Ai wo Kudasai (2000)

Have you ever seen a picture of a lit-up candle on a pitch-black background? Well, that visual image came to my mind as I was looking for the best way to describe this dorama without giving away any details: at first (and for the biggest part of the episodes), the darkness is so thick it's almost unbearable; but then, slowly but surely, a faint light can be seen and, as we approach the ending, the light shines bright and warm and the darkness is vanquished. Heartwarming story, great performance - as usual - by Kanno Miho, very good direction and script, nice and catchy soundtrack and score. Oh, and a special mention for Fubuki Jun: she's always excellent!

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