Fishbowl Wives explores the morality of infidelity

It must be Netflix’s kind of humour to release Fishbowl Wives, a Japanese drama on not just one but six cases of infidelity, on Valentine’s Day.

Regardless, its steamy and titillating plot may still garner a lot of attention. Beyond its provocative nudity, there is a thought-provoking issue the drama hopes to bring across.

After watching three out of eight episodes of the unusual series with daring acting, we summarise five things to know about Fishbowl Wives.

1. It's based on an adult manga of the same title about the infidelity of six women.

Fishbowl Wives is adapted from a popular adult manga of the same title by Kurosawa R, which focuses on extramarital affairs.

Six different women who live in the same luxury apartment building have hidden frustrations regarding their married lives, and end up crossing the line into infidelity.

With a structure similar to an anthology, each episode zooms in on one of the six women’s stories and the reasons behind their unfaithfulness.

Despite their affairs, it can sometimes be difficult to not sympathise with their circumstances, especially when they face domestic violence or have to deal with uncomfortable requests.

2. It is the second of three Japanese series released by Netflix this year.

During the Netflix Festival Japan 2021 held in November last year, the latest lineup of several Japanese live-action movies and series were announced.

In addition to the films We Couldn’t Become Adults and Asakusa Kid released late last year, Netflix is dropping one film titled Love Like The Falling Petals, which stars J-pop idol group Sexy Zone’s Kento Nakajima, and three series this year.

Fishbowl Wives is the second of the three series, coming after The Journalist that features well-known actors Ryoko Yonekura, Go Ayano and Ryusei Yokohama.

The final series is He’s Expecting, a comedy drama starring similarly popular actors Takumi Saitoh, who acted in both seasons of BG: Personal Bodyguard with Takuya Kimura, and Juri Ueno, who shot to fame after starring in the 2006 drama Nodame Cantabile.

3. It stars established actress Ryoko Shinohara.

The character that connects all six stories in Fishbowl Wives is Sakura Hiraga (Ryoko Shinohara). Despite having a seemingly glamorous life envied by everyone, the demure Sakura becomes timid and fearful when she is behind closed doors with her abusive husband.

Shinohara, who has been in the industry for more than three decades, shines in her complex role, juggling between the carefree and relaxed emotions when she hangs out with another man, and the repressed and helpless feelings when her husband talks down to her.

Shinohara’s immersive acting will make you feel her pain as Sakura struggles with her conflicted situation, like a goldfish trapped in a small bowl of filthy water.

4. Takanori Iwata from J-pop group Sandaime J Soul Brothers and Exile portrays a goldfish otaku.

16 years Shinohara’s junior, Takanori Iwata plays a goldfish otaku Haruto Toyota, who owns a store that sells goldfishes, and forms a forbidden relationship with Sakura.

Like a knight in shining armour, Haruto becomes a safe haven for Sakura to escape from her uncaring husband. Despite knowing that they should end their affair, a nagging feeling seems to tell them that they are made for each other.

Although Haruto looks like a superficial character whose purpose is to provide comfort to Sakura, he has a background story to tell regarding his estranged family and his involvement in Sakura’s accident that took away her job as a hair stylist.

5. It explores the morality of infidelity.

Through the stories in Fishbowl Wives, the audience is in for a mind-boggling questioning on extramarital affairs and what constitutes the right and wrong in adultery.

In one scene, the drama juxtaposes Sakura’s seemingly innocent date with Haruto and Sakura’s husband’s scandalous sexual affair with another woman. It becomes apparent, yet simultaneously debatable, that the latter feels more wrong. Such open-ended scenes may just be the reason why Fishbowl Wives is so intriguing!

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