After the Mei Nagano drama Hanbun Aoi, which started out great (but ended up being exhausting for me to watch), I intended to give morning dramas a break, but when NHK released the first images of an upcoming drama (back when the then-current show “Yell” was still airing) named “Okaeri Mone”, I have to admit I was interested, and it was all due to its star, Kaya Kiyohara!!
Been a fan of Kaya’s ever since the melancholy clinic drama “Toumei no Yurikago” with Kaya as the thoughtful Aoi, and really became a big fan of hers after her appearance as Ikuta Toma’s niece in “Ore No Hanashi wa Nagai”, and was keen to see her headline her own morning drama.
Kaya plays Momone “Mone” Nagaura, a teenager girl living on a small island in Miyagi prefecture. Upon graduation, she announces her only desire is to get off the island, and, without any real goal in mind, goes to live in the mountains where she works for her lodging and meals as a forest guide.
She lives with the town’s unofficial matriarch Sayaka Nitta (NHK go-to Mari Natsuki) , a feisty old gal who built most of the town’s workings including the forest guide headquarters which also houses a cafe and a small clinic with a doctor. Through Nitta, Mone learns to love and respect nature and one of her favorite things is seeing a beautiful sky, a big bonus if there happens to be an iridescent cloud, a sign of good luck!
Back at the Center, Mone is curious about the resident doctor Suganami (Kentaro Sakaguchi) who makes trips each week to the woods to examine his patients. He seems so cold and stand-offish, that she wonders why he even chose such a profession. 
Through talking she learns that it’s his desire to save people, and Mone admires him for such a reason. As for Mone herself, she has no goals or indeed any passions to speak of, and looks up to those who have clear desires for the things they do.
Mone’s Father (Masaki Uchino) and Mother (Kyoka Suzuki) still live back on the island along with Mone’s younger sister Michi (Aju Makita).
Though the parents clearly miss Mone, sister Michi has been working hard and even appears on television to talk of her desire to develop new avenues for the fishery business there. Mone sees her on TV and realises she’s the only one wandering aimlessly in life.
Just then, the small community gets a surprise visitor, Satoru Asaoka (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a popular TV weatherman who is there for a Shotaro Ishinomori(!) Convention!
Through their talks and walks, she learns of the power of understanding weather. Cold fronts, upward pressure, cloud formation, etc, these are all things that one can use to predict what is on the horizon, and Mone listens with fascination.
While there, Asaoka takes in the sights and spots, and as a forest guide Mone is there beside him every step of the way.
When a traditional Noh Performance is set to be cancelled due to rain, Mone asks Asaoka for help determining if the event will be a wash-out, and when he calls in his contacts and gets on his laptop, she sees his powers in action.
Thanks to the quick work of Asaoka, the troupe learn that the rain will lift and can proceed with their performance, to the cheers of all! Mone is amazed at Asaoka's skill. “It’s like being able to see the future!” she beams, and as they watch a brilliant rainbow in the aftermath of the storm, we see the first inkling of a real passion for something awakening in her!
Soon it is time for Asaoka to go back to business. He gives her his card if she has any questions for him. Mone is sad to see him go, but does have one question she'd like confirmation of: Are Iridescent Clouds good luck? A chuckling Asaoka says that that's just superstition, but adds that if such a belief makes one look up to the sky with happiness, then it is indeed a good thing! 
And on the subject of Iridescent clouds, Asaoka looks toward the clouds and tells her she can expect one very shortly. And when, climbing a hill, Mone does indeed see one of her lucky clouds, we see the love of weather and all its wonders taking hold....
Man oh man, is Kaya GREAT in this drama! Really one of those actresses who always seems so sweet and loveable, you like her from the first moment you see her and want to see where she’s going to go!
An asadora is a long commitment and I hope the subtitles have the gumption to stick with it through its entire run, but as they do, it will be fun to watch this drama and see what happens next!
PS: I noticed that Okaeri Mone doesn’t begin with Mone as a little girl and then growing up. I’m trying to remember, but does this happen often in these girl heroine asadoras? It’s the first one I think I’ve ever seen that begins with the main character already grown up.
PPS: Thrilling to see Aju Makita here! Aside from some appearances where I didn’t recognize her at all, this will be the first drama I’ve seen with her since Going My Home, where she stole the show for me with her adorable antics!
Oh, and I mentioned this in an earlier post, the first asadora proper I ever saw starred Masaki Uchino in one of his earliest roles, and it’s kind neat to see him here as well as the girls’ dad! BTW, when did he change his name from Masaki to Seiyo?
