Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
What is ‘Therapy Game’ even supposed to mean? Well, when you try to make a game out of love, betting to make a guy fall for you hard, so that you can dump him and move on, only to fall in love and find a space yourself. At least that’s what happens in this Japanese romance.
Based on a manga series of the same name by Hinohara Meguru, ‘Therapy Game’ spans eight episodes and stars Kida Naoya as protagonist Mito Minato, a professional photographer, while Tomita Yuki plays Ikushima Shizuma, a vet student who gets hammered and spends the night with Minato, only to forget what transpired between them the next morning. Offended over Shizuma’s failure to even recognize him, Minato makes a bet with his friends that he can make Shizuma fall in love with him.
It’s pretty evident what comes next: Minato starts to hit on Shizuma, and the vet student melts pretty fast, since he recently got dumped and is emotionally vulnerable, but also because he is attracted to the gorgeous photographer. The two of them go on dates and obviously Minato starts to catch real feelings. But what happens when Shizuma finds out he is a bet? The usual temporary drama before the pair irons out their problems.
Plot-wise, ‘Therapy Game’ doesn’t have much to offer, but leads Tomita Yuki and Kida Naoya look adorable together, and that’s probably the biggest strength of the Japanese series. The show is largely sweet and fluffy, although the writers sprinkle in some family trauma from Minato’s past to explain why he tends to be aloof, emotionally guarded, and hesitant to embrace love.
A secondary subplot in ‘Therapy Game’ revolves around Minato’s older brother Mito Itsuki (Sato Ryuga) and his boyfriend Ikushima Shohei (Hayato), whose relationship is sweet and uncomplicated. But beyond occasionally stepping in as matchmakers for the main couple, their storyline doesn’t leave much of an impression, perhaps because the show never gives them enough screen time to fully develop their arc.
Given its overall light tone, ‘Therapy Game’ might have been far more entertaining if the creators had leaned more heavily into comedy. By the second half there’s barely any tension left, the direction of the story becomes fairly predictable, so adding more humor could have kept things lively. Something like the Japanese BL comedy Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss, which sounds like it would be filled with romance and passionate kisses, but instead follows a hilariously unlucky college student who ends up being pursued by the most fortunate and charming guy on campus.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a not-too-serious Japanese gay romance mini-series with good looking leads, you could check this show out.
‘Therapy Game’ is on Hulu or GagaOolala.
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