Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite Review

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite

Japanese Title: 10年先も君に恋して

Chinese Title: 十年之後依然愛你

Alternative Title: I'll Still Love You In 10 Years

Duration: 6 episodes

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Science Fiction

Telecast: 2010

Synopsis:

The story starts with Onozawa Rika (Aya Ueto) in year 2020 with a divorce paper on her table. Then, it goes back ten years earlier. Rika is being stalked by a mysterious man (Uchino Masaaki) who claims to be from the future. When Rika confronts him, he tells her that he is her future husband, but she doesn’t believe him and runs away. While waiting on a bus stop, Rika is again approached by her stalker and is told not to take the bus no matter what. He is trying to stop Rika from meeting himself, or rather, his younger self, who is at the bus. Rika agrees, thinking that doing so would stop the man from following her. Despite that, she still meets the younger Maruyama Hiroshi somewhere else. Upon their meeting, the two develop positive feelings towards each other. As their relationship progresses, future Hiroshi promises himself to do his best to pull them apart. He comes from the future with the goal of rewriting Rika’s future by getting himself out of her life.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite’s plot is similar to Hollywood’s Back to the Future movies, but it is still very interesting. I couldn’t wait to finish the whole series the first time I watched it. Some viewers, especially those who are not familiar with actor Uchino Masaaki, may find him too old for the doll-faced Aya Ueto. The pair’s first meeting in Juunen is quite funny so I wasn’t much bothered by their huge age gap. Amazingly, the young (or present) Hiroshi does look much younger than the actor’s actual age. I have seen a few dramas of Aya Ueto. Her acting is a bit bland for my taste. I like her in Juunen though. She is very pretty and I think she’s able to portray Rika so well.

Hiroshi and Rika seem to be a perfect match. None of their family and friends would have thought that their marriage would end ten years later. Even in real life, we tend to ask the question “why” when we see couples break up. Love doesn’t seem to last no matter how much in love a couple were. It is surprising (and sometimes heartbreaking) to see how much people can change. It’s scary and it makes love a risky adventure. Love seems to be only suitable for the brave souls.

I wish that Juunen is a few minutes longer because the ending doesn’t really feel like an ending to me. Having said that, the drama had a strong impact on me.  It is shorter than a standard Japanese series, but I think it is enough to convey its powerful message. I find it very meaningful. This is definitely worth watching whether or not you’re into Japanese dramas.

Here’s an insight I got from this drama: All couples will have bumps in their relationships, but as Rika beautifully puts it, “I am confident that ten years from now, I’ll still love the same person.” I’d also like to quote from Disney’s Enchanted, “Everybody has bad times. Do we sacrifice all of the good times because of them?”

Cheerfulnuts Verdict:

9 out of 10 stars

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