Mio Tsukushi (1985)

"Love is a dangerous visitor."

"Mio Tsukushi" is my 21st asadora that I've completed. I started watching it right after the English subtitles were completed over at d-addicts. I really appreciate fansubbers who decide to pick up older asadoras like this one. "Mio Tsukushi" was originally released in 1985 and had very high ratings at the time (next to the very popular "Oshin"). 80s asadoras are similar to modern ones in many ways, though I've noticed that they tend to rely on suspense more often. For example, nearly episode and especially the last episodes of each week end on a cliff hanger. For this reason, I found myself saying "Just one more episode..." time after time (lol). P. S. Major spoilers follow so stop reading here if you don't want to know anything else!

The main theme of "Mio Tsukushi" is love and how it effects not just the lovers but those around them. Sawaguchi Yasuko plays the heroine, Kaoru, in her lead debut. Considering she was a relatively new talent at the time, I was very impressed with her performance. Kaoru is the daughter of a soy shop owner and his mistress. She falls in love with fisherman Yoshitake Sokichi (played by Kawano Taro) at the very beginning of the drama. Unfortunately, fisherman and soy shop workers are like water and oil. Furthermore, her father has finally accepted Kaoru into the family register and will not approve of Sokichi. Kaoru tries to forget about Sokichi at first, but their feelings only grow stronger. This section of the drama is my favorite as we watch their relationship develop and the general conflict that arises from those around them. It has a satisfying conclusion as well with Kaoru, despite being disowned, triumphantly marrying Sokichi as the asadora's insert song plays.

The actual part of Kaoru and Sokichi's marriage is less entertaining in my opinion. The question of whether they were going to get married was better than the reality I guess (lol). Now don't get me wrong, there are still some cute moments between the couple. I especially liked their trip to Itako, which gets referenced several times later on. Their romance is cut short when Sokichi goes missing during a storm. After about two years, Kaoru's parents encourage her to remarry. Her new match is Umeki Kensaku (Shibata Kyohei), the head clerk of her father's shop. I really liked Umeki's earnest love and I think it's easy to see why Kaoru would choose to marry him. His jealousy when Sokichi returns alive is also completely understandable. Ultimately, I think both men were good matches for Kaoru though first loves are obviously harder to get over.

Kaoru is, of course, the main character but this asadora sometimes feels more like an ensemble. Many characters are given story arcs away from Kaoru. Of these characters my favorite was hands down Ritsuko (Sakurada Junko), Kaoru's half-sister. Her personality is slowly uncovered and developed over the course of the drama. The ending of her character is pretty sad, but I think fits the tone of the final week. Other great characters are Kaoru's parents, Rui (Kaga Mariko) and Kyubei (Tsugawa Masahiko), her brother Eiichiro (Washu Isao), and mother-in-law Tone (Kusabue Mitsuko). The maid, Ami (Takashi Miyuki), also has a nice, heartbreaking arc. I was really surprised that the writer took the time to complete Ami's arc. The only character I really didn't like was Yataro (Akashiya Sanma). He was supposed to be comic relief, but I really only wanted to slap him.

I'm not knocking off any points for the music. It has a simple melody for the opening, which can get repetitive after hearing 162 times (I'm lazy or I would've skipped it lol). It also has an insert that is played a few times of the course of the asadora. I really liked this one, and I think the tune and lyrics really fit Kaoru as a character.

"Mio Tsukushi" is another asadora I'd recommend. It has strong characters and strong love stories. The final two weeks are hard to get through, but that's expected since it's covering WWII. I liked the open-ended ending to be honest, though I acknowledge that it's not for everyone. It leaves it up to me to imagine what ultimately happens between Kaoru and Sokichi, and I think that's fun.

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