Rich Man, Poor Woman is trying its best to drive me insane. When it’s good, it’s ridiculously good. When it wants to be frustrating, it can be so damn frustrating I want to pull my hair out. Which is not good, because I like my hair and a bald Koala would frighten young children. Episode 10 was interesting, and I won’t say too much about it and save the analysis for the recap. Watching this dorama is a lesson in patience, because while it feels like a K-drama in allowing the characters to develop the romantic tension and focuses the story equally on the romance and the underlying corporate plot, it also stubbornly clings to the J-dorama style of keeping the OTP apart in every possible way until the final episode.
J-doramas have perfected what I call “the grand tease”, which only works if we are so invested in the OTP that we’re willing to wait for the well-earned payoff at the very end. I’m not sure following that path was the right thing to do in RMPW, because the narrative actually would have made sense for Hyuga and Makoto to confess their feelings to each other 2 episodes ago, rather than delaying it for the sake of creating tension. I’m disappointed that such fantastic chemistry between two characters continues to be kept apart for no real good reason, but I hope that the story can satisfactorily deliver the catharsis in next week’s final episode for all the major plot threads so that the wait for worth it.
Episode 11 written preview (final episode):
Hyuga has returned to Next Innovation and he’s rendered speechless by the monumental changes in the company. He still thanks Yamagami (for letting him know). He runs into Yoko, who has returned to her job at the restaurant, and they discuss how Asahina is still refusing to meet with anyone who visits him in the detention center. Yoko asks Hyuga if he’s told Makoto how he feels about her? Hyuga says no because he thinks Makoto stayed beside him because of pity over him losing everything. Yoko is angry at his response. At this time, Makoto is at the lab and receives notice that her job location has moved to Brazil.
Hyuga has returned as President of Next Innovation and he holds a press conference. Makoto watches it and she can’t help herself and goes to the company. She runs into Hyuga trying to hide from her. The two people who haven’t seen each other in awhile awkwardly ask how each other is doing recently. Hyuga explains that the situation with the company is dire and this time he may not be able to do anything to save it. Makoto encourages him to work hard and hold down the fort until Asahina returns. She tells him that she’s decided to go to Brazil. Seeing that Hyuga is really stunned at the news, Makoto tries to act like she’s doing very well.
A few days later, Hyuga calls Makoto and asks if she wants to come to the company. Makoto is busy with work and declines. Hyuga insists that she can come after work is done, and he will keep waiting for her. Makoto is very torn, but in the end she agrees to go. Hyuga waits for her but dawn arrives and there is still no sign of Makoto. At that time Makoto sends him a text……
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I was so angry with the writer yesterday over ep 10! Didn't he/she/it hear us??? We don't care about Yoko! We didn't want to see her again! And we definitely didn't want her to go on that trip with Hyuga!!!! That special trip was supposed to be with Makoto! Only!!!! Aiiissshhgfhuubdfjk!!!
You pull your hair out, capt. K while I head desk till I bleed.
I read about THE trip!! :@@@@@@@@
What's annoying is that this OTP makes us squeeeeee when they bicker & are cute with each other. Most prolly we won't even get to see them being lovey-dovey with each other....I would've REALLY liked Hyuga being sweet towards Makoto and not trying to mask his feelings for her by being all stoic. I will weep for all of the lost opportunities if they get together in the last 5 minutes.
i totally agree..
I totally agree with you that trip should have been Makoto and Hyuga's to take together. I'm still mad that Asahina gave the address to Yoko in the first place and encouraged her to go after Hyuga even though he knows Makoto loves him; I guess it is his sister but come on the sparks just aren't there between Hyuga and Yoko. Also, episode 10 was lacking in OTP screen time...or was it just me who thought we didn't get enough Makoto/Hyuga scenes?!
LOL!
I actually do have to agree with the writers on having H go without M.
If she showed up to H's mother, it would have been impossible for Makoto NOT to say, "Mom - meet your son."
Although, I have a feeling Mom knew all along that this person was her son.
Why did he have to take Yoko? He had to talk to someone about M - or least someone had to be there to ask him. Nobody else in the cast could have. Just pretend she is a talking set-piece. Oh, right, she is.
Hilarious! But she's also the most frustrating prop ever!
How frustrating! Can't even give us a whole episode full of sweet moments of the OTP finally together after acknowledging their mutual feelings for each other. I bet that even for the last episode, we won't really see the OTP officially be together until there are only five minutes left of entire show
huh!!! oh no..
Ugh! Really! Now Brazil! If with 5 minutes left of episode 11 and we have Hyuga running thru the airport to stop Makoto, I going to buy two tickets to Japan, one for me and the other for Ms Koala. I figure she would need me to hold down the writer, while she beats the crap out of him or her.
I'll be on the plane with you. I mean seriously, I just want some happy Hyuga and Makoto time.
Hahaha.... I will be the look out.
I'm pretty sure from the preview I've seen that there is an airport scene. Now, if the writers would just do us all a solid and make that scene happen at 15 minutes in, or so, I'd be happy. But they do like to string us along, so it probably is in the last 5 or 10 minutes. Grrrr!
hahaha..really interesting..lets have a protest we want chapter 12
I saw the last 5 minutes of E10 and was SO aggravated. Hyuga-san is a bakaaaaaaa!! Nande?!!! MRAAARGHHHHH....
Forget about kissing our OTP hasn't even held hands. At this point that bit of skinship in E10 would've mollified me! :/ While I'm annoyed (I shouldn't be since I didn't even watch the entire episode) I am happy that E10 garnered the highest ratings for the show. So, wheeeeeee, I guess! Please let our OTP not get together in the last 5 minutes of E11. After 10 episodes don't we deserve our OTP giddy in love with each other?! huhuuuu
My first drama made me wait 24 episodes for (what I consider) a peck and a half ass hug!!! :/ my co-wrkers
Were laughing at me because I'm a Latina that used to watch novelas. Where couples through out the whole novela almost eta each other. Soooo yes I was just hoping for a bit more. :(
The dorama that wanted to kill me the most with this delayed gratification technique was Hotaru no Hikari 1 and 2.
They cast Fujiki Naohito, who is one of my favorite on screen kissers - so sure, and soft, and wh omakes exactly the right eye contact to swoonify - then tease the living breath out of you.
I actually was sending brainwaves of his scenes from Love Revolution - still makes me sigh - to remind him he knows how to kiss!!
Which reminds me, imma go rewatch the end of the first episode of Love Revolution...
Hotaru no Hikari was so incredibly frustrating that way! And with such a cute story, good acting, and awesome chemistry, it was such a waste to not have more affection. Especially in season 2. Unnecessary angst, you kill me.
Im a sucker for pain so guess where I'm going after reading your comment!?........ Yeaup you guess it!!! ;)
Ha. Good thing I didn't watch HnH 2. My knowledge of Fujiki only amounts to two dramas - HnH and Proposal Daisakusen. Love Revolution featuring a playboy Fujiki? Hmmm, I'm gonna go drop by my fave DVD store later after work. ;D
Geeez... thanks for sharing Hataro no Hitari 1 & 2. I have a quick view on them. Kind of marathon!
What I found there, Amemiya character is pretty similar to Makoto. And then the coincidence about names!
1. In HnH 1 - there's Ms Yamada (this is Shun's wife's name!)
2. Also in HnH 1 - there's a Mr Tameshi Makoto (Amemiya's first time falling in love with Makoto) - here in RMPW, Makoto is a female
3. in HnH 2 - there's a Ms Satomi - as we know it's Makoto in RMPW real name :)
(*** ok, I am deviated a bit from RMPW - In the korean movie Cyrano Dating Agency - the main female lead is Lee Min Jung as Hee Joo. Interestingly, her first BF and also the main male lead is named in the movie as none other than "Lee Byung Hun" !!! Coincidence??)
Then comparing the story line, not that similar but subtle hints of similarities - boss and subordinate love affair! and the tension built up between the OTP ! and how others remarked on their relationship, for example Seno telling Amemiya to stick together with the manager and also in the first series, Makoto told Amemiya that the one she loves is the manager.
Also in the first one, Amemiya admitted when she realized all that she wanted is to "see her Bucho's face" and isnt this the same that happened to Hyuga at the temple whilst rolling at the front door he admitted he really wanted just to see Makoto's face... ahhh... sweet ;)
and definitely I agree what great teaser the j-doramas are. The OTP only have a peck at the very end !
wonder what would it be for Hyuga & Makoto. H
p/s: what a crazy world I am in now to analyse names & characters in movies and dramas. really crazy.
Thanks for this!
While they stubbonly stick to this formula, which I have to admit, keeps me interested like a crazed lab rat hitting that "play" lever for pellets of maybe kisses, I stubbornly pretend all kinds of things are happening off screen.
Stolen kisses in the pantry, in the back of the bus, in the darkened office after everyone else has gone home. Seriously, IRL, two unattached people who are mutually attracted and have insane eye sex like that would NOT be able to keep their hands off each other, right?
He is socially inept and emotionally inhibited. His body and his head are in a serious disconnect. What sex?
I'm not sure he is that dysfunctional.
God, I feel sorry for him if he is.
Remember he initiated that kiss with Yoko and that was someone he didn't have love and trust feelings for. And he went to kiss M at the beach.
Especially now that they are working every day with each other. There is a natural tendency to want to be around and reach for the people who make you feel something.
I don't think he is quite dysfunctional. He functions just fine, well almost, in society....it's only when one would interact with him that'd be when they'd see the red flags. Since I work with individuals with communication impediments I wouldn't be surprised if Hyuga has a high functioning Asperger's syndrome (given his high IQ, programming skills, & social ineptitude). I read that in E10 Makoto gives Hyuga pointers on how to conduct himself socially...which was interesting since I teach social skills to my clients who're diagnosed w/ ASD.
Eye sex! @.@ Wow, I will have to remember that one! But I'd say theirs is more eye-foreplay so far. Too cute to be the down-and-dirty just yet #^_^#.
I honestly thought there was a kiss.. Wasn't there a line in ep 10 preview about him kisser her?! I won't say the conflict is completely unnecessary from what I could guess from the raw. But I seriously thought he was gonna run to her at the end. I kept looking at how many minutes left and yelling in my head "run!" I'm just sad that we won't get much OTP couple time at the end....
Grrrr. I just watched ep.10 and I don't know what to expect on Monday. As much as we want them to be together they're keeping them apart and that is j-dorama style. Hear us writers, give us the sweetest and perfect ending. Once again, thank you Ms. Koala.
If the last 5 minutes of RMPW can borrow a page from BB, then I'll be satisfied. But then I remember that BB is full of OTP skinship already. Sigh, one can hope, ne?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srO_tl4TV-w
Wow. The OTP look lovely. Lots of skinship??? really? in a dorama? Ok, catch you later! *runs to find BB
And an aggressive female who always says how she feels!
Love her.
And RMPW continues...Hyuga goes to Brazil...and we have season 2! Yeeyyyyyyyy ;)
That would be the most awesome of awesomest things ever. If only the ratings were high enough...
A second season would indeed be awesome. As for the ratings, E10 had an avg rating of 15.8% (w/ some areas garnering close to 19%).
Aishhh, there's always s'thing! I had image of NI in Brazil, Makoto and Hyuga on the beach with cocktails! Group is playing volleyball ;)
yes! im waiting for that
Episode 10 delivered us sweet moments in the beginning and left me frustrated that I had to leave a comment on your other page about RMPW!
What I don't understand is, I thought Makoto had already figured out Hyuga and to leave him like that is a no, no. She knows he is so insecure about others leaving him. I know she feels overwhelmed at his greatness, but can't she at least discuss it with him!? Ep 11 preview didn't help undermine this frustation.
I was a happy camper in the first half of the episode. It was so fulfilling watching Hyuga grow up and mature under the loving tutelage of Makoto. The company was growing, their team of 5 was performing excellently and Hyuga fully recovered from the setback he experienced from NI. But those scenes flashed by so fast and before we know it, the angstfest
began.
It's equally Hyuga's and Makoto's fault that they are not yet a couple. She should really grow some self confidence. C'mon where did her courage go? Will she be there to love Hyuga only when he's down? How about sharing his victories too? You deserve it and him! Claim it!
I agree with you about Makoto sharing Hyuga's victories...when I think about it from her perspective what if he never came clean about his feelings towards her she would always be a tag along. I'm thinking this way he would realize that he missed her, actively looked for her, used Yoko as a sounding board, sought her out at the research place, and...then chickened out (WHYYY?!). Since, I'm used to K-drama pace all these goings on in one episode seem to be too much....viz actually great! It may be just be me but there's just something about the guy pursuing a girl (in a drama) which makes me swooon.
@Saima,
I wouldn't say he chickened out.
I think he is painfully shy--
When he hid from her at the train station in the previous episode, it seemed withing the bounds of regular fear of exposure.
But Oguri Shun did a fantastic job of portraying painful shyness/insecurity and uncertainty my whole body felt his pain.
I am getting his hesitation. I'm less clear on Makoto's issues.