J-drama ● Review: Why Didn’t I Tell You a Million Times?
- Very Average Joe
- Feb 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 20
English Title: Why Didn’t I Tell You a Million Times?
Japanese Title: 100万回 言えばよかった [lit. I should have said it a million times]
Director(s): Kaneko Fuminori, Yamamuro Daisuke
Screenwriter(s): Adachi Naoko
Studio: TBS
Released: 2023
Runtime: 10 episodes, ~45m each.
Starring: Inoue Mao, Satoh Takeru, Matsuyama Kenichi
My Verdict: Ghost in the form of J-drama. A bit slow initially. Not bad writing but the execution is B-grade-ish.
● Judging by the title, one may think this is one of those time-travel and time-loop romantic dramas. It is not.
● Set in Yokohama, the plot begins in the “present” (January 2023). Soma Yui (Inoue Mao) reports to the police that her boyfriend, Torino Naoki (Satoh Takeru), is missing. Meanwhile, a young woman has been murdered and police officer Uozumi Yuzuru (Matsuyama Kenichi) is part of the investigation. He sees Naoki who turns out to be a ghost and does not remember the events leading up to his disappearance.
● The plot follows the three as they try to unravel the mystery. It is not a spoiler to reveal that Naoki is actually dead and it was no accident. Of course, the situation is more complicated and dangerous than it initially seems. Despite that, Yui insists on doing something about it whilst Yuzuru has difficulty acting on information provided by Naoki as he has procedures to follow.
● The themes of communication (particularly expressing one’s feelings) and regret are apparent and, combined with the above, provide the drama and tension.
● Another theme is accepting life’s circumstances. Whilst Naoki is calm about his demise, Yui refuses to move on.
● The plot is mostly linear with occasional flashbacks to provide the background. As expected, there is more in the first episode to set up Naoki and Yui’s relationship—they were childhood friends who then went their separate ways before reconnecting as adults.
● Generally, each episode and the overall series can be tighter. The pacing is a bit slow in the first few episodes but does pick up. But still, the pacing is not too bad. This is an achievement considering that the series in effect starts with a death, an obvious finality that makes any subsequent progression difficult to manage (and captivate the audience).
● The above could be mitigated with tighter plotting and/or more plot threads. For example, Yuzuru is unrealistically slow to act. He may be restricted by bureaucracy but he can easily do more. Yuzuru also lacks a character development arc.
● Whilst everything is signposted, it is done somewhat crudely. It is almost as if these are done once and blatantly just to tick it off the list. But at least there is signposting.
● Unrelated to pacing, there are offputting things that could use more thought. For example, when Naoki’s body is found, there is no decomposition despite the timing. Even during the Japanese winter, one would expect some decomposition.
● The main weakness is the tacky soundtrack. It may not be uncommon in J-dramas but it is jarring. The composition isn’t always bad but the style, timing and the mix are.
● It is shot and edited conventionally. Although it is not bad, when combined with the tacky music and sound mix, it has this B-grade production quality to it.
● Thankfully, the plot does not have Yuzuru falling in love with Yui. He admires in his own way but does not go further.
● The performances are most solid. The main characters are likable and relatable enough, so the writing and performances carry the series. Ultimately, this would work better as anime in eight (shorter) episodes.
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