# He Who Can't Marry (2006)

> A single architect in his forties faces the pressures of marriage and commitment in this Japanese drama.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12476

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 22
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Masaya Ozaki
- Network: Fuji TV
- Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Reiko Takashima, Yoh Yoshida, Izumi Inamori, Yui Natsukawa, Takashi Tsukamoto, Toshinori Omi, Ryoko Kuninaka
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1252621/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, witty, gentle, rueful, warm

## Synopsis

He Who Can't Marry (2006-2019) is a Japanese television drama created by Masaya Ozaki for Fuji TV. Hiroshi Abe plays Shinsuke Kuwano, a single architect whose reluctance to commit to marriage keeps colliding with the expectations of family, friends and the women around him. Reiko Takashima as Maya Sawazaki and Yui Natsukawa as Natsumi Hayasaka appear among the principal figures in his social circle, while Takashi Tsukamoto as Eiji Murakami and Mitsuko Kusabue as Ikuyo Kuwano round out the cast. The engine of each episode is the small, awkward friction of dating, family dinners and marriage counseling, with the lead's stubbornness serving as both the comic and emotional core. Set in contemporary urban Japan, the series moves at a gentle, conversational pace, mixing light comedy with a wistful look at midlife loneliness. It runs across two seasons totaling twenty-two episodes of hour-long drama, and it is best approached as a character-driven series. Fans of Sex and the City, Thirtysomething and Gokusen will find resonance in its blend of romantic comedy and grounded domestic drama, and its warm, rueful tone suits viewers who enjoy relationship stories about adults who are not ready to settle down.

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