He treats her like a servant, confronts her cruelly about her self-doubt, and somehow we're meant to see this as masculine, then he beats up her ex-boyfriend in case we didn't get it. Somehow this is all forgivable because he can also be caring and because he knows how to turn her on. So she falls for this man some 30 years older, which if you ask me is because she's hungry for a father figure. Presumably this reflects traditional Japanese values in how men see women and what women are supposed to put up with. The reason I stuck with this all the way through is because there's so much beautiful Japanese village scenery, and I truly miss cycling there and probably won't be able to for another couple of years.
It's on LINETV. If that site isn't available to you then the only other place I've found it is through a youtub…
Thank you. My VPN is currently set for the USA and tvline wouldn't allow it. I'll try some other countries. The Korean Mother is one of my all-time favorites, the Japanese mother is fairly good, and I've watched the Chinese one too.
The story and acting are pretty average, but nevertheless I found this an interesting glimpse into everyday life in Taiwan (and consistent with several other movies and dramas, even when the genre is quite different) e.g. the role of temples and spirit mediums in everyday life, the discipline officer at the school. However the lead female looks ridiculous in that wig and was always whining (even if she had good reason to) and it became clear she was deeply unhappy with the burden of being a spirit medium. I lost interest after 4/6 episodes. To any Taiwanese readers of this comment: in many school dramas and films there is a person in military uniform who works at the school and is called the discipline master. Are they teachers, or actual army personnel? They're usually portrayed as disliked, fanatical, and although they can punish students, they don't really have any say in the running of the school. There was a similar female character in the korean drama Lingerie Girls’ Generation set in the early 90s.
I don't think I'd enjoy this, because amnesia, while a favorite drama trope, just doesn't happen in this way in real life. Personal identity is such a fundamental part of a person's mind, that any medical condition that impairs it, also makes the person barely functional, because changing knowledge such as awareness of time or place are more easily disrupted (and would be severely impaired in anyone with amnesia of self). Sorry, I can't suspend this amount of disbelief enough to enjoy amnesia stories.
Halfway through and getting increasingly bored. Amnesia is a favorite drama trope but is completely unrealistic (just doesn't happen in real life) and this one is dragged out way too long. Wanting to find the missing sister after a couple of years is also completely unbelievable; of course it's just going to be a decomposing body. The side stories are boring and seem irrelevant.
The best crime dramas explore deep issues and this is one of them - the clash of suicide and living hope. I've been watching The Light On series (because they're excellent) over the past few months and had to keep reminding myself that this time we're in Taiwan. The final two episodes were the best of all (how many dramas can boast that?) and provided a redemptive culmination. The scientist's daughter, who only appears in brief flashbacks through the series and is portrayed as a defeated and traumatized teenager, finally appears onstage in the penultimate scene with startling presence and power.
It's a tad too long, but the photography and scenery are extraordinarily beautiful. Amidst all that is a family saga set in a provincial city, of many characters, each fascinating, each flawed and human. The camera work, inspired by the ancient scroll of the title, consists of many long panning shots, including one that goes for some 20 minutes and follows a couple at a riverside, as one swims alongside the other walking, then they walk and talk.
My favorite drama genre. Other great ones: Reply 1988 & 1997; Age of Youth (and the almost-identical Chinese remake); Lingerie Girls’ Generation; Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju; Memorials/Into The Ring/The Ballot. Detective dramas have to be VERY GOOD to keep my attention (e.g. Stranger); even more so romantic dramas (On the Way to the Airport b/c I like stories about older people). My Mister is in my all-time top 5 dramas. Do people enjoy SOL more as they get older? I used to enjoy crime, fantasy, scifi more but these days they seem a bit silly and childish. It would be good to read articles on Japanese and on Chinese slice-of-life dramas too.
The two lovers are gentle and considerate. Although we see them confronted with difficult choices, there isn't any backstory about the leads and we don't see their struggle with the decisions, so ultimately this film lacks depth.
If you're interested in the Gwangju uprising, it's also covered in one of the Korean drama classics, Hourglass/Sandglass, made in 1995 and still one of the best Korean dramas I've ever seen.
My third of the Light On series which are the best of Chinese television, an excellent drama amongst a field of mostly trash. This one is about the dogged pursuit of justice in the face of ruthless evil, and of course it's a man's world whether it's the criminals or the police, and the women are mostly victims. Despite the vindication that is the story's culmination, in which justice is finally imposed, we all know that as one nears the top, the CCP's agenda for its own survival overrides all other considerations, including justice.
I did like that one but it was hard to see the mother/daughter relationship in that show. Ugh it still makes me…
I was a bit annoyed about the ending for the other girl too. She was rebelling all along about her unavailable parents, but at the end happily went away again to school (I forget the details).
To any Taiwanese readers of this comment: in many school dramas and films there is a person in military uniform who works at the school and is called the discipline master. Are they teachers, or actual army personnel? They're usually portrayed as disliked, fanatical, and although they can punish students, they don't really have any say in the running of the school. There was a similar female character in the korean drama Lingerie Girls’ Generation set in the early 90s.
It would be good to read articles on Japanese and on Chinese slice-of-life dramas too.