(Jdrama) Iyashi no Otonari ni wa Himitsu ga aru (2023)

 English title: The Neighbor of Healing Has A Secret

Original title: (癒やしのお隣さんには秘密がある)

Number of episodes: 13

The Plot:

Yomogida Fujiko is an office worker with an academic complex. She works hard and becomes a full-time employee at an insurance company, but because of her diligence, she is unable to refuse the work she is asked to do and accepts it with a smile on her face. One day, an elite company employee, Nishina Soma, moves into the room next door. Fujiko is soothed by the time she spends with her very kind and gentlemanly neighbor. But why did Nishina, a supposedly elite man, move into this shabby apartment, and why is he so kind to Fujiko...? It seems that Nishina, who does not speak much, is a stranger to Fujiko...?

I sometimes watch ongoing dramas with or without subtitles. Usually, the dramas I watch without subtitles are romance dramas that don't make me too bothered trying to translate the dialogues of the actors. But this particular drama, even though it's in the romance genre, it has different kind of suspense.

Based on a manga with the same title by Umezawa Natsuko, MangaUpdates stated that this manga has josei romance as the genre. The online scanlation is nowhere to be found, not even the English translation. The manga was published (or maybe serialized?) by comic fizzy (Amucomi) in 2021. No wonder, I couldn't find the manga anywhere when the drama was ongoing.

The manga cover

Fujiko Yomogida-san lives as a neighbor to Nishina Soma in a rather run-down apartment. Nishina's outward appearance is very elite, and his face even appears in a magazine as the son of a major company. Despite having many questions about Nishina, Fujiko accepts his presence with pleasure.

At the office, Fujiko works hard, never disappointing her colleagues. She often handles sudden workloads regardless of time. At home, the moments spent with Nishina are an opportunity she looks forward to, just to have a conversation and pour out her feelings.

Little did Fujiko know, Nishina kept a multitude of photos of Fujiko in various poses. He even placed numerous spy cameras around their apartment. All these photos were displayed on the walls of his room, resembling a shrine. Not only that, Nishina also collected all things related to Fujiko, such as ice cream sticks, strands of hair, and more.

He is such AN OBSESSIVE STALKER.

Several times, scenes were taken in flashbacks where Nishina first met Fujiko, a moment when Nishina was at the lowest point in his life. But it turns out Fujiko doesn't remember the first meeting at all, which had turned Nishina into a full-blown, obsessively devoted stalker. It never crossed in Fujiko's mind that she had saved a soul that now lives next to her, the one whose obsession was just to be close to her.

Watching this makes me somewhat disgusted by Nishina's grin every time he looks at a photo of Fujiko or licks an ice cream stick that Fujiko used. Imagine how Fujiko must feel when she finally finds out that her kind-hearted neighbor is a stalker? Nishina somehow has two different faces that he shows in front of Fujiko and the one he has when he is together with numerous photos of Fujiko.

In the office, Fujiko has a colleague who pays more attention to her. Personally, I prefer Fujiko with this colleague over Nishina. But unfortunately, the time they spend together in their apartments or on their respective balcony is hard to erase from Fujiko's memory. Well, if only Nishina approached Fujiko in a more normal way, without being a stalker, I'm sure their relationship would end more normally, and maybe more quickly without going through a lot of rejection drama.

Well, this drama managed to keep me hooked even without subtitles. Somehow, I managed to understand. The actors' expressions, the suspense in their relationship, and some of the supporting characters were enough for me to grasp what was happening. Although I didn't like the ending, if I were in Fujiko's position, I might feel the same way. I would recommend it to those who enjoy romance with a touch of suspense.

Casts:

Koseki Yuta as Nishina Soma

Tanabe Momoko as Fujiko Yomogida

Takeda Kouhei as Sakamoto Shogo

Yabuki Nako as Tanabe Minami

My rating:

Story: 8,5/10

Acting/ Casts: 9/10

Music: 7/10

Re-watch value: 8/10

Share this post