Shin Botan to Bara

Starts off strong but eventually ends up a lazy retread of the original show.

I watched this right off the heels of watching the original Botan to Bara. An iconic show that really defines the sort of sleazy dorodoro lunchtime soap opera format. Seems it was one of the most famous and highly rated to boot. Just over 10 years later and Shin Botan to Bara is born (New Botan and Bara). It's a new version of a similar premise but doesn't actually have any connections nor is it a sequel to the original.

It is however written by the original screen writer and some of the original cast show up as brief cameos in the opening episode which is a nice touch. One other welcome return is the cheesy soundtrack of the original. All the DNA is here for the makings of another fun romp just like the original, however this time around it just feels watered down and the acting now quite as convincing.


- Very light story spoilers -
The story is set over different time periods much like the original was. The opening arc involving the mother as a teenage girl giving up her baby for adoption and the events leading to her having a second child are where the show is at it's best. Everything feels fresh and original from the other show. Better still, once time moves forwards and the girls are now young adults the story takes a thrilling turn as outlined in the synopsis here with a stalker storyline.

Without going too much into the plot, it's later however that the story just becomes rather tired and lazy. The final 1/4 of the show pretty much copies the original show except it just feels unearned and weird this time around. The forced mirror of plot just feels so random and I found myself starting to stop caring during the last 10 episodes of the show. It's a shame because I think when it was doing it's own thing it was actually working quite well.

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Acting is a very mixed bag, some of it is terribly hammy (mostly the male cast) over acted but some is rather well done. Ito Kazue shines as the mother and I really would like to see her in a more highbrow piece after this. Mayuzumi Erika is a mixed bag playing the dual role of two different sisters. I didn't like her at all as Botan but really warmed to her as the other sister, Fukiko. I actually thought Fukiko was a good character at first but she seems to become such a doormat and it makes very little sense given her strong introduction.

Aizawa Rina plays Miwako, the youngest sister, and for the first half I actually quite liked her but is later incredibly childish and I find her hard to swallow as authentic. I think that is some of the shows main flaws tbh, the characters don't seem to grow, they seem to shrivel. By the end of the show I kinda just lost interested in everyone as they felt so selfish and morally depraved.

Still, on it's own merit as an afternoon soap opera it's a juicy and silly ride. The cliffhangers are addictive, especially those at the start. However, I think the original show sort of really broke the mold and was so outrageous it's just a very hard shadow to step out of. The shock factor seems very toned down and maybe be due to the changing of the times but without these outrageous shocking moments the original show had you are really just left with bad writing and mediocre acting.

I don't totally condemn this show, but just a cautious recommend. If you want short burst episodes of soapy drama then you might enjoy this. I also find these kind of shows are also really great for language learners as they tend to be rather easy to follow. But if you are looking for quality drama then look elsewhere to the evening dramas with better writing and acting. If you removed all connection tot he original show this would be a very plain affair.

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