A Trope-Filled Adaptation Worth the Time: An Incurable Case of Love Review

I had a love-hate relationship with An Incurable Case of Love at first, but it turned out to be one that lingered in the back of my mind for a few days after I finished.

For this review, I’ll outline three pros and two cons about this show.

Spoilers ahead!

Synopsis

This drama was based on the manga series “Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomademo”.

At 18-years-old, Nanase Sakura (Mone Kamishiraishi) meets Doctor Tendo Kairi (Takeru Sato) while calling for help for an elderly woman who had collapsed. Sakura falls in love that day and decides to become a nurse to meet Kairi again.

After 5 years, she ends up working at the same hospital as him. However, in contrast to his kind personality that day, Kairi is known as the “Devil” at work. Confused and devastated, Sakura works hard to get his recognition after being rejected but also learns the importance of being a nurse.

Pros

An Incurable Case of Love mainly had three pros that made it from unbearable to enjoyable.

1. Character Development

Almost every character had excellent character development. From the protagonists to the side characters. However, Sakura’s character development was inspiring and the strongest strength of this show.

She started out as being extremely incapable, often making mistakes and causing trouble for others. Her head was often in the clouds, and she only joined the department because of Kairi.

Compared to Sakai, another rookie nurse but much more capable and serious about her job, Sakura doubted her abilities a lot. It also didn’t help that she got lots of reprimands from Kairi.

However, her work resolve becomes stronger as she takes care and interacts with her patients.

Unlike some of her co-workers, Sakura genuinely cares about them. She pays attention to small details such as their likes and dislikes and notes them down. In essence, she made their hospital life more comfortable and more enjoyable.

She began to study on-the-job and practicing after work hours. However, even though she was making her best effort, the head nurse pulled a few strings to get Sakura replaced by another nurse before an operation.

Despite being angry, Sakura proved herself when she helped Kairi identify why the patient showed abnormalities before the operation. Thus, earning her a spot in the operation room.

As Sakura professionally improves, Kairi began to notice her strengths. (But he ain’t the only one.) Kairi also encouraged her to go to Sweden when she was offered the chance.

2. Medical Scenes

While I can’t vouch for how much this show reflects the seriousness of the medical profession (but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t come close), the writers and producers didn’t slack when it came to portraying medical scenes.

It was taken seriously but didn’t overpower the budding romance. In a nutshell, it was a good balance.

3. Camaraderie

I love the teamwork and friendship between the nurses and doctors. It made the show more enjoyable and more comedic.

Kisugi, a doctor and Kairi’s friend, despite wanting to see Kairi smile again, confesses his feelings for Sakura at one point.

Though he was rejected, he didn’t turn it against her and continued to help her and Kairi. In other words, no extra drama was added.

While the head nurse purposefully removed Sakura as an operation nurse before, they overcame their differences and became good friends. The head nurse was also the one who gave Sakura the offer to go to Sweden.

Sakai, a rookie nurse who looked down on Sakura in the beginning, also began to notice Sakura’s strengths after Sakura took her job seriously. When Sakura disappeared, Sakai was also concerned, despite not saying so.

Cons

While An Incurable Case of Love was ultimately an enjoyable experience, it also had its shortcomings.

1. Cookie-Cutter Characters

The tropes are strong with this one. Like, really strong. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I’m not a huge trope-fan since it’s often super formulated.

Sakura was naive, honest, and lacked confidence.

Kairi was quiet, capable, and had a sharp tongue.

Kisugi was kind, helpful, and slightly playful.

While the character development made up for it, it was a turn-off for me in the beginning.

2. Cliché

I would be more surprised if this adaptation wasn’t cliché. But, at times, it was a bit much and had me rolling my eyes. Let me highlight a few scenes:

An eighteen-year-old Sakura longingly watching the ambulance drive off with her future husband in it.

Sakura confesses to Kairi as soon as she meets him in the hospital. In public and in front of her future co-workers. Kairi’s rejection made you feel all the second-hand embarrassment.

Kairi, Kisugi, and Sakura all live in the same apartment. Sakura lived next to Kairi, and Kisugi lived above her. Wow, what a coincidence.

Sakura’s constant clumsiness and daydreaming in the beginning.

Kisugi interrupting Kairi’s conference to tell him to go to Sakura at the airport and mentioning him as “Devil.” (I just couldn’t with this one.)

While the cliché moments do not go away, it becomes more bearable and sometimes cute. This was mainly due to Sakura’s character growth.

Final Thoughts

From the beginning, Sakura is nicknamed “Warrior” by her co-workers due to her boldness. And the writers and producers continued with that concept (as if Sakura’s working to complete a quest), which was a nice, comedic touch.

Overall, this adaptation deserves applause. It improved as it progressed. The acting gradually felt more natural, and Sakura and Kairi’s chemistry didn’t feel forced. And most importantly, you start rooting for Sakura.