WOMAN

Summer 2013

Woman is a drama focusing on the life of a single mother and the struggles she encounters as she tries to take care of her two kids. Koharu Aoyagi (Hikari Mitsushima) plays the young mother. Due to certain restrictions, she doesn't qualify for welfare and desperately searches for a way to support her kids after her husband, Shin (Oguri Shun) dies in an accident. As her financial situation turns for the worst, Koharu's only hope is to reconnect with her estranged mother, Sachi Uesugi (Tanaka Yuko) who abandoned her when she was a child.

Recommendation: This drama was very difficult for me to rate. I really liked it. I think the screenwriter, Sakamoto Yuji, contributed to another great drama. Mitsushima Hikari is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses and the whole cast including the two kids do a really great job of acting. The story also is not what I initially thought it would be. It has a few twists that keep it from being an ordinary "single mother enduring life's struggles" drama.
After saying all these positive things about it, I have to say that it is a drama that I may never want to see again! It has its uplifting and cheerful moments, but it was quite heavy for me as well. Sometimes I just felt certain aspects of the story were too coincidental and would be overwhelming for any human being to go through. So my suspension of disbelief in this case ended before the drama was over. Still, my ratings are obviously subjective. This was a great drama and I'm sure Mitsushima Hikari will be a strong contender for the summer season's Television Drama Academy Awards.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns