Koidesu! Yanki-kun to Shiro Tsue Garu (2021)

Love Is Not Always Blind…

‘Koi Desu: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Garu’ ( alternatively translated as ‘ It’s Love; Yankee-Kun and The White-Cane Girl’) is based upon the manga ‘ Yankee-Kun and The White Cane Girl’. Adapted to the small screen by screenwriter Matsuda Yuko, ‘ Koi Desu: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Garu’ revolved around the sweet and unusual love story between Akaza Yukiko ( Sugisaki Hana) , a girl diagnosed with amblyopia ( a condition where the individual suffers from impaired or degraded vision) who uses a white stick, and a kindhearted delinquent Kurokawa Morio ( Sugino Yosuke). Despite initially being put off by his persistent attitude and self- proclaimed “ feelings ” for the female lead, Yukiko finds herself gradually warming up to the eccentric delinquent despite many obstacles that face them.

Whilst sometimes a quick aside from comedian Hamada Yutaro ( playing himself) or a voiceover by Yukiko could feel a little arbitrary at times , it was evident to see that throughout more predictable romantic setups, the drama desperately pushed forward positive and didactic messages in order to disperse social stereotypes and stigmas surrounding blind and visually impaired individuals.

However whilst praise and commendation must be given to ‘Koi Desu: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Garu’’s themes and depictions, the acting could admittedly was a mixed-bag . Of course this isn’t to bring down any of the respected actors as individuals. Sugisaki Hana’s onscreen performance as Yukiko captured the mannerisms of her character’s amblyopia subtly, whilst Sugino Yosuke added a heart-melting charm to Morio onscreen. Nevertheless it is notable that certain line deliverances by the cast could sometimes feel exaggerated.

As a character , Akaza Yukiko undeniably has her screenwriting strengths and weaknesses. She’s not defined as a main female lead by being “ frail” or “ timid” female lead trope due to her visual disability, and instead, was often shown to have a more stubborn side when problems arise due to a hurtful experience in the past. Whilst this incident admittedly did play a major role through brief foreshadowing in early episodes, the “tense” buildup could often feel anticlimactic . Foreshadowing towards Yukiko’s past could’ve easily been brought up early on to deliver greater impact in later episodes. In particular this subject could’ve easily been conveyed more frequently through conservations and interactions with her older sister Izumi ( Nao) as well as her father Seiji ( Kishitani Goro).

However this also brings up the elephant in the room in the series also; Yukiko’s family dynamic. Understandably it is not uncommon for different beliefs and viewpoints to be taken by family members towards a visually impaired relative. In the series this was often reflected by the differences between Yukiko’s sister being overprotective towards Yukiko whereas her father Seiji could often adopted a laissez-faire and easygoing attitude. It felt odd that aside from Izumi being the first to disapprove of Kurosawa being “ unworthy” for Yukiko, there was little reaction or insight into Yukiko’s own feelings towards her sister acting this way. Additionally there was rarely little conflict presented between Yukiko and Seiji’s different viewpoints in order to present greater insight for viewers into this differing family bond also.

Naturally this brings us onto main male lead Kurosawa Morio. Morio embodied the stereotypical stock trope of the “ delinquent with a heart of gold”.His physical appearance ( and especially his scar) have given him a bad reputation over the years. However despite first appearances, Morio is revealed to be a naturally kindhearted soul. Throughout the series Morio tried his best to accommodate to Yukiko by asking and learning more about her everyday life. Yet whilst Morio is undeniably a male lead with a big heart , there were certainly moments regarding his character arc which could often feel disjointed. Of course it was not necessarily quintessential that we had to know everything about Morio’s background or past. Nevertheless there was still a lot of potential to have delved deeper into his reasons for being perceived as a “ failure” and dropping out of school, greater social stigma surrounding his “ delinquent” appearance ( aside from a few key scenes when it was necessary to the plot) , the reasons behind his current adopted mindset as well as his home environment also.

Of course this brings us onto the main topic of discussion; the romantic relationship between our main leads. Sugino Yosuke and Sugisaki Hana had fairly dynamic onscreen chemistry together adding to a charismatic and friendly interactions onscreen. As characters it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were many obstacles presented throughout the storyline to “ complicate” matters between Akaza Yukiko and Kurosawa Morio’s potential relationship. Naturally whilst a lot of these opportunities saw opportunities to facilitate heartfelt and angst-ridden scenes in order to explore relationships, feelings and strengthen relationships chemistry, there were some still some predictable tropes which lacked the element of surprise also .

Overall ‘Koi Desu: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Garu’ is a fairly sweet and laidback love story. The acting front is decent enough ( sans from a few awkward scenes and lines) and the main leads have enough chemistry to keep viewers entertained. Admittedly the characters could often feel archetypical at times but the series enjoyed diverging from expectations and allowing characters to grow from their experiences. Perhaps whilst a few areas and topics which could’ve been brushed up more, ‘Koi Desu: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Garu’ will likely be a fairly heartwarming watch for any romance fan.

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