Ronin23

“The Girl Ashigaru” is quite a short but pleasant Japanese drama about how a modern girl ends up three hundred years in the past. If I had to describe the drama in just one word, the first thing that comes to mind is “purity.” That’s the impression it left on me. And above all, it’s the purity of feelings from the main heroine, Yui. According to the plot, she’s an ordinary high school girl who doesn’t shine intellectually, studies poorly, but is cheerful and open with everyone. That’s exactly why almost all the characters in the film respond to her sincerity, and some even become “infected” by her purity and become better themselves. At the same time, there’s no direct moralizing or pushy “let’s all live in harmony” message anywhere. Yui simply becomes that ray of sunshine and a kind of guidepost in a dark world. Even though the time period is shown as harsh—dirt, hunger, battles, etc.—it’s easy to watch. Maybe because the episodes are short, and the director didn’t overload us with gloom and political games… Thanks to him for that. So the pacing isn’t dragged out—that’s a big plus. There’s romance, intrigue, and also comedic moments.

Another plus is the lack of excessive introspection in the characters; they don’t get distracted by secondary matters, but once they set a goal, they stubbornly strive to achieve it. As for the acting—I liked both the main and supporting characters.

Overall, I recommend this drama for watching.