#Furumaya Tomoyuki

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Happy of the End Review: Love, Trauma, and Despair Collide

Happy of the End is a dark drama that explores a tumultuous relationship between two broken men, Chihiro and Keito. With themes of trauma, abuse, and survival, this noir-like series offers a grim, complex take on love and despair.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) “I want to die” Those are probably not the first words you’d expect to hear after a kiss. But, well, the Japanese series Happy of the End isn’t your typical romantic drama either. Kashiwagi Chihiro is young, beautiful, penniless, disowned by his family for being gay, and thrown to the streets by his latest lover for being unfaithful. One day, at a bar, he…

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 8

"You can do anything. You can go anywhere and you'll survive anywhere. The only thing stopping you from going anywhere is me. Chihiro, you don't have to worry anymore. No one will ever get in your way again."

[mingjoes]

Hey, what was that earlier?

Happy of the End ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド dir. Furumaya Tomoyuki

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Kisses and moments in Ameiro Paradox/Candy Color Paradox/飴色パラドックス (2022-2023) l dir. Tomoyuki Furumaya - part 1.

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Ameiro Paradox (2022). Drama review

Ameiro Paradox (飴色パラドックス) | 2022 | Japan | screenplay and direction: Furumaya Tomoyuki

Ameiro Paradox is one of those dramas that are not complex, but even though very enjoyable to watch. There is no extensive network of connections between characters, no digging into their pasts, and no twists and turns. I came across the term comfort series the other day, and I think this drama fits the category perfectly.

Yes, I love to lose myself in multi-layered plots and breathtaking frames. But, for balance, I like stories that warm my heart. That's why Ameiro Paradox will stay in my memory for a long time.

The main characters are Onoe and Kaburagi, who work for the weekly gossip magazine Dash! - Onoe as the reporter, Kaburagi as the cameraman. They are assigned to work as a duo, which is not convenient for them. Onoe follows ethical principles in life, while Kaburagi has nothing to do with them in case of getting a scoop. Onoe despises Kaburagi's flirtatiousness, and Kaburagi is annoyed by Onoe's naivety.

At first glance, they are different and do not fit together as partners at work, let alone a romantic relationship.

However, as history progresses, it turns out they have as much in common as they differ. Just like the fact they are both introverts. Their dislike for each other is incredibly short. Most of the story is feigned dislike, which only adds to their relationship's charm.

Onoe is fascinated to discover that Kaburagi actually has a gentle personality. The hard shell is something that Kaburagi created because of and for the work. Onoe is the only one who manages to break through it. While he doesn't endorse Kaburagi's methods of achieving goals, Onoe also admires that he always gets what he wants.

Kaburagi admires that Onoe stays at peace with himself even in such environment. Onoe appears to him as pure, unsullied in this dirty world. He notices his brilliance, analytical thinking, and ability to connect the dots. Looking at his advantages, even his flaws, such as clumsiness or naivety, seem winsome.

At some point in the story, there is a misunderstanding between them. Onoe is carrying out the action alone, without Kaburagi and it ends successfully. While Onoe is very pleased with himself, Kaburagi becomes cold and distant towards him. Why is he sulking for no reason, is he a hypocrite? After all, he is the one who deceives people to achieve a goal, so why is he so offended when Kaburagi only did his job well? What's this about?

When they worked as a duo, there was a kind of division of blame. When Onoe went on a mission alone, it stripped him of his innocence. Kaburagi always wanted to protect him during their work - not only from direct threat as kidnapping or abusing. He didn't want Onoe to become cold and soulless like him. Poor Onoe, he just wanted to show himself as an independent individual who could be as good at investigating as Kaburagi. It took the opposite turn than intended.

Fortunately, the characters explain everything to each other in the end. Their love is sweet, charming, and this is the warmth in the heart that I wrote about at the beginning.

Coming to the end of my review, I have to mention Masayan, Onoe's friend who runs the pub. The pub is Onoe's contemplative area, and Masayan is the voice that allows him to gather his thoughts, put together mismatched puzzle pieces, and helps him make a decision. In dramas we often deal with a phenomenon - I would call it - talking for talking's sake. Good friends but lousy advisory. I'm not saying there should be philosophical treatises, but I can't stand truisms and pointless advice. Here we have one of the most valuable characters in dramas at all. We need more of them! Such friends in real life too :).

As for me, the drama has the potential for the second season! I'd love to see further adventures in Kaburagi's and Onoe's demanding work and how their relationship develops.

Favorite quotes:

🌸 Onoe: I just thought if you had to do it against your will, I would do it myself. Because I knew you didn't like that kind of task. […] And I didn't want to see you suffering. So I offered to do it instead. Kaburagi: But I'd rather do it myself than let you do it for the same reason as you.

🌸 Onoe: You know, you always smell good. Kaburagi: Really? But I didn't wear any perfume. Onoe: It's probably the shampoo. Kaburagi: So… If we live together, we'll smell the same.

Nerise Medetai

instagram.com/nerimede

[sasa-chan]

Day 07

The Sacrifice Dilemma (Ikenie no dilemma)

Year Released: 2013

Run Time: 1hr 20m

Director: Shûsuke Kaneko

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Killing Curriculum: Jinroh Shokei Game - Prologue

Year Released: 2015

Run Time: 1hr 19m

Director: Furumaya Tomoyuki

Genres: Horror, Romance, Thriller

Jinroh Shokei Game

Year Released: 2015

Run Time: 1hr 27m

Genres: Horror

[blfanfest]

Ameiro Paradox 🇯🇵

Details

Title: 飴色パラドックス

Also known as: Candy Color Paradox , Amber Paradox , Ameiro Paradokkusu

# of episodes: 8

Air dates: Dec. 16, 2022 - Feb. 3, 2023

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director: Furumaya Tomoyuki

Adapted from: the manga "Ameiro Paradox" (飴色パラドックス) by Natsume Isaku (夏目イサク)

Country: Japan

Watch via: Viki | GagaOOLala

Summary

A change in the stakeout team throws Onoe, reporter for a weekly magazine, together with his contemporary, Kaburagi, a photographer. Onoe secretly considers Kaburagi his rival, and Kaburagi's haphazard way of doing things goes against Onoe's strong sense of ethics. There's nothing but conflict between them.

But, in joint pursuit of a scandal, the two of them begin to care about each other...?

Cast

Kimura Keito as Onoe Satoshi

Yamanaka Jyutaro as Kaburagi Motoharu

Kashio Atsuki as Masayan

Miyazawa Sae as Kaori

Izuka Kenta as Inami Kei

Yoshida Rinne as Haruta Yui

Ichikawa Tomohiro as Sumida Jiro

Koyonagi Yu as Kiuchi Taisuke

Check out my blog post for episode links and updates.

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 5

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 1

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 7

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"That face... You look gentle. You can make that kind of face too."

Episode 1 & 8 Parallels; dir. Tomoyuki Furumaya

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 7

[Hearing Chihiro’s voices in his head]: It’s your fault. It’s because of you that I’m like this. It’s because of you that this happened to me.

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 8

“Thank you, Chihiro”

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 3

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 8

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ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Happy of the End (2024) | EP 4