Konkatsu! (JDrama) * * * *

Konkatsu! (Marriage Hunt!) is a romantic drama with some comedy. It's about a Amamiya Kuniyuki finding a government job after many years of being unemployed, but lying about wanting to get married to his long-time girlfriend, since he doesn't even have a girlfriend. He gets hired specifically because the district president wants to promote marriage, and help the declining birthrates in her district. Therefore, Kuni goes on a marriage hunt along with some friends and co-workers to keep his job.

The drama isn't just about a marriage hunt, but also Kuni's district, which is becoming abandoned. He doesn't want to leave, so he has to find ways to save it.

The characters were generally likeable, and well acted, believable. I especially liked Ueto Aya's performance. I have seen her in some other dramas and she always feels fresh, and sweet. Her character, Tobita Haruno, is a shining sun in the otherwise dreary sets of the declining district. She plays one of Kuni's childhood friends, and has a crush on him that she's been harbouring for years.

Kuni is of course the lead character, and the driving force of the drama. It's through his trials and tribulations that we travel on this journey, and he introduces us to the other characters. He is somewhat reserved, but that's a rather typical trait of many of the male characters in dramas. He is a good and faithful friend, and you do cheer for him. Nakai Masahiro, who plays Kuni, is not an especially attractive man to me, but the nature he portrays makes him likeable, and I'd marry him.

There are many more people hunting for marriage in this drama, and I don't want to spoil all the surprises that has in store. I do want to talk about the district president, Mizoguchi Shizuko, who is a mostly fun element in the drama. She seems to have a need to be the centre of attention, and to be famous among the district residents, and how she tries to achieve that is always fun to watch. She does, however, have a genuine want to make things better, even though that may not always be apparent. Some say comedy is hard, but Fubuki Jun pulls it off really well.
Another interesting character is Masaru Ito, who seems to be the villain of the drama. I don't want to spoil things, but if I interpreted his looks and gestures at the end, then it's certainly new for me in Japanese Dramas.

Some interesting things in the drama are the different types of date parties that Kuni goes on. They are all organised by the professional matchmaker and old friend of his, Takakura Makoto, and aimed at providing an environment for marriage hunters where they can relax and get to know each other. As someone who has been looking for love for over a decade, it made me wish we had such organised group dates as well. They looked like a lot of fun. There was the old rapid date, cooking party, golf party, yoga party, chocolate fountain party - my favourite, and I may have left some out. Any matchmaker could learn from the drama.
Another theme of the drama was Kuni's father's tonkatsu shop that he runs alone. At first I wasn't really sure what it was, it just looked like breaded meat to me. It's pork and breaded in panko (sort of bread crumbs). Looked really good and always made me want to eat something like that. It's traditionally served with shredded cabbage, and of course rice is matter of fact. One sign that Kuni isn't always completely dedicated to his father and the district is that he doesn't like the dish, and can't even make it, so he never helped his father, even when he was unemployed. Though we have to admit that people are not exactly lining up at the door.

Tonkatsu

Goes well with Konkatsu. :D

Overall, the drama is fun and light. Not action packed or anything, but if you want to just curl up in front of something on a rainy afternoon, this is for you. Probably not for guys though.