Jdrama Fishbowl Wives Review

Netflix’s Japanese drama Fishbowl wives is the story of six wives who live in the same building and are trapped in their married lives like a fish in a bowl. The series is adapted from the popular adult manga of the same name by Kurosawa R. He along with Fumi Tsubota, Miyako and Tomomi Matoba have written the drama Fishbowl Wives. It is directed by Michiko Namiki, Hiroaki Matsuyama and Aya Narakino.

Sakura San, the OG fishbowl wife is stuck in an abusive marriage with her husband Hiraga Takuya. He cheats on her with multiple women but she turns a blind eye on his behavior. She carries on with her life like everything is under control until one day she meets Haruto who instantly falls in love with her. Haruto is a goldfish shop owner who is much younger than Sakura.

Goldfish is a prominent character in the drama. The fact that connects all these wives is that all of them owns a goldfish at some point in the drama. Goldfish is shown as a symbol for survival and resilience.

Each episode focuses on the story of ‘a wife’ while Sakura San’s story is said slowly in every episode. My favorite episode was “The Lunchbox wife”. It was executed in a humorous manner which I really loved. I also loved how her life has turned out after two years in the final episode.

Good Aspects

The Romance

There are a lot of romance in Fishbowl Wives. The prominent and the best of all is the romance between Sakura San and Haruto. Their love story is executed very slowly dragging it through every episode. However, it was important to do so as Sakura San is not very quick in making decisions regarding her life. Another romance that I loved was the one between ‘The Chaperone wife’ and her husband. One of the scenes that I absolutely loved is when the chaperone wife and her husband run towards each other and meet in the middle of the road.

The Screenplay

Fishbowl Wives stand out from the other drama due to its innovative storytelling method. Although the lives of the ‘Fishbowl Wives’ are miserable, it is not told as a tragic story. The screenplay does not ask us to pity these women. Even infidelity is not shown as a huge crime. It is shown as just a normal incident that can happen to anyone. Some of the stories are even executed as humorous.

The Cast

The best aspect of the series is its fantastic casting. All the actors were phenomenal in portraying their respective roles. Masanobu Ando who played Hiraga Takuya was so brilliant. I loved his performance in the divorce mediation scene. Sakura San’s (Ryoko Shinohara) subtle expressions were also mind boggling.

The Cinematography

I really loved the cinematography. The colours golden, yellow and orange are seen more in the drama especially in the scenes with Haruto and Sakura. This could be an indication of a feeling of warmth when they are with each other.

Underwhelming Aspects

There are not many bad aspects about Fishbowl Wives. The drama is a slow burn which might not interest some audience. But I loved it. I did not like the way Sakura San and Haruto’s story ended. I wish they ended up together as there were no obstacles anymore.

I would recommend this series to you if you are interested in slow paced realistic drama and if you are above 18 years of age. You can watch Fishbowl Wives on Netflix.