Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Disclaimer: This is a fluff piece and contains story spoilers
Satoh Takeru plays musical genius Fujitani Naoki with such conviction in Japanese series ‘Glass Heart’, that he seems like a pan-sexual rock God, whose chemistry with both musical instruments and the people around him are immaculate. He could be in love with anybody. Or nobody.
‘Glass Heart’ could’ve soared if Fujitani Naoki’s romance wasn’t so flat. He’s the kind of character who skips meals, sleep, and water just to write his next song, so really, the most believable story-line would’ve been him not dating anyone at all. If he decided to marry his piano, it would be believable.
Also Read: Glass Heart Series Review: Reliable Music, Flimsy Romance
Instead, the writers of ‘Glass Heart’ (yes, I know it’s based on a novel by by Wakagi Mio, but surely the screenwriters could’ve made some tweaks to the tale) give Fujitani Naoki the most cliched romantic sub-plot. He falls for the drummer girl, Saijo Akane, which is foreshadowed in the opening seconds of the series.
The funny thing is, when Saijo tries to confess her feelings to Fujitani Naoki, he tells her that he doesn’t have the time or space for anything except for music in his life. Then why does he change his mind? The show never really gives us an explanation, nor does it deliver a solid build-up to Saijo and Naoki’s relationship. They enjoy jamming and playing music together, but he shares the same musical chemistry with pretty much every musician in ‘Glass Heart’.
In-fact, Satoh Takeru’s Fujitani Noaki had stronger screen sparks with Takaishi Akari, who plays Sakurai Yukino, a pop star with a crush on Naoki. The two of them have a scene where they jam to a song together in episode 4 of ‘Glass Heart’ and their comfort level is cozily interesting. Saijo watches them from the door and rightfully feels jealous. The song scene is embedded below.
The onscreen equation between Fujitani Naoki and drummer Saijo feels more teacher-student or mentor-mentee like throughout ‘Glass Heart’. Saijo is fresh, sweet, naive, still in college, optimistic, and her crush on the older Naoki makes sense… he is after all a good-looking, enigmatic musical genius.
If the show wanted a believable romance, it would’ve made more sense for Saijo to lean toward Sakamoto Kazushi (Shison Jun), the piano genius with a soft spot for the drummer. He’s basically a toned-down, younger Naoki, just without the quirky edge. Also, surprisingly, he even confesses his feelings, instead of being cryptic about where his heart lies.
Still, even Kazushi’s supposed crush feels a bit unconvincing. He spends the first few episodes irritated by Saijo, practically begging her to quit the band if she can’t keep up. Unless the writers were aiming for a classic “enemies-to-lovers” angle, the sudden switch to romantic interest was unnecessary. Yes, Saijo is admittedly adorable and musically gifted, but she’s hardly the type to inspire a mass bandmate meltdown of unrequited love.
Some of the earlier episodes made me wonder if something was brewing between Fujitani Naoki and his bandmate Takaoka Sho (Machida Keita). The two had such undeniable chemistry that if ‘Glass Heart’ had revealed they were secretly together all along, it wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow. They’ve worked together for years in the story and clearly know how to play off each other.
The following were my top three contenders for Fujitani’s forever love
- The Piano
- Sakurai Yukino
- Takaoka Sho
Writers really need to start getting more inventive with romantic plot-lines and stop serving us the same old band triangles. From his magnetic stage presence to effortless chemistry, Fujitani Naoki deserved a romance as bold as his music, not a predictable arc.
‘Glass Heart’ is streaming on Netflix.
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