Coffee & Vanilla

 Japanese title: コーヒー＆バニラ

10 episodes

Aired on MBS from 2019 July to September

Main cast:

• Fukuhara Haruka as Shiraki Risa
• Sakurada Dori as Fukami Hiroto
• Kuroba Mario as Akutsu Takaaki
• Ogoe Yuuki as Yoshiki Tsubasa
• Hama Shogo as Ichiyanagi Yuki
• Kita Noa as Ashiya Natsuki
• Tokoshima Yoshiko as Kitajima Akane

 Production credits:

• Original work: Manga by Akegami Takara
• Screenwriter: Shimoda Yuko, Date Sorami
• Producer: Kamiura Yuna, Furukusa Masami
• Director: Smith, Tsubakimoto Keijiro, Totsuka Hiroto

Notes:

• So I watched this one on Viki, and the only reasons I made it to episode 4 is that episodes are short and comments were really funny.
• Usual disclaimer: I haven't read the manga it's based on. I think I may have tried to read it because the title and the first episode remind me of something but I probably bailed early. 
• Warning: I don't know the rating but it's clearly not for children. It's not explicit but don't watch if you don't want to be exposed to mature material.
  

 

Review: DNF

Title: The title refers to a coffee shop but also to the main characters, male lead being coffee and female lead being vanilla, which is not exactly subtle symbolism. But it makes sense and it's not made too obvious in the drama so it's fine. 

Girl: She's a super shy student, "pure" in every aspect (some would say naive).

Boy: He's like 10 years older and lets say... a weird mix of considerate and overwhelming.

Other boy: He's a student too and... he likes to cook.

Plot: Plot, what plot ? Sometimes in these reviews, I write that the plot is the relationship but this drama takes it to the next level. The drama starts with Boy and Girl in the most passionate love relationship you can imagine. At least, it's different to a lot of dramas, in which it takes sometimes 20 episodes to kiss but it makes you think: "Umm, I wonder what will happen in the 9 other episodes?" The answer is: "basically nothing" except cliches second lead who goes from 0 to 100 then back to 0 in one episode, then a bad boy rival and then I stopped watching. The plot summary teased "secrets" about Boy but nothing in the first episodes made me believe that they would be interesting.

Relationship: I'm not a fan of insta-love and this one is insta-love on crack. The point is not to have two people falling in love but watching two people declaring and consummate their love over and over. Also Girl is so shy that even when she's into it, she looks like she's not, so it can be uncomfortable.

Other characters: For once, I didn't have to cut into the cast list from DramaWiki, that's how underdevelopped this universe is. The most interesting character is Girl's friend who is the audience's surrogate telling Girl that she should run from this insane, possibly murderous guy.

Funny? Not really.

Cliches: Insta-love. Shy young woman/experienced older man. Every guy is in love with her.

Music: Nothing to say in particular.

Bottom line: No real plot. Underdeveloped characters. Wish-fulfillment fantasy. DNF.