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This Is Arashi

In October 2019, Arashi opened a YouTube account. Earlier that year, the band announced their intentions to go on hiatus after December 31, 2020. Honestly, I didn't pay too much attention to the announcement. I'm only a casual Arashi fan because of MatsuJun being in 'Hana Yori Dango.' However, a Johnny's band opening a YouTube account was unprecedented. I HAD to pay attention and discovered some new songs in the process. The following month, they made another surprise move by creating several social media accounts, including Instagram where I followed them voraciously.

Next, came this documentary. When I watched the first episode, I thought it was going to be a one-off thing really. I'm surprised that I kept watching something I started on December 31, 2019! Throughout the series, I was most struck by Arashi's dedication to the fans and how they genuinely seem to care about them. These moments touched me so much that I cried. The episodes where Arashi is trying to break in to the US market are particularly poignant to me. It makes me wonder about so many things that would've gone different if coronavirus hadn't happen. I'm sure Arashi's planned concert here would've been amazing.

I recommend watching the first episode, and their respective "diary" episodes the most. I wasn't so interested in some of the behind the scenes stuff, though it's interesting to see just how much MatsuJun was involved with the concerts. Now after twenty-four episodes, I can say I'm a fan of Arashi and all five of its members. I never would've thought I'd connect with Ohno the most tbh. Now that they're on hiatus, I hope they enjoy themselves but I also hope that they remain close friends and will eventually come back to us as Arashi.

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Not the best from Kathryn and Daniel

My first Filipino movie was "She's Dating the Gangster" followed by "Can't Help Falling in Love." Now I LOVED these movies, though I felt SDtG had a couple plot holes. So I'm obviously going to have high hopes for any Kathryn Bernardo & Daniel Padilla movie. Unfortunately, "Crazy Beautiful You" did not live up to my hopes. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was enjoyable but it did not have any sort of brilliance that the other two films I mentioned had. This is just another run-of-the-mill rom-com full of plot inconsistencies.

First, Kathryn and Daniel were great. Chemistry top-notch as always and I'm still looking forward to watching their other movies. However, the plot of "Crazy Beautiful You" is just all over the place. Kathryn's character Jackie has an about-face too soon into the movie. They should have played her being a rebellious brat more. Kiko's (Daniel) family dynamics are interesting, but handled too haphazardly. Once his annoying brother Marcus is introduced, Kathryn's character development in thrown out in order to focus on a pseudo-love triangle.

I think the overall message about the importance of family is great though the delivery is somewhat muddled. Additionally, I liked the way they handled being selfish/selfless. Selfishness is bad of course, for the most part others' feelings should be considered. However, being selfless is also bad but in different ways. No one should try to take everything on by themselves. This message I think was just as important in the movie. I recommend "Crazy Beautiful You" to all Kathryn & Daniel fans since I think they're great no matter what. But if this is your first Filipino movie, I suggest watching the two I mentioned up top first.

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A meh adaptation.

Since I'm watching all the Itazura na Kiss adaptations, I guess I'll review them all as well. Note: I've read part of the manga and seen the anime, so they are the only thing I can compare this drama too. Another note: my favorite part of this drama was probably the ending theme, which paid homage to the manga (so adorable!).

I didn't hate this drama, only it left me disappointed at certain points that I felt the manga/anime did better. For some reason, Kotoko never annoyed me as in the manga/anime as much as she did in this drama. No offense to Sato Aiko, who was a bit screechy at times. I think it was mostly a writing issue. There is never a moment when Kotoko becomes just fed up with Naoki (God, I really wanted this moment). It's incredibly frustrating. On the other hand, I rather liked Kashiwabara Takashi as Naoki. I felt more sympathetic to him than Kotoko tbh. She really seemed like an "ordeal" to him and I kept telepathically telling him to run away.

As for the rest of the cast, I thought Asada Miyoko and Akashi Ryotaro were perfect as Naoki's mom and Yuki. I really enjoyed his voice-overs in the episodes. The majority of the other characters were good/okay but no stand-outs. I was disappointed in Kinnosuke's character. Though Aoki Shinsuke resembles him really well, they reduced his character to pure comic relief and he becomes a lot more annoying because of it. And lastly, I thoroughly disliked Ozawa Maju as Reiko (Yuko in the manga/anime). She was portrayed so evil in this drama with absolutely no sympathy at all. Ugh I really hated it.

The ending of this drama left me with mixed feelings, which I still cannot put my finger on. I've given it a rating of 7, only because I didn't absolutely hate it. If I was a professional reviewer, I would likely give it a 5 or 6. I think only die-hard fans should watch this (and even then y'all might not like it). Casual fans should beware, unless you're the type to skip scenes (alas, I'm not). Well, on from this meh adaptation to the next.

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"The life we have now, that's all there is."

"Ochoyan" is the 27th asadora that I've completed. Before I was really even aware of asadora, I wanted to watch it because I'm a huge fan of Sugisaki Hana. As such, I was really happy when Hpriest announced that they were subbing it. [Thanks again to Hpriest to subbing this asadora in its entirety.] For this reason, I feel that I'm very biased towards this asadora in particular and I think I was just destined to love it. Haha.

Sugisaki Hana is really lovely in the lead role of Takei Chiyo, loosely based on the actress Naniwa Chieko. Her facial expressions tell a thousand words and she's able to communicate effectively through her body movements as well. I'd also like to praise Maida Nono for playing child Chiyo. Her delivery of "You're not abandoning me. I'm abandoning you!" has stuck with me particularly. I was happy that they brought her back to play Chiyo's niece. She's also good in "Tora ni Tsubasa". The entire cast deserves praise, including Tortoise Matsumoto, the dad everyone loves to hate lol. There's so many great performances here that I could be here all day. Just know that there's some great nuanced characters and many get their own fleshed-out stories. A special shout-out to Shigeyama Motohiko and Katsura Kichiya [narrator], whom I really loved in the underrated "Chiritotechin."

To address some elephants in the room, this asadora might not be for everyone due to the parental abuse and infidelity storylines. I, myself, didn't really mind these storylines as they appear to be taken from Naniwa's life itself. I also thought it was kind of bold for NHK to portray terrible parents and infidelity in an asadora. Chiyo's father Teruo (played by Matsumoto) and stepmother Kuriko (Miyazawa Emma) are played to perfection and both are a great example about the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is ultimately for yourself. Once Chiyo is able to let go of the things these two people had done to her, she is able to really live her life. It is also important to understand people and meet them where they are [but don't let yourself get walked all over].

As for the infidelity, I might've preferred the storyline be left out but it was ultimately important to include it to continue the asadora's message. The storyline probably elicited the most emotion out of the entire drama. I felt angry and devastated, and cried the most during those five episodes than any other asadora. After the storyline, I wish that the drama had just dropped Ippei (Narita Ryo), though I acknowledge that they needed him for the conclusion. I just found his face annoying after that [lol].

"Ochoyan" shows many forms of entertainment from before and after WWII, including silent films, kigeki stage acting, and radio dramas. If the drama had been able to go on longer, it could've shown Naniwa's film career in the 50s and 60s which would've been interesting. It's too bad that the asadora was cut short by COVID-19. Anyway, in conclusion, I really loved "Ochoyan" and its themes of forgiveness, found family, and moving forward. I highly recommend this asadora.

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"In the beginning, women were the sun..."

"Toto Nee-chan" is my 18th asadora and it quickly became one of my favorites that I've watched thus far. Takahata Mitsuki truly left a deep impression on me with her role as the heroine, Tsuneko. I really liked her in "Gochisosan" before but she really knocks it out of the park with this one. Her smile lights up the room and her subtle line deliveries tell you exactly how Tsuneko is feeling. I was impressed with Mitsuki's acting and how well the writer understood the character that they were writing.

Nishijima Hidetoshi plays Tsuneko's father and, despite only appearing in about six episodes, makes yet another unforgettable impression. Before dying of tuberculosis, he asks Tsuneko to take his place in the family. She agrees and thus becomes "Toto Nee-chan." I appreciate that the finale, in which he appears via a dream, addresses what a heavy burden this is. However, I also understand why he would ask this of her, considering the very patriarchal society at the time. Thankfully, the unhealthy part of only lasts until Tsuneko's younger sisters are grown up. She then realizes that the entire family can support each other while she can still be the "head of the family" technically. At the end of the day, despite being a heavy burden, I think the promise gave Tsuneko a true purpose in life.

Tsuneko's sisters are Mariko (Sagara Itsuki) and Yoshiko (Sugisaki Hana & Irei Himena). These two are given strong characterizations and feel like co-leads with Mitsuki most of the time. Their mother is played by Kimura Tae. Another strong performance. I especially liked her storyline with her estranged mother Takiko (Daichi Mao). Unfortunately, by the end of the asadora, Tsuneko's sisters and mother feel somewhat pushed by the wayside. This is understandable since their storylines were mostly finished, though just a bit disappointing.

Besides Tsuneko, I think the second most memorable character is Hanayama-san (Karasawa Toshiaki). [I first saw Karasawa in the 1988 asadora "Jun-chan no Ouenka" and his acting skill has become so good since.] Tsuneko first meets Hanayama briefly before the war. They meet again and he agrees to become the chief editor of the magazine she's starting with her sisters. Hanayama seems like one of those typical mentor characters in asadoras. However, I feel their relationship goes deeper than that. To me, Tsuneko and Hanayama are a good example of how "soulmates" don't have to be romantic partners. I also enjoyed Hanayama's uncompromising nature, which is a good foil to Tsuneko who initially wants to please everyone.

To address the elephant in the room, Tsuneko doesn't get married or have children. She does technically have a love interest, Hoshino-san (Sakaguchi Kentaro). [He was also amazing in "Okaeri Mone."] He proposes to her just before the war, but she turns him down to stay with her family. They meet again fifteen years later and seemingly have another chance. However, the timing isn't right again and Hoshino makes the best decision for his children at the time. Their romance is very pure and heartbreaking. I would have loved for their relationship to have worked out, but I find it realistic and I respect the decision to have an asadora heroine not get married for once.

I also loved the music for "Toto Nee-chan," particularly the theme song "Hanataba o Kimi ni" by Hikaru Utada. Her songs for dramas always seem to capture the essence of the series. I could listen to this song for hours and I never got tired of it.

To close out this review: I absolutely loved this asadora. The writing was superb from start to finish with an endless amount of impressive characters and moments. The writer did such a good job closing out the drama with the last few weeks. The finale was also one of the best I've seen from an asadora so far. It was infinitely satisfying and I know I'll go back to watch it again very soon. An A+ asadora that I would recommend to everyone.

My Asadora Ranking: https://kisskh.at/list/LAlqpp21

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No Life Is Meaningless

At a glance, "Junjo Kirari" might seem like just another story about following your dreams. The story, however, grows along with our heroine Sakurako (played by the wonderful Aoi Miyazaki) as she discovers the meaning of life itself. For this reason, the drama starts off very light and fluffy which represents childhood and adolescence. As the Second World War looms, it quickly becomes about persevering through hardships. Then the post-war section is where Sakurako finds true happiness surrounded by her love ones.

This is only my second asadora. The first being "Hanako to Anne." There are a lot of similarities between the two as both follow a heroine from a poor family living in a small town who goes to Tokyo to follow her dreams. And both also cover the war. I've knocked out a half a point from "Junjo Kirari" 's score because of some story elements I didn't really like. So let's cover those first.

1) I disliked Sakurako's engagement with Saito Sensei. I'm assuming that there's not much of an age difference, but still a grown man being interested in a seventeen-year-old will always give me the ick. I'd also like to point out that they have zero chemistry together. Thankfully, this storyline doesn't go on for long.
2) Fueko's character easily becomes one of the most inconsistent characters of the series, but I have mixed feelings about it. It might be natural for a woman to change after marriage and childbirth. I'm not really sure.
3) The war weeks were already going on too long, but they just had to have Sakurako fall in love with Togo (Fueko's husband). Nothing happens of course, but I still hate it.

Now these complaints are out of the way. "Junjo Kirari" has a lot of good points. The heroine is a lovely and fun person to follow as she follows her music dreams and sacrifices for her family. Sakurako is stubborn and strong-willed, but not in annoying way. There are some great supporting characters like Tatsuhiko (Sakurako's love interest), Togo (a wandering artist), Kane (Tatsuhiko's mother), Momoko (Sakurako's sister), and others. I will say I didn't feel as attached to the side characters in this series, but I think that's just because the focus is given more to Sakurako. The music is also nice in a calming sort of way.

My final comment is that though this drama has a tragic ending, I will not lower the score for that. Sometimes tragedy is called for at the end of a drama. That does not mean our time was wasted, just that sad things happen some time. I really liked this drama and had a nice time watching it.

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An interesting take on complicated feelings

This film's story seems cliche at first, but actually becomes interesting. Cali (played by Liza Soberano) has not forgave her ex Gio (Enrique Gil) for cheating on her a couple years prior. Suddenly, he is thrust back into her life when they have to work together. Now he has to convince her that he has changed. This description is simple, but where this movie shines is its portrayal of complicated feelings.

For most of the movie, Cali struggles with whether to forgive Gio or not. She receives pressure from all sides. Some calling her "heartless" for still being angry with him, others yelling "Once a cheater, always a cheater." The thing is: feelings are not that simple. And that's why I liked this movie. It did a good job on showing how complicated feelings and relationships are. You are free to forgive or not forgive someone whom you felt has betrayed you. Your feelings are always valid. I love that a rom-com had me thinking this much.

I had some issues with a few plot details, but I won't include them here since I already made a rant in the comments section. Overall, I think this was a good movie. A little emotionally heavy, especially towards the end. I particularly liked the part where they visited Korea. It's fun to see the country from the eyes of Filipinos and it was a nice contrast from the rest of the movie. I recommend this to anyone who likes romance, but I suggest you avoid it if you hate cheating story lines.

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"My beloved child"

"Churasan 3" is the second sequel to the 2001 asadora "Churasan." As I stated in my review for "Churasan 2," it's rare for an asadora to receive a sequel and "Churasan" has three. From this, you can guess how popular the asadora was at the time. "Chursan 3" was an improvement upon "2" but was still loaded with problems from the original series.

Set maybe a year after "Churasan 2," Eri (Kuninaka Ryoko) and Fumiya (Kohashi Kenji) are still living in Tokyo with plans to return to Kohama in the future. The stand-out plot of the sequel follows Eri, a traveling nurse, helping a patient and her daughter Aiko. Eri takes to Aiko to live with her parents and grandmother in Naha, so we get to see more of Okinawa! The plot leaves it open-ended about whether Aiko's mother will die from her illness, though I think it's most likely that she will. The storyline has a lot of emotion to it, which automatically lifts it above "Churasan 2" to me.

However, "Churasan 3" is not without its problems. While Haruka's (Konishi Manami) character was assassinated in the previous installment, this time we have the character assassination of Keitatsu (Yamada Takayuki). [Side note: Haruka was returned mostly to old cool self in this installment, though I still think it's weird that she wants to live in that stupid boardinghouse.] The second big storyline of "Churasan 3" is Keitatsu abandoning his wife Shoko (Yamaguchi Ayumi) and their unborn child. Why? Because he's not ready to be father I guess. While his feelings are not implausible, it's unforgivable to leave your wife in this situation and only return once the child is born. This whole storyline was botched and may have been salvaged had Keitatsu returned sooner and more time been dedicated to it. Shoko giving birth to their child was still a powerfully emotional scene though.

Unlike "Churasan 2," I don't have as many petty complaints though the humor is still not my cup of tea. And, aside from Keitatsu's storyline, I actually really liked this sequel. The bright spots are the same that being Eri's character development through helping her patients and Mariya (Kanno Miho) is still a favorite. If you've seen "Churasan 2" already, I recommend watching this sequel because this one is a lot better.

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Life is the most precious thing

"Churasan" is the 34th asadora that I've finished. I confess that I was bit disappointed in this one, though I would still say that it's good. I just expected more from an asadora that was at one time extremely popular in Japan and also online among asadora fans. Anyway, expect big spoilers in this review!

Kuninaka Ryoko plays the heroine, Kohagura Eri. Even though I find Eri frustrating at times, Ryoko really plays her perfectly. There's not a second I wasn't convinced by her performance. My main issue with Eri is her excessive airheadness (or what that call her a "fool"). By the end, we're supposed to believe that she's competent nurse but she somehow thinks a pain in her stomach was a "premonition" of her father's accident? I would've fell to the floor if I hadn't been sitting. On top of that, Eri never really struggles. Don't get me wrong, she has problems but she doesn't struggle. She's just always smiling like an idiot and there's like a million people there for her fall back on when something does happen. It's not that I want the asadora heroines to struggle, but without that it feels like this series has no stakes.

Now on to the romance, which I actually really liked in the latter half but the first half... Eri and Fumiya (Kohashi Kenji) first meet when his family comes to the island she lives on in Okinawa. Before his brother Kazuya (Endo Yuya) dies, he has the pair promise to marry in the future. Eri holds on this promise tightly, eventually deciding to go Tokyo. [Btw, it takes entirely too long for her to decide to become a nurse.] They meet again, but Fumiya appears to have forgotten the promise. Eri reveals her feelings after they work at the same hospital for some time. Out of the blue, Fumiya decides later that they should get married after all. In my opinion, this is too much. This asadora is always talking about "destiny" or whatever, so why make us wait so long for something inevitable? It takes too long while also being rushed at the same time. And don't get me started with Fumiya's ambiguous relationship with fellow doctor Nishinomiya Haruka (Konishi Manami). Were they dating? Were they not? If they were, why wasn't she more angry about this situation?

"Churasan" does have some really solid supporting characters, which is a hallmark of asadoras and makes or breaks it in my opinion. Eri's grandmother Hana (Taira Tomi; also narrator) and mother Katsuko (Tanaka Yoshiko; who was great in "Oshin" too) are both outstanding. Her father Keibun (Sakai Masaaki) and older brother Keisho (Gori) have some great comedic moments, but are also really annoying. Keisho, at least, redeems himself. Her younger brother Keitatsu (Yamada Takayuki) feels like a missed opportunity to me. His journey to becoming a rock star could've been a really good story, but ended up being so surface level. His relationship with Eri's friend Shoko (Yamaguchi Ayumi) is cute though. Then there's all the people who live at the boardinghouse in Tokyo, which are like family to Eri. Of these, I think Mariya (Kanno Miho) is the obvious stand-out. Her personality, comedy, and backstory are perfectly crafted. Yoko-san (Yo Kimiko) is also a solid comedic force.

Speaking of the boardinghouse... What I really disliked is that Eri didn't leave the boardinghouse after marriage or having her son Kazuya (Suzuki Shogo). I think it's really unrealistic that she wouldn't leave in either case, considering that she and Fumiya were just renting a small room... Over time, I also started to get tired of the residents there, especially Shibata (Murata Takehiro). I thought it was weird that this grown man had a crush on eighteen/nineteen-year-old Eri anyway, but then he starts to live vicariously through her son. And THEN the asadora randomly pairs Shibata with Yoko-san, which might've not been so random but I didn't care for it anyway. Finally, in the final episode, Eri and Fumiya move to Okinawa. This is another gripe of mine as I've seen people say it's the best Okinawa asadora [There's only two others, Jun to Ai and Chimudondon, which isn't really much of a contest...], but I'd say only 40% of it takes place in Okinawa. And those are mostly scenes of Eri's parents and grandmother sitting around at home, which was probably filmed on a sound stage. This is, in actuality, a Tokyo asadora, and I just wanted more Okinawa!

These are my complicated thoughts on "Churasan." I think it's a good asadora, but focuses on comedy too much. It particularly shines in the emotional, heavy moments. Fumiya's mother Shizuko (Maya Kyoko) has some really poignant scenes from start to finish. I also love the storyline with Eri's and Fumiya's son Kazuya and the final callback to Fumiya's brother. I cried, of course. I would've preferred the asadora focus on emotion instead of the overuse of comedy. The comedy really wasn't to my taste either. I laughed at maybe half of the jokes. Anyway, I struggled with my final rating and finally decided on 8.5. It's a good score, but I can't make it any higher because of all my complaints. I will be watching the sequels because I'm too curious, but wish me luck.

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"One step at a time"

"Teppan" is the 33rd asadora that I've completed. It's another "modern" asadora, which means that it takes place around the time that it aired. [I guess contemporary is a better term, maybe?] I've watched a lot of modern asadoras lately and this is definitely one of the best ones so far. However, as with all modern asadoras, I have some complaints though they're are mostly nit-picks.

First, the premise of "Teppan" is the heroine Akari (played by Takimoto Miori) learning that she is adopted after meeting her biological grandmother Hatsune (Fuji Sumiko). The two are initially at odds, but eventually connect as grandmother and granddaughter over the course of the drama. Their relationship ended up being my favorite part of the asadora. Hatsune reminded me of my own grandmother. I ended up crying so much during the last episode after learning that they have the same age difference as me and my grandmother. I was kinda generous with my overall rating because of Akari's and Hatsune's relationship. I miss my grandma so much T_T

At the beginning of the asadora, I didn't like the attitude towards adoption, but I think it has more to do with cultural differences with thoughts and speech. For example, I didn't like how people kept saying things like Akari wasn't a daughter of the Murakami (her adoptive parents) family. I think saying things like this contributed to her major identity crisis that followed... Thankfully, the drama gets away from language like that for the most part. The other aspects of adoption felt really well acted and portrayed, such as Akari feeling that she should be "grateful" to her parents for choosing her and learning more about her biological parents. The way Akari processed every bit of new information also felt very true to her as a character. Someone who wants everyone to get along and is scared of hurting others or having things change drastically.

As for the side characters, Hatsune is obviously the most important. She's a very stubborn woman whom doesn't like to show her emotions, but gradually opens up to Akari. Hatsune is hands down the best character in the whole asadora and I couldn't praise her enough. I also really love Akari's adoptive family. They are all very supportive of her and want to protect her, though I don't always agree with their actions. Her father Jou (Endo Kenichi) and brother Teppei (Morita Naoyuki) have the tendency to overstep. [I was so annoyed when they almost destroyed Akari's birth mother's letter!!] Thankfully, they're balance out by Akari's mother Machiko (Yasuda Narumi) and older brother Kinya (Endo Kaname), whom are more level-headed. They each have their own emotions about Akari's adoption and it's interesting to see them process it as well.

The are many more characters that occupy the world of "Teppan." Despite being set in a big city like Osaka, the asadora does a good job at making it feel like a community through the characters. One of the notable characters is Nozomi (Kyono Kotomi), whose pregnancy becomes central to the storyline in the latter half. She comes off annoying at first, but her contrary personality grows on you. I thought it was funny that two men propose to her in her ninth month of pregnancy. [What about dating first? LOL] I won't say who she picks, but the ending was a little too 'happily ever after.' However, I did cry so I guess I'm also very contrary. Then there's the other residents of the boardinghouse that Hatsune runs. I really loved them all and I was so sad when they decided to leave. But, people sometimes have to leave in order to grow.

My biggest complaint about "Teppan" is the romance aspect. I felt that it was kinda rushed in towards the latter half of the asadora. Yes, Takizawa (Osada Seiya) feels like Akari's love interest from the episode he's introduced, but the drama doesn't show much between them until later on. Their relationship could've been better developed/defined. I was majorly disappointed at their ending. How come asadoras rarely show a compromise? They could've had a long-distance relationship or say let's meet again in five years. Something please. I also thought it was kinda creepy that Akari's former boss Hamano (Cho Tamiyasu) fell in love with her, especially after learning he's thirty-one... His love for a nineteen-year-old girl is supposedly pure so we should feel sorry for him. Ew, no. [I'm also so tired of immature men in asadoras, ugh.] At least, Hamano wasn't Akari's love interest and absolutely never stood a chance.

Though "Teppan" doesn't deliver in the romance department, I won't judge it harshly for that. That's not usually what I watch asadoras for anyway. What I loved about this asadora was the family and community aspects and it fully delivered there.

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"We'll meet here again."

"Mare" is my 17th asadora and I confess that I was a bit disappointed. I wish I had watched this asadora earlier on in my journey, especially since I've had it downloaded for quite a while. I think "Mare" would appeal to newer viewers of asadora but if you've seen more than 10+, I think it'll leave you a bit frustrated.

Let's talk about what I liked first. Tsuchiya Tao plays an aspiring patissier named Mare. Tao basically sells this role because Mare could've easily been annoying. [Though if you don't like Tao, you'll probably hate Mare lol.] I really enjoyed Mare's journey. Her initial hesitation to chase her dream was a tad exasperating, but I also felt that it was realistic. Not everyone goes head first into doing what they want like most asadora heroines. I'm not such a fan of her relationship with Keita, but we'll get into that later. However, I do like Mare's struggles with marriage and motherhood. Essentially trying to "have it all." Though the storyline stumbled a bit, I think this is an important storyline for modern day Japanese women.

I also liked the supporting cast, except for Ichiko (played by Sengen Yoshiko) during her "I hate Mare" phase. It was a delight to see Tanaka Yuko again. She starred in the 1980s hit asadora "Oshin." [Ishimatsu Guts also from "Oshin" has a role in this asadora as well.] Tanaka plays Mare's adoptive grandmother and my only complaint that we don't see her nearly as much as I want to. Then there's the patissier, Ikehata Daigo (Kohinata Fumiyo), whom Mare apprentices for. He's one of those typical eccentric mentor characters you see a lot of in asadoras. I really disliked him at first, but he ends up being so sweet by the end. Tokiwa Takako as Mare's mother Aiko is a delightful mix of emotion and comedy. I really like how she supports Mare and encourages her to leave when she realizes that Mare is trying to protect her. I'll stop here, but there are a quite a few interesting and fun characters.

On to Mare's father, Toru (Oizumi Yo). I honestly don't know what to think of this character. He abandons his family not once but twice. But in a sort of noble way... I guess? I liked his character at times when he was trying to do things for his family. Him being a big dreamer wasn't really the problem like the drama tries to say. It's his bad decisions in the process of trying to achieve that dream. And honestly did the writer hate Toru? Lol this man literally could not do anything right.

Now on to Mare's backstabbing friend, Ichiko. Oh my good I hated Ichiko even as a child lol. She was so rude even then. The real hate came when she started dating Keita (Yamazaki Kento). Mare had not said that she liked Keita to Ichiko, but I will maintain that that b*tch knew what she was doing. She only gets worst tbh and I could never forgive her after she said that she hated Mare. I don't care that they essentially made up and became good friends again. I really don't care.

Finally, on to the last thing that irritated me. I'm not a fan of Mare's love interest, Keita. Not only does he date Mare's best friend after confessing to Mare just a few episodes before that he loved her, but his personality is also just annoying. And he's a freaking hypocrite. Him and Mare then get together and marry way to quick. There was hardly any romance to it. Their relationship gets better once they become parents. I like them as a family unit and I think Keita is a good father. I really wish Mare had dated Daisuke (Yagira Yuya) for longer than one episode. I preferred him as her love interest. He was more interesting and was showing a clear interest in Mare, while Keita was still all about Ichiko (for some strange reason). Anyway, justice for Daisuke. He was way better than Keita.

In conclusion, I think "Mare" is a good asadora but the romance aspect of it is a dud in my opinion. It also left me wondering why every asadora heroine has to get married. I wish in this case that they had decided to focus on her career instead. I would recommend "Mare" to beginners since it has a lot of good points to it. I especially liked the music, which a lot of effort was put towards. However, veteran viewers will be able to spot the flaws easily.

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Clothing gives people hope

"Carnation" is my 14th asadora. I've wanted to watch it for a while since it kind of gives off the same vibes as my favorite asadora, "Ohisama" (which also aired the same year). I really liked "Carnation" overall, but it hits a stumbling block around week 17 that it never really recovers from. Well, for me, at least. Warning! Major spoilers follow~

The heroine, Itoko, is played by Ono Machiko. She really deserves all the praise I've seen her get for this role. Ono was able to play the stubborn, somewhat pigheaded Itoko in such a way that she never becomes insufferable. She stays consistently funny and enjoyable, despite her bad traits. Kuriyama Chiaki playing Otoko's childhood classmate, Natsu, also sticks out in my mind as a stand-out performance. Her relationship with Itoko made me laugh until the very end. I also quite liked Natsuki Mari as an older Itoko. Definitely a great actress. I only wish that they had introduced her a tad sooner as I think the transition from Ono to her was a bit awkward. The rest of the supporting cast I could best describe as comforting. I just loved continuing to see the faces of Itoko's family, friends, and neighbors.

On to the minor things that I didn't like which resulted in me giving "Carnation" a 9.0 instead of a 10. First, her father. I hated him. This has nothing to do with the actor (Kobayashi Kaoru) as I think he acted him really well actually. Even if I sit and think about it, I can relate to the dad's feelings. But... I just find it inexcusable for a man to hit his child so much and just generally act like a tyrant to his family. [A father that's not much a provider at that...] I was really waiting for him to die, even if he had finally chilled out a bit by then lol. Second, I thought all of Itoko's children were annoying. Tbh this is an ongoing issue with asadoras set around the war. The children that grow up afterwards are almost always intolerable. Yuko is probably the most tolerable, but her fights with Naoko (the most annoying) are so hard to watch. And poor Satoko is just portrayed as an idiot. And the third thing...

Itoko doesn't have a decent love interest. I really liked her husband Masaru (played by Suruga Taro) until he goes off to war and she discovers that he was having an affair! After the war, she gets a new love interest in Suo (Ayano Go) but he has a wife! For me, this is where my interest started to wane. I don't really care that the show wants us to think that their love isn't "dirty." Whatever, he has a wife (who is suffering from the aftereffects of the atomic bomb) and children. They eventually come to their senses and part, but I can't help but think about how painful this affair was for everyone involved. This was around week 17 and I didn't particularly like the weeks that followed since they started to focus on Itoko's daughters. And I said before, I find them annoying.

However, "Carnation" is a pretty solid asadora until week 17. I loved the focus on dressmaking and fashion, and Itoko achieving her dream of owning her own shop. The weeks focusing on the war are also very good and don't focus too much on the tragedy of it all. Following the war, Itoko is able to refocus on her dream and I really liked the 1950s fashions. It was also funny for her to realize that she has a harder time relating to newer fashions now that she's middle aged. Then I also really liked the final four weeks with older Itoko and her storyline with her granddaughter. I was reminded of my own grandmother and definitely cried a lot. It was surprising that they showed Itoko passing away as this is only the second instance of a heroine that I've seen. Even though she died of natural causes, it was still very sad.

Interestingly, I looked it up and the real-life Itoko (her real name was Koshino Ayako) really was a fan of asadora and wanted her life put to screen. It was kind of meta that they actually put this into the plot lol, but I loved it. Especially seeing Natsu watching it at the end. Cue tears. That scene makes watching the whole asadora worth watching hands down.

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"I'm Ume which will blossom even in the cold"

"Umechan Sensei" is my twelfth asadora and what a delight it was. [I've been very lucky with my last three picks; let's hope this continues~.] This asadora is set in Tokyo just after WWII like "Natsuzora," which I had just finished. It follows Umeko (played by Horikita Maki) as the somewhat hapless heroine of the story as she embarks on journey to becoming a doctor. Umeko is just a wonderful heroine. She's kind and warm, and her haplessness allows for some very funny moments. It's fun to watch her gradually develop into a responsible adult and get further in career, though her core character always remains. Her development also mirrors the redevelopment of Tokyo and Japan post-war.

Besides Umeko, the other highlight of this asadora is the supporting cast. My personal favorite is Takahashi Katsumi as Umeko's father, Kenzo. He such a grump and a bit scary at first, but you eventually realize that he's just a teddy bear inside. My favorite moment of him is in the very last episode. Then there's Umeko's siblings Takeo (Koide Keisuke) and Matsuko (Mimura Rie), who both have their own arcs in the story. Umeko's mother (Minami Kaho) and grandmother (Baisho Mitsuko) could have had more to do in the story, but I loved them nonetheless. There's a part with Umeko's mother late in the asadora that I especially loved. And, of course, there are Umeko's classmates, colleagues, and neighbors. So many good characters that I can't name them all lol.

Interestingly, Umeko has two love interests which feels a bit rare for an asadora, especially because I couldn't tell who she was going to pick until it happened. I actually really liked both of them. One of them is fellow doctor Matsuoka Toshio (Takahashi Mitsuomi). He's just a fun character with his analytical way of thinking which often puts him at odds with others. His and Umeko's break-up was sad but I think fits with his character. The "real" love interest is Umeko's neighbor and childhood friend Yasuoka Nobuo (Matsuzaka Tori). He kind of goes under the radar for much of the asadora though he and Umeko have a couple of "moments" early on. Nobu starts to really shine once Matsuoka leaves. There were some really romantic scenes between him and Umeko, such as the proposal scene. Nobu also gets nearly as much character development as Umeko.

"Umechan Sensei" is a great asadora from start to finish. It becomes a little slow near the very end, but the final episode closes out perfectly so I'll forgive it. Some of my few complaints are that Umeko's siblings aren't given much to do once their arcs are finished, Yayoi's and Yamakura's story isn't finished [it appears that it continues in a special episode which I can't find :(], and I wish that the narrator was present more often. These are very minor complaints though. I'd recommend "Umechan Sensei" to anyone as I think this is a very appealing asadora to beginners and veterans alike.

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A fun watch but easily skippable

Popular asadoras will occasionally receive a spin-off special after they finished airing. "Natsuzora" is one of those popular ones, which is no surprise if you've seen it. These specials rarely get subbed by fansubbers so I'd like to think ECOTV Subs for taking their time to sub it. You can join their live journal to access the subs.

The special is split into two stories. The first focuses on Toyo Obaa-chan's voice acting adventure in Tokyo. As unrealistic as it was, I think a fun time was had by all and I did cry at the end. The second is about the "Tokachi's Wives Bragging Contest." Basically, the men of Tokachi have to profess their love for their wives in the contest. It mostly focuses on Yukijiro and Yumiko, whom have a marital spat at the beginning of it. I thought it was funny that Kikusuke suddenly had a wife out of nowhere, but his song actually made me cry. Does this drama just make me emotional? Lol.

My sole complaint about this special is that Natsu isn't in it much. However, I will concede that her reduced role probably helped the side characters have some nice shining moments. I recommend watching this if you really liked "Natsuzora" because it's nice to revisit this world once more. I will admit that you're not missing much if you decide skip it. It feels like those extra chapters in shojo manga after the final chapter. It's nice to know what the other characters are doing, but not necessary.

Also, the special includes a top ten scenes that were popular on social media and three unaired scenes. This was a nice touch and rewatching these scenes again made me cry (again lol). An interesting note that Natsu and Jii-chan essentially are hosts for the special. There's a running bit with Jii-chan declaring that he's not dead. Funnily enough, in the last scene with Jii-chan in "Natsuzora" I hadn't realized that that was him dying (lol). The special makes it clear that he's dead T_T.

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Pioneering Spirit

"Natsuzora" is the 11th asadora that I have watched. It is the culmination of last five asadoras that I have watched. To explain: "Natsuzora" is the landmark 100th asadora to air. As such, NHK invited a bunch of past asadora heroines to make appearances from supporting to minor cameos. I watched "Oshin," "Dondo Hare," "Dandan," "Manpuku," and "Chiritotechin" specifically for this reason while I had already watched "Jun-chan no Ouenka." [I would've watched more but these are the only ones with English subs currently.] Watching these aren't really a prerequisite to watching "Natsuzora," especially since some of the actresses have a blink and you'll miss it cameos. Personally, I think fully immersing myself in the asadora format for the pass few months helped me really enjoy "Natsuzora" to the fullest.

Now that being said, I think "Natsuzora" is actually potentially the perfect first asadora for someone just beginning to watch. It has all of the elements that people like particularly in an asadora with great writing, characters, the lovely scenery of Hokkaido, and wonderful animation segments to boot. Just watching "Natsuzora" would give someone the perfect impression of what an asadora is supposed to be.

Hirose Suzu as Natsu is a great heroine and wonderfully nuanced. Natsu, I believe, is one of the few asadora heroines to be an orphan. This creates some great drama with her finding her birth siblings, which runs throughout the drama. "Natsuzora" also boasts a great supporting cast with Kusakari Masao as "Jii-chan," Natsu's adoptive grandfather, being the standout. I particularly loved seeing the former heroines Yamaguchi Tomoko (from "Jun-chan no Ouenka"), Higa Manami (from "Dondo Hare"), and Kanjiya Shihori (from "Chiritotechin") now in supporting roles. Then there were the actors I recognized from "Hana Yori Dango" productions, Nakagawa Taishi, Matsushima Nanako (also an asadora heroine from "Himawari"), and Fujiki Naohito. A quick glance at the cast list and I see a lot of people from previous asadoras. Honestly, NHK went all out with the casting.

Natsu has two love interests. Yoshizawa Ryo plays Tenyo, Natsu's childhood friend. Though neither expresses their feelings, I think it's clear how they feel for each other. However, since Natsu has to leave Hokkaido to pursue her dreams, their relationship never goes beyond friendship. Nakagawa Taishi plays her real love interest Kazuhisa, whom also works in animation. Their relationship is a very understated, simple kind of love. It's lovely to watch it develop.

"Natsuzora" carries the theme of the "pioneering spirit" shown with the dairy farmers of Hokkaido and later with Natsu entering into the new animation industry. Eventually both intersect when Natsu has the opportunity to work on an animated series reminiscent of the "World Masterpiece Theater" anime series (and specifically referencing "Heidi, Girl of the Alps"). Interestingly, Natsu is based on the animator Okuyama Reiko but I would say very loosely, particularly in regards to her early life. Taishi's character is based on Studio Ghibli director Takahata Isao and there's even a reference to his masterpiece "Grave of the Fireflies." There's a handful of others also based on real-life people, such Sometani Shota's character being analogous to Miyazaki Hayao.

Watching "Natsuzora" felt like receiving a warm hug. In many ways, it reminded me of my first asadora "Hanako to Anne." Both asadoras gave me the feeling of wanting to stay in that world full of characters that I love dearly. Somehow, it's harder to say things about a drama I really liked, so this review will be a little shorter than usual. I just really hope that more and more people watch this asadora as it's very close to being perfect.

My Asadora Ranking: https://kisskh.at/list/LAlqpp21

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