Love Is Phantom Review: A Secret Sexy Affair Worth A Try

‘Love is Phantom’ is a short and sexy Japanese drama following the love story of Kei and Momo who have a vast age gap between them. This fast-paced show is for anyone who is interested in some sensuous romance with a regular rich lonely man-poor chirpy woman background.

Every once in a while I pick a drama without knowing much about it and this time it happened to be ‘Love is Phantom’. The story is not too engaging but because of its short duration, it’s easy to watch and complete.   

Love Is Phantom (2021) (10 Episodes)

Hirasawa Momoko (Konishi Sakurako) works at a café in Magnolia Orient Hotel. One night she goes to the terrace and sees a man standing at the edge as if he is about to jump off. She pulls him back and he in return kisses her. She too kisses him back with equal fervor. Taken aback by the kiss, she is unable to forget the handsome stranger unaware that he is a senior employee, Kei Hase (Renn Kiriyama) who works at the same hotel

They keep seeing each other at work and unable to ignore the strong attraction between them they start a secret sensuous affair.

I enjoyed watching ‘Love Is Phantom’ because…

…it was a decent watch. I picked this drama because it was short with just 10 episodes (actually it’s 9 episodes because episode 5 is just a recap of the first four episodes) and each episode running for barely 25 minutes. Watching it during a quick lunch break was easy.

Story-wise the show is below average but if you go by its adult theme then the show is watchable. Kei is a lonely, rich guy with a painful past while Momo is a gullible young girl who is oblivious to any evil around her. She cares deeply for Kei and her kind nature moves him because he has never had anyone care for him the way Momo does.

It doesn’t take much time for them to start living together which marks the beginning of a hot and sexy affair. They have a passionate affair as they are unable to get enough of each other.

The show does not have many bed scenes but it has a lot of kisses. The chemistry between the leads is average and the same goes for their acting.

I did NOT LIKE ‘Love Is Phantom’ because…

…the plot is weak and unoriginal. The characters too are not captivating. We have Kei Hase, yet another Christian Grey, who is rich, successful, dominating, and always horny. He gets jealous easily and is extremely possessive of his girlfriend. Nothing about Hase or Momo is interesting. They are both one-dimensional characters focused on getting handsy with each other as and when they can. But that’s the kind of genre the dorama belongs to so all of it is justified.     

…I disliked the supporting cast who seemed to be added just for the heck of it. Their interaction with the main characters was often creepy and weird. For instance, Junpei Sagara sees Momo kiss Kei passionately one morning. While working with her, she starts yawning so he asks her if she did ‘something’ in the morning because of which she feels so tired.

Similarly, there are many such random scenes that make no sense. Some scenes are meant to create suspense but even they fall flat because there isn’t much of a shock value in them.

If you look at this show as a regular drama, then it is lacking in many ways. But if you look at what it truly is i.e. an adult sexy drama then the show is good. It has ample love scenes with a decent love story to follow. There is intense passion, jealousy, and all the required love quirks essential for such a drama. Lastly, if you survive the first episode, you are most likely to see the show to its end.    

I give ‘Love Is Phantom’ 3 out of 5 rating. The show is a good watch only for those who are looking for a sexy drama. The drama is replete with kisses and skinship catering to the required dose of a sensuous drama. 

 

Image Courtesy: MBS Japan

 

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