Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Japanese series ‘Punks Triangle’ marks Kamen Rider actor Fujibayashi Yasunari second leading role in a series, and what a head-turner he is. Before the show’s release, I saw some posters and mistook the actor for K-pop idol Jungkook of BTS. In-fact, for those who aren’t familiar with the Manga ‘Punks Triangle’ is based on, it’s easy to assume that two different actors are playing Enaga Ayumu, a design student and AI, a super-model.
Directed by Shindo Takehiro (‘Cosmetic Playlover’, ‘Girls Don’t Cry’), the eight episode Japanese series is based on the manga ‘Punks Triangle’ by Okita Yuho. The plot follows an asocial but ambitious fashion student, Chiaki (Nagano Ryota), whose ultimate goal is to design clothes for his favorite model, Ai (Fujibayashi Yasunari). Opportunity knocks in the form of a design competition for students, where the winners will have their clothes worn by Ai. However, Chiaki is forced to team up with his clumsy classmate, Enaga. The twist? Chiaki has no clue that Enaga is Ai in disguise, studying fashion design undercover to avoid attention.
So, ‘Punks Triangle’ is essentially pulling a ‘Hannah Montana’ (Or ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ if you’re a Bollywood fan), except Ai works overtime to keep his real identity under wraps, and Fujibayashi Yasunari does a great job selling Enaga and Ai as two separate people. Sure, Chiaki failing to connect the dots after hanging out with both versions for so long stretches credibility a bit, but honestly, it’s easy to go along with the ride.
In the very first episode of ‘Punks Triangle’, Chiaki is forced to team up with Enaga for the fashion competition in class. The same night, he runs into the glamorous Ai at club, and is completely starstruck to see his idol in real life. And to his shock, Ai is quite friendly and offers to be his guide to explore nightlife in the city.
Fujibayashi Yasunari as Ai is confident, seductive, and has a ‘top model’ persona, while as Enaga, he tries to be a regular student, bumbling in class. The make-up artists convincingly make him look like two different people, and in fact, even though it’s the same actor, Fujibayashi Yasunari as Enaga seems innocent, earnest, and much younger.
Nagano Ryota, on the other hand, delivers a hit-and-miss performance as Chiaki – he sells the ‘nervous fan boy’ bit better than the ‘asocial, arrogant design student who doesn’t even know the names of his classmates’. And the script fails to convincingly build a romantic arc between Chiaki and the others. The dynamic between Chiaki and the enigmatic Ai feels more like a celebrity and his starstruck fan than a potential romantic pairing, with little genuine spark. Although Chiaki’s friendship with Ai as Enaga is meant to develop over weeks, the series rushes through this progression, making their bond, and overall chemistry, feel underdeveloped.
Of course, the primary climactic conflict centers around how Chiaki reacts when he finds out that Ai and Enaga are the same person, and that his idol-turned-friend never made an attempt to clarify the deception. While a bit predictable, the series thankfully doesn’t drag out the emotional angst or drama over their misunderstanding.
The visual style for ‘Punks Triangle’ is interesting, especially since Chiaki is fond of punk-style dressing, although his wardrobe doesn’t feel as edgy as it should be. In-fact, the final piece of clothing Chiaki and Enaga design for their competition wasn’t much of a show-stopper either.
It is Fujibayashi Yasunari’s dual charm as Ai and Enaga that powers this series. If you’re up for a young fashion student getting caught in a “love triangle” with two people who are actually the same person, go watch it.
‘Punks Triangle’ is on GagaOOLala.
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