Operation Love/Proposal Daisakusen

Ken Iwase is the most miserable man in his best friend's wedding. Rei Yoshida is getting married to Tetsuya Tada, their former student teacher, and Ken cannot do anything about it. For years he has always loved his best friend but never got the chance to tell her his feelings. As Ken watches the newlyweds he is filled with regret for all the missed opportunities and misunderstandings with Rei over the years. During the slide show  in the wedding reception, he became even more despondent. Looking at the pictures reminded him of his happy days with Rei. Luckily for him, a fairy or yosei noticed his despair and offered help.

From left: Eri, Mikio, Rei, Ken, and Tsurumi

Ken was given several chances to travel back in time to change the events leading to each picture on the slide show. As the story progressed and more pictures were shown, Ken realized that he had wasted so much time and so many opportunities all the while thinking he was secured that Rei would be by his side for a long time. A few times he succeeded in changing the outcome of the photo but he still could not tell her his feelings. It was only a matter of time until he runs out of pictures.

Ken's savior, the yosei/fairy

This 11-episode comedy/romance series (and one SP) got me hooked right away because of Ken's unusual dilemma. In most love stories where the girl is getting married to someone else, the guy usually gets a chance to change things before the wedding. In this series, the woman Rei is already married and the guy who's after her, Ken, never had a chance to do anything.

Ken's character can make you feel frustrated sometimes but you can't help but love him for both his stubbornness despite his futile efforts and his genuine love for friends. 

Tomohisa Yamashita isn't exactly a very good actor and he didn't have much chemistry with Masami Nagasawa. However his skills is offset by a superb supporting cast and an interesting twist in the story. He's not a terrible actor either. He had some great moments especially in one episode when he was about to give up on Rei.

Rei and Ken

I enjoyed this series a lot. I couldn't stop watching after two episodes because I was too anxious to see Ken's progress. Suckers for romance will find plenty of cheesy scenes as well as funny moments especially when the high school friends get together.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Cover for the SP

Main Cast:

Tomohisa Yamashita as Ken Iwase

Masami Nagasawa as Rei Yoshida

Nana Eikura as Eri Oku

Yūta Hiraoka as Enokido Mikio

Gaku Hamada as Hisashi Tsurumi

Naohito Fujiki as Tetsuya Tada

Hiroshi Mikami as the Yosei/Fairy