The first episode of the drama "When I Was Young, There Was a God" (Fuji TV, Thursdays at 10pm), starring actor Kitamura Yukiya and co-starring Nakama Yukie, aired on October Getsuku. Kitamura's character, Ogura Wataru, sparked discussion among viewers, with comments such as "He's just so annoying lol" and "Kitamura is so good."
◇The following contains spoilers
The drama is an original work by screenwriter Yoshikazu Okada, known for the "Second to Last Love" series. It is a home comedy about three families living in a retro apartment building, with Kitamura and Nakama playing a married couple. This is Kitamura's first lead role in a prime-time terrestrial TV drama.
Wataru works at a food company and has no particular ambitions or flashy lifestyle. He does his job well, has good relationships with others, and lives a simple life of happiness.
In the morning, Wataru went into the living room saying, "Good morning," and found his wife, Ann (Nakama-san), wearing an apron and making breakfast.
While Ann seemed busy, Wataru seemed relaxed. He took out a jam jar from the fridge and reported to Ann, "Oh, this one's out of stock. I'll get a new one. I'll throw this one away."
With a slightly annoyed look on her face, An replied, "Yes." However, Wataru had just put an old bottle in the sink. When An noticed this, she looked at Wataru as if she wanted to say something.
"Huh? Where's the new one?" Ann took out a new one next to Wataru, who had no idea where he'd kept the jam. In this situation, Wataru asked, "Can I help you with something?" Ann replied, "It's okay!", but her irritation grew.
On social media, people were talking about Wataru, saying things like, "Wataru's not a bad person but he's just the right amount of annoying lol," "I can't hate Wataru, but it would certainly be irritating if he was my husband. He's just the right amount of insensitive," "Kitamura is so good at portraying Wataru's just the right amount of insensitivity and off-kilterness," "Wataru's a really nice person, but does it feel like something just builds up after being together for so many years?" and "Kitamura's portrayal of Wataru as a bit unpleasant, or maybe just not quite like that, is so exquisitely done that it's moving."
