Tsuki no Koibito / 月の恋人

Moon Lovers



May to July, 2010, 8-episode JDorama starring Kimura Takuya as Hazuki Rensuke, a furniture designer with high standards, a somewhat low profile, and with not much to say other than he strives for perfection in his work.

When I found this at aznv.tv, I was excited, to say the least, considering the date of its release and the leading man involved.

But, then my shallow sensibilities took over, and I started to wonder if I wasn't making some colossal mistake in that seeing HIM after having watched almost all of his previous works might be disastrous, if not shocking to see him suddenly aged or worse ... wrinkling around the eyes!

My lame sensibilities aside, and even as quickly as this thing ran, I found myself instantly drawn to the man again, and sucked in to the story within the first, few minutes again, until it was suddenly over, and I pouted, wishing for more.

Why I ever doubted that Kimura wouldn't be the type to age like expensive wine is beyond me.

His talent still exceeded my expectations as well.

Rensuke owns and operates his own design studio, Regolith, with a host of loyal employees who have long since given up trying to bring him back to where he began, filled with hope, ideals, and energy to produce the finest, most quality-laden furniture the world had ever known.

They started out as a small band of hopeful grads and ended up isolated and with two, warring factions in the upscale, mod offices of the furniture store.

Those on Rensuke's side also see his shortcomings and try what they can to make him see it as well, but with no luck.

Those completely opposed to his ways secretly work to take him down until the inevitable occurs, the walls come tumbling down, and Rensuke is abandoned as well as ousted from his CEO position within his own firm.

Ninomiya Maemi (Shinohara Ryoko) is on Rensuke's side and has been from the beginning, when they were lovers.

She is a designer as well, but at the start of this drama, Rensuke has long, since abandoned his first love to pursue grander, more influential bed-mates that presumably help to bolster his esteem and prestige in the world of designers.

He is half-heartedly dating a ditzy fashion model whose father also happens to run a furniture store, and this man makes no bones about wanting to take over Regolith, so he hopes his daughter will win Rensuke's heart.

Unfortunately for him, Rensuke has just returned from Shanghai, where he bought land to build a new furniture store in an effort to go 'global', and on that land sat a dilapidated but working shop where a young woman worked and then protested the tearing down of her only source of income.

Since she's tall and beautiful, it didn't take Rensuke long to fall for her, and because of the typical, family issue on her end, she had no choice but to go along with the wealthy playboy when he suggested she return with him to Tokyo and be a spokesperson for his company.

The press releases for this drama claimed that Lin Chi Ling is a raving beauty, and that she caught the eye of Kimura in real life, setting up for what could be a possible divorce on his part.

I then read more articles that insisted he's been through this sort of thing before, and that he's either a total douche bag who always has affairs, or because of his super-star status, he'll always be labeled as a playboy and linked with every, leading lady he works alongside despite his being a faithful husband and devoted father of his three, little girls.

Personally, I care less one way or the other but am inclined to lean toward the douche bag theory ... sorry, Kimura-san!

Is it possible to trust a guy that charismatic and handsome?

I say no, but that's just one female's opinion, and since I'm not his wife, it hardly affects me on a personal level.

I can see Takenouchi Yutaka as more of a homebody type who remains faithful despite his charms and not Kimura-kun, but that could be due entirely to the characters he tends to portray onscreen and not based on actual fact I have zero way of ever discovering about either guy.

Anyway, a majority of this story revolves around Rensuke and the Chinese girl who turns into this superstar model who helps to make tons of money for Regolith while also creating a huge divide between Rensuke and the ditzy model, Rensuke and her father, Rensuke and Maemi, and Rensuke and his employees.

For a majority of the drama, I was made to wonder just how serious Rensuke was about the Chinese girl, his ex, or even about the silly model chick who had nothing better to do than to set out to destroy whatever semblance of happiness Rensuke might be trying to find minus her.

I worried, too, about the 'dis' party in the office, and I shed tears when they voted to out him from his own company.

As he started returning to his roots, though, I was able to settle down, exhale, and then get back into the story - but then Chinese girl suddenly appears, and then the ditzy model chick, and I'm thinking, 'Oh, no! Not again!', but, hold up! It wasn't what you think, so don't look away, okay?

It might not sound like it from this blog, but I really enjoyed watching Tsuki no Koibito, and the ending wasn't entirely predictable but happy nonetheless.

Rensuke was ultra-cool, totally hip, and I'm hard-pressed to think of another Japanese actor who looks that fly in ray-bans.

Highly recommend this one, even if I'm sure all the Kimura-kun fans out there have already given this a go and would agree with me that it was worth watching.


Gotta get me a pair of them!