Good Morning Call (2016) is a Netflix and Fuji TV drama based on the Japanese Manga with the same name.
Genre: Romantic, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Summary
Nao Yoshikawa (Haruka Fukuhara) moves out on her own after her parents move to the country. Things don’t go as planned when she encounters Hisashi Uehara (Shun’ya Shiraishi), the school number 1 guy was leased to the same apartment.
Review
This is an 17 episode journey will take you into the home of two high schoolers who overcome each other’s faults, grow to understand and love one another. It’s extremely light-hearted and will put you in a good mood.
Characters
Uehara is an intelligent, good-looking, hardworking man who is unaware of his own feelings. Nao, who is caring and cheerful, helps him to open up his heart and let go of his past love, Yuri. Yuri, Uehara’s sister-in-law, is insecure and solves her problems through shopping. Marina and Mitsuichi are Nao’s Best friend. Marina is an extraordinary friend who always guides naive Nao and helps her understand romantic situations.
Production and Acting
This is based on a manga, so overacting is expected, but I felt as though it has been toned down compared to other dramas based on mangas (thank goodness, although I love the occasional overacting). Despite not having seen many Japanese dramas, I really think they have improved in this area as well as in the area of production (check out Liar Game to see what I mean).
Story
The drama follows the storyline of the manga very closely, but still changes some things for the sake of film. Daichi (Dori Sakurada) is a new character that can’t be found in the manga. I assume he has been brought it to add more competition to Uehara. Issei (Kentaro Sakaguchi) shows up much later in the manga and his personality is a little different. The drama’s whole conflict was the fact that a male and a female, both high school students, living together unmarried which the manga hardly addressed. I think using that as a way to adapt conflict into the drama was brilliant.
Music
The music was perfect, all instrumental and all enhanced the story.
Questions
How many people fall for real estate fraud?
Is it acceptable for high schoolers to live on their own?
After thoughts/recommendations
I watched this drama at a time when I needed an escape. The light-hearted feeling is just the cure for that. This is definitely a drama for shoujo lovers.
- Tsudere: Playful Kiss (Mischievous Kiss, It Started with a Kiss, Miss in Kiss, Kiss Me, Itazura na Kiss), Full House, Lucky Romance
- Cohabitation: Full House, Hotaru no Hikari, Just You, Rooftop Prince, Personal Taste
- Based on Shoujo manga: Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers, Meteor Shower, Meteor Garden), Hana Kimi, Hotaru No Hikari, Itazura na Kiss.
Quotes
“The longer you wait, the more you regret it.” Issei to Abe (Daichi overhearing)
“This pudding is better than usual because it had your kindness in it.” Nao to Uehara (Daichi also overhearing–such an eavesdropper).
Drama-to-Life
I like to take things I see or read and try them out so the following are some of the things from Good Morning Call that I was curious about (there is a lot more):
Cabbage Rolls
Milk Pudding
Croquette
Soba on NYE
Valentine’s Day
Picture Frame Craft
Love Votive Craft
Tarepanda Craft
The second season of Good Morning Call will be available on Netflix in March. There is a second Manga called Good Morning Kiss. I have yet to read it, but I am excited to see what they do with it.