Kamisama no Ekohiiki (2022)

Kamisama no ekohiiki (God’s favour) based on the manga adaptation by Komura Ayumi, delves into the physical and psychological experience of a body swap genre. The eight-episode series is not your usual body swap rom-com drama. It goes beyond and makes the audience question what it truly means to love someone and what it means to be our authentic selves.


Story:

The other day, I had finished reading the manga source during the series airing. In terms of story structure, I believe screenwriter, Kitagawa did a brilliant job refining the manga source to develop a more dimensional layer to the series character's including Kagura and Rin. While it changes the characters' arc, it does not deviate too much from its original story.

What makes the series stand out from previous body swaps is that it puts us in the perspective of these characters. Most of the time characters are portrayed to be sure about their attraction toward another. However, in this series, everyone is questioning themselves. The common saying “In any shape or form, I will always love you.” Is an ideal thought which is challenged by the complexity of attraction and self-identity. The series explores questions such as “Can we still love the same person regardless of appearance?" or “Can we only love the person because it is their body and soul alone?." The series scenario becomes intriguing as the impulsive requests of Yashiro and Kagura impact not only themselves but everyone around them.

Usually, Japanese dramas tend to have a maximum of twenty to thirty-minute duration; however, this series has over forty minutes. Therefore, it helped the story pacing and created more room for additional scenes, especially with supporting characters (e.g. parents). The series does little to spend on fillers and unnecessary drama, which increased my interest. However, a minor rushed pacing in the last one-hour episode. While it tried to stay true to the manga chapters' order, it could have been a little more refined in the editing process.

Acting/Cast:

The majority of the main cast are aged close to their respective characters bringing an authentic touch to the series. In terms of character casting, Fujiwara fits the cheerful and lively energy of Yashiro. Kubozuka added the outspoken personality and charisma of Kenta. Arai gave the confident and assuring nature of Rin. While Sakurada’s character, Kagura is one dimensional in the manga, she conveyed the troubled mind of Kagura very well.

Both Fujiwara and Sakurada had a convincing performance playing their body swap personalities. I noticed in casual conversation scenes their mannerism from the way they sit and carry themselves plays an interestingly fun touch to their portrayal. There are moments when the actors do perform in an over-the-top manner, especially the voice changes. However, the actors nailed the emotional scenes.

The chemistry of all the characters was fantastic. I believe the portrayal and direction of Yashiro and Kenta’s bond were more impactful in the series. The backstory scenes build a stronger image of friendship which made me root for the two characters compared to the manga. Without adding spoilers, Kubozuka’s performance strongly shined in one specific episode. Arai as Rin did a brilliant job expressing conflicting emotions of yearning masked by her supportive nature of Kagura. Sakurada and Arai's brilliant chemistry helped build the unrequited/friendship bond between Rin and Kagura fairly quickly in the series.

The portrayal of Kami-sama by Furukawa is slightly toned down compared to his cartoonish personality in the manga. I believe it's a great writing decision as adapting a manga character to live-action can come with challenges to seeing the character in a serious light. The series added some dialogue in later episodes which can spark inspiration in the audience. Shida had a believable performance as Ukon, and I appreciated how the series gave her more involvement than her manga character.

Music:

Warner Bros Japan and Koyama conveyed a soothing track that compliments the natural green scenery and brings a hint of the traditional Japanese period. Innocent by Keina Suda gives an energetically modern vibe to the opening sequence.

Rewatch Value:

I believe it's a nice binge that carefully explores sensitive topics of coming of age in a fun yet somewhat realistic light. As mentioned before, it’s refreshing to see a rom-com supernatural drama where characters lift each other rather than having them be each other's obstacles. This could apply to most love triangle related dramas. From the popularity, it has received on Tik Tok and other social media platforms, I believe the series would have been reacted to and widely enjoyed by overseas audiences.

Overall, the series focus on the character's search for self-acceptance can be applied to any audience. We may sometimes desire to be someone else, to gain approval from others or ourselves. Kami-sama no ekohiiki shows that we can overcome our struggles and learn to accept ourselves moving forward.

If you are looking for a short body swap series with a twist, I would recommend this drama series. It's also not explicit as the manga, which can be watchable for an audience who may not usually be a fan of LGBT or BL related films/series.

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