I know, I was blogging 13sai and Strawberry Night and I never finished it. I will. But I couldn’t pass up Papadoru, plus, I’m watching this show live which kind of forces me to watch it 🙂
Anyway, just some quick thoughts on this drama.
Papadoru, formerly known as Papa wa Idol, is a drama where Nishikido Ryo stars as himself, becoming a man who fell in love with a struggling divorced woman with three kids and a sick mother. After a quick courtship of only six months, he and Haruka decide to get marry…
… But it’s not so easy. He’s receiving opposition from his fiance’s, Haruka, family and once his management finds out, he’s left with an ultimatum: Get divorced within three months or leave Kanjani8 and retire from the industry and his life as Nishikido Ryo the Idol.
So, I will be upfront and say that Papadoru is not a drama for everyone. Why? Because Papadoru, right off the bat, comes off like a fanfest for only Nishikido and Kanjani8 fans. You are not introduced to anyone, you enter this drama already expecting to know who everyone is. It’s a whirlwind of characters weaving in and out of Nishikido’s life that, at first glance, you really don’t get who they are without a second view.
This drama is an awkward watch at first, but you then ease into it, albeit slowly. Everyone, save for the secondary characters, come into this show as themselves. It’s like this weird, staged, look into the lives of these Johnnys that make you question if the idols we see on our DVDs, Blurays, and television shows are really the people we see or are they simply another character amongst a sea of characters. In one scene, Ohno Satoshi constantly asks for Maruyama Ryuhei while Nishikido tries to get Sakurai Sho to sign an autograph board for his soon-to-be step daughter (who is a die hard fan of Sho). It makes you wonder if Ohno honestly cares about Maruyama after their stint together on Uta no Oni-san or not….
Though, while this drama is extremely pleasing to the fangirl heart, it goes without some big disappointments. Papadoru has to have the most awkward acting from Nishikido yet. For some reason, I don’t know if he is comfortable in this role. How does one play themselves, or rather a caricature of themselves without revealing themselves? He’s holding back and he’s not natural. Even in comedic scenes, which should flow smoothly, come with some slight hesitation. Is he embarrassed? Does he know where he wants to go with this? How does one act as themselves when everything around them is being penned by someone else?
It’s like Nishikido is a player in someone’s fanfiction and Haruka is the Mary Sue fulfilling the desires and dreams of every girl across Japan hoping for a chance meeting like that. What girl would not want their favorite idol to walk into their life, instantly fall in love, and ask them for their hand in marriage six months later?
If Papadoru was more like a Curb Your Enthusiasm, where everything is entirely improvised, then the acting in this show will flow a lot smoother. It would seem less awkward. Like when Kanjani8 perform their skits during their concerts — they play themselves but it’s natural and thus it becomes funny.
Papadoru is obviously a piece of the 8th anniversary pie that Johnny & Associates is handing out to the fans. I don’t expect a drama masterpiece here and this is definitely not Nishikido’s finest work but as a fan, I’ll gladly have my slice and join in on the ride.
And maybe Nishikido will get comfortable enough that he’ll just be naturally funny rather than awkwardly funny.