Such a perfect, oh-so-Japanese, traditional tale of honor and revenge!
Amidst the recent, ever-surging wave of "westernized" j-dramas, filled to the brim with all sort of depravity, decadence, obscenity and utterly despicable characters, it does one's heart a whole lot of good to find a small gem like this "Hotarugusa"! Such a perfect, oh-so-Japanese, traditional tale of honor and revenge, with endearing, ethical, righteous characters one can't help but wholeheartedly root for, complete with a healthy dose of "mono no aware" (the eponimous flower being itself a symbol of this fleeting yet so strong feeling) and topped with a few moments of comic relief which are ideal to avoid making things too gloomy.An astonishing performance by Kiyohara Kaya, as well as by the rest of the cast (with honorable mentions for Machida Keita, Hamada Mari and Ukaji Takashi - oh, and the kids are just *adorbs* - there, I never thought I would've used that word, LOL). Some extremely nice music completes the package. Perfect 10 all the way!
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This review may contain spoilers
Nice little JP drama
I watched this because I was bored and I wanted something to fill the time. I usually never watch Japanese "costume" drama.WHAT I LIKED:
- The main girl : I loved how her story with her own family was told. Very short, very simple, going to the essential. I also liked her character and demeanor and her dedication to her work, the family she works for, the mistress and the master, how she found the courage to go through the hardships for the kids and her master. I love her will to find a way to fight the evil guy but also how she pitied him and how she finally find the right path to follow.
- The poetic and folktale side of the story which tells about a vengeance but moreover about a girl who finds her own path after her family was destroyed and she finds people along the way to help her.
- Her feelings for the master. They are very few development regarding this side of the story (just some words) but I could see she admired her master and that the duty she took from the mistress on her death bed and all the things she went trhough made her love the kids and their father and accept in the end to stay with them.
- The secondary characters: the mistress, the swordmaster, the thug, the owner of the pawn shop, the uncle and cousin. Plenty of nice characters acting in support of our heroine. The two kids were adorable.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- The master of the house she works for. I liked him as a person (a good husband and father)and as someone trying to improve his clan. Anyway at some points, he disappointed me a little because he took a position against his own values. I totally understand it as was to save the lives of his loved ones but still, I thought he was too much of a victim and his proactive part was too small.
OVERALL: A short and nice drama to watch like a folktale. 7 eps of 45 mns only. I totally recommend it.
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So good you want to drag it out
Now this is an odd one to review because really it's a bit simple and twee but it still manages to pull you in and move you.Watching Hotarugosu was a bit like watching the old black and white movies on a Saturday afternoon. Full of 'proper' values and pathos where the good guys eventually win with little gritty realism on show. And really that's why Hotarugosu works, everything is gentle and subdued yet the script and a fine set of actors mean you feel all the emotion you should and always root for the good guys.
For me they could have added a few more episodes very easily
If you want a bit of light costume drama with a serviceable story, good acting and a feel good factor then this is thoroughly recommended. If you are looking for blood, melodramatics, realism and moral ambiguity then go elsewhere.
The music was appropriate and nowhere jarring.
Kiyohara Kaya and Tanimura Mitsuki* had the acting chops for me building a believable relationship with seemingly little effort and the kids of course deserve a special mention for their performances. Otherwise everyone gave wholly reasonable performances leaving you in no doubt of what part they played.
All in all something I would watch again. When I do I'm sure I will smile and pretend not to get choked up at just the same places.
*I had just watched her in I am Ghost where she is a schoolgirl so I had a little trouble placing her as a mother of two at first.
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