femmedesneiges

(Every time I finish watching All About Lily Chou-Chou I feel cleansed, but I realise it definitely doesn't have that effect on everybody. xD For dramas... most of the Nojima Shinji-written dramas I've seen made me feel calm at the end. But I also meant generally in terms of books and music.)

I think Japanese dramas are especially good at putting together good entertainment + moral issues in a nice-looking package. My examples for mother-child relationships would be Aishiteru and Hikari to Tomo ni. Domestic violence probably Zenigeba, and Last Friends despite the melodrama and dodgy acting.

(As a quick comparison to the UK, ITV is currently airing the ever-detestable Downton Abbey, in which I find no value whatsoever. But there was an incredible ITV drama earlier this year called Broadchurch. It tapped into the public mood and probed a scary topic.)

(Enjoy it when you watch it. =))

I see your point, but I don't think it's that much of a stretch to add some realism to storylines about mental illness. Most people will be affected by a mental health problem at some point in their lives, writers/producers and viewers included. Portrayal of emotional healing would be nice, but it would be enough for me if a character's issues were more than a set-up to further the story. TV reaches a wide audience and can go along way in increasing the visibility of issues that aren't often acknowledged, like LGBT and domestic violence.

(I do have to disagree on one point in particular; I think some writers are definitely soul doctors. xD)

Hm... I can empathise with both of those points. My first drama was 1 Litre of Tears and the "do your best" moral was like nothing I'd ever come across before. Also, *possible tiny spoiler?* my society is heavily dependent on welfare, and I found it intriguing that someone from a different culture might feel shame in claiming anything from the state. It had just never occurred to me before.

I don't doubt that childhood is a factor, but the one-sided portrayal of mental illness annoys me more than anything. More TV writers (of all countries) should have the courage to address such issues head-on without having to make sloppy "excuses" for why a character is the way s/he is. The focus is usually on "what happened to make them like this" and not "how they heal/cope with mental illness in everyday life", unless how they happen to cope is by murder or rape or whatever. You get plenty of that type in episodic crime dramas; it's nowt but lazy writing.

On the other hand, Aishiteru is a one in a million drama for me. A topic like that could easily turn morbid and voyeuristic but it really explored everything, past, present and future.

@lily_b

Butting in, but I enjoyed your article. Mother-child relations are my favourite topic for a drama, and Japan's perspective on motherhood is fascinating in general.

@Ether

That's likely based on misconceptions about mental health issues. "This guy's disturbed, his mother must have abandoned him/beaten him/sold him." Kamiki's character's family situation in Kazoku Game is an interesting one. No childhood trauma, but an absence of "family bonds".
And it's probably easier for audiences to relate to a character if there's a concrete cause for their behaviour. (Wouldn't want to make them feel too uncomfortable~.)

I'm getting off-topic, but I hate when characters either forgive all trespasses or become consumed by the idea of revenge. The latter might make good entertainment but it's all so black and white.

I agree. Certain Japanese dramas glorify motherhood past the point of common sense. I can understand the wordview that women have intrinsic maternal qualities, but I will never accept that children are always better off with their mother.

I completely missed most of that. (I swear my Japanese comprehension gets worse when I actually go to classes.) Thanks for explaining. The surrogate mother's attitude makes more sense in context.

Strangely I don't have much sympathy for Dan, maybe because he hasn't had much screentime. I didn't feel bittersweet at all, until I thought afterwards that obviously the "Dan's father in Dan's body" relationship is doomed from the beginning. xD

If that's the case I'm pretty confused with the amount of family she's going through. Hm...

For some reason 49 has become the drama I look forward to every week. The end of episode 5 was sweet.

Ep 5 was ridiculous. After that I actually don't care if the whole thing turns into a soapy trainwreck. It'll be entertaining either way. I am wondering where they're going with the creepy nurse though. She was so over the top.

The book was a huge part of my childhood, and whenever I reread it I feel a simplicity I don't have in my life these days. So while I like the idea of a more detailed world/story (and something as amazing as LotR) in theory, I don't want it to intrude into my nostalgia. I'm sentimental, I guess. =)

I don't read a lot of fantasy but my favourite ever book is The Hobbit. (For that reason I won't ever watch the films, even though I've seen LotR many, many times.) I liked adult books in school too, but I read a lot of children's fiction now, since it seems to help me sleep.

It's a hard balance to strike sometimes!

Politics is a necessity. A necessary evil, perhaps. I mainly took exception to the idea of "restoring the holocaust".

What genres do you read? My interest in Japanese language and Japan in general was sparked by Natsume Soseki, so Japanese literature has a lot to answer for. xD I also collect The Women's Press (London) paperbacks. I think I'm just a collector in general.

My disposition doesn't agree with conflict so I usually keep my mouth shut. But recently I've been thinking hey, I have something to say, there's somewhere to say it, what the hell.

Uh, holocaust for all politicians? I'm glad it's not up to you then.

I buy books up like mad too. I'll read almost anything so I don't have a favourite genre in particular, but I'm a big collector of Japanese literature in translation (English or French). I find myself reading more and more non-fiction these days though.

(And it's quite nice thinking there are people agreeing with my comments out there. =))

Hello. =) Is that your bookshelf? My books just take up any spare bit of space going.

For my part, I agree with all of your wonderfully thoughtful comments below.

Zero-tolerance policy is useless if it's based solely around criminalising addicts rather than treating them. Not that I'm familiar with South Korean drug policy. "This is unfortunate" is my main feeling tbh.