Just watched the first episode of the most wonderful show, the drama Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita- from the intro dialog with a sombre woman explaining to the camera the relationship called “oshi”, the mood, pacing and style of the drama had already sold me.
And a good drama has got to have good characters in it, and from the first scene with protagonist Ai Endo, I knew that I loved this woman and was ready to follow her whereEVER the story took her!
Ai is a 30-ish OL with a seemingly bright future ahead of her: her boyfriend is rumored to be promoted to Portugal for his work, and Ai feels sure he is ready to propose to her and take her along with him.
Upon hearing the news, her friends give her catty remarks about it, downplaying her good fortune and trying to one-up her. “They’re all just jealous!” she comforts herself. But that is the kind of life she leads, with a facebook/twitter constant update kind of lifestyle where appearance and status is all that matters.
“Let them be jealous!” is her thought, but she is dealt a heavy blow when instead of proposing to her and inviting her to tag along with him to Portugal, her boyfriend instead DUMPS her, saying her flashy style of living is a turn-off for him (he is particularly offended that she has been posting pics of all their dates online) and furthermore he thinks she is too uncouth to appear as a future wife of his.
Through tears she tries to soften the sting by wailing out sad songs at karaoke, but when she tries to pay after her sob session, she realizes that in her frustration of being dumped, she dropped her phone and lost it!
Not to worry. A quick call top her phone reveals a stranger who picked it up. She offers to come get it, and he tells her to meet at a certain club in town.
Upon getting there. Ai doesn’t know what to think, but isn't prepared for what she sees: the club is full of nerdy, enthusiastic fans and onstage is their favorite act, a cute idol group called Sunny Side Up!
The guys are going nuts over the girls, but Ai zooms in on one particular girl who is clearly struggling to keep up. Her singing is bad and she is two seconds behind everyone else with the dance moves. And most maddeningly of all, she keeps trying to hide behind her bangs instead of facing the audience.
Already bitter because of her misfortune, Ai wants to take it out on somebody, and seeing how much the girl reminds her of HERSELF, she lashes out amid the cheering crowd, barking out, “You can’t sing and you can’t dance and you’re pathetically hiding behind those bangs!!” But just then the music stops and the girl hears every word Ai says.
Ai hadn’t really expected anyone to hear- she was just venting into the crowd. But the girl is devastated and wipes away tears.
As the crowd turns to look at Ai, she yells out defensively, “Y-you all know I’m right!” and then, looking at the girl, scolds, “Why are you crying for? Crying won’t get you anywhere!” and with that, she runs out of the club.
Of course, Ai’s cries of indignation are really aimed at herself for her tears she shed and helplessness she felt at being dumped by her boyfriend. But there is nothing she can do about it now.
The next day, Ai tries to put the events of the previous night behind her. She doesn’t even care about her phone any more and just wants the memories to go away.
But try as she might, she cannot get the hurt look on the girl’s face out of her mind. She knows how horribly she behaved and knows she has to go back and apologize and make it right.
That evening, Ai tries to sneak in incognito wearing a face-mask, but she is identified immediately by a kind older man named Takafumi Shiba. “You’re the one who yelled yesterday, right?” Ai can only hang her head in shame. “Came to apologize?” he hopes, and she nods the affirmative.
But when the girls come out, Ai is shocked to realize that they are now a four-piece. The girl she insulted is nowhere to be seen. Could her words have made her so hurt that she quit?
But just then the door opens and the girl comes scurrying in. She apologizes profusely, shucks her coat and gets onstage...and it’s here we see that she’s cut her bangs!!!
Seems this girl, who is named Hana, has taken Ai’s harsh criticism to heart, telling the crowd, “I know I’m still learning to sing and dance. But at least I can take care of my bangs. I’ve always tried to hide behind them, but I want to become stronger.”
And with that, they go into their song. And as they sing, Ai finds herself deeply touched and, in fact, inspired by this waif of a girl. She knows her shortcomings and is making an effort to change it.
When Shiba gives Ai a ticket for a meet-and-greet picture, she goes up to formally apologize. Instead, Hana shows her gratitude to Ai. And as they shake hands, we feel a deep and true friendship has begun between the two.
Such a warm and comfortable feeling! And so it is a shock when the drama returns to the opening scene and we see that Ai is at a Police Station…and find that she is accused of pushing someone off a building! WHAT!
And with THAT, the show goes to ENDING CREDITS!
Holy HANNAH, what a first episode! Once again, I can’t stress enough how likable there characters are, and it’s not just the words and direction- the actresses playing them are so darn good.
When I first saw Ai, my thought was “Hey, she looks like Yuki Sakurai, that journalist lady in Zettai Seigi!” And indeed it was! And I was even further thrilled when I realized that the girl playing Hana was Yuki’s fellow Zettai Seigi alum, Sei Shiraishi!!!
I’ve already gushed how much I like Sei, and this show promises to be another GREAT addition! Aw MAN, can’t WAIT to get BACK to this one!
PS: Another one of the dramas that Hamanosilence had recommended to me a few weeks back-Luckily this was one that was picked up and subbed by a subbing team (in this case HPriest, who had also done shows like Kahogo no Kahoko)!
PPS: After years of seeing Jun Amaki in the various gravure forums featuring her busty physique (including that famous "Skipping Rope" clip), this is the first drama I'm seeing her in! Looking forward to learning more about her!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
