Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami – Series Review

Kaji is the top salesman at his company. Thanks to his charm and charisma, every client can't stop singing his praises. His coworkers, especially the women, are obsessed with him. Kaji pretends to be humble in public, but deep down, he believes the hype. Underneath all that charisma, Kaji is actually quite arrogant and thinks the world of himself. His coworkers gossip that he already has a gorgeous girlfriend tucked away elsewhere. In reality, Kaji is gay and nobody at that office has a clue.

What does an overconfident salesman do for fun? Hookup apps, obviously. Kaji loves messaging hot single guys and meeting up if there's a spark. However, his standards are impossibly high. His judgment is brutal. In his head, every guy gets rated on a scale of 0 to 100 based purely on looks. Most men fail to impress him and receive terrible scores. And because Kaji has zero chill, he doesn't even bother learning their names. He just saves them in his contacts by their score instead. Hot Guy 27, meet Hot Guy 42!

One day, there's a problem at work. A client is furious about an IT failure. The awkward IT guy, Fukami, is sent to apologize in person. His supervisor is nervous. While Fukami is a tech wizard, he's also painfully shy and socially awkward. The supervisor worries Fukami might not know what to say to the client. Who better to smooth things over than Kaji? The client already loves him, so off he goes as backup.

The work trip goes well. Kaji charms the client, who forgives everything. Crisis averted! Meanwhile, Fukami just stands there and says nothing. He doesn't even bother to put on a nice suit, sticking to his usual baggy clothes. Kaji is left unimpressed. When he takes a proper look at this guy, all he sees is someone plain and gloomy. Fukami is dressed in the ugliest clothes ever. Verdict? A big fat zero. Sorry Fukami, the rating system has spoken.

During this overnight work trip, the company was supposed to book separate hotel rooms. But surprise! There aren't enough rooms to go around, so Kaji and Fukami must share one. They don't seem to mind. Besides, Kaji plans to ditch the room anyway. He'll find some hottie on his hookup app and spend the night with him instead. While Fukami showers, Kaji scrolls through his app, annoyed that nobody meets his impossible standards. Then, Fukami walks out of the bathroom without his glasses and those terrible clothes. Kaji is shocked. His brain short circuits. Wait… Is Fukami cute???

Kaji accidentally drops his phone. Fukami picks it up, only to see Kaji's hookup app glowing right there on the screen. Kaji is in full panic mode. He immediately offers to sleep elsewhere, worried his coworker might be uncomfortable rooming with a gay guy. Instead, Fukami just shrugs and admits he's gay too. No big deal. Relief washes over Kaji, who jokingly suggests they should sleep together. And Fukami says yes. Once they actually have sex, Kaji's mind is blown. This quiet nerd turns into a beast in bed. After their one-night stand, Kaji is completely smitten with Fukami.

A while ago, I watched the Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami anime. It was decent, but I wished for a longer series that could do the story justice. Lo and behold, they actually made a live-action drama adaptation! My manifesting power… It scares me sometimes. Naturally, I was excited to watch this remake. While the original anime was fun and sexy, it squeezed too much plot into a short 40-minute series. It cared more about smut than substance. I went into the live-action version, hoping it could fix the storytelling issues.

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami has a simple premise. Two coworkers start out as fuck buddies before catching feelings. The fun comes from their wildly different personalities. Who'd expect the office heartthrob to fall for this socially awkward nerd!? Their relationship unfolds in such a hilarious way, packed with many silly moments and over-the-top reactions. The series is also wonderfully sex-positive. Tired of wholesome love stories with shy smiles and soft touches? This series chucks modesty out the window. It's a gutsy sex comedy that treats the characters and the audience like grown-ups. That may appeal to a lot of you.

If we compare the Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami drama with the anime, the live-action version wins. It has more time to tell the story properly. Character development? Yeah, there's more of it. The relationship arc? Yup, it's smoother. The couple goes on a lighthearted coworkers-to-lovers journey. Unfortunately, everything still feels kinda rushed. An awkward moment here. A clunky transition there. The script has room for improvement. Longer episodes would've done wonders. With extra time, it could've expanded on some scenes and given them more depth.

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami has a fatal flaw. The sex scenes are the worst parts of the series. Every time Kaji and Fukami are hooking up, it just doesn't look sexy. Most of their exchanges are filmed awkwardly, giving me second-hand embarrassment. To be fair, a few moments are okay. Even so, there's always a low-budget, amateurish vibe. The director just doesn't know how to build a sensual atmosphere. In many dramas, sex is meant to be fanservice. Here, it's actually important to the plot. The couple is boning all the time, yet you barely feel any passion between them.

Fukami's actor (Nanox) gives a better performance than I expected. I liked the way he interprets his character, making him seem vulnerable and sensitive. He's believable as a sorry little introvert. His co-star (Atsuki Kashio) struggles at times. Kaji is supposed to be charming, but he comes across as silly rather than suave. While the couple's chemistry isn't awful, they're not setting the screen on fire either. Even without any erotic scenes, one smokin' hot kiss could make the atmosphere steamier. That moment never comes. I'm not on the edge of my seat. I'm not feeling it.

Episode 9 is my litmus test. Kaji and Fukami face an important decision in their relationship. Surprisingly, I was rooting for them. I really wanted these two to resolve their conflict and get their happy ending! If I didn't care about the characters, I wouldn't have this emotional response. It showed me that I'm invested in the story. Despite the writing issues and lacklustre sex scenes, I somehow like this couple. They're funny together. They have sweet moments. Their relationship arc is cute. Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami might have some glaring flaws, but I'm still kinda into it.