Also caught a cute little period drama special "Banpaku No Taiyo~ Sun Expo", starring Kanna Hashimoto as a young girl obsessed with being part of the upcoming 1970 World Expo in the months leading up to the event. A very lightweight drama with very thin plot, nonetheless very interesting for someone like me who actually had no idea about this event at all or its cultural significance at the time!
Kanna stars as Kyoko Asano, the daughter of a tatami mat maker in Tokyo who seems to have no real desire for things that girls her age want- to become a wife and homemaker to a good man. The only thing she seems to be excited about is the upcoming World Expo. After the thrill of the Olympics a few years back, she has seen what such events can do for peace and harmony among nations and believes this will be another such thing!
When relatives who run a factory in Osaka are in need of extra hands, Kyoko goes to live with them, where, among other things, she is able to view the construction of the upcoming World Expo firsthand!! Besides Hashimoto, we have a whole bevy of stars, including Karasawa Toshiaki and Ando Sakura as Kyoko's Uncle and Aunt, and Iitoyo Marie as her pretty cousin Chinatsu.
At first content to work in her Uncle's struggling factory, when the opportunity presents itself to work AT the event, she makes it her mission to attain her goals!
I really loved the "feel" of this special, the warm autumn colors really give off a nostalgic 1970's vibe, and a lot of the time I felt like I was watching a new NHK Asadora!
If I had one complaint, I only wish they could have had more information about the actual 1970 World Expo, most of it was mostly glossed over and what I learned I had to discover myself reading up on it after watching the show!
