Melancholy of the Betrayed Review: This Show On Cheating In A Relationship Is Perfect For Binge-Watching And Eye-Opening

‘Once a cheater, always a cheater’ is what this drama is all about. ‘Melancholy of the Betrayed’ is a character-driven drama about spouses who cheat without any guilt while those cheated on are left hurt and lonely. The drama shows both sides explaining the reasons why people cheat in a relationship and also the reasons why some go on with a relationship despite being betrayed.

My sole reason to watch this show was its super short duration. It has only 8 episodes with each episode running barely 20 minutes long. When a drama is short, it is easier to watch while longer dramas need some serious commitment. Also, this dorama is fast-paced and focuses mainly on character development in a given situation so you are fully engaged and seldom distracted.

Melancholy of the Betrayed (Saretagawa no Blue) (2021) (8 Episodes)

Noburu Tagawa (Atsuhiro Inukai) is a graphic designer who works independently from home. He is married to Aiko Tagawa (Miona Hori) and madly in love with her. Not only does he work from home but also cooks for his wife and cleans the house too. He dotes on Aiko a little too much and does everything to keep her happy.

Aiko however, finds his loyal and caring nature too boring for her tastes. She has a passionate affair with a superior at work and takes full advantage of Noburo’s trusting nature. But news of her affair does not remain a secret from Noburu too long as he catches up to it and then decides to take matters into his hands.

I enjoyed watching ‘Melancholy of the Betrayed’ because…

…of the scheming characters and complex nature of their relationships. Let me explain.

Noburu is a young and handsome guy who has suffered heartbreak in the past and was reluctant to get into a relationship until Aiko came along. She accepted him with his wounds and promised to heal him with her love. 

Her reposeful words and simple beauty work their magic and the gullible Noburu ends up marrying her. He becomes a loving husband who happily manages work and household responsibilities while she steps out to pursue her career. 

Noburu is a dream husband for any girl except Aiko. Aiko is a manipulative woman who uses her charm to win the trust of people and then has her way with them. She spares no one, not even her husband Noburu. Being a conniving woman, she knows how to play the victim card and gain sympathy when she doesn’t deserve even an iota of it.

In the dorama, Noburu confronts Aiko about her illicit affair a couple of times but not only does she look completely unfazed, but she also manages to convince him that it is his fault that she is having an affair.

 

As a character, Noburu is too good to be true and even frustrating. But when you see his backstory you get an idea of why he considers Aiko so precious and why he finds it difficult to rebuke Aiko for her cheating ways.

Aiko is not a regular woman to be easily swooned by Noburu’s affection. She seeks thrill and excitement in a relationship that she supposedly finds lacking in her marriage to Noburu. She achieves what she wants by hooking up with her superior Kazumasa Mori.

Aiko’s senior Kazumasa Mori is a hedonist who cares about no one but himself. He is married to a dutiful wife and has a child with her. His marital status is nothing but a façade to maintain a good image in public while he unabashedly has multiple illicit affairs. He has no respect or love for his wife because he knows she has nowhere to go and that their child keeps her from leaving him.

 

Kazumasa’s wife, Kozue may be constrained helplessly to her voyeuristic husband but she is not blind to his philandering ways. She snoops on him and gains access to his chats that expose his affair. She also secretly follows him from time to time to gather more evidence of his disloyalty. What she does with all the evidence is what you need to see in the show.

 

A person like Noburu deserves a wife like Kozue and as a viewer, you wish they get together leaving their cheating spouses behind. Does that happen? You’ll have to watch the show for that too.

The best part about the story is its practical conclusion. As a viewer, you may seek some kind of justice for the positive characters but what is shown in the drama is what might happen in real life too. In a way, it explains why cheating is no big deal for those inclined to it because they see no bad in it and have zero remorse. 

 

I did NOT LIKE ‘Melancholy of the Betrayed’ because…

…nope. I liked the drama. It was a quick watch with relevant characters giving a glimpse of the harsh truths of love and relationships. The good characters are shown to be toooo good and bad characters are tooooo bad so it can get frustrating sometimes. Nothing major though.  

 

Melancholy of the Betrayed is a good watch because it is short and engaging. It is best when you have little time to spare for a show. It stays true to its characters so don’t expect a happy or satisfying ending. Also, it has a lot of intimate scenes so be mindful of it when watching with people around.     

I give ‘Melancholy of the Betrayed‘ 3 out of 5 rating. When cheating becomes a way of life, relationships are reduced to games. Watch this dorama because it shows how cheaters manipulate emotional people and how life can be unfair sometimes.

 

Watch this drama for free here.

 

Image Courtesy: Rakuten Viki

 

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