A Virgin Woman Of Literature Review: A Drearily Dull Drama Instead Of A Seemingly Hot Romance

With my attention span reduced to that of a goldfish, I have lately gotten into short series. ‘A Virgin Woman of Literature’ is a Japanese drama series consisting of 8 episodes with each running only 24 minutes. I took it up because I saw some fan-made videos of it online (yes once again my go-to for exploring new dramas) and I was intrigued so I made my way to it.  

A Virgin Woman of Literature is the story of an editor who falls in love with a famous writer. This writer is a womanizer having no interest in love and commitment. The drama offers an exciting start but is not able to maintain the grip which can keep viewers engaged.

A Virgin Woman Of Literature/Bungaku Shojo (2018) (8 Episodes)

Kanoko Tsukishiro (Aoi Morikawa) has managed to secure her dream job as an editor with a reputed publishing company. She loves reading and easily falls in love with her favorite characters. Her first assignment at work is making the famous mystery writer, Saku Kagaya (Yu Shirota) churn out a new novel preferably romance. But Kagaya is a promiscuous man who claims to be unable to fall in love. It takes no time for Tsukishiro to fall head over heels in love with the handsome and mysterious Kagaya. Will his stony heart eventually melt for Tsukishiro?

Let’s weigh this tempting mini-series on our drama beam balance and see if it is worth giving in the temptation.

Good Weights

I enjoyed watching ‘A Virgin Woman Of Literature’ because…

…the casting seemed perfect. Yu Shirota looked a very convincing dreamy writer while Aoi Morikawa looked every bit of the awkward editor. Shirota is so handsome it is natural for any editor to willingly fall for him. Sadly, acting may not be his strength but he looked the part so that also counts, right? 

   

…the fact that Tsukishiro does not lose heart when things do not go as per her expectations makes her a stronger than expected heroine. She shows tremendous development as a character as she does not bend or lose herself to impress the male lead. Also, actress Aoi Morikawa has done a good job of portraying the character. Even when she overacts it looks natural and cartoonish.     

 

Bad Weights

I did NOT LIKE ‘A Virgin Woman Of Literature’ because…

…it made me sad. Not because it is in any way a sad drama but because it gave the impression of a ‘sexy’ miniseries but was actually far far away from it. (me sulking) It’s not fair to cast Yu Shirota and not take advantage of his good looks and charm. Actually, you do get to see the seductive Shirota but he is more of a tease in the drama and nothing more.

…the second lead looked too forced. Now, Tsukishiro’s colleague at work, Mochizuki Chihiro (Nakao Masaki) likes her and asks her out several times but since she is in love with Kagaya she turns him down each time. Though the writers show what appeals to Chihiro about Tsukishiro I was never fully convinced of his love. It felt like his character was added just to fill up some screen time and create unnecessary conflict for Kagaya. In fact, at one point Kagaya even encourages Chihiro to ask Tsukishiro out, and when he does, Kagaya appears from nowhere and takes Tsukishiro away from him while Chihiro stands frozen in place. I felt he was the most poorly written character in the show.

…as a viewer, it is very likely to get in hoping to see some hardcore romance but that doesn’t happen and it lets you down. I don’t know if the show was supposed to be of 8 episodes or if it was cut short because it was bad. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful because tolerating it beyond 8 episodes would have been difficult. 

Showing some serious character development or romance within just 8 episodes is a little tough but some scrupulous writing can make even that happen successfully. Sadly, that’s not the case with this show which makes it so disappointing.

I give ‘A Virgin Woman Of Literature’ 2 out of 5 rating. All smoke no fire. This drama is not what it may appear to be. You can watch it to drool over Yu Shirota if you want to. For the rest, I recommend you skip this.

 

Images Courtesy: Viki.com

 

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