kobeno1

When you cage a lion, it no longer is truly a lion. The same can be said of people. People are not possessions, and too often, we live vicariously through others, for others, and make them responsible for our own happiness. Each one of these things is like a cage.

Hiroto Komori and his brother, Michito, come across a small boy left outside of their home. They don’t know where he came from or even who his parents are. When asked what his name is, he responds, “Lion!” It’s his favorite animal, even carrying a stuffed lion with him everywhere he goes.

Hiroto works a city job in which he helps people on welfare. It’s quite obvious that he doesn’t really enjoy his job. It’s a means to an end. After all, he feels responsible for his younger brother, Michito, who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Every day is a routine, which is what most autistic people require. Anything that deviates from the routine can be very disruptive. Hiroto walks his brother to the school van every day. And every day, he picks him up and they walk home together along the sea as Michito enjoys kicking a stone.

We find out that Hiroto and Michito also have an adopted sister, Aoi. In flashbacks, we find that she was an especially unhappy teenager, who was abusive toward both brothers as well as being ungrateful toward their parents. However, despite the abuse, she remembers that Hiroto always treated her well. Fast forward to the present, and we find that Aoi fakes her death as well as that of Shuuto (Lion) in order to try and escape from the clutches of her abusive husband, who beats both Aoi and Shuuto. Much of the series is spent in watching Shuuto grow closer to his two uncles, as well as them trying to help their sister.

Aoi is also being assisted by the somewhat mysterious Mr. “X” who comes up with the initial plan for Aoi and Shuuto’s escape, also furnishing her with burner phones so that they can communicate. It’s through Mr. X that Hiroto finds out why his sister seems to acting so recklessly.

The series is a touching one, in which, perhaps for the very first time, Shuuto is able to enjoy a positive, family dynamic with his two uncles. There are many humorous and light-hearted moments as Hiroto and Michito attempt to alter their lifestyles around their new houseguest.

Aoi’s husband beats her and takes off with Shuuto, but Hiroto is able to track them down. I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t get the typical “fist-a-cuffs” but instead, Hiroto tries to explain why Aoi’s husband’s abusive nature is doing more harm than good. Her husband explains that he can’t be alone and that Shuuto is all he’s got. Even among family members, possession always brings about negative repercussions. That is where resentment and anger tend to flare up, and her husband finally backs down.

However, throughout the series, we find that Hiroto has never truly lived for himself. His entire life has revolved around Michito, and after much soul-searching, he realizes—that for the good of both of them—he needs to finally venture out and create a life for himself. While it’s challenging for Michito to understand, he finally gets it, and it’s beautifully expressed in the black-tailed gull that he paints as a mural, and understanding that a gull has to be free to fly. In fact, that is the true nature of every, single soul: freedom.

Overall, the series is a strong one, but at only a eleven episodes, it didn’t quite reach its full potential. I was hoping for more interactions between Hiroto and Aoi. She never properly thanks him for getting Shuuto back, and given their tumultuous upbringing, I was hoping for a nice heart-to-heart. I also felt that Hiroto’s two friends, Mio Makimura and Youta Sadamoto, were relegated too much in the background. I would have liked to have seen even more scenes, demonstrating how deep their friendship truly is.

We also had a couple of side-character that could have also used more screen time, such as reporter, Kudo Kaede, and the police detective she’s clearly in love with, Takada Kaji. I won’t say that the series felt rushed, but rather, it could have delved even more deeply than it did.

Young Sato Tasuku is absolutely adorable, and he’ll easily find his way into your heart as soon as you begin watching this series. The young actor has a very bright future. Yagira Yuya plays a very calm, reserved Japanese man, and he plays it well. He perfectly captures the introverted but pained Komori Hiroto. And, of course, Bando Ryota is stellar as Michito.

This is an excellent feel-good series that should be a lesson to us all: don’t treat others like possessions. Let them be who they are. This is especially true and necessary among family members.