At the halfway mark of the totally endearing Mei Nagano asadora “Hanbun Aoi” and so far it’s been a real hoot! Somehow can't stop watching it to see what happens next!
As you all know, Mei Nagano aside, the main allure for watching this drama was because of all the actresses that appeared in this one, and things start off with a bang with heavy hitters Yasuko Matsuyuki AND Tomoyo Harada leading the front of strong-willed Mothers-to-Be. Both charismatic as heck and both devastatingly attractive in their own ways! And with the birth of their first kids Ritsu and Suzume, the drama is off to its start!
Been through several "arcs” of the series already, starting with the first arc with Suzume and Ritsu as kids…both kids are great, and though I don't think the girl looks anything like she would grow up to be Mei Nagano, this young actress REALLY sold it! Actually, all the kids are great! 
Arc two: Into the Teenage Years
As usual for these morning dramas, I get used to the child actresses playing the main characters and it’s ALWAYS a jolt when it switches to the adult star. No matter WHO the actress is, I always have a rough time realigning my mind to see the actress as the younger version. Fortunately Mei’s natural warmth buoyed my belief enough that it didn’t take long to see her as the ‘true” Suzume!
The friendship of Suzume and Ritsu (now played by Takeru Sato) grows and I really liked this dynamic of theirs, true friends, not romantic interests per se...
Besides Mei we have our next BIG fave actress of mine, the mononymously named Nao, who, as the aptly named character of Nao, plays Suzume’s best (girl)friend. If I recall correctly, it was because of Nao that this drama was FIRST recommended to me, and she’s been a dear to see. Not as kooky as her later characters in other dramas, but the aura is there!
Rounding up the gang is Yuma Yamoto, whom I will ALWAYS see as Hagoromo’s older brother in Bishonure Tantei Mizuno Hagoromo, as pal Butcher. Ritsu, Suzume, Nao and Butcher, the four of them play off each other so well together and you really feel their camaraderie!
Arc Three: The Manga Years
Then we come to the chapters where Suzume moves to Tokyo to work for Office Tinkerbell under the tutelage of the odd Haori Akikaze (Etsushi Toyokawa). 
Here we meet MORE big fave actresses of mine with Nana Seino as a fellow mangaka Yuko and the beautiful Haruka Igawa as the stoic Hishimoto.
Gotta say, Hishimoto might be my all-time favorite role for Haruka Igawa. She is SO damn COOL as the manager of office Tinkerbell, no one gets by her, not even the arrogant Akikaze! And the dresses she’s always dressed in are so pretty.
Also marks the reappearance of the mysterious Saya Ito. I didn’t even recognize that it was Seika Furuhata when she first appeared earlier in the drama- Only at her reappearance did I say, hey, that’s Seika! Mesmerizing beauty…(and oh, so evil!) LOL!
BTW, This courtyard thingy- I swear that this exact set piece was used in Churasan a few times, or at least a set that looked JUST like it!
Speaking of Jdrama deja vu, LOOK, there’s that building they used in Zaboga and the Ryo Nishikido drama TRACE, here used as the college library !
We also have the first appearance of Tomoyo Nakamura as a fellow Tokyoite and friend of Ritsu, who becomes a love interest for Suzume. I totally forgot he was in this.
I wonder how I would feel about him being Suzume’s first romance if I didn’t already like Nakamura from Akechi Goro and Nagi No Oitoma. Considering how this relationship turned out, I can kinda see why!
One of my favorite chapters is when Suzume’s Mom comes to visit, I love her wide-eyed amazement at the big city. I love how you can see she brought a freaking broom with her. I love the interaction between her and Akikaze, the way he elegantly butters her up and how she's wary of him just the same. 
Also should note how pretty she looked even as she was doing all the housework, cleaning up that dingy dorm, though "Housewives love to clean" is probably not PC in this day and age LOL!
My fave scene is when Suzume and Mom are in bed and talking. They have a heart to heart, you can see how much they love each other. I think this was one of the greatest moments in the whole drama so far. Had me tearing up for no good reason at all, just so touching!
As far as the two Soul-Mates go, I thought it was obvious that Suzume and Ritsu were going to end up with each other, and as the show progressed I thought it was well working towards that conclusion... But far from what I was expecting, this show has amazingly been unpredictable, keeping me off-balance and continually guessing with the curves they keep throwing on these two!
Indeed, as the end of this arc comes to a close, I have no IDEA where these two best friends' destinies are going to be heading! 
Keeping me on my toes and on the edge of my seat, it's time to start on the second half of this fine, thought provoking little drama!