Umechan Sensei (2012)

my 9th Asadora, but it's one of my favorites ♡

Umechan Sensei is an asadora that made me fall in love with her story from the start. The first half tells the story of how Ume found her dream and the process of making her dream come true, the second half tells about family and neighbor relationships.

I love how Ume's character is developing. she, who was previously only seen as a child who was carefree and had no strong points, not a top student and always everyone's afterthought. then she became a determined character with a sincere heart, became a reliable and useful person for everyone around her, even becoming her father's successor.

What I like:
• Character development. All the character development here is very good, not only for Ume, even her brother, sister, father, mother, Nobuo and everyone around her.
• Ume's character is a very kind heroine, always caring about everyone but not a pushover. Her character is sensitive and very considerate, always mediating whenever there is a problem.
• Sibling relationship. even though their relationship is like a normal sibling relationship, neither too close nor too far, their bond is strong, they care and are always there for each other, even after they are all married.
• I really like how her family is very supportive. they don't just accept the heroine's decision, but when she is determined they will all support the heroine.
• The heroine's time at university is included in the story. long enough and the learning is shown, because other asadoras are usually not shown.
• The comedy! I think the comedy is just right, several times I laughed out loud. Especially the relationship with neighbors.
• The story is resolved quickly, not long-winded, so it's not hard to watch.
• And of course, I really like our heroine and hero characters, the characters Ume and Nobuo are very suitable to be played by Horikita Maki and Matsuzaka Tori.
• Nobuo is one of the hero characters that I like the most in Asadora! Apart from Hide from Hiyokko, Daisuke from Mare and Kazunari from Ohisama. Nobuo's character development is also very significant, how at first he was immature until finally he was full of determination, responsibility, didn't give up easily, considerate and became someone Ume could lean on.

What I don't like:
• Constantly using the same place, but better compared to Hiyokko.
• The narrator is rarely heard, because one of the things I like about Asadora is the narration from the narrator.
• The story about 'Hiroshi' in the last few episodes slightly dragged the story, even though it ends well.

Overall, I really like Umechan Sensei! I'm not even willing to finish this Asadora because I don't want to part with all the characters. I highly recommend watching Umechan Sensei, it's a must watch!♡

Read More

"I'm Ume which will blossom even in the cold"

"Umechan Sensei" is my twelfth asadora and what a delight it was. [I've been very lucky with my last three picks; let's hope this continues~.] This asadora is set in Tokyo just after WWII like "Natsuzora," which I had just finished. It follows Umeko (played by Horikita Maki) as the somewhat hapless heroine of the story as she embarks on journey to becoming a doctor. Umeko is just a wonderful heroine. She's kind and warm, and her haplessness allows for some very funny moments. It's fun to watch her gradually develop into a responsible adult and get further in career, though her core character always remains. Her development also mirrors the redevelopment of Tokyo and Japan post-war.

Besides Umeko, the other highlight of this asadora is the supporting cast. My personal favorite is Takahashi Katsumi as Umeko's father, Kenzo. He such a grump and a bit scary at first, but you eventually realize that he's just a teddy bear inside. My favorite moment of him is in the very last episode. Then there's Umeko's siblings Takeo (Koide Keisuke) and Matsuko (Mimura Rie), who both have their own arcs in the story. Umeko's mother (Minami Kaho) and grandmother (Baisho Mitsuko) could have had more to do in the story, but I loved them nonetheless. There's a part with Umeko's mother late in the asadora that I especially loved. And, of course, there are Umeko's classmates, colleagues, and neighbors. So many good characters that I can't name them all lol.

Interestingly, Umeko has two love interests which feels a bit rare for an asadora, especially because I couldn't tell who she was going to pick until it happened. I actually really liked both of them. One of them is fellow doctor Matsuoka Toshio (Takahashi Mitsuomi). He's just a fun character with his analytical way of thinking which often puts him at odds with others. His and Umeko's break-up was sad but I think fits with his character. The "real" love interest is Umeko's neighbor and childhood friend Yasuoka Nobuo (Matsuzaka Tori). He kind of goes under the radar for much of the asadora though he and Umeko have a couple of "moments" early on. Nobu starts to really shine once Matsuoka leaves. There were some really romantic scenes between him and Umeko, such as the proposal scene. Nobu also gets nearly as much character development as Umeko.

"Umechan Sensei" is a great asadora from start to finish. It becomes a little slow near the very end, but the final episode closes out perfectly so I'll forgive it. Some of my few complaints are that Umeko's siblings aren't given much to do once their arcs are finished, Yayoi's and Yamakura's story isn't finished [it appears that it continues in a special episode which I can't find :(], and I wish that the narrator was present more often. These are very minor complaints though. I'd recommend "Umechan Sensei" to anyone as I think this is a very appealing asadora to beginners and veterans alike.

Read More