We Married as a Job

"Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu", also known as "The Full-Time Wife Escapist" or "We Married as a Job" is a one of the best josei manga out there, and it was brilliantly adapted into a TV series version some years back.

The casting is simply perfect. The lead, Aragaki Yui, is perfect for the role of Moriyama Mikuri, an over-qualified professional unlucky to be born a woman in modern-day Japan - i.e. No good job or career prospects. She's maybe down, but she's not out.

The supporting characters are equally well-cast. The plot is interesting and entertaining. And the dialogues are generally good. But Aragaki Yui stands out the most for me - she's so cute, sincere, and head-strong as Mikuri that she practically steals every scene.

The story line is so apt for today. Declining birthrates, sexless marriages, too many singles, etc. Then there's the cultural/societal limitations on women with respect to work and career. Add to that the usual marital infidelity, challenges of dating, etc.

Everything hits home with this series.

As a drama, it covers the basic premise of romance developments, while also discussing more pairs and several topics that pertain to Japanese people. Specifically "de facto marriage" relationship (living together but not actually married), same-gender relationships, and other more general subjects. But the core is the main couple, and the evolution of their complicated arrangement.

I actually quite enjoyed it, but mostly because the drama revolves more around the character of "Mikuri". A very cute and approachable young lady, with a logical approach to things, while still being emotionally pushy. Certainly a journey to get to know her, and one I'm glad I went through. Aragaki-san is one of my favorite actresses , and is beyond delightful for her to do such a role! Mikuri's side of the family is just as appealing.

Gen Hoshino is definitely a talented singer and does well in his role as the cherry-boy, but his character is far from likeable a lot of the time. But, is this contrast that allowed the character of Mikuri to develop the way it does. Some other characters are well defined, but equally awkward. Still, everyone delivers with ample charisma and help build a world you'd be happy to be a part of.

Series has good production and very energetic segments that contrast well with the seriousness at times. And while not completely predictable, it rarely goes anywhere unexpected. But it keeps a joyful atmosphere and I laughed quite a bit. Would definitely recommend, because it is well written.. and the execution couldn't be better!! There's a movie, for anyone interested.. one that is even more serious still, and deals with the Pandemic and it's problems. As the series itself, all interesting content, educational and a different point of view to consider.

Called "Full Time Wife Escapist" on Netflix, this is a cute and definitely innocent love story about a real geeky guy, who is so geeky he would never be able to even want nor find a wife and a girl who has a master's degree but can't find employment other than a housewife that has been contracted for house chores - a scheme she concocted and convinced the geeky guy to take. A cute comedy especially in the beginning when his co-workers at first are suspecting that there is something fishy when he puts his "wife" on the work insurance policy but no one has ever met her. They decide to go over to his house because they suspect it is a meta verse wife as he is so geeky there is no way it could be a real woman. They also suspect maybe he is gay. They snoop and find he has a twin bed which only gives them more suspicions. All in all, an innocent romance that is a Japanese drama with a bit of humor.

Nigeru wa haji daga, yaku ni tatsu is a comedy with a sweet romance. Actually, I didn't expect to like it that much. But the couple was adorable and cute, although the romance was a bit slow, the conclusion was satisfying. Plus, the side stories were just okay and there to fill the gaps between the pauses from the main story. Fortunately, the drama focused more on the love story of the main characters. In addition, there was a character development for the leading character. Finally, the performances were really good from every actor and actress, and there were some funny moments as well.

Enjoyed this simple, unpretentious (inner joke!) comedy more than I thought I would.

All the actors did a wonderful job - well done, team!

The plot is straightforward and fun. Nothing unexpected would happen here, you know exactly what to expect. A few nice side-stories add variety.

I don't really have any criticism to offer, the show sets the expectations clearly and delivers on them. I loved that it doesn't take itself seriously and has some funny day-dreaming sequences.

The only thing is, it's "very Japanese" in terms of actors play style. A bit more exaggerated in intonations and gestures. I don't mind this, but to some audiences this may seem "artificial."

It also helps that the clear Japanese they speak helps keep my language skills up! Picked up a few fun phrases from the dialogues for my own use :)