First Impression: Sachiiro no One Room

I haven’t written a First Impression post for a long while now. I kinda miss making one. Unlike recaps, my first impressions are free-flowing. I can express anything I want. There’s a sense of freedom in it. And I’m not bounded by the script or plot.

Anyways, here’s one interesting Japanese drama for you. The unique and intriguing plot got me really interested. I mean, how can a kidnap victim-kidnapper relationship fall under romance category? At least, it should have been on psychological-drama or something on the darker side of the spectrum.

Here’s the synopsis from Mangarock:

One day, a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped by a masked boy. Even while the news shows her name and face everywhere and interviews her weeping parents, this girl knows it’s all fake — she knows this because those very same parents abused her day and night.

Now this girl, re-named “Sachi,” lives in a small one-room apartment with her kidnapper, the walls full of photos of her. Even though he’s her stalker, Sachi wants to stay here, because she’s never met someone who loved her so much. She proposes that once they escape the police and her parents for good, that they get married — in return, her captor promises to give her the happiness she always wanted. This is the story of their hidden life and strange love.

If I’m going to make my synopsis, it should be something like this:

One day, a 14-year-old girl, mentally and physically abused by her parents, bullied by her classmates and sexually harassed by her teacher, had enough of the rough life. She tried to commit suicide but was then saved by a masked man who claimed he loves her. Hungry for love and companionship, she went willingly with the stranger. 

The stranger, she called Onii-san (SHUEHEI UESUGI) brought her to a room with walls solely dedicated to photos of her. Clearly, the stranger has been stalking her ever since. I don’t know if it’s a good proof of his true feelings but for the girl, now renamed Sachi (ANNA YAMADA), it’s more than enough. She has been lonely and sad and numb for too long that she’s willing to marry a stranger in exchange of the happiness he promises to give her.

In that one room, two broken souls try to mend everything that’s messed up. In that room, they find redemption and love.

With my synopsis, I can thereby say that the supposed “kidnapper” is actually her savior in disguise (figuratively and literally). For starters, who would consider Shuehei a kidnapper, neh? With that darn looks? Well, I hope he’ll remove his mask at some point. Secondly, kidnappers don’t usually save their suicidal victims. No wonder, Sachi went with him willingly. And that, I guess, is the reason why this drama falls under the romance genre.

Yep, I know Sachi is underage and maybe, just maybe, it isn’t really the right decision but who can blame her? She already endured terrible things at a young age. And what’s worse? At the hands of her own parents of all people.

Some says the manga where this drama is based is pretty good. Well, I hope it is. I haven’t read it and I’m not planning on reading it in the future. I want to watch the drama as it is. And honestly, I’m looking forward to the ending. With the police hot on their heels and parents manipulating the truth, will Onii-san and Sachi be together until the end. No matter what, I just hope Sachi finds the justice and happiness she deserves.

PS: I have dozens of movies that I plan to recap and I’m not sure if I can squeeze this one on the list.