Not usually a fan of schoolkids and school-themed dramas in general, but as the new drama “Gekokujo Juken” starred Kyoko Fukada, I knew I had to at least give it a try, and though it isn’t anything out of the ordinary, the show did manage to make me smile and so I think I’ll be checking in on it!
Gekokujo Juken is the story of a self professed “stupid” couple named Shinichi and Kanako Sakurai (Abe Sadao and Fukada) who are content with living a humble and happy life as “middle-school graduates”with their young daughter Kaori, but when Shinichi gets his latest job stolen from him by a junior who is a Todai University graduate, he begins to fret over the limits he has placed on himself for having left education so soon to look for work.
Unfortunately, his daughter Kaori, though a hard-working and bright student in school, just doesn’t have to chops to do well in the standardized tests, coming in at the very bottom. Even when he takes her to the local Cram school, despite her enthusiasm, she gets low results. Shinichi is chagrined.
One night he has a nightmare about his daughter’s future where she is scrimping and saving, living a dead-end life and no money to live by (the dream is hilarious as, though it’s supposed to be his daughter when she is older and married, it’s the 5th grade actress playing her, LOLOL)
He decides that, if she’s willing, she should try for the very best- the Ouyou Gakuen school, a prestigious institution that will ensure his daughter’s future! They make plans: to study hard to get Kaori’s standardized grade from 41% up to the required 72% average to get accepted!!!
Like I mentioned, i’m not a fan of schoolkid dramas (GADS, I hate the inevitable “troubled kids” storylines) but this show has a lot of heart, and the girl playing daughter Kaori (Miku Yamada) is really likeable, you really want to see her succeed! A sweet show to while away a drab weekend...
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com