scenes are interesting and I like the two songs that Sakura mainly sings in the drama. The one thing that I found a bit odd is the drama hints at the romantic pairing of Kohei and Sakura. It could be how it is translated into English subtitles, but it feels odd for a early 20s woman to fall in love with a middle age man (Kohei). I could only see the two characters as friends or counselor-patient. I guess it could work romantically, but it does feel a little shoe-in for the development of their relationship throughout the season.

In conclusion, I really enjoy this Japanese drama from beginning to end. This is one of the only dramas where I could understand and relate to the main character from her past, thoughts, and actions. The acting help with that with its main cast and supporting cast. The music and songs that the actors and actresses perform were great. I hope that if you decide to give this Japanese drama a shot that you'll enjoy it as well.

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