The 3Bs You Shouldn’t Date Season 1 Review – A romance manga brought to life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG1w_lAP3dA

Season 1

Episode Guide

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

 

The 3Bs You Shouldn’t Date (Viki) is based on the manga 3B no Koibito which aired in Japan in 2021. It’s a warning to anyone on the dating scene – maybe an obvious one – to avoid relationships with people who will drag you down.

In Japan, it’s well-known to stay away from beauticians, bartenders and you guessed it, band members. As our lead’s friends explain, they can’t support themselves and they meet way too many women. In this 10-episode series, even a fourth B crops up – ‘Broadway’ – yes, actors.

Ah, but it’s a tough lesson to learn when you live in house with the first three. And the fourth reminds you of your ex-fiancé. As Haru gains first-hand experience of the inability to pay bills, she also gets to know the guys. And that is where things go awry.

We begin with Haru’s previous break-up – an ugly one. As she’s fitting her wedding dress, her fiancé admits he’s already married with a baby on the way. So cold. And in a romance manga trope, she then independently meets all 3 future housemates.

Haru’s day can actually get worse as she drags home to find her apartment building has burned. She heads to stay with her grandmother only to find her about to head out on vacation, conveniently assigning Haru landlording duties.

3B no Koibito manga artwork

And so it begins, with Haru watching as each tenant troops numbers of women through the house. Of course, she has to lay down some rules. As the group finds a day-to-day balance, each guy starts to take an interest in Haru.

What starts as a goofy manga scenario then dives into a host of confused feelings and insecurities, complete with female friends who’ve seen it all. As the Bs confess one by one, Haru tries to figure out her heart.

If you’ve come to The 3Bs to see Dori Sakurada (Alice in Borderland, Scum’s Wish, Coffee and Vanilla), you may be surprised to see him in the role of the bartender, rather than the musician, as his side hustle is music, such as with rock tune Noise.

But that gave the producers an opportunity to bring in Kenta Kamiya of The Rampage from Exile Tribe and Ma55ive the Rampage as a compelling love rival. And if that’s not enough to fill your J-music dreams, here comes Nakahara Hiroshi of J-pop group Five New Old. So while Dori shakes a cocktail, Kenta strums and Nakahara provides a blow-out & style. How can a girl resist?

The manga falls into a sub-genre known as ‘reverse-harem’ – need I say more? So there doesn’t appear to be a ‘main lead’ apart from Haru played by Baba Fumika (Kamen Rider series, Revenge Girl).

While the first episode or two are ridiculous and contrived, it does get you straight into the story. You know exactly where things stand. Without giving it away, the drama ends with more story to tell. All in all though, this one’s definitely worth a watch.


Feel Free To Check Out More Of Our TV Show Reviews Here!

  • Verdict - 7/10
    7/10
7/10

Leave a comment