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Rikuoh japanese drama review
Completed
Rikuoh
5 people found this review helpful
by The Butterfly
Apr 13, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

"Some lies come true"

Rikuoh told the story of a struggling tabi maker whose company had been in business for 100 years. As other tabi factories succumbed to the fading need for the traditional white socks, Miyazawa Koichi would risk nearly everything to guide his family’s company in a new direction in order to keep it afloat and relevant in a changing and challenging market.

Miyazawa Koichi fears his family’s tabi factory will not last another decade. When a young bank officer tells him to expand into something different, he chooses to make running shoes patterned after the ancient style socks. The runner that inspired him is Mogi Hiroto who was injured from his poor form and would benefit from shoes that guide his foot into a more proper stride. From there, Miyazawa will have to convince family, friends, workers, bankers, and suppliers in his dream. Miyazawa must rely on his super strengths of tenacity and resiliency for his company to survive.

Rikuoh was completely predictable in every way. It benefited from the veteran actor, Yakusho Koji, to keep the cheesier moments grounded in reality. While there were no surprises, there didn’t need to be. This was pure comfort viewing. There were moments of conflict and setbacks, but I never doubted for a moment that Team Dragonfly would be okay and that allowed me to sit back and watch as the scrappy seamstresses and engineers made their magic happen.

If you need your business dramas to make logical sense, this may not be the drama for you. There were obvious lapses in the business narrative that the viewer is expected to overlook or fill in the gaps. Some were larger than others. (What business doesn’t carry insurance?) The women were secondary, mainly represented by the seamstresses. The banks and multiple businesses contacted were completely void of women. Miyazawa’s wife and daughter appeared to be for décor, or for the wife to say in any given situation, “That’s nice, dear.”

Overall, the drama kept my attention with its languid interlaced approach to storytelling splitting time between the scrappy Team Dragonfly, Mogi’s journey and running team, and the shoe competition. Everyone learned valuable life lessons, even a few of those characters who were originally antagonists. On the race track or in the factory, there were no shortages of inspirational speeches and tearful cheering. Miyazawa and Team Dragonfly helped their company overcome numerous obstacles and setbacks. Just like the determined runner Mogi, they all had to repeatedly get back up and dust themselves off, hug it out and start over as many times as were necessary.

12 April 2025
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