Friday, April 10, 2015

MEI CHAN NO SHITSUJI (メイちゃんの執事)

















Winter 2009

This drama is about a young girl named Mei Shinonome (Nana Eikura) who was living an ordinary life helping her parents run a small udon shop. Her family was poor but she was grateful to have loving parents and friends. Unfortunately one day her parents are killed in a fire that destroys the udon shop and her life is turned upside down. Even more, a strange young man named Rihito Shibata (Hiro Mizushima) suddenly appears and tells her that he has come to serve her as her personal butler. She finds out that she is related to the great Hongo family and that she must attend the exclusive St. Lucia Girl's Academy where all the students have butlers to care for them. Kento Shibata (Takeru Sato), her longtime friend enrolls as an apprentice butler to stay close to her. At the school, she is met with disdain from all the girls and Mei begins to doubt her new position. She then meets the beautiful and mysterious Lucia (Yu Yamada) who is the leader of the highest ranking Sole class. Lucia comforts Mei at first but will she help Mei get acquainted to her new life as a wealthy heiress or is Lucia planning something more sinister behind the scenes? In any case, both Rihito and Kento do there utmost to protect her.

Recommendation: I was interested in the drama because Nana Eikura is one of my favorite actresses. I was also surprised to see some familiar faces such as Hiro Mizushima, Yu Yamada, Osamu Mukai, and even Shiori Kutsuna (although she had a minor role). It was also the first time I saw Takeru Sato and I think he was the best actor in this drama and made it more fun to watch. This drama is based on a popular girl's manga and it is adapted so that it reflects a manga style. Honestly, I wish there were less dramas that try this because I don't think it works well. On the other hand, I'm a guy and this drama is probably geared towards young girls so I might be totally wrong here. In any case, I found the plot to be formulaic as Mei is hated at first, but starts to gain confidants as she helps her fellow classmates one by one to deal with their personal problems. The story is too much of a fantasy for me to swallow and it was difficult to immerse myself in a strange world of super wealthy girls, duels and hard rules against love between butlers and their masters. I did enjoy the acting from the main stars and love triangles that develop between them. If you are into "manga-esque" romantic comedy dramas with an eccentric story-line than this may be one to take a look at.

Story: 0.5
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 0.5
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 0.5

3.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

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