Us Forever Review: An Emotional Drama That Does Well In Parts

‘Us Forever’ is a story depicting how pain and trauma connect two people and eventually lead them to love. The individual definition of love varies vastly for our two leads and even pushes them away from each other. But eventually, it is their differences that help them understand the meaning of being together ‘in sickness and in health’ (referring to the actual translation of the show’s Japanese title).

This poignant dorama deals with loss and domestic abuse and is painfully slow so if you do not like such dramas then you may not like this show. Also, the show is not about any serious life-threatening health issue so do not be misled by the title.

This dorama is extremely short with only ten episodes having barely 20 minutes run time. For me, it was like a movie that I finished in one sitting and found it to be a decent watch.

Us Forever (Yameru Toki mo, Sukoyaka Naru Toki mo) (2020) (10 Episodes)

Sakurako Motohashi (Nao Honda) is frustrated with her life as her family sees her as nothing more than only a source of income for them. She resents her sister who is happily married with a child and feels that all her problems in life can be solved if she too gets married.

However, Sakurako finds it difficult to get a guy to even like her let only commit to her. One night she happens to meet a mysterious boy and ends up spending the night with him. She is embarrassed by the fact that the boy didn’t even touch her as they slept together in his bed.

She hopes to forget this encounter as a one-time mistake but life has other plans. Sakurako’s next client is the handsome furniture maker, Ichiharu Sudo (Taisuke Fujigaya) who is the guy she slept with the other night. Intrigued by his mysterious personality, Sakurako decides to pursue him seriously and get him to date her.

I enjoyed watching ‘Us Forever’ because…

…the two main leads were two interesting characters that piqued my interest and their troubled backstories kept me engaged throughout the show.

The show starts with Sakurako on her knees begging her cheating boyfriend to take her virginity right after he says that he wants to break up with her. From the very first scene, we understand that Sakurako is a pitiable character.

Sakurako is at the end of her rope as she is burdened by family responsibilities. She spent the early part of her life working hard to pay off her father’s debts and now she wishes to live for herself. 

She decides to pursue love so that she can enjoy a blissful married life away from her alcoholic and abusive father. Sadly, no guy seems to be interested in her. At a friend’s wedding, she ends up drinking too much and happens to meet a young boy who is equally sloshed and lying alone on a bench.

The two then end up going to his house where they spend the night together. But to Sakurako’s disappointment, nothing happens as the handsome stranger sleeps next to her but not with her.

Being a marketing agent, her next client is the furniture maker Sudo Ichiharu, the same guy she slept with the other night. Sadly, even though he remembers bringing back a girl home, he has no idea that Sakurako was the girl he spent the night with.

Sakurako is desperate for marriage as she firmly believes that getting married will solve major problems of her life by enabling her to 1) leave her parent’s house, 2) not feel inferior to her sister who is happily married, and 3) finally lose her virginity.

When she meets the handsome furniture maker Sudo, a mere handshake with him stirs feelings for him in her heart. She does not mind the fact that he does not remember her from the night before. She is now focused on making him fall for her and so she initiates more contact with him. His response too is positive and this gets her hopes up.

But a relationship with the mysterious Sudo is not easy as his present-day is plagued by a gloomy past that keeps him from leading a regular life.

The painful memory has skewed his outlook on love to such an extent that he lives life promiscuously not wanting to get seriously attached to anyone. His only focus in life is his skill at furniture making. He deeply admires his mentor and wants to excel in making customised furniture to match up to his mentor’s skill and expertise. However, a mental block caps his creativity and potential often leaving him frustrated and annoyed with himself.

When Ichiharu meets Sakurako he is not instantly interested in her but when he learns more about her life and family something clicks with him and he impulsively decides to date her.

At first, Sakurako is happy to be dating such a good guy but gradually she learns that what she perceives as love may not really be the same for Ichiharu.

Sakurako tries everything to grab her share of happiness but most of the time her efforts are met with disappointment. However, no matter the situation the girl never loses hope. She is flexible in her approach toward love and is willing to accept Ichiharu with his flaws.   

Actress Nao leaves quite an impact playing the unassertive Sakurako. I may not like her character completely but I loved her in the role. Nao has the ability to hold your attention with her vulnerability and impassioned lament that works great for a character like Sakurako.

As a viewer, you truly feel bad for her when she weeps helplessly after an argument with her father. Your heart breaks when she smiles through tears after getting rejected by a lover. You cheer for her and want her to be happy. And this happens because Nao plays her role convincingly well.     

I did NOT LIKE ‘Us Together’ because…

…I did not appreciate some traits in Sakurako the first being her desperation to lose her virginity. In her very first scene, we see she catches her boyfriend with another girl in his house. She chooses to ignore it and when he calls off the relationship, she is down with her head on the ground begging him to sleep with her so she does not remain a virgin any longer.

Sakurako must be in her mid or late twenties which means she is still quite young. I don’t understand the fuss over her virgin status. I would have understood the haste had she been in her late thirties and trying to conceive. But at her age, her behaviour does not seem justified. 

Also, as a character she hardly shows any development or change by the end of the show. In one scene you may feel that she has improved as a person and is more self-respecting but then the very next scene all that redemeed self-respect goes down the drain as she is again helplessly pleading with a guy to love her back.    

[[Spoiler]] In the climax, there is a time leap and we see that Sakurako makes peace with her single status and leads a content life. She misses love but is no longer dying to fall in love again. However, later when she meets Ichiharu she is once again down on her knees expressing her desire to get back with him. Huh? Where is your self-respect lady?

I understand she feels extremely lonely but by doing this, she only looked weak as a character. It felt as if all that ‘moved on’ stuff was fake and that she was only waiting for an opportunity to beg Ichiharu to take her back in his life. [[Spoiler]]

…I didn’t like the couple’s chemistry. Couple chemistry is pivotal for any slow romantic drama. Sadly, I did not enjoy the main lead’s couple chemistry. They were good in their respective roles, but as a couple, I found that magic missing.  

…I did not like actor Taisuke Fujigaya in this role. I’ve seen and loved him as Rei in his show ‘Mars: Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru’. But his performance was underwhelming as the withdrawn Ichiharu.  

Ichiharu is often shown to be in a pensive mood. But there are times when he is hit by a jolt of realization and he starts scribbling designs on his notepad. Taisuke often failed to invoke inquisitiveness in me to be more interested in understanding what Ichiharu was going through. I liked the character of Ichiharu and Taisuke was not bad but he could have been a little better.       

 

‘Us Together’ does well in parts but fails to generate and even hold your interest. Its slow-paced storytelling suits the gloomy premise but also impacts your involvement with the characters.

I give ‘Us Together‘ 2.5 out of 5 rating. This show is good for a one-time watch when you have time and nothing better to do.

 

Image Courtesy: NTV

 

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