Okaeri
26 April 2008
The Spring 2008 drama season started a couple of weeks ago and I've been watching a couple of them. The first one that caught my eye was Hokaben, which is based on a manga of the same name. It stars Ueto Aya as the newly qualified lawyer, Doumoto Akari, who wants to specialise in Pro Bono cases (free legal service) as it is her dream to help those who are in need. Unfortunately the Pro Bono section of her law firm isn't very highly regarded and only contains one lawyer and his paralegal. This lawyer was sent to the section as punishment and doesn't take any interest in his work. There is tension between them as the naive but enthusiastic Akari starts her first day at work in the not-so-enthusiastic Pro Bono section.
I had the impression that this would be a quite light-hearted drama similar to Deru Toko Demashou! but I was severely wrong. The first episode deals with a mother who wishes to divorce her husband because he has been beating her and abusing their young daughter. They're both on the run because of what the husband might do. Akari takes up the case and tries to convince the mother to file charges of domestic violence against the husband but she refuses. Akari continually tries to change the mother's mind but it doesn't work. Things are made worse when the husband gets a high court judgement to take the daughter back. Feeling she has no other choice, the mother decides to kill the husband in a cafe. It leaves Akari devastated and questioning her reasons for practising law.
It's the first time I've seen Aya in such a serious role. Usually she plays the upbeat and energetic characters but in this drama she's really put through the emotional grinder. That scene in the rain was so beautifully shot and a brilliant opening to the series. I watched the whole thing without subtitles so there was a fair bit that I didn't understand. I'm eagerly awaiting the subtitled release.
Another drama that caught my eye was Zettai Kareshi. I had originally wanted to watch this series because of its wacky storyline but was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of my favourite actors in it. Heading up the cast in the lead role is Aibu Saki from Attention Please. Also in it as supporting characters are Maya Miki (Attention Please) and Mizushima Hiro (Hanazakari no Kimitachi E). This drama is very much a comedy with a hint of romance. It makes a nice contrast to Hokaben's seriousness.
The story centres around Izawa Riiko who is a temp at a confectionery company. She meets an employee of Kronos Heaven who promises her that he'll find her the perfect boyfriend. She agrees and takes part in a survey questioning her preferences in regards to the ideal lover. The next day she receives a massive box containing a humanoid robot. This robot is programmed to match all the options that she chose on the survey. However, she is completely freaked out and finds him/it rather troublesome. He/it proves his/its devotion to her later on in the episode and she slowly begins to warm to the idea.
I absolutely love this drama! It's so totally unbelievable but that's what makes it so much fun to watch. This might be the series to watch this season, for me at least. I also tried Last Friends which has a impressive cast list but was far far too serious for my liking. I can see that it's a very good story but I don't think I'd enjoy it very much. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the first episode of Gokusen 3 to be subtitled. After such a long absence it'll be interesting to see Nakama Yukie reprise her role as Yankumi. I hope it'll be as good as the previous seasons. There are a couple of other dramas I might try out but I think I have my viewing list sorted for now.
Posted byHocchan at 9:26 pm
