Fall 2012
Osozaki No Himawari or Late Blooming Sunflower is a heartwarming drama that follows the lives of 7 young adults. They all have dreams, but they live through their insecurities. One day, Kodairo Jotaro (Ikuta Toma) who is living an "average" life holding temporary jobs is laid off from a company that was supposed to provide him full-time work. He is also dumped by his girlfriend for his indirectness and laid back attitude. Desperately he looks for something he can do without much luck until he stumbles upon an ad that requires a volunteer to work in Kochi prefecture for 3 years to help revitalize Shimanto city. He decides to go for the job without really having any plans or knowing exactly what is expected of him. At first, he starts working like any other "job" but he begins to realize that there is something unique and special about this town. As he develops relationships with the locals, he begins on a journey toward self-awareness and a purposeful life.
Recommendation: This was a solid drama. It provided a good amount of humor, tension, sadness and joy as it followed the lives and relationships of 7 characters. The story of a young man floating through life, eventually finding something meaningful to focus on and influencing others with his positive energy is nothing new. I would put it in the inspirational category, but I often felt some scenes were forced. I think Ikuta Toma plays a good central character and the acting all around was quite good, but I felt they could have developed the love relationship between Jotaro and Kahori a bit better. They were definitely bonding, but their relationship was more friend like than love like in my opinion so the ending didn't work for me that well. The scenes of the Shimanto river and nature surrounding the city were really nice to see. I felt like I was involved in this rural town away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The pace of the drama too was slow which was probably done on purpose to create a laid back mood. Overall, it's an uplifting drama about finding yourself and holding onto your dreams. There is no real closure in this drama and nothing gets completed in terms of external/physical accomplishments, but I think that is the point. So if that's what interests you than I recommend it. I've just seen plenty of dramas with similar story-lines and situations, so to me it was good, but not great.
Story: 0.5
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 0.5
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 1.0
4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns
I was finally happy to see Ikuta Toma takin' the lead and getting the girl at the end. Like you said the romance element seemed forced but i have noticed that romance element in jdramas are very different. Its more about friendship, protecting (the guys usually says oraga mamur), restrain :), etc and less about passion and rashness ...hehe
ReplyDeleteI like Ikuta Toma. He was quite funny in Hanazakari No Kimitachi E. I am Japanese-American. I lived in Japan for 1 year and have visited about a dozen times, but I still feel like a foreigner when I go there. So, I guess I don't fully understand the Japanese view on romance in full. Thank you for your opinion!
Deletewell the jdrama world might be very different from the real J-world. I think love is universal and same in any country or culture... i guess the difference is only how its portrayed.
ReplyDeleteBut i definitely think that love being more about trust, support, friendship is better. I guess that y i only watch jdramas
I watch movies and shows from the U.S. and even though the acting and technology used in them are very good, I somehow go back and watch J dramas. I think I feel the same way about the positive aspects like you mentioned that brings me back.
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