Drama Digest
Company: Gyakuten no Swan is a drama series directed by Fukagawa Yoshihiro. It aired in Japan from the 10th of January 2021 to the 28th of February 2021. The series is more of a dance drama series and is often known as the story of the new interpretation of the famous ballet act “Swan Lake.” The story revolves around Aoyagi Seiichi, who is a salaryman in the general affairs department of Ariake Pharmaceuticals, and Segawa Yui, who is an exclusive trainer for a marathon runner at Ariake Health. The narrative begins with Aoyagi being demoted to the “Layoff Waiting room,” where he is in charge of making the Swan Lake performance by Shikishima Ballet, the ballet company sponsored by Ariake Pharmaceuticals, a success. During Aoyagi’s demotion, Yui also gets demoted due to the athlete’s sudden retirement and is assigned to work with Aoyagi. To add to Aoyagi’s chaos, Etsuko, Aoyagi’s Wife, who is a ballet enthusiast, leaves his house with their daughter. Aoyagi is left with a job he has no idea about, an empty house, his wife’s Ballet diary, and a whole ballet company relying on him for guidance in their success. How will Aoyagi cope with this chaos? Will he be able to bring the Ballet company and his life to success?
The Feel-Good Part
What makes this drama interesting is the mix of office life with dance. The drama takes the audience through a turmoil of emotions while making them experience office life along with the process in which a person would fall in love with Ballet.
The Disappointing Factor
The problematic bit about the drama is its pacing. At certain sections, the story progresses very fast, while, at other sections, the story progresses very slowly. This might get annoying for the audience.
In-Depth Analysis
The series delves into intricate details of Ballet. The audience unveils these details along with Aoyagi and Yui. The series delves into details of not only the dance form itself but also how marketing and promotion play an essential role in Ballet. Furthermore, it has got the perfect amount of drama and comedy along with numerous amount of characters portraying a lot of depth. The series consists of a lot of characters. In each episode, at least one new character gets introduced. Usually, having many characters causes chaos, but this series is commendable in its planning of the characters. At no point does the involvement of too many characters overwhelm the audience. In some way or the other, the drama manages to keep the audience entertained in every episode.
Star Power
The casting is pretty accurate. All the actors play out the role perfectly. For non-Japanese drama watchers, the acting at times would seem too comical.
Overall Opinion
Overall, the series is a must-watch. It is the perfect amalgamation of office, sports, and ballet. It is also the series that will keep the audience entertained throughout, whether it’s by drama or comedy.
