Of Swords and Parasols

Have I mentioned the incredibly cute opening credits to the series?  Here, let me show you:

 


I actually have nothing to add that I haven't said before(again, mature romance about realizing  that the heady, mushy love in fiction is fine and all, but the mature love of friends and equals is even better in reality), so I will just give you pictures instead.  And again, if you liked Sapuri/Suppli, you'd probably like this.

Hmm...what does it say about me that, anytime it shows Hotaru's manga, or when she's in a manga cafe, I stare at the manga to try to recognize it?


But anyway, onto the part that's not about books the main event:

I continue to really like this, even if does spend a lot of time on the "a woman must have a boyfriend, be on the prowl, or be sexually dead" obsession that most dramas seem to have.  Although, really, even though it's a focus(Hotaru being the stereotype of the woman with no love or social life, wasting away doing nothing but work and then coming home and lounging around, but being perfectly happy with her life) it doesn't seem to be as bad as it is in other dramas.  Probably because other women in these shows seem obsessed with getting ahead in their job or finding a guy, but Hotaru is perfectly happy with her lifestyle until there's actually a specific guy she likes, and then she isn't sure what to do about it.

Sometimes I really wish they talked about what kind of manga Hotaru reads.  I suspect it's that kind of shoujo where the girl is hung up on the perfect guy who's actually either bland or a jerk(or both) and the much better (for her and otherwise) secondary guy loses out, despite doing a lot more for her than the "hero" ever did(ah, so many such shoujo have I dropped...)  Because that's what we have here...except here, it actually IS the right guy who's going to win out.  It's all about realizing that the cute and fluttery young love you read about isn't as good as the mature love of equals founded on friendship and respect.  That, and Takano is just better than Makoto on all levels.


And if you just want to skip the babble and look at the pictures of pretty people...

Aaah, jdramas...it's been too long.

Hotaru is a cool, efficient, elegant, collected office lady in a prestigious firm.  At work, she's calm, perfectly groomed, and always prepared.  At home, she's a total and complete slob.  She wears ratty clothes, has manga piled everywhere, leaves her clothes all over the apartment, and talks to stray cats.  No one in the world outside her home will ever see the real Hotaru.  Except that one day, her landlord's son, Takano, not knowing his father is allowing someone else to live in his childhood home, decides to move in.  

Problem A:  Hotaru doesn't actually rent the house, she's just allowed to live there as long as she wants.

Problem B: Takano is her manager at work.

Needless to say, Takano, who is extremely neat, serious and organized, has some problems adjusting not only to the mess his home is in, but also to the difference between the public and private Hotarus.  Soon, however, after some issues such private articles of clothing being left out and gourmet cheese being eaten as a midnight snack, the rules of cohabitation are established and Hotaru and Takano are somewhat peacefully coexisting and becoming friends, with Hotaru helping Takano deal with his separation from his wife, and Takano somewhat grudgingly helping Hotaru move forward with her blooming romance with another coworker, Makoto.  It is, of course, rather obvious where it's going.

I think that if you liked Sapuri/Suppli, you'd like this.  Aside from the obvious office romance similarities, they also have similar themes of looking past the cute and fluffy crushing for the better, adult love, as well as both parties growing up and becoming comfortable with themselves and each other, and who they are.  It's a romance, but one where both parties grow up.

The only problem is Makoto.  All the women in the office are crazy about him, and I can't tell why.  He's pretty nice looking, but no more so than any of the other men in the office, and less so than some(like Takano.)  There isn't really  anything about his personality that stands out, either.  He's nice, but mostly just kinda...there.  It wouldn't stand out as much, except that pretty much everyone in the office is pretty cool and interesting, even the ones with tiny roles.

Also, this is The Office of Pretty People.  I think it's a requirement to be hired.


Sidenote:  I kept getting thrown because I'm used to Hotaru as a boy's name, and have seen Hikari/Hikaru a lot as a name, too.  Therefore, I keep forgetting which is her name, and that the title doesn'r refer to both their names.  (Well, I only had the problem in the first ep, but...)