The character of the Super-efficient Office Worker who excels in her job but is cold and oblivious to social graces outside of the job is a hugely popular trope in modern dramas these days- But before there were the roles of characters like Keiko Kitagawa's Machi Sangenya in "Ie Uru Onna", Miho Kanno's Hiroko Matsukata in "Hataraki Man", Mitsuki Takahata's Sakura Kitano in "Douki No Sakura", or even Mikako Tabe's Sanako Moriwaka in the recent "Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen", there was Ryoko Shinohara as "Super-Temp" Haruko Omae in the excellent "Haken No Hinkaku" back in 2007, and SO enduring is her character that she's made a return on 2020 with a sequel!
Really dug this drama at the time-After my J-drama implosion in 2000, I was only watching about two J-dramas a year, and while it would take another year before Hotaru No Hikari jumpstarted my love for the genre, shows like Haken Ni Hinkaku and Dragon Zakura were the dramas that kept me interested in J-dramas in the interim!
Must confess, I'm not sure how well this character has aged. As I mentioned, there have been DOZENS of characters just like Haruko Omae since 2007, and all of them have had more actual warmth and caring than the Shinohara character, who really seems to write off and denigrate everyone! LOL!
We do however, have two new temps who make up the bulk of the show, Aki Fukuoka, played by Ayako Yoshitani (who stole the show for me in Grand Maison Tokyo as the quirky patissier Moe Matsui)...
and Chiba Konatsu (Maika Yamamoto, last seen by me as the dazzling Asuka in Shinitai Yoru Ni Kagitte)...
Despite it being Ryoko Shinohara's show, the story seem to revolve mostly around these two girls, and though Omae is the star of the show and always comes to the "rescue" of the girls, they seem to be sort of the "main" characters in the show....
Not that I'm complaining! Because this show really needs some humanity and warmth, and these girls really give it!
Posted by zdorama@zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
