Osozaki no Himawari begins with a man losing his job and his girlfriend on the same day. Embarrassed at his situation, he finds a job online on a Local Revitalising Team in a small town in the Japanese countryside.
Thus Ikuta Toma and his big eyes and floppy hair helps people out the best he can. He seems awfully naïve for someone in their late-twenties, but that's a minor complaint. The story is all about him trying to do his best in the face of some peculiar country ways.
He doesn't have any world-weary arrogance or disdain for these people. Instead that is provided by a doctor from Tokyo who has been given a position at the local hospital where she grew up. Having escaped the country once, she finds herself right back where she started, and she's not happy about it.
The population is ageing, businesses are closing, young people are leaving. Behind the feel-good storylines are some grim views of rural life. But they're quite a long way in the background just now. I'm just enjoying the lightweight storylines and already complicated romances, and it's nice to see Ikuta Toma and Kashii Yu (Linda, Linda, Linda) in a drama again.
Wow! I really love this series! I never liked Toma Ikuta much, but he's in some of my favorite series (say, Tiger & Dragon or other Kudo Kankuro series)! In this series I really like his acting! He's much more mature, but naive at the same time. It doesn't hurt that Maki Yoko is his counterpart in it. She shines, as usual, and not just because of her looks ; )
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff till now!