Shijukara~ Beginning at 40

Sayaka Yamaguchi stars as Shinobu Watanuki, a once-hugely popular mangaka who has decided after 20 years to leave the business. She has just moved on from the company when she hears that her old manga “Pancakes in Hell”, a story of infidelity from years ago has gained a new popularity in digital form, enough that they ask her to try out a new series.

Following the infidelity trend, they ask her to write a story of a woman who is unsatisfied with her married life and seeks an affair to liven up her life. Shinobu agrees, and with the royalty money from Pancakes in Hell, creates an office in her home and hires an assistant named Tachibana Chiaki (Rihito Itagaki) to help her with the task of bringing her new story to life.

Chiaki is smart and efficient and helpful with doing things via computer, something that Shinobu struggles with!

 Together they successfully complete the new series, and Shinobu says she would love to have him back if she gets more work. Chiaki, however, has desires of his own...

Since the beginning of their partnership he has shown signs of being attracted to Shinobu, and while working on the new comic, has perhaps thought the story of the woman bored with her married life and seeking an affair might be about Shinobu herself!

Shinobu laughs and assures Chiaki that the idea of the story came from the magazine itself, but no matter. He has felt her dissatisfaction with her life  by being with her and her family, the way they take her for granted and call her an old lady.

He knows this is a woman who needs excitement in her life, and he feels like HE’S the one who can give it to her! And so it is that as she turns 40 Shinobu finds herself with a young suitor confessing his love  and aiming for her heart!
Another wonderfully saucy role for Sayaka Yamaguchi who has certainly become the IT GIRL of Cougar Romance dramas!

Seems she's really hit her stride!!!