Barairo no Seisen (Japanese Drama)

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30-year-old Miki Makoto (Fukuishi Kazue) is an ordinary housewife struggling with housework and childrearing, but she has always believed in the importance of managing the household over looking beautiful so that her husband, Atsushi (Hasegawa Tomoharu) can go out to work without any worries. However, his infidelity spurs her to make up her mind to search for her ?self? and become beautiful. Choosing the path of an amateur model, she steps into a modelling world that is more rough than she had imagined. Her weapons are her height which has given her an inferiority complex since young, and her extraordinary determination. She keeps having internal conversations with herself as she regains her lost beauty

Currently Airing | Year: 2011



this is a really touching drama about the hardships of a house wife in japan as well as the difficulties of being a model. being a house wife in japan seems slightly different than in the west to me. the wife has to ask her husband for permission to do the things she wants to do outside of the home. in the west (well maybe in the caribbean) even thought the husband may earn the money the house wife is the one who controls it. lol. in this particular story makoto seems like she doesn't have a mind of her own or maybe it is that she has no voice. it's sad watching the way she is treated by her husband and she never realized that she internalized this so much that she has lost her own value woman. the powerful side of this drama is this journey she undertakes to be come a model to rediscover her external beauty and beautiful inner strength. there is also the side story of the dirty/ cut throat side of the modeling business.

my hope is by the end of this drama she will tell her husband where he can shove his expectations and opinions. i hope u guys will be watching with me.
I've only seen the first two episodes of this drama, but I must say that I am not liking it. The main character annoys me to the point that I probably won't watch it again unless i'm bored and the series is complete. I don't feel sorry for her. She is in a tough position, but she is far from being in a bad place. Yet, I feel like she is portrayed as a victim. Furthermore, her lack of dedication and passion for her new career really bothers me. She seems like she's just playing around.

The story of a repressed housewife who finds her independence can be very powerful, but I think this is a bad example.
i disagree. lol wow this might be the 1st time. :p i think she is the victim. her husband is a douche, he is the bread winner and she is responsible for the home and kids. she has been pigeon holed into the role of a house wife and mother and she has to beg and fight to be seen as a woman.

SPOILER**** below in white. scroll over if you don't care*****

she had to beg her parents and her husband to allow her to have a career and if it wasn't for her father she would probably still be on her knees. i think it's very telling of japanese society that her mom only consented after her father defended her and gave her his blessing then he too had to beg the douche bag to let her try being a model and only for a yr. she may not be in a bad place yet cuz her husband has allowed her to pursue her goal (that really bugs me that she had to beg him to allow her to do this) but he's still making her feel like crap for wanting to be more than just his door mat house wife. her douche bag husband won't even look after their kids when he's off duty, all he does is drink and watch tv. if she left him she would have to go back to her parents and my guess is her mom and other ppl would put her down as a bad wife. she would have to give up her goal of being a model and find a full time job to take care of her kids. so yep i feel for her cuz she is in a tough spot.

END OF SPOILER******

as for her lack of passion i disagree there too. i think she had some romanticized, glamorous fantasy of what the modeling industry would be like and the reality was a bit of a shock. she realized it would be a lot harder and she needs to fight more if she wants to do it. she struggling with her family and herself. i don't think she is a bad example at all, quite the opposite actually. i think she is quite relate-able.
A disagreement! lol I think the first was over the child actress in My Girl, hehe. I'm glad you don't take it personally :) <3

I definitely don't think her situation is fair or just, but I think that the power dynamic she is experiencing is very common across societies and social structures. Her husband is a douche, but a lot people have to deal with douchey partners/parents/bosses/people in authority. I'm glad she has a dream and she wants to change her life, but I think she is not really a victim. She's an average person. There are people who are truly victims facing enormous obstacles.

I don't find her naivete charming. I actually find it slightly insulting. She doesn't have to be clueless just because she's a housewife. There are many women who have never been a part of the adult workforce and are observant and knowledgeable. She is an adult woman who is written to be very childlike. I think the fact that she is written that way is another example of the paternalism that creates the situation you described in your spoiler.
oh yeh i forgot about the disagreement over the cute lil actress from My Girl. well there is nothing to take personal. we won't all agree and it's because we can disagree and still have fun that i love spending so much time at mdl. :D

i can see what u're saying in ur last paragraph tho, i guess the difference is the way it impacted on u vs. how it impacted on me. so my question to u is what do u want to see happen in this drama for these characters that will make it more enjoyable for u?
I would really like for the main character to be more driven. She needs a dash of Zenkai Girl, hehe. Right now it feels like she has this attitude: "sigh, i don't like the way my husband sees me *aimlessly looks around* oh, wouldn't it be nice to dress up and take pictures."

I want to see her studying fashion, researching what it means to be a model. Using every spare moment to bring herself up to speed. She can study fashion magazines while watching her kids play at the park. Practice her walk while running errands. Those types of things. She realizes that she is way too old and has no fashion/modeling industry knowledge. Now she needs to do everything she can to better prepare herself. She can't do anything about her age, but there are other things she can improve.
okay now i agree with u. lol. now we're back to mormal! :D