Drama: Choosing Spouse By Lottery (English title)
Romaji: Kekkon Aite wa Chusen de
Japanese: 結婚相手は抽選で
Actors: Shuhei Nomura, Rin Takanashi, Ryohei Otani, Aimi Satsukawa, Ayaka Onishi
Director: Junichi Ishikawa, Kaede Kamiya
Writer: Miu Kakiya (novel), Erika Seki, Sumino Kawashima
Network: Fuji TV, Tokai TV
The plot reminds me of a lot of the movie Ikigami where they solve Japan's problem with absurd laws that no matter how you think of it, has no chance to exist in the real world. In Ikigami they try to solve Japan's high "suicide" rate by randomly selecting a citizen to die within 24 hours of notification because they believe this will remind all people how precious life is and will make them productive. In this drama due to nations "low birth and aging population", they implement a law where every single men and women from age of 25 to 39 to go on government planned blind dates. If you can't find a marriage partner in three tries you go fight the terrorist LOL. If you can overlook that unrealistic plot and if you like fascinating story then this is a must watch as it tackles the theme "marriage" quite profoundly and that is what is important.
This stupid law serves as the plot device for the character development of these characters, it taught them a lot about themselves, what they want in a partner and also what they lack as a person. It also raised a lot of question on peoples view on marriage, how it affects their lives and especially the role of minorities in a society where this law is implemented such as people who don't have Japanese citizenship, people who are sick and members of LGBT, so in some way this law is not pure negative but there is also positive like the awareness this law brought up. With so many layers and prejudices in this 8 episode drama, it may sound so ambitious but in my opinion they pull it off quite brilliantly.
Romance is not the main point in the story, it is the philosophy of marriage, but it doesn't mean there is no couple we can root for in this story. Acting is quite good from the actors but the stand out is definitely Nomura Shuhei, who brilliantly portrays this character who suffers from OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Music by Yu Takahashi is so good and damn catchy that it always managed to hype every episode.
The ending is cute and you can tell this law is the best thing that happen to our leads. They grow up to a person they wanted as their partner, which makes them suited for each other in the end, and I love the phrase "Marriage isn't a human obligation, but you also have the right to get married".
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