"Living no Matsunaga-san".... Episode four of ten recap

 

 Air Dates: January 9th until March 12, 2024. Tuesdays at 11:00 pm on Fuji-TV

There's ten episodes which average ~23 minutes a show, subs were done by Blitz Subs

Main Cast: If there's anyone who has read many of the dramas I've recapped you know this is an odd one for me. Usually the genre(s) are for police/mystery/suspense/horror shows but every now and again need something a bit mellow or at least not as intense. Which is what this series will be like, viewed the first two episodes which were decent so thought why not recap this drama? Plus I did want to watch a show that featured Hikaru and she has the main female role in this. In real life she will be turning 23 later on this year but in this show plays an 18 year old high school senior named Miko. There will be no love theme in this show as the main male character Jun is 29 in age, I kind of liken his relationship with Miko as being her much older brother. Wrote the character details after the first two shows but know for the third episode there will be a new character added in. To date every scene has featured either Miko or Jun so not all that much is known yet about the others major characters but sure that will change and will edit this section, right below is the 365 Share House.

Hikaru Takahashi as Miko Sonoda.... 18 year old HS senior who lives in Tokyo. However in the first episode her parents were planning on moving to Wakayama as her grandmother was sick and they needed to run her Hot Springs resort. Of course Miko wanted to remain in Tokyo for her final year but she needed a guardian to watch over her. Which at first was her uncle Masahiko and Miko moved into his 365 Share House so all seemed acceptable to her parents. However Masahiko's company was sending him overseas for a few months, would Miko have to move to Wakayama? NO for the second oldest person at the 365 Share House Jun said he would be Miko's guardian which sounded odd at first to the mother who did eventually agree and what kind of adventures will Miko have at the house?

 Kento Nakajima as Jun Matsunaga.... The title of the drama is named after him and can't tell you exactly why. Jun is a 29 year old freelance designer, mainly for book and magazine covers. Now that Miko's uncle has left for a while Jun seems to be the head of the Share House, he can be overly strict and at first did try to give Miko house rules as he's her unofficial guardian. But think deep down Jun is a bit soft hearted and he does care about everyone living at the house. Below is the uncle Masahiko, won't add him into this section as we may not see him again. Jun also has the annoying habit of adding in an extra I to Miko's name meaning he calls her Miiko.

Koji Mukai as Kentaro Suzuki.... The other male at the 365 Share House, Kentaro is known to be a bit of a playboy and works as a bartender.

Tomoka Kurokawa as Asako Onuki... This is an actress I like a lot and have seen her in a few other dramas. Asako is the oldest of the 365 Share House residents and owns a nail salon shop in Shibuya.

 Sakurako Okubo as Akane Hattori.... 23 year old who works PT at a curry restaurant, Akane is a bit daffy but seems to be so likable.

Taiyu Fujiwara as Ryo Hojo.... We saw him briefly in the first episode as he was going to move into the house. However Ryo thought it was a regular apartment not a room so he ended up not moving in. But he did at the beginning of the third show as there was an empty room due to Masahiko moving out, Ryo never quite explained why he changed his mind. He's a shy man in his young twenties, works a PT job and is a medical student.

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Previous recaps

Episode one .... Episode two .... Episode three

 Think this is the fourth drama I viewed that Blitz Subs has done, they get their subs done quicker than anywhere else! This series is picking up steam and what's helping is that we're seeing more of the other 365 Share House residents. Keep saying this is not a romance drama though Miko does have a crush on Jun though he's eleven years older. That could be normal for a high school senior to fall for an older man but don't think Jun shares the same feeling, least I hope he doesn't. However there will some hints towards romance and it's a secret one with the above newest resident Ryo, have gotten ahead of myself with the viewing so you'll hear about all in today's three recaps.

 Goukon is the word in Japanese for group dating, that'll be the main theme for most of this episode and it's the first time our somewhat 'heroine' Miko has gone on one. In the top screenshot above she was showing her best two mates Maho and Richan photos of the five people she lives with, three men and two women. Maho has the ponytails and she took an instant liking towards the newest resident Ryo, he's twenty in age so only 2-3 years older than Miko and her friends. Miko did confess to an extent she does have a slight crush on the oldest male Jun which made her friend's eyes roll. But they did come up with a bright idea, why not have a Goukon and invite all three men?! Surprisingly Miko did like that idea but the problem was how to do bring up the subject to her three male housemates? Miko was going to ask the woman above Asako for some advice but she was overheard rather quickly, now the Goukon idea is known to all!

 Jun is so strict, too much at times and the others at the 365 Share House also wondered did he have  a bit of a crush on Miko even though he was eleven years older? Jun kept insisting that he didn't and to prove that told Miko it was okay to go out on a group date but him and one other housemate Kentaro wouldn't be involved. However Ryo will go along and said he could bring two of his college friends with him. No Jun definitely dampened the spirits of Miko though with Ryo there at least Maho may have a good time. Episodes are only 23 minutes long so everything moves very quickly, it's already Sunday afternoon when the Goukon will take place. The girl Maho and Ryo did hit it off very well, can't say that Miko was jealous in the least. However Ryo was a bit when one of his mates tried to get to know Miko better, Ryo told his friend softly to back off and will get more into Ryo's possible crush on Miko in the next recap. 

 Of course back at the 365 Share House Jun was frantic with worry about Miko's 'date' though naturally tried to hide his worries but to no avail. The person that really got on to Jun's acting like a parent was the bartender Kentaro, he said if Miko could go on a Goukon why shouldn't Jun? Kentaro knew two fine women from his bar and set it up for the men to bring them out that afternoon for what should have been a fun time. But not with Jun there as he kept talking about Miko and why should a high school senior go out on a group date???? Have noticed in the last few shows how Jun does enjoy the spirits, he had more than his share on the outing with Kentaro and the two unnamed women, they suggested perhaps it'd be a better idea to move the party elsewhere.

 A little fresh air is also what Jun needed and the quartet left the restaurant where the date was being held and you had an idea on what was about to take place. For Miko, Ryo and the others had also left their restaurant, everyone met near a park and the amount of spirits that Jun had consumed also loosened his tongue. Because for the first time he had some unsavory things to ay about Miko in front of everyone and a bit of that scene is right above. Jun's words really hurt Miko badly, she told Jun she was old enough to take care of herself and then when one of the women whispered into Jun's ear it was time to leave that was the final straw for Miko. Who left everyone and was wandering around a nearby park, she had been fiddling with the phone strap Jun had given her as a present. However the strap broke and somehow flew into a small sewer though at the time it was dry, as hard as Miko tried to get the strap out it was useless and you could tell how much possibly losing it affected her.

 But there were two saviors who appeared on the scene, the first was Ryo. He had followed Miko for he was worried about her, after the group date and some other comments Ryo has made you know he has a crush on Miko. Ryo is in college but is only 2 1/2 years older than Miko so that's not much of an age difference. He too tried to lift the very heavy iron sewer grating but like Miko had no success. The second savior now arrived and that was Jun, for all he had said to Miko none of it was true and of course he will always care about her. So it took three people to attempt lifting this iron grating and it finally worked as Miko was able to slither her hand in and grab the phone strap. Jun couldn't understand why a 100 yen strap meant so much to Miko but she said it being a present from Jun it had a special meaning, silently seething with jealousy was Ryo.

 Back at the 365 Share House everything that took place was settled. Jun couldn't apologize enough for his actions towards Miko and said he only left for his 'date' was ill and she had wanted Jun to call a taxi. Jun then left the house to talk with Kentaro at his bar and explain what the final outcome was. But at the house Ryo had shown Miko his phone, during their Goukon Jun had sent him over twenty messages for he was so worried about Miko, seems as though she may like him even more now! In the final scene which is above Kentaro had asked Jun was he still in love and we viewers had no clue about that. According to Kentao Jun's old flame from many months ago has returned to town, was Jun aware of that? NO was the answer to that and as the episode ended Jun was back at his room looking at an old photo of this ex-flame though we never did see her face. So ends this recap and while it hasn't been a 'must watch' drama every show up until now has been decent, the next post is for episode five and that was the best one to date.