The Merry Side of Mio Imada in "Waru"

 
Part Shomuni, part Iihito and part Okane Ga Nai, Mio Imada channels her inner Fuka Koshiba in her first headlining role as the peppy Maririn Tanaka in “ Waru: Hataraku no ga Kakko Warui Nante Dare ga Itta?”, a girl with a gusto for work and an unshakeable positivity for life!

The company employees of online sales company OHMI don’t know what to make of the eternally sunny and SUPER SPASTIC girl newly employed in the  Equipment Management Section, but once they meet her and her exuberant attitude, they don’t soon forget her!

Everything she does makes people turn around and remember her (for better or worse!), and the scene of Maririn speaking out in the middle of the president’s speech is right out of “Doki no Sakura”!

Like dramas Shomuni and Iihito, Maririn is placed in the lowest of all sections where careers go to die, and she is expected by manager Minigishi (Noriko Eguchi) to soon lose both interest and her enthusiasm in the nether dwellings of the company, but she will soon prove her mettle!
Below: Shades of “Shomuni”

And Tanaka’s positive attitude is indeed a sorely needed thing at Ohmi, with tons of employees angry, beat and jsut plain frustrated with their job environment and life situations, all of which the innocently naive Tanaka is happy to meddle in!

Hikari ishida

Mirai Shida

Haruna Kondo

Shizuka Ishibashi

From the get go she is using her people skills to make friendly connections and slowly make her way up the chain of the company, but the company may have plans for her that she cannot foresee!

And amid all the hub-bub Maririn is looking for the mysterious T.O.(Osamu Mukai), a fellow OHMI employee who she met as a skydiving instructor who once inspired her at her lowest point…

I must admit I had a hard time getting into this show at first because it REALLY looked to me like Mio Imada was doing an ACTUAL imitation of Fuka Koshiba, specifically her role in "She was Pretty", but by the show’s halfway mark I threw in and just enjoyed the activities!

Fro someone who’s  known for playing glamorous characters, it’s funny that Mio’s first starring role is the wacky Maririn Tanaka… Actresses like the aforementioned Fuka Koshiba, Mitsuki Takahata, Mei Nagano and Minami hamabe all started out playing these kind of bokke characters, guess Mio knew it was a great way to start! in any case, I’m really enjoying it!

EDIT: Just found out this is a remake of the 1992 drama Waru starring none other than Hikari Ishida herself in the titular role of Maririn! Whaaaaat!!!!

What a wonderful easter egg to have her appearing in this 2022 drama as well!

This reminds me of when they remade Itazura na Kiss (with Ryoko Kobayashi as the lead) and original lead Aiko Sato made a cameo in it, and looks like I wasn't the only one as someone named Onya posted this wonderful pic:

"Double Kotoko & Double Maririn"! LOLOL