A new year in Japan means it¡¯s time for ¨²õ¨Âá¾±, the annual cleaning of one¡¯s home. And, right on schedule, Netflix has released to give us all some inspiration ¡ª?or make us feel guilty for putting it off.
The eight-episode series follows organizing guru Marie Kondo as she helps American families organize, compartmentalize and, most importantly, throw away piles of stuff in their homes. Kondo meets a variety of households, from expecting parents and a grieving widow to a same-sex couple, and convinces them to toss anything in their homes that doesn¡¯t ¡°spark joy,¡± which she describes as filling their hearts with happiness.
That ¡°spark¡± is the main idea behind Kondo¡¯s ¡°KonMari¡± method, which has turned her into an international cleaning superstar. Her philosophy of downsizing has lead to a best-selling book, the aforementioned Netflix series and being named by Time Magazine in 2015.
The show has sparked a lot of joy with people online, as Kondo floats through people¡¯s homes, disassembling their closets and occasionally speaking a few crucial lines in English.
¡°I love mess,¡± Kondo says in one episode as she opens a homeowner¡¯s disorganized dresser drawers. tries to fill in the gaps as Kondo rattles off tidying tips, but not everything translates well. (When Kondo says ¡°sparking joy¡± should feel like ¡°°ì²â³Ü²Ô!¡±, Iida jokingly explains she can¡¯t translate the squeal.)
These funny moments have created a garage-full of memes online, as well as jokes from people who are skeptical about the KonMari method.
tweeted a photo of Kondo holding a contestant¡¯s child with a caption that read, ¡°This baby does not spark joy for me, so it will have to go.¡±
Meanwhile, writing ¡°After a heated discussion with Marie Kondo I¡¯ve decided to throw myself in the trash.¡±
And the zingers didn¡¯t stop there.
¡°Marie Kondo is holding me at knifepoint and demanding that I throw out my husband¡¯s ashes,¡± wrote .
The aspect of the show that horrified many readers was when Kondo encouraged homeowners to throw away any literature in their house that, yup, doesn¡¯t spark joy.
¡°Wait Marie Kondo is telling people to toss their books? THEIR BOOKS?¡± , accompanied by a gif of actress Betty Gabriel muttering ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no.¡±
Meanwhile, , ¡°¡®Fahrenheit 451¡¯ predicted Mari Kondo saying to burn all books.¡±
America¡¯s Kondo mania has been feted by likes of , , and , with each outlet either focusing on the memes, the tidying tips or simply reviewing the show as pure entertainment.
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