Tokyo Alice Review: A Dorama Full Of Untapped Potential

‘Tokyo Alice’ is based on the manga of the same name and is written by Chiya Toriko. The dorama traces the lives of four gal pals looking for love and happiness while navigating through work and personal responsibilities. 

I recently realized that I have an Amazon Prime Video subscription but I do not watch anything on it. So, when I searched Japanese dramas I found ‘Tokyo Alice’ which reminded me of another J-drama ‘Tokyo Tarareba Girls’ that I loved watching. So, I thought that this show too would be about friendships and romance. 

Sadly, ‘Tokyo Alice’ is nothing like ‘Tokyo Tarareba Girls’. It is not even as entertaining as TTG and I was left highly disappointed with it. I took it up first because it starred Yamamoto Mizuki and also because it had only 12 episodes with a run time of 30 minutes per episode. I was expecting some serious girl bonding and a decent romance. But the show gave me neither and now I cannot help but feel cheated of a potentially good show.

Tokyo Alice (2017) (12 Episodes)

Enjyoji Sayuri (Asahina Aya) runs her art gallery and is gifted a house by her family. Since she lives alone, she accepts her two friends to rent rooms in her house. Sayuri is to be married soon, so she wants to date as many men as she can to have non-committed fun before she commits to one man.

Her friend Arisugawa Fuu (Yamamoto Mizuki) works at a design production company and is a shopaholic. She spends most of her earnings on apparel, shoes, and bags as she is unable to control the compulsive urge to shop.

Hada Mizuhois (Triendl Reina) is a manga artist who used to live with her boyfriend and support his dream of becoming a famous musician. But her ungrateful boyfriend dumps her and she has no choice but to live with Sayuri who charges a reasonable rate for accommodation.

Sakuragawa Rio (Takahashi Maryjun) is a doctor working at a hospital. Her subordinate relentlessly asks her out but she vehemently turns him down saying that she has been in love with another person for many years now and does not wish to pursue love again.

Let’s have a look at what went wrong and if anything went right for the show.

I did NOT LIKE ‘Tokyo Alice’ because…

…it did not do justice to all the main characters in the show. The show is about four friends and how they support each other through the ups and downs of life. However, the writer chose to focus on only two main characters while the other two were sidelined for a major part of the show.

The dorama starts with Arisugawa Fuu who is a compulsive shopper and spends most of her time skimming through store racks looking for pretty clothes, shoes, and bags.

At work, she dislikes her immediate boss, Okuzono Shinji who is a workaholic and often criticizes her work. But as they continue to work with each other they slowly start to develop feelings for one another.

But there is a problem. Fuu is in a relationship with another colleague, Odagiri Shun. Shun pampers Fuu like a prince charming. He is okay with her excessive shopping and takes her out on dates to posh restaurants. But for their romance to sustain, Fuu has to make a big sacrifice which she is unwilling to make.

 

I gave the dorama a try because I have liked Yamamoto Mizuki in her other shows and movies. Thankfully, she’s good in this show too. However, in some scenes, she was made to act like a kid. For instance, when she feels awkward around someone she hides her face behind a file or steps out of elevators to avoid them. Even when she is upset she sulks like a little baby. The director perhaps wanted to make her look innocent but I found it childish.    

Then there is Enjyoji Sayuri (from Alice In Borderland) whose grandmother keeps sending her on dates to get her married soon. Sayuri agrees to marry a guy who is in the US. She still has a year before her engagement so she decides to live promiscuously and have some fun.

Over the years, she has dated many men but no one has ever been able to make her “happy”. So, when she comes across Hiyama Akira, who pays her no attention, her interest piques and she makes efforts to get him to hook up with her.

Sayuri’s story is the most interesting of the four. Her affair starts with sex but eventually develops into something more. Hers is an unconventional love but with an extremely clichéd ending.

Hada Mizuho is Fu and Sayuri’s friend who also lives in Sayuri’s house. She is a sweet girl who had been supporting her boyfriend for many years hoping he will make it big someday. Sadly, he dumps her unceremoniously, leaving her with no house.

She then meets Izumi Atsuto who has been pursuing her friend Sakuragawa Rio. Despite being aware that he is in love with Rio, Mizuho does not mind starting a relationship with him.

I wanted to see more of Mizuho’s story but initially, she has very little screen time. You get to see her story only towards the end. Hers is a sensitive topic but it is dealt with with such haste that you fail to look at it seriously. I liked Mizuho so I felt bad about the way in which things turn out for her. 

Lastly, there is the fourth friend Rio who works as a doctor and is in love with someone she cannot have or she cannot be it. She is the most undeveloped character on the show. Had her story been given some more time she wouldn’t have felt like an inconsequential supporting character.

Her story seemed shoehorned especially because it starts with her being on a certain track but then it slowly takes a turn and leaves you wondering why that particular angle was even introduced if it wasn’t to be explored completely.

Each of the individual stories had a lot of scope and depth but probably because of the short duration, it was left half-baked. And this is why the show is so disappointing. It had potential but the makers were unable to make the best of it. 

I enjoyed watching ‘Tokyo Alice’ because…

…I liked the four girls. Yes, there was hardly any character development but I liked them all individually. I feel bad that the characters did not get their due. The actors all did well but the paper-thin script robbed them of the chance of putting up a memorable act.  

 

I give ‘Tokyo Alice’ 2 out of 5 rating. The show had potential but did nothing of it. Give it a try. If you can manage to watch it beyond five episodes then you might as well watch the entire show. 

 

Image Courtesy: Amazon Prime Video

 

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