Yuika Motokariya: "Love or Not" drama from 2017, episode two recap

 

 Air Dates: March 20 until May 22, 2017 on dTV/FOD at 2:10 am,  then from July 20 to September 28, 2017 on Fuji. Total of ten episodes and subs were done by neutrinoxs.

 Main Cast: Just these characters but we see the boss of Kosuka and Wataru on occasion, will edit the bios as the recaps go on.

Yuika Motokariya as Mako Hirosawa.... Interior designer who is 29 in age and it appears she's never had a boyfriend. That's because Mako's heart still pines for a boy she met when she was nine and he saved her from some bullies who were trying to steal her rabbit doll. She finally met the man in the first show and he didn't live up to her expectations at all.

Kenjiro Yamashita as Kosuke Usami.... Also 29 in age and the boy that helped out Mako all those years ago. He's currently a Salaryman with the Sanba Shoji company and is not that efficient of a worker. When Mako finally met Kosuke after twenty years she was extremely disappointed, in the first show he moved into the apartment below hers. 

Keita Machida as Wataru Sano.... Kosuke's junior at the company but he knows much more than his senpai and is often bailing him out at work. Wataru's father is extremely wealthy and the women flock to him but early on Wataru fell hard for Mako.

Reina Asami as Shiho Hojo.... Mako's friend since high school and she works as a free lance photographer. Like her friend Shiho is quite timid around men but does have a boyfriend who is a doctor though that may not be a lasting relationship.

Erena Mizusawa as Misuzu Mori.... Met Mako in high school, she's two years younger, and currently works as a web writer. She is just so darn attractive and also very outgoing, the next man has been trying to woo her but she's set her sights on Wataru.

Masayasu Yagi as Sota Yabuki.... Owner of the Itsomuno bar/cafe where Kosuke and Wataru often eat lunch or dinner. Sota has been dumped too many times to count by women, after meeting Misuzu in the first show he's fallen head over heels for her but the feeling isn't mutual.

 That first recap had to be the longest I've ever written for a 24 minute show but did need to set the story up and introduce the characters. That story is of Mako and Kosuke meeting after twenty years, it was just a one time encounter that lasted for five minutes when they were nine in age. But neither has been able to get the other person out of their mind and will a five minute encounter so long in the past lead to a present day romance? Probably will but in that first meeting in twenty years Mako was just so disappointed in Kosuke who works as a salaryman but is far from an efficient worker. Mako had the image that her first love would be so handsome, witty, fun to be with and successful with his career, all of those are the complete opposite of Kosuke. But Mako is to blame also for going overboard with what a nine year would turn into, Kosuke isn't a bad man but will the two ever get along?

 No need to rehash anything for the above explained where the story stands quite well and hopefully you read the previous post too. Most of this episode or over half of it took place in one setting which was Mako's apartment, usually don't like extended scenes but this one did work out well. Mentioned a few times in the first recap that Kosuke is not that efficient or dependable at his job which is working in the planning department at the Sanba Shoji company, not sure what they sell or do there yet. Actually have the impression that Kosuke could be a solid worker but he always looks for the easy way out and because of that his best friend Wataru has to bail him out often. In that top screenshot Kosuke's supervisor is on his case and unless he does a bang up job on a presentation he better have his bags packed! But being Kosuke it's time for a simple solution which turned out to be anything but that.

 Kosuke signed up at a web site that will create impeccable presentations and all a customer has to do is give them their data. They'll create spreadsheets, graphs, slides, etc. so against the advice of Wataru he's having that site prepare his presentation. Too late for Wataru to do anything about it so it's a lunch for the pair at their fave eatery Itsumono which is owned by their good friend Sota. During their meal Wataru confessed he's fallen hard for Mako and would it bother Kosuke if he asked her out on a date? Of course Kosuke would mind as he's fallen in love all over again with his first crush. But after that mini party where him and Mako argued the entire time he couldn't let on his true feelings to his best friend and told Wataru to go for it. However Wataru's pursuit won't be starting until the next show and now it's time for that very long scene which did work out well.

 But what didn't work out well in the least was Kosuke's presentation, the easy way is rarely the best way. That site probably did do a good job on it but the problem was the format wasn't compatible with his company's computers. There was no Wataru to turn to as he was in Osaka on a business trip so looks like Kosuke will be pulling an all nighter at home to finish the presentation! More than one night would be needed as Kosuke had to start from scratch and he's not all that proficient at making graphs, spreadsheets and the rest for a presentation. To top it off the person living above him is making a large racket for the second night in a row. We learned in this show that Kosuke just moved in to his apartment three days ago, of course you know who his upstairs neighbor will be!!!!

 Kosuke ended up meeting that person as that noise became so loud it startled him and he ended up knocking his coffee onto his laptop which short circuited it! That was the final straw for him and he rushed upstairs to rip into that person that's ruined his work. Needless to say Kosuke was shocked at who answered the door as it happened to be his first(and only?) crush Mako, she too was taken back at who was standing in her doorway. Mako may have been his first love but Kosuke still has to put on the act that he can't stand her and began ripping into Mako for the terrible noise she's been making the last few nights and destroying his terrific presentation. To Mako it was anything but terrific and she claimed she could do it up again in a matter of minutes which did give Kosuke some hope. But there was a catch to it, Mako's washing machine has been acting oddly which has been the reason for the loud noises. So if Kosuke can repair it she'll prepare his entire presentation and it would look a thousand times better than the one he was creating.

 Kosuke may be inept at work and a bit too lazy at times but he does have some strong points. He was able to repair that washing machine rather quickly though he said he's no mechanic. Kosuke's biggest asset is that he's a bit of a orderly man and hates to see things messy and disorganized. That's the complete opposite of Mako whose apartment looked like it had been bombed! Fixing her machine wasn't enough to Mako, if Kosuke wants his presentation completed he would also have to clean her apartment, not an easy task but Kosuke seems to enjoy cleaning. So for the entire night Mako worked on the project while Kosuke did a masterful job cleaning the place but how long will it take before it looks like a bombed out city again? Mako is a whiz at the computer and in a way could be a bit nerdish but that may lead her into her first serious relationship beginning in the next episode.

 While he was cleaning the 'pig sty' Kosuke glanced into Mako's room, there he noticed the stuffed rabbit that brought them together twenty years ago. Now he's 100% sure that Mako was his first crush but it appears that love will never be rekindled. To end off the apartment looked better than new and Mako did a super duper job on the presentation which really impressed Kosuke's superior, if he only knew the true details. Not positive on why but Kosuke wants to keep where he lives a secret from his best pal Wataru, perhaps so he won't be jealous of his senpai? Not much romance to date but things do pick up in the next show with Mako and Wataru, am zipping through this series. The final few minutes of this show was a mini round table discussion where the male leads discussed their first loves. That made this 24 minute show even shorter, perhaps 21 minutes at most.