Perfect Propose Review – Passable
Watari Hirokuni is an overworked engineer, who goes about his days like a zombie – he is always exhausted, has trouble sleeping, eats convenience store food and has no life outside of work. Things however change for Hirokuni when Fukaya Kai, a former childhood friend, reconnects with him out of the blue.
Based on a manga by Tsurukame Mayo, the Japanese series “Perfect Propose” has been created by Horai Tadaaki (director) and Miyamoto Takeshi (screenwriter) and is spread over six episodes. Kaneko Shunya plays the perpetually exhausted Watari Hirokuni, while Nomura Kota portrays the younger Fukaya Kai, who has no family and works at a small restaurant run by an aging man. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Kai has nowhere to go, leading him to seek out Hirokuni. He reminds Hirokuni that they are engaged, as they promised to marry each other as children. While Hirokuni dismisses his claims as childish nonsense, he allows Kai to stay over nonetheless. Kai, in turn, begins preparing delicious home-cooked meals for Hiro, including cute bento boxes for the office. As the two become flatmates, Kai openly expresses his romantic interest in Hiro, setting the stage for their slow-burn romance in the series.
The first episode of “Perfect Propose” makes one think that this might be a romantic-comedy, but there are very few “laugh out loud” moments in the show. Both Hiro and Kai are young, lonely, hardworking men, and neither of them are very talkative, nor do they have a close circle of friends. So, essentially, the show is about these two characters who lead socially isolated lives, and eventually find comfort in each other’s company. Although, it does feel like Hiro’s fondness for Kai is over all the nice, warm meals.
There’s very little that sets “Perfect Propose” apart from the dime-a-dozen romantic series out there, and the pace of the show is quite flat. Half of the show’s focus is on Hiro’s dreadful job, where his boss constantly bullies him into working overtime. If it weren’t for some of the flashbacks that establish Hiro and Kai’s childhood friendship, their love story wouldn’t make much sense. The food aspect of the show reminded me of Japanese series “Our Dining Table”, which was also about two young men bonding over food, however, it was a lot more fun, cozy and cute.
“Perfect Propose” seems to have all the ingredients for a romance drama: good-looking leads, a semblance of a story, a climactic conflict, and a final ‘happy ending’ resolution. However, all these elements fall short in flavor. While it makes for decent viewing, it’s a dish you’d forget after a few days.
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