Jdrama review: Konto ga Hajimaru

 

English title: Life’s Punchline

Original title: コントが始まる

Director: Ryuichi Inomata, Ko Kanai

Writer: Shigeki Kaneko

Network: NTV

Episodes: 10

Release date: April 17, June 19, 2021

Casts:

Masaki Suda as Haruto Takaiwa

Kasumi Arimura as Rihoko Nakahama

Taiga Nakano as Junpei Minowa

Kotone Furukawa as Tsugumi Nakahama

Kamiki Ryunosuke as Shunta Asabuki

Yoshine Kyoko as Kishikura Natsumi

Nakamura Tomoya as Kusunoki Mimami

I just finished watching the drama a few days ago. I just loved it a lot that I want to promote this drama to everyone who is looking for a heartwarming yet inspiring drama. This is a drama which you can laugh and cry together with the characters along with the episodes. By the time you finish watching, you feel like the characters are fiends of yours who give some insights you can ponder.

There are 3 guys who are members of a skit comedy group, named Macbeth, they are Haruto, Junpei and Shunta. When they were in high school, Haruto and Junpei once performed at their school event with their skit comedy performances. Although only a few watched, their language teacher praised their performance. And this is what then makes the duo Haruto and Junpei want to be serious in pursuing their dream careers to become a popular comedy group.

Shunta, the former national champion of the game joins them when their comedy troupe is 5 years old. When their comedy troupe turned 10, they started asking how long their group would last, with the fact that they weren't very popular. A manager who volunteered to be their manager tried to keep them from disbanding, although he seemed to admit that their group seemed to have no promising expectations.

The promise to their respective parents, which allows them to be on the comedy stage, is only valid for 10 years. Not to mention Junpei who feels uncomfortable with his girlfriend who is already working full time. While he is still languishing with comedy groups and working part time in a bar. Haruto is also bound by a promise to his parents for these 10 years. Shunta is the only member who is free. He seems to really enjoy their company every time; starting from making comedy scripts, traveling to the audition site, to excited days from morning to bedtime.

 Oh yeah, their comedy group name is Macbeth. If you know the works of the legendary poet Shakespeare, surely you know the name Macbeth. The tragedy of Macbeth is Shakespeare's work that was performed publicly in 1606. I've read a simplified version of it, and was a little scared of the ghosts that Macbeth killed when they came to haunt Macbeth. Well, judging from the name Macbeth who presented the tragedy, I think the name of their skit comedy group is like a curse, so until their 10 year journey, they haven't gotten any popularity. Hehehe… this is just my silly assumption.

Nakahama san's smile after searching Macbeth's name 

 Even though Macbeth isn't selling well, that doesn't mean they don't have any fans. There is Nakahama san, a girl who recently resigned from her job, somehow found this comedy group. Before meeting in person, Nakahama san already watched and liked Macbeth, even more these Macbeth members often spend time at the restaurant where she works. The three often discuss their comedy scripts for hours at the restaurant. And it turns out, the three of them live not far from Nakahama san's apartment. When one day, the apartment where the Macbeth member is located has an empty room, Nakahama san doesn't hesitate to move, in order to see his favorite group more closely. Nakahama san seems like obsessed with Macbeth.

Watching the members of Macbeth and watching their comedic performances became a kind of medicine for Nakahama san who was losing control after giving up her job. Macbeth becomes her oasis in the void she feels. That's why when she heard Macbeth would disband because of the popularity that never came, it made her feel a little down.

stage performance "Water's trouble"

 

What's interesting about this drama is seeing the development of the characters from each episode. At the beginning, it was seen how idealistic the members of Macbeth were with their skit comedy, until finally they realized that life would not be the same as the last 10 years, or the next 10 years. Likewise, Nakahama san, along with her younger sister Tsumugi, they went through periods of ups and downs in their sisters’ relationship, times when they realized what made them finally change. Change isn't always perfect, but they always find something out of the way.

I wonder why this drama is really underrated, well, because the echo was almost none while this drama was currently ongoing. The episode I watched at that time didn’t get a complete English subtitle. I tried to watch it raw, but the most barrier is always the language. I only know few Japanese. Meanwhile, the most interesting thing is the chat of the characters here. They can reminisce about their school days while laughing at the ridiculous events they went through together, or reminiscing about the bitterness they experienced in order to let go of the burdens that had been carrying them. Seeing them teasing each other or reminding each other of embarrassing things, the characters seemed to be chatting naturally, it didn't seem like they were acting at all. Minor issues can become interesting when they talk about them. Simple things in the past could be something they could be grateful when they realized they did it.

Another thing that might make this drama less popular is because the slice of life genre includes very few elements of romance. The harsh reality experienced by the characters that made the title of this drama in English is Life's Punchline. Who would be willing to watch the reality that depicts in their real lives? The majority of people watching drama want to watch something sweet, because they are tired of the realities of life. This drama would remind them that life has times when it feels bitter, or it feels bitter all the time, that's why they want to see a drama/ show that sells dreams.

For me, this show does feel a bit dry because there is no feeling of ‘dokidoki’ feeling when watching romance drama, or angst feeling about what will happen like in a thriller, but that doesn't really matter for me. Slice of life genre is like watching other people go along with their life. One thing I look forward to every episode is Macbeth's appearance on stage. There are times when they present scripts based on their own experiences, or people closest to them, or a script that satirizes people. I love how they perform showing all their talent on stage; acting, costumes, makeup, storyline, and the joke (even though most of the time, it’s hard to find it humorous). Since the deliver different stories in each performance, they can perform different characters each time. Shunta could be a beautiful water fairy, or a rasta boy who has a crush on the daughters of old-fashioned fathers. Junpei can turn into a spoiled wife (forget his mustache and thin beard on his face) or old-fashioned man in his kimono. Haruto can transform into a salesman with smooth hair or an emcee with thick glasses. Anyway, Macbeth is always there at the beginning, middle and end of the episode. So I imagined, if only the Macbeth group really existed, I would also be their loyal audience, even though their jokes were dry and lame, I could still laugh out loud seeing their performances.

For the actors and actresses, don't ask for their talennts. Suda Masaki as Haruto, Taiga Nakano as Junpei, Kamiki Ryunosuke as Shunta, Kasumi Arimura as Nakahama san and Kotone Furukawa as Tsumugi. They all have complex characters full of emotions. They can tell jokes and at the same time cry out their feelings towards each other. The most emotional scene when Haruto finally decided to disband the group when they were enjoying their ramen. Junpei and Shunta laughed at him but then they were teary. It is not only the ending of the group but also it’s the end of their togetherness for the past 10 years. Watching them letting go something dear broke my heart, too. There’s nothing to regret for them to spend their time for 10 years only to disband later. I love what Nakahama san said at about the end of the episode that she’s proud of being the fan and she would always be the fan of Macbeth with or without Macbeth’s existence in the future. It shows how she loved the group and supported the group. (well, sometimes, I was just amazed looking at how silly she was getting some simple things from Macbeth’s knick-knack like their old poster, taking picture with Junpei’s girlfriend, the one who gave the idea of the name of the group, etc. as far as I remember, I’ve never been that loyal to a certain group hehehe…

 Anyway, this 10-episode drama is available on Netflix, just look for the English title, namely Life's Punchline. Believe me, watching this can be a motivation for those of you who are currently idle, aka having a hard time moving on from a bad experience, and at the same time becoming a spirit to find out what to do after the storm you are experiencing has passed. Watching them, for 10 episodes, you will feel like they become familiar figures who are like telling stories in a group chat. We can also reflect on what they have been through together.

The trailer

 

Jaa, mattane…

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