Just like elevators, love goes up and down
Finished watching this November 2024, as they aired it here in Japan on TVer (thank my lucky stars that they don't forget to show old dramas along with the new--except NHK and other non-commercial broadcasts) .What I liked: The fact that this is an old-school drama, which means it has a long running time, and thus more time to flesh-out the characters and give them more time to interact with each other. The benefit for us viewers being that we can come to care more about them. And because this is an old drama (here in 2024), it's also a good chance to look at what life was like back in the early 90's. I also personally like the three mains- they are all not only great actors, but have long, successful careers. They are very appealing to me in different ways. And finally, I just love the ending theme song-sung by Miyazawa herself. I'm a softie for jazzy-pop songs. And the cream on the top is that along with the cool song are ending credits with cute puppies frolicking around a white backdrop! They're so adorable!
What I didn't like: Despite the great cast and their best efforts, the story unfolds like the petals of a flower in a game of he loves me he loves me not. Or to put in this drama's terms, an elevator of love continuously going up and down. Relationships just don't seem to get anywhere. It was frustrating at times watching this drama because of that. Also, the side stories aren't that interesting. As a result, there's not much desire to re-watch this drama, for me at least.
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Sweet food, sweet memories
This is the 20th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is short, at only 51 minutes. And it is literally sweet, as the FL is a pastry chef. And the drama, this time taking place in Kitakyushu City, is well-produced, as are all the previous episodes of this series. The two main leads are great, as usual. Nakata Seina, playing the part of Matsumoto Hikaru, and Inaba Yu, who plays Ueda Keita, are both very capable actors, and they make for a nice, albeit older-man, younger-woman couple. The viewer definitely won't want to miss the beginning, to see how the two got together. It's very cute. As well all the delicious sweets that fill the screen!
What I don’t like:
I felt like Hikaru's trouble could have been more fleshed out, and more attention could have been payed to Keita's frustrations when he couldn't get in touch with her. But because of the short time of this special, I don't think that was possible. I wanted to know more about what happened after everything, but I guess they just ran out of time.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet romantic drama. You get main leads showing a variety of emotions. You get lots of sweets. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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Spring Love
This is the 18th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is short, sweet, and well-produced, as are all the previous episodes of this series. The two main leads are great, as usual. Kato Konatsu, playing the part of Yamaguchi Rio, and Okuno So, who plays Egashira Kohei, both put on fine performances, and they make for a nice, young couple. Although the story is only fifty-minutes long, it covers a lengthy number of years, and the viewers are able to witness their relationship at different stages, along with all the associative activities, events, and emotions. The beach locations are particularly memorable, as are the scenes in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.
What I don’t like:
Not sure if this is good or bad, but I would have liked to see them going on dates and living their normal lives together. Scenes that would build their relationship in the eyes of the viewer. But because of the short time of this special, I don't think that was possible. I wasn't convinced when it came to the biggest trouble they faced. And I think the ending was really rushed, where they time skipped like it was nothing. But again, time constraints.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet romantic drama. You get main leads showing a variety of emotions. You can also get a taste of how hard many Japanese struggle to begin their working lives. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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Love is decided by fate
This is the 10th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is short, sweet, cute, and well-produced. The two main leads are great. Adachi Rika, playing the part of Nakamura Miyu, is perhaps at her most beautiful self as a young adult looking for work. And Watanabe Shu plays Imai Yuzuru, a handsome, hard-working, entry-level designer. Their fated first meeting was when they were junior-high school students. And that was the very cute part of this tale- their innocent and optimistic first encounters, when they seemed destined to be together. I enjoyed seeing the scenery around Kitakyushu, the second largest city in Fukuoka. It's really beautiful, and the camera angles were perfect. Fukagawa Mai as Love-Rival Kizaki Wakana adds spice to this fifty-minute story.
What I don’t like:
I'm not sure if I agree that our lives, our fates, are already decided when we're born, which is a recurring theme in this drama special. Although this IS a romantic drama, there is no physical contact at all between the two main leads. In fact, there is no dating, either, and the conversations even are short at best. They keep getting disturbed by phone calls and Wakana. So, not much depth to this story.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet drama. You get cute scenes with the main leads when they were young, and then the payoff scenes when, as adults, they flashback to those relevant scenes in the past. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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Music brings high-schooler and paramedic together
This is the 14th installment in this series of short love stories. The location is Fukuoka, Japan, a prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. I’m proud to say I live in this beautiful part of Japan.What I like:
The story is well-thought out and presented. The two main leads are great. Shiraishi Sei is cute as a high-schooler and beautiful as an aspiring music performer. Her singing is good, too. And Nishiyama Jun is respectable in his role as a paramedic and handsome fan of Shino, Shiraishi’s performing name. Their by-chance first meeting at the animal park is cute. And the setting in different parts of Fukuoka, particularly Kayoicho Park, are wonderfully filmed.
What I don’t like:
A large part of the two ML’s relationship takes place through Line social messaging interactions. I’d rather possible love interests look into each other’s eye than at smartphones! I want more dating scenes between the two of them. And I think the ending is abrupt and not to my liking. But because of the short run time and the constraints of staying true to the real-life story, that’s not possible.
I recommend this to anyone who wants a well-made, short and sweet drama. You get a bonus guitar playing and singing high-schooler. And you can enjoy taking in the parts of Japan away from the usual Tokyo locations.
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An hourglass as a metaphor for life
IntroductionI am very fortunate to have seen this excellent drama. My hat's off to the original manga author, Ashihara Hinako, who both wrote and illustrated this fine tale of love. And I do mean love, as in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This long series, spanning 60 episodes of 30 minutes each, was part of TBS's Ai no Gekijo, Love Theater. It was kind of their version of NHK's Asadora long-series. The story revolves around Anne, or An (however you want to spell it), a girl who moves back to her mother's hometown in Shimane prefecture. What ensues is plenty of love and drama, and it all revolves around Anne and her childhood first love, Daigo. By the way, Shimane is home to the Nima Sand Museum, a central part of the story. I'd love to visit there and buy an hourglass, the same one prominently featured in the drama.
What I liked
First and foremost is the adult version of Anne, played by the lovely Sato Megumi. Her beauty rivals that of Ito Misaki's, IMHO. This is one of Megumi's rare lead roles, and she is absolutely stunning in all her gorgeousity. Kobayashi Ryoko isn't bad herself, as the teenage Anne. And then there's the spunky, 12-year-old Anne, played by Miyama Karen. All 3 Daigo's are also finely portrayed by Izumisawa Yuuki, Sano Kazuma, and the venerable Takezai Terunosuke. The supporting cast was good, as well. In particular, Anne's grandmother, played by Omori Akemi.
Secondly, I liked that the wonderful story pretty much stays focused on love, and the ups and downs associated with it. This show is, after all, part of TBS's Love Theater... But seriously, right from the get-go, Love is at center stage. Each version of Anne and Daigo have their romantic encounters, as well as the troubles that go along with them. Pretty amazing, considering the length of this drama, at about 30 hours!
And thirdly, I must mention the locations and music. In addition to the Sand Museum, Shimane has other beautiful places, and along with the filming around Tokyo, this drama gets a rare perfect location score from me. And the theme song, Hito Koi Meguri (Love's Journey), sung by Shibasaki Ko, is a remarkable ballad that I never got sick of listening to over and over again when watching the show.
What I didn't like
Partly by design, and partly by necessity, flashbacks were utilized to remind the viewers, as well as move the story along. But I thought it was too much. The flashbacks to past scenes were often repeated too often, and the amount of former scene playbacks probably amounted to a few episodes worth of time.
The middle part kind of bogged down, with teenaged Anne acting schizophrenic at times. I didn't enjoy some of her tearful moments, which sometimes were her fault anyways. But then again, there's a reason why she acted the way she did...
At the beginning, travelling between Shimane and Tokyo was a big thing for Anne and Company. But after a while, she, Daigo, and the others would shuttle back and forth between the two distant places like it was teleportation or something. I rolled my eyes several times when these unrealistic transportation scenes occured.
Conclusion
Overall, a superb piece of work. I might not get around to watching it again soon, due to its length. But it's definitely a heart-warmer of a drama. Finally, an explanation to my headline, An hourglass as a metaphor for life. Anne's grandmother puts it succinctly-- the sand in the upper part of the hourglass represents the future, the sand falling through the narrow part represents the present, and the sand in the bottom part represents the past.
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