From earlier this year, “Yameru Toki mo, Sukoyakanaru Toki mo” tells the tale of a struggling furniture designer named Sudo Ichiharu (Taisuke Fujigaya) working through his art to come to terms with a tragedy that causes him to lose his voice every year.
He happens to meet Advertising Agent Sakurako Motohashi (Nao) at a wedding, though the two are too drunk to remember each other that well, but fate steps in when she ends up being his agent for a brochure he is making for his first exhibit!
Though the two have huge emotional baggage, they find kinship in each other and as they develop affection for each other, are slowly working their way up to a real relationship.
But their troubles keep creeping back into their lives, with Sudo dealing with the memory of the death of his first love, and Sakurako dealing with a volatile family situation. But through it all, the one thing that is constant is their love for each other, and it’s heartwarming to see how they get through each problem.
MAN, I was so excited when I found out about this drama, and after watching just the first episode, was so involved that I ended up watching the ENTIRE series in one afternoon!!!
Nao was soooo great in this- though there were times when you couldn’t be sure if Sudo is in love with Sakurako, you NEVER doubt that SHE is in love with HIM! Just take a look at Nao’s face in this scene of them meeting in town. My heart just melts, she looks so happy.
The scene where Sudo is coming to her house for the first time and she's febreezing everything, I was beside myself laughing, it was SO doggone CUTE!!
Something about her smile is so endearing and sincere, a real feat when you consider that for the first few dramas I saw her in, Nao was positively unhinged, a real “crazy” character!
First drama I ever saw her in she played the morose and cold Yuri Hirakawa who stole the show despite it being a Nozomi Sasaki vehicle.
Next thing I saw her in was the Rin Takanashi drama “Koi Ga Heta Demo Ikitemasu” as a jilted customer set on killing Kei Tanaka. Funny because the next time she would appear in a drama with him, she would be totally obsessed with him!
Next , as if to prove to me that she could do more than psycho characters,Nao appeared in a minor spot as a SASSY thang set on giving poor Haru a hard time as one of the outspoken teammates on a project Haru is sent to secure...
VERY hilarious seeing Haru making ‘old lady” jokes at Haru’s expense, a slight that she doesn’t miss, LOL!
Then came the grand role of her career (so far) as the positively frazzled Mihika Ono, the twitchy next door neighbor of Tomoya Harada and Kei Tanaka who is at the top of the list of tenants who may be going around killing people, yet still finding time to stalk Kei every time he sets foot outside! Gads I LOVED her in this one!
Next came her support role as one of the office staff in the Kekkon Dekinai Otoko sequel. Not such a big part, but she was able to let her natural quirkiness come through, and i was like, yep, that’s my girl!”
Hanbun Aoi. Though she was great in her role as Nao Kidahara, I felt she was severely under-utilized in the latter half (as Nana Seino kind of took over Suzume's "best girl-friend" role.) When Nao proclaimed as a youngster that she’d be a famous designer, I thought we would see snippets of her working towards that goal along with the other characters like Suzume and Ritsu, but she was practically demoted to background character. I wanted more...
When I saw her back to playing the best friend in the new Kasumi Arimura drama Nee-chan No Koibito, I have to admit I wasn't thrilled seeing her playing yet another best friend role. I worry that I am going to see her playing only these kind of characters from now on. I hope she doesn't get typecast as the best friend role.
With this in mind, it was absolutely WONDERFUL and REASSURING to see Nao shining so brightly in Yameru Toki mo, Sukoyakanaru Toki mo- This was a sweet little romance drama which further solidifies my belief that Nao is one of the best of the new wave of Japanese Actresses out there and that I can still expect great things from her!
Now to go look for those movies of hers….
