I actually really liked Weakest Beast (獣なれないわたしたち)! I thought it might be a run of the mill romance show looking at its really misleading poster picture, but decided to watch it thanks to Matsuda Ryuhei.
And gosh, it was such a subtle and complex show and both Aragaki Yui and Matsuda Ryuhei did wonderfully in their roles! Especially Aragaki Yui who plays her character with such quiet grace and strength. I think Matsuda sometimes doesn't get enough zoom-in shots because actually he's a great eye actor but sometimes I think the subtleties are lost in big panned out scenes.
I really liked that at the heart of it all the themes were really well developed. Just to name a few, it was about normal people finding strength to go against the current (but realistically portraying that it's incredibly hard to do so), about the subtle complexities of relationships and their effects, and also acknowledging the struggles of women and common folks (like us the viewers).
But most of all it showed that everyone is capable of evolving. I loved that they showed the characters who really decided to work on themselves - again, realistically portraying that it takes damn hard work to do so - grew leaps and bounds. Those who did not got left behind as people around them evolved (like the indecisive boyfriend and the awful boss).
I really enjoyed it! I love how good Japanese dramas really have so much depth and meaning, and the subtlety of it all is beautiful. There is as much to be said about what is shown as there is for what is not shown - that both the filled and empty spaces both have meanings. I can see why Japanese dramas may not always be popular overseas as the subtleties can be easily lost in translation (literally and figuratively) - but oh the reward when we as the viewers try... Just absolutely amazing.
