Nee-chan No Koibito 終わり

 I suppose this should come as no surprise given my recent post gushing about the wonders of Kasumi Arimura the other week, but I will state for the record that I absolutely loved Nee-chan No Koibito! The story of the outspoken and charismatic Momoko (Kasumi Arimura), a young woman taking care of her three younger brothers, who meets and subsequently falls in love with an introverted young man named Manato (Kento Hayashi) was one that kept me on my toes following the ups and downs of their courtship, but there was more!

We also had the story of her curious co-workers, her supervisor Hinako's (Eiko Koike) budding romance with Store Delivery Man Takada (Naohito Fujiki), and even Emi Wakui as Manato's gentle and caring mother! Really, just a wonderful cast!

We also had a REAL fun side story with Momoko's best friend Miyuki (Nao) being wooed by her brother  Kazuki (Kaito Takahashi)!  I was SO worried that Nao was going to be regaled to generic best friend character, was relieved to find they really made use of her skills as a quirky and eccentric actress- Nao's story was a nice addition to the drama!

And once again, I cannot stress enough how doggone ADORABLE Kasumi Arimura was in this drama...this HAS to be her BEST role yet!  Okay, maybe only in MY opinion, but BOY...she was just pure perfection here!!!!

 I waited til the entire series of Nee-chan no Koibito was subtitled before watching it, and BOY I was glad I did...would have been terrible having to wait between episodes to see what would happen next!!! As it is, I simply FLEW through this drama!!!

Say, this drama was written by Yoshikazu Okada, the same author who wrote Kasumi's earlier dramas "Soshite Ikiru" and "Hiyokko", as well as the highly successful "Churasan" series... He really seems to have a talent for capturing the slice of life style of storytelling, the kind where you are immersed in these characters' lives and never want to leave!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween from Kasumi Arimura and the Gang in "Nee-San No Koibito"

Was just musing about how there were so few Japanese Halloween related things to post in October, and then happened to come across the new drama “Nee-san No Koibito” which was just FULL of Halloweeny Jack-O-Lantern goodness!

Nee-San No Koibito follows the story of a young woman who works in a Crafts and Hardware Store, and if you've even been to one, you know full well that it is a PERFECT place to have the backdrop of the Autumn Season!

Nee-San No Koibito tells story of a young woman named Momoko Adachi (Kasumi Arimura, simply radiant here) who has been taking care of her three younger brothers Kazuki (Kaito Takahashi), Yuki (Wataru Hyuga), and Tomoki (Ryoka Minamide) even since her parents passed away at a young age.

Despite her past, Momoko is a bright, cheerful and hard-working girl beloved by her manager Hinako Ichihara (Eiko Koike) and co-workers alike! She is diligent in her work, and she is destined to meet the man of her future through this job…

Manato Yoshioka (Kento Hayashi, FINALLY back to playing more gentle characters) is an affable guy working as a Cargo deliveryman under the care of Satoshi Takada (Naohito Fujiki). And of course, one of their main stops is T's Crafts and Home, the very same warehouse that Momoko works at!!!

He is a thoughtful person and thought little gestures (like repairing a broken trinket), he manages to make a nice impression with the wide-eyed Momoko!

All that orangey Halloween wonderment aside, Nee-san no Koibito seems like your average romance drama, but with character you like well enough that you’re willing to take a ride with them!

Bonus points for special appearance by Emi Wakui as Manato’s clingy old Mother (yes, she playing old mothers now, who would have EVER thunk it)...

As well as picking actress NAO for Momoko’s best friend Miyuki Hamano... As you all know, Nao has real experience playing the best friend of the main characters for some time now, LOL. Truthfully, I’m ready to see her in some starring vehicle, but for now it's nice to see here here….

Will continue to see where this drama is heading!

PS: Went looking up Halloween in Japan, and now I can see why I don't see much of in in Nihongo stuff. Apparently it's only recently that they've been embracing the holiday, and even them, only the costume part (you know Japan is Koo-Koo for Cosplay), and not so much the whole "Trick or Treat" and Jack 'o' Lantern thing...

Hmm, The more you know!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com