TOKYO AIRPORT - Tokyo Kuukou Kansei Hoanbu (2012)

I should probably begin with the disclaimer that I love everything to do with aviation, from airports to airplanes. Hence, it is not much a surprise that I enjoyed Tokyo Airport so much. The drama portrayed the everyday processes that have to be dealt with in getting passengers and aircraft safely off and onto ground relatively accurately. I definitely learned a lot about the aviation industry.

But more than just being technically pleasing, Tokyo Airport is truly carried by the viewer's connection with the characters and the human drama that unfolds. In just a few episodes, I became very attached to many of the characters, each of them with their own personality quirks and faults. In a way, because of the wide variety of characters and the way many of them play their own part in the drama, Tokyo Airport contains something for everyone (in an airport setting, of course). Romance, thriller, family, comedy, etc, this drama has it all.

Plot-wise, some of the scenarios are a bit of a stretch to a rational mind, but it's not the scenarios themselves that I really enjoyed. Instead, the characters' reactions to the scenarios and difficulties thrown at them are what really make this drama enjoyable. If you're willing to keep a suspension of disbelief, I think you'll find it (excuse the terrible metaphor here) a heartwarming flight that you'll be sad to leave in the final descent. At the very least, I certainly was.

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So, let me state first of all that I HATE flying with planes. I'm scared and I'm so damn happy to have my feet on the ground again that I want to cry.
Why did I take up on this drama? Well, maybe to cure my fear...
Did it work? Hum...I cannot say that I am not scared of flying anymore, but I also have to admit that I'm not more scared after watching ;)

It was interesting to get to see how air traffic control works. I am sure that some of the things are not from the real world and the scenarios are thought of, but still, you get an idea about what those people in the Tower do the whole day...
Additionally, the plot seemed realistic to me. Maybe a real traffic controller would start to cry, but to me there weren't any storylines that I thought of as completely unrealistic. This made it fun to watch the drama.

Furthermore, I liked most of the supporting characters. Their relationships were nicely portrait. They had scenes were they were teasign each other, but in the end you saw that they all were a big family.
I am not so fond of Fukada Kyoko's acting as I have the feeling she was just added to look pretty or worried. For me, she didn't really give the impression of that dtermined woman she portrayed, but due to her great supporting actors, it was fine to have not such a dominating main character. Maybe this was even intended by the writers.

I also liked the teamwork that was showed throughout the whole drama. To ensure the safety of the airplanes and with that the safety og the passengers and the crew, a lot of people have to give their best each day. It was so nicely portrayed how they all supported each other and helped each other through hard times. That's what I liked about this drama the most.

In short: You won't make a mistake watching this drama and even if you're not a big fan of airports and airplanes, you shure find something enjoyable about this drama.

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