Drama Digest
Watashi Ga Kemono Ni Natta Yoru, known as Relationship without a Name, is here for its second season. In the first season, we see a forbidden secret love that consists of four women as the main character. The love story looks at the main character who wanted a night with a man filled with passion, lust, and strength. A man who feels like a beast stimulated by libido. That season looks at the events that happen to each other and how they deal with this deep desire and passion. The second season follows the same series of events and how they continue. What do these characters go through? Do they get what they want and what they need? Watch the second season of this female-centric romance to find out the factors that affect adult relationships, sex, and desire.
The Feel-Good Part
What makes this drama so good is how it depicts desire and agency. It looks at sex and sexuality through a female lens to understand what women want and what they desire without the male gaze. This, in and of itself, is an excellent part as it gives the characters a sense of want and desire rather than just being a piece of a puzzle. It is no secret that Asian media is not very open regarding sexuality. It is also no secret that women are discouraged from expressing their sexual desire. This drama allows us to see what it is to have women achieve their desires. The show also has great visuals that genuinely achieve the passion and sensuality of the subject matter.
The Disappointing Factor
While the concept of exploring female sexuality is a great idea the drama tends to be a bit exploitative. Some moments feel unnecessarily le and do not build upon the drama’s plot. But the perception of what we consider too lewd depends on our biases. Since the story is solely related to sex and sexuality, there is no escaping the portrayal of sex on screen. While it is an exciting look at four different women as one main character, it does get a bit confusing. It is a problem that has carried its way into the next season as there are more main characters than one woman.
In-Depth Analysis
The show is an exciting concept. Each episode looks at one woman, her sex, and the expression of her sexuality. While it does get lewd and graphic at times, the focus does not shift away from what it is trying to say. It wants to give women agency when it comes to their sex lives, and it does so by looking at the complex nature of modern-day romances and how we interact with others as adults through our relationships. Whether or not the show does an excellent job of depicting female sexuality truly changes from person to person and how they perceive sex.
Star Power
AbemaTV released the show as an Abema Original. The platform is relatively new as it was founded in 2015. While not all of their shows have the sexual undertone and intensity of Watashi Ga KemonoNi Natta Yoru, they do have a wide selection that does, such as Animals and About a Sex. Some of their other notable shows include Boku Dake ga 17-sai no Sekai de, Black Cinderella, and Onzoshi Boys. There are six main characters this season across the six-episode span played by Noujo Ami, Kitahara Honoka, Minakami Kyoka, Sato Miki, Suzuki Miu, and Hikagedate Mai. Each of them gives a tremendous performance and truly adds to the greatness of this drama. Noujo Ami is a member of Nogizaka46’s 1st generation group. Kitahara Honoka starred in Today’s Kira-kun, Asahinagu, and Suiyobi 22-ji dake no Kare. Minakami Kyoka stars in Horror Doll, Hanalei Bay, Impossibility Defense, Dokumushi: Toxic Insects, and Gakkou no Kaidan. Sato Miki stars in Sensei ni Koishita Natsu, Doctor X 4, Gyoza You Can Kiss, and Shuriken Sentai Ninninger the Movie: The Dinosaur Lord’s Splendid Ninja Scroll! Suzuki Miu stars in Saki ni Umereta Dake no Boku, Ashita no Yakusoku, Switched, Unlock Your Heart, and The Black Devil and the White Prince. Finally, Hikagedate Mai stars in Eroi Kareshi ga Watashi wo Madowasu, and Mirai Seiki Shibuya.
Overall Opinion
This drama is intense but worth the watch. It has a great storyline that explores an underrepresented and mishandled topic and tries to do it justice.
