Drama Digest
“Dried Flower: Our Room In July” is a short romantic series directed by Horie Takahiro. It aired in Japan from the 13th of August 2021 to the 20th of August 2021. The series is a drama romance series about how every story has two sides to everything. The story revolves around Kaoru Nagai, an architect, and Yurika Koga, a freelance translator. The narrative begins with the backstory of how the two coincidently met in university. The ideologies of the two resonate with each other, causing them to end up dating and later live together in their cozy “dream apartment.” The story progresses into how their life changes after three years of living together. From the second episode onwards, story of 3 days of their life has been shown from the two characters’ perspectives. The second episode deals with Kaoru’s perspective, while the third delves into Yurika’s. As the series progresses, we realize that every decision the two make is right in their way but somehow ends up harming the other person.
The Feel-Good Part
What makes this series interesting is, unlike most series, it switches perspectives in each episode. The first episode being a third-person point of view, while in the next two episodes, the audience experiences the story from a first-person point of view.
The Disappointing Factor
The disappointing bit about the series is, that it seems incomplete. The story is so short and crisp that it almost feels as if it was left incomplete. It might get very annoying for romance buffs, as it does not have your typical happy ending.
In-Depth Analysis
The series has been based on the songs “Kakurenbo” and “Dried Flower” by Yuri, a singer-songwriter. The series is unique in its structure and ideation. Due to the lack of knowledge, we only see one side of a story and end up judging the situation. In this series, the filmmaker doesn’t leave that chance. Here, the audience has been made to understand that everybody has a reason to make the decision that they decide to make, and at that moment, it may even be the best one. The series simply deals with how career and romance could have conflicts due to a lack of communication in a couple. It also shows you that it wasn’t that the two characters didn’t listen to each other, but a lot of times, their thoughts went unheard. Furthermore, the series makes the audience explore these emotions in a well-paced manner. At no point would you feel that the series is stretched for no reason.
Star Power
The casting is pretty accurate. All the actors play out the role perfectly. The series deals with minimum characters but gives enough depth for the audience to relate to them, and feel for them.
Overall Opinion
Overall, the series is a must-watch. It is short, crisp and unique in its story-telling. At no point would you feel a disconnect from the story. But beware, it might leave you with an incomplete feeling, just like the characters.
