Boku to Star no 99 nichi

An astronomy-obsessed security guard is hired to be the body guard for a high profile Korean actress coming to Japan to make a series. He is contracted to be her bodyguard for 99 days (the last day falling on Christmas Eve...can you say "romantic foreshadowing"). He finds his job complicated by the fact that the actress is determinedly looking for a young man she knows to be in Japan and runs away frequently. To add even more madness, his flighty sister dumps her three unruly children on him while she goes off with a new boyfriend. Add to the mix the following: an actor on the series who is romantically obsessed with the Korean star and comes to see the bodyguard as a rival, the young man in question who seems to be involved in some highly questionable activities, a malevolent journalist determined to get dirt on the actress, and a bizarre landlady with romantic interest in the bodyguard.

I guess that's why each episode is an hour long and, frankly, they're a bit of a slog as they move from one crazy situation to another. Hidetoshi Nishijima who plays the bodyguard really anchors the show though. His character is impatient, loud, unruly but loyal, dedicated and determined to do the right thing (and he runs everywhere. Boy! Does he run! He must have lost 30 pounds when he made the film from running alone.) The shifting of his relationship with the actress is probably the most subtle thing in the series. Ta-Hee Kim is certainly beautiful and appealing but not quite as good an actor as Nishijima. Her emoting on the "soap opera" she is making is the same as the "real" emoting she does in response to things that happen. And she seems too nice to carry off the "spoiled actress" persona she is supposed to assume at times with her bodyguard (maybe that's the point).

The series is a little ragged around the edges. The performances are uneven (except with the principal actor). The kids are cute and unsentimental (thankfully). The comedy is slapstick and the drama is over the top. But it's still enjoyable.

99DWTS is pure escapism of the geek-gets-the-girl variety. Only 10 episodes, it's not a long-term contract, and it shoots by quickly. Just like Kohei wants to find new stars, I'm on the hunt for a new word rather than using cute so often. Alas, this show can only be described as cute. So CUTE! Adorable at times, charming at others, and silly toboot, but in the end, it's quite simply "cute".

Namiki Kohei is an in-between-jobs astronomer, who is picking up side jobs while he ,ooks for one in his field, so he's working as an agency bodyguard. He is hired to protect a KorJapean half-Japanese/Korean national, Han Yuna, who is scheduled to film a series in Japan. She is more like a quasar than a star, being enormously popular in both countries, and winsomely beautiful. Filming is scheduled for 99 days, thus Kohei has a 99 day contract.

With a dream is to work at a famous observatory, Kohei is an everyday nerd, and at the same time, he's a kind, decent man. The observatory would give him the best chance to discover a "new" star and name it, which is his only goal at the opening of the show. All he cares about is /those/ kind of stars, and those heavenly bodies. Like many obsessed geeks, he's oblivious. We learn that girls and women may have shown interest over the course of his life, but he's never taken notice. He loves the constellations, and has no interest in ogling filmstars or even pursuing women. It's precisely why he was selected for the job.

Quickly, Kohei realizes: Han Yuna doesn't want to be confined, nor will she tolerate being guarded. Kohei finds himself chasing 'person' Yuna daily, when he'd rather be chasing scorching hot 'places' & 'things.' Yuna's relentlessly aggressive manager won't allow for any going off script. No excuses! Kohei must keep Yuna tethered. Complaining bitterly about the assignment, Kohei cannot wait for the 99 days to end. He pieces together that Yuna's been looking for someone, and resolves to help her find her long lost love. Then she'll stop trying to escape.

Meanwhile, Kohei's sister has dropped her kids at his place to traipse off with a new boyfriend. We learn she's actually traveling with new boyfriends more than she's at home with the kids - Kohei's teenaged niece, and an elementary school pair, 1 of each. While the romance is half of the "cute' factor, the young neice and nephew are the other half. To Kohei's unnerving, they are gifted with exacting perception and a high social IQ. Coupled with their loquaciousness, they embarrass Kohei's as easily as they down a triple sized slice of cake on a too small plate. They love their uncle and seem to prefer living with him. Additionally, these 2 heavenly cherubs are full of love, happiness, and exuberance. They make friends with everybody, including Han Yuna, when she chances meets them.

{Commercial Break} This show is fiction. The odds that these children would manage to be happy not knowing their fathers, and watching a parade of men marching through their home, while regularly being abandoned by their mother so she can fo "play" without them, are worse than the Powerball lottery. This show is family appropriate. It provides a perfect opportunity to discuss family, marriage, and raising children with your children. It's a parent's job to equip their progeny with critical thinking skills, to enable them to make informed decisions in life, afterall. It's also important to discuss entertainment, in general, with your kids, to ensure they understand that they should not take cues on how to live from what they see on screen. Furthermore, they should not assume that behavior on screen is always an acceptable way to conduct oneself. {Commercial concluded}

Before we can say 'supernova', Yuna is visiting Kohei's place to hang with the family and eat at the restaurant (dive) underneath his apartment. People crave family, and Kohei's family is extra warm and joyful. Besides, with a delicious restaurant below, they are always eating delicious Food Food Food. Eventually, Yuna's co-star tracks them down because he's interested in Yuna, himself. He starts to worry that he'll lose to a bodyguard. That cannot happen. Consequently, Kohei's place becomes a hangout for the stars. Things start revolving around him, revealing that Kohei's gravitational pull is no trifle.

One thing that is refreshingly different is that side characters are the best looking men in the show. Kohei isn't bad looking, but he's no Song Kang. As we get to know him better, he looks better and better.

The show creators do a great job playing around with plot advancement. We'll see the characters' real lives intertwine with the drama that is being filmed, creating a loop: Is life imitating the drama, or is the drama imitating life? While the storylines aren't exactly the same, the lines of the script weirdly reflect precisely what's going on between Kohei and Yuna. Yuna is acting out a drama with her costar, and living out one with Kohei.

Furthermore, though Yuna is in a scripted drama, the most dramatic scene she plays is a private one between her and Kohei. The way it was shot and edited was so obvious, I had to chuckle. The director is visually yelling to the audience: "Here's the real story, the real drama", like the yolk in the egg. Or was that the chicken and the egg? It's a loop, wherever you hop on.

As soon as Kohei starts nearing the azimuth of realization regarding his feelings for Yuna, they are assaulted by the most formidable solar storm of all: Fame. Kohei feels as far from Yuna as the distance from earth to its closest star; 92 million miles. Can either of them have a life together with the black hole of the paparazzi sucking them in? It's going to be a spikey Endeavor for our Brave Challengers. 💔

99DWTS is a low-challenge, just veg and take a break series for viewers. It's perfect for when you aren't sure what to watch next, or are in need of a mental break. It's akin to a Hallmark feature, only better. The romance is sweet, but the real paycheck is the warmth. 99DWTS will warm you up better than a pot of tea on the surface of Venus. It's yummy, rummy, chummy in the tummy warmth.

As always, resist dubbing. You only get a fraction of the acting. Subtitle competency is immediate. One has to look beyond the known, to experience the new. In short, if subtitles are a force field keeping you away from foreign entertainment, you are missing some of the highest quality features out in the great beyond. For your own sake, try to get beyond it. 😢

99DWTS isn't one of those high quality features, but it is a high-in-the-sky series, given the great smiles and snuggly warmth it radiates. It gets a little draggy towards the end, but it will still light up (and cozy up) your night if you can take time to relax and look up.

QUOTES🗣

If you forge ahead in life, someday something good is bound to happen.

I guess he understands feelings when the right time comes.

Kids: "If they get married, Ya-oona will be our mother-in-law! Yeah!" (She'd be marrying their uncle).

IMHO〰🖍

🤔 5 💓7 🦋6 🌞9 🎭7 🎬7 ⚡6

Age 10+