Seasons Database > Fall 2003 >

HAKOIRI MUSUME

Network: Fuji TV
Air time: Tuesday 10:00-10:54 PM
Number of episodes: 10
Genre(s): love, family, human drama
Official Home Page: http://www.ktv.co.jp/hakoiri/
Opening/Ending themes: LOVE PSYCHEDELICO - My last fight
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Cast and characters:

Iijima Naoko
<<Komori Hana

Fukada Kyouko
<<Komori Akari

Yoshizawa Yuu
<<Takamura Tetsurou

Tamayama Tetsuji
<<Koizumi Junpei

Katsumura Masanobu
<<Takubo Ken

Furuta Arata
<<Yamada Juurouta

Initial Impressions

"HAKOIRI MUSUME" is the story of two sisters: Hana (34, Iijima Naoko) and Akari (20, Fukada Kyouko). They live on top of a mountain called Takao near Tokyo. It is a tourist area famous for its monkeys, and is most easily reached by cable car. They live with their parents who run a restaurant.

Hana makes several attempts to make a life for herself in Tokyo, but always fails and ends up going back up the mountain to live with her parents. This time, she has decided that she wants to carry on the family business, and begins working as a waitress at her parents' restaurant, and doing a very poor job of it.

Akari is disgusted by her sister's behavior, and is determined not to end up the way she has. She meets a boy named "Tetsurou" on the Internet and goes down to Tokyo in order to meet him in person. It turns out that this "Tetsurou" she's been talking with anonymously on the Internet is the son of a rich family played by Yoshizawa Yuu. They begin dating, and Akari even ends up meeting his parents, but Akari is too afraid to tell Tetsurou that she lives on top of Mount Takao. It is a very inconvenient place, and she is embarrassed by her parents' shabby lifestyle.

Meanwhile, back on top of the mountain, Hana chances to meet a Caucasian man to whom she accidentally inflicts physical harm. (Watch the clip for more on this.) She buys him a drink to apologize, but she is seen by an acquaintance and rumors that she is dating a foreigner begin to spread. Her father is especially upset by this rumor. Hana has absolutely no interest in dating this man, but he seems to have taken an interest in Hana! He begins making frequent trips up the mountain to see her, much to the dismay of Hana. It looks as if the writers of this drama actually have something in store for these two. We'll have to wait and see what happens. I applaud the casting department for actually managing to find a good-looking Caucasian to play the part. He doesn't seem to have much acting ability though.

There was one more surprise revealed in the first episode, but I guess it's kind of a spoiler, so I won't say anything more about it. It's not the flashiest looking drama ever, but the first episode was entertaining and I'll be tuning in next week.

Final Thoughts

I really came to love this drama and its characters as the weeks passed. It was one of the best of the season - right up there with "anata no tonari ni dare ka iru" and "kyouhansha". The setting on Mt. Takao really did turn out to be a pleasant backdrop for the series, and somehow made it different from the typical renai drama that takes place on the crowded streets of Tokyo. I think I want to visit Mt. Takao myself someday. It seems like a cool place. I'm sure many others have also gotten the same idea since this drama has aired and Mt. Takao's visitor rate has taken a leap.

As for the characters, Iijima Naoko's character worked and I have no complaints. Fukada Kyouko, however, I am starting to get a little bit annoyed with. I could do without her. The sad puppy dog act is getting old, but at least it's not as bad in this drama as it was in "First Love". I must give applause, however, to the two actors who played Hana and Akari's parents. They were perfect! I'm sorry they're not listed above in the cast list, though they really should be. They're definitely major characters. The man who plays the foreigner named Keith was a crummy actor, as I originally ascertained. In the drama, they claim he is a yank, but when he speaks English you can tell that he's actually a Brit. He should have tried to fake an American accent to try to fit the part. Then again, the Japanese viewers don't know the difference of course. You can also tell that he doesn't know what he's saying when he speaks his Japanese lines, and sometimes they put words in there that he probably shouldn't know, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. It was entertaining enough to watch the romance between his character and Iijima's gradually develop.

Maybe some elements of the plot weren't all that original (Amnesia?! Give me a break!), but I enjoyed coming back to the little world on top of the mountain every week and watching the characters go through their little struggles. Somehow this drama just has that little special something that makes dramas worth watching. If you ever get a chance to see it, it's worth watching.

Sample Clip

Real Media - 37 seconds

Sample Clip Translation

Hana: Do you want me to hit you some more? Don't underestimate Japanese women... That's...
Keith: "You dropped it. That's why I was following you."