ZDORAMA, AGAIN

Friday, February 10, 2023

Shomonai Bokura no Renairon

OK, also caught the sweet drama “Shomonai Bokura no Renairon”, following the story of an Art Designer named Takuro Tsutsumi (Hidekasu Mashima) who, at middle age, is beginning to feel past his prime, with signs of younger folks beginning to take over his jobs.

In the midst of this semi-mid-life crisis of sorts, he suddenly gets a friend request from an old friend of his whom he once had a band with…as well as an unrequited love with.

Her name is Anna, and, though nervous about the prospect of reconnecting after all these when he gets there,Takuro is stunned to see a girl whom looks like the perfect memory of Anna as she looked all those years ago! But when she introduces herself, she is revealed to be Kurumi (Seina Nakata), Anna’s 17 year old daughter!

This spritely girl wants to know all about him, his memories and feelings about her Mother. Takuro remarks how much she resembles her Mother, and, looking around, wonders when he can meet her. It’s here that he finds out that his past love has passed away a month before, a devastating fact he knew nothing about.

That evening he informs the others in the band about their keyboardist's passing and laments about the almost-love he once had with Anna, and of how he never got to see her again.

Meanwhile Kurumi has been dealing with her Mother’s passing in her own way by going through her treasured keepsakes, and over and over again, Takuro and the band they had keeps coming back into the picture.More and more she realizes how important this guy was to her Mom.

Finding an old cassette of Takuro and her Mom playing music, she excitedly brings the tape over to Tsutsumi, and listening to the tape together, He finds the music takes him back to those good old days with Anna and the band, how happy they were and with so much to look forward to.

After reminiscing a bit, Takuro asks Kurumi why she decided to meet up with him in the first place, to which she says, “I wanted to meet the Man that my Mom liked.”.
And with that, she takes her leave, but little do the two know how much they will figure in each other’s lives from this point on!

For one reason and another, Kurumi keeps finding ways to be involved with Takuro and his own meandering life. And as the show goes on, we see how their presence affects the other, with Kurumi dealing with her schoolwork and future choices, as well as Takuro in the crossroads of his mid-life dealing with a job he is becoming unsuited for and an aging father! In times like these the other is there for them ...

(with Syoya Mikata)

A very captivating show with Hidakasu Mashima doing his best mopey uncle and support roles from other actors such as Akako Yada as his childhood friend /maybe love interest Eri Morita:

Tetta Sugimoto as Takuro's Boss...

Satomi Tezuka as Kurumi’s Grandmother…

...and then there’s Seina Nakata as the uber genki and spazzy Kurumi Tanimura! WOWW I’d already fell in love with her shenanigans in her episode of the excellent 2021 drama “Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1 Jikan” as the naughty little sister who tries to steal her big sister’s boyfriend:
If you saw that episode, you'd know how cute and rascally she was...Happily, she gives off the SAME energy here! So CUTE!

Reminds me of Mitsuki Takahata in her early Kahoko days!

This promises to be one fine little drama!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

6-Byoukan no Kiseki: Hanabishi Mochizuki Seitaro no Yuutsu

Under recommendation from hamanosilence, I gave the drama "6-Byoukan no Kiseki: Hanabishi Mochizuki Seitaro no Yuutsu" (The 6-Second Trajectory: Fireworks Expert Mochizuki Seitaro's Melancholy) a peek, and I found it utterly delightful and charming to watch!!

The loose synopsis is the son of a Father-And Son Fireworks business named Seiichiro Mochizuki (Issei Takahashi) loses his motivation and purpose in life after his Father, Kou (J-drama mainstay Isao Hashizume) passes away, leaving him to take over the failing company.

Before he had passed, Kou had proposed a new idea of offering personal fireworks events for private individuals, an idea which Seiichiro had scoffed at.

But months after father's death, Seiichiro is shocked to find his Dad had actually gone ahead with his plans before his death, a discovery Seiichiro finds when a young woman shows up at the store's door with one of his flyers for the proposed private fireworks show!

Her name is Hikari Mizumori (Tsubasa Honda) and she has come to take the business UP on its offer and hire them for a private fireworks show!

Seiichiro is stunned and befuddled by the turn of events...but the BIGGEST shock is yet to come, when he hears fireworks going off from the direction of the factory, and running up to the building....FINDS THE GHOST OF HIS FATHER WAITING FOR HIM!

Has Seiichiro gone mad? Or is this really his Pops spirit come to guide him? Whatever the case, the client is still waiting for him and, at the goading of his Father's playful spirit who has followed him back home, takes on the task of creating and coordinating Hikari's very own fireworks show...

But there's more on the horizon as the mysterious Hikari soon begs of one more request: to take her in as a LIVE -IN APPRENTICE to the Shop and HIRE HER as an official employee!!!

Seiichiro can't wrap his head around the concept, but with badgering from both Hikari AND his deceased pop, he gives in!

And thus this addled young man takes on the multi-task of teaching his new and quirky apprentice the trade, while dealing with living with a pretty young woman like her...as well as dealing with his rascally rambunctious father's ghost interfering underfoot!

Gotta say, though it sounds like a pretty thin story set-up, I think the real strength of the show is watching how CHARISMATIC and VIBRANT Takahashi and Honda are in their roles- It's almost as if the director told Tsubasa to act her her most quirky "Tsubasa Honda" type character, and told Issei to act in his most eccentric "Issei Takahashi" type character, and then simply let them go at it!!! SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH!