Shizuka-chan And Papa

 Also began watching “Shizuka-chan to Papa” about a young girl and her senior Father who is deaf. Riho Yoshioka atars as Shizuka Nonomura, a kind and spirited girl working as a  waitress where though she works hard, is disliked by her co-workers for her inability to read the atmosphere, a trait picked up by having to focus on what is directly in front of her in disregard to her surroundings, taking care of her Father.

Junsuke (Tsurube Shofukutei) is Shizuka’s Father, who despite being deaf, has single handedly raised his daughter since his wife (who was also deaf) passed away while Shizuka was still a child. Both cantankerous and childlike in his outlook, he is constantly butting heads with his headstrong daughter, though they both love each other very much!

One day Shizuka meets an oblivious young man at the restaurant where she accidentally overfills his coffee. She later happens to see him having a bit of a pickle when he doesn’t have enough to pay for a snack for a truck vendor.
Even worse, the vendors don’t speak Japanese well and can’t understand why he can’t pay. Fortunately, Shizuka has learned well how to understand someone simply by their gestures and behavior, and manages to smooth things over by paying out of her own pocket. 

The man’s name is Keiichiro Michinaga (Yuto Nakajima) , and over the meal, the two get to talking and find they have a lot in common- both are outcasts of sorts because of their inability to read the room.

When she sees a stain on his shirt, she offers to wash it off for him at their studio which is nearby. Thus his first meeting with Junsuke is in the waiting room with no shirt on! 

Nonetheless, he manages to make friends with Shizuka and her confused Papa, and so it is a shock when a town meeting is held by businessmen who intend to tear down the old town and put up a new development…and they find Keiichiro one of the suits!!!

At first appalled, they see that he is sincere in his convictions and desire to work with the community for an outcome that will benefit everyone. 

And as he takes the time to get to know them, a possible romance may be up ahead for he and Shizuka…that is, unless his co-worker Makoto Hasegawa (Mina Fujii) doesn’t get him first!

In the meantime, Junsuke himself is getting a new lease on life with a new love interest in the form of pretty Music teacher Sakura Suzuma (Tae Kimura) who initially hires him to take photos of her students before branching off into something more…

Shizuka-chan To Papa REALLY reminds me of the old KIKU dramas of the early 90’s with its homey and warm sensibilities and its affection for family-driven stories, somehow even the colors of the show have this real nostalgic feel to them…

....Let’s see where this drama goes!!

A Few Good Men with Misako Renbutsu in “Riso No Otoko”

 Also been loosely watching the drama “Riso No Otoko~ The Ideal Man” starring Misako Renbutsu and Mina Fujii as two women going through the hoops and rings of romance as they make their way through a gaggle of guys in hopes of finding that one man who is truly for them!

Toko Komatsu (Renbutsu) is a hairdresser who is loved by her customers for her kind and caring ways. 

One day she is visited by her friend Marisa Azumi (Fujii), a Literary Editor, who has a favor to ask: to make her introverted client look presentable for his first big writer’s award.

A practical Hikkikomori, writer Mitsuyasu (Masanobu Ando) doesn't see the need  to get all dressed and cleaned up for an award, but he is won over by Toko’s positive attitude.

And so it is taht with a clip here and a cut there, Toko manages to deliver a spry and spiffy Mitsuyasu to the ceremony, just in time to accept his award! And along the way, he finds himself attracted to Toko….

Along the way Toko brushes with Keigo Shima (Ryosuke Mikata) , who happens to be a childhood friend of Toko’s. Keigo is an Editor working with Marisa and is delighted to see her at the ceremony. He tells Marisa that he and Toko are just friends, but you know when they say that, there’s a romance plot coming up…

There’s also a young art designer named Masami Takano (Toshiki Seto) working with the team who has a secret fancy for Marisa, and as the drama goes on, we will see how the five characters act and interact with each other in search of that “Special Someone”…

Been awhile since I've seen Mina Fujii in a starring role, and Misako renbutsu is always entertaining, we'll see where this one goes....