Why I Dress Up for Love (2021) 着飾る恋には理由があって
Directed by Tsukahara Ayuko, starring Kawaguchi Haruna as Mashiba Kurumi, Yokohama Ryūsei as Fujino Shun, and Mukai Osamu as Hayama Shogo.
Watched 28 March - 5 April 2026 — 10 episodes (NETFLIX)
*I chose this Japanese slice-of-life drama because a blogger I follow recommended this. I'm glad I watched this, as it was totally enjoyable. It has a very likeable cast and a lovable OTP, Kawaguchi Haruna as Mashiba Kurumi and Yokohama Ryūsei as Fujino Shun. I wasn't familiar with either of these actors but immediately liked them both. They have great chemistry.
*I love Yokohama Ryūsei's looks (definitely checking out his other dramas!). His character Fujino Shun is a bit goofy at times, yet I love when he gets serious, and the way he secretly looks at Mashiba Kurumi is swoonworthy.
*Love the main characters and how different they are. Mashiba Kurumi is an influencer, working for an interior design company, always with phone in hand, with the alarm going off the moment she has to post on her Instagram account again. Fujino Shun is a former chef of his own established, high-end restaurant (Spanish cuisine). He lives a simpler, minimalist life now, running his own food truck and making ordinary people happy with his food. I love his life lessons, how he suggests to Kurumi to take a digital detox. Some memorable things he said to Kurumi: "You decide your own worth." And "I don't want what I don't need." He never wants to lose anything again so he keeps nothing.
*I love the playful interactions between the OTP, how they become friends as roommates, and I also love how they communicate with each other — with clarity and directness, in order to avoid misunderstandings.
*I especially love the balcony scene in episode 6 where Kurumi shuts up Shun (literally, with her fingers closing his mouth) and tells him she likes him.
*The love triangle with Kurumi's former boss (Mukai Osamu as Hayama Shogo), the orca, was handled well, and it never got ugly or uncomfortable. The thing I didn't like was when the boss stepped in after Shun missed the special dinner appointment with Kurumi, but it wasn't really Shogo's fault. He knew he didn't stand a chance anyway and that Kurumi was in love with Shun. I felt sorry for the orca and hope he finds love with someone nice. I like how Shun and the orca respected one another, and it was funny how Shun permitted him to stay at the apartment because of Shogo's love for Spanish cuisine. Both men are sweet and soft-hearted, and Kurumi is lucky to be loved by both.
*Love the food, the cooking, the fashion design, and the wonderful spacious apartment. And the dog!
*The 2nd couple, living at the same apartment, is okay but not very well-matched, and I didn't feel their love for each other.
*This series about dreams and not giving up, I'll likely watch it again.