Welcome to my Saturday blog post, where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
This week, I recapped episodes 11-12 of The Prisoner of Beauty. We get two new characters, and I know they’ll do nothing but be loving and supportive to our main couple. For sure. Definitely.
I also recapped episodes 7-8 of I’m the Most Beautiful Count. A lot/too much happens, and our characters’ motivations are questionable, but there are still a few nice moments.
What did I watch this week? Just one show, but I really, really loved it:
Cinderella Closet – シンデレラ クロゼット – 2025
Recently aired Japanese BG romance with 12 episodes.
A young woman with a crush on her co-worker is stuck in her life until she meets a cross-dressing young man.
Here’s a link to the trailer (in Japanese, because that’s all I could find).
It’s not perfect (nothing is), but it’s one of my favorite BG romances from Japan. It ranks up there with On A Starry Night (coincidentally also not perfect).
What is it with Japan and Cinderella?
Certainly, other countries use Cinderella, but Japan has the market share. If a high school cultural festival is happening, national law decrees that a class has to put on Cinderella.
But we’re not in high school. Our Cinderella is Haruka. She graduated from high school and left the countryside for Tokyo, full of hopes and ambitions. Her prince of choice is a popular, goofy, kind, and oblivious co-worker. She has a crush on him, and then, by chance, a date.
But in the big, overwhelming city of Tokyo, she’s lost her confidence. Until she literally runs into a beautiful woman, Hikaru, who knows how to use makeup. Despite her lack of self-confidence, she forces Hikaru to be her fairy godmother and help her get a glow-up.
It’s not long before she learns Hikaru is a cross-dressing young man. He likes wearing pretty things and feels comfortable dressed in feminine clothing and a long wig.
Hikaru is also awesome. We love Hikaru.
In general, I’m not the biggest fan of the reductive term “green flag,” but Hikaru earns it. Once he’s friends with Haruka, he’s the best friend he can be, even when he has romantic feelings for her. All he wants is to love and support her in what she wants, whatever that may be. And he never hides his affection and support for her.
Haruka, though she sees Hikaru as a friend, is also not afraid to be openly loving and supportive. It’s wonderful to see.
Their dynamic, with Haruka often acting without thinking and being a big goof, and Hikaru being a smarter but fussier person, reminds me of my recent favorite, The Proper Way To Write Love. If that combo is your kink, the way it is mine, this could work for you.
But it’s not just our leads that get me in the feels
There are no bad guys among the main characters in this show. That doesn’t mean feelings don’t get hurt and mistakes don’t get made. But this isn’t Marry My Husband, it’s something that feels closer to the reality of friendship.
Besides that, there is a general attitude about gender, sexuality, and appearance that feels refreshing.
Among our band of nice people, no one assumes anything about Hikaru’s sexuality. And no one is going to judge him for it. They’re curious, but not pushy.
This is the best possible version of the world, where no assumptions are made based on appearance. People can just be themselves and be attracted (or not) to anything, and it’s fine with everyone. What a lovely idea.
And just like Hikaru dresses femininely and identifies as male, Haruka can dress up and get a makeover, and then not the next day. Makeup and clothing are tools to express identity. And that identity can be fixed, or not.
It’s a wonderfully free kind of world.
But FINE, it isn’t perfect
The last couple of episodes are weak. Haruka’s character arc flatlines a little. Things get neatly wrapped up in a bow more than once. The Japanese-Drama-Dead-Fish-Kiss rears its ugly head. A glass slipper appears and it’s… something.
It doesn’t ruin the show, but it could be stronger.
And in the end, it’s a simple story, and it’s hard to explain why it’s so special because basically, it’s just another fairy tale.
But it’s exactly the kind of fairy tale I want, and I will be rewatching it.
Side note: The drama is based on an 8-book manga series, and you can get all of them in English through my affiliate link.
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