Tsuma, Shogakusei ni Naru (2022)

Kudos to the child actress

I picked this without much thought at first because usually I like to watch Japanese slice-of-life dramas with some supernatural or fantasy elements in them, but didn’t expect to like this as much as I did and am surprised that there are so few reviews written about it.

What I liked about this drama:

Firstly, yes, the Japanese are good at making slice-of-life dramas. I believe this genre is their FORTE. They are able to make ordinary, everyday happenings interesting and very ordinary conversations touching.

Secondly, this drama touches my heart. It shows a family being torn apart by death of a family member, one who is always full of life, of good cheer, keeps the entire house proper, does the housework for the family 365 days a year, cooks all meals for the family, yes, sounds all mundane stuff, but the reality is that when this person is no longer around, the whole family simply collapses. The entire world becomes gloomy and dark for the remaining family members who simply live their lives like zombies day in, day out, year after year. And then, out of a sudden, one day, when they are given a second chance, that is, when the supposedly dead family member comes back (in the body of an elementary school kid), the family gains newfound cherish and happiness….but alas…this second chance is taken away again…..

This drama executed all the above very well. The emotions of the main leads were just right, the words said were appropriate and simply able to strike a chord.

Thirdly, the female lead. The elementary school kid who acted as the wife whose spirit had gone into this school kid’s body. This drama’s title is ‘my wife became an elementary school kid’, so obviously they had to find an elementary school girl to act as the wife and wow, I think they found a really suitable child actress. I am not familiar with Japanese child actresses, but this particular actress really acted convincingly as a 40-plus year-old woman, although she was merely a 10-year-old girl in real. It is not easy for a girl as young as her to act like a mature adult woman, but her mannerisms, body language, vibe, right down to her facial expressions and speaking, were all convincing enough in this drama. Kudos to this actress! I think her exceptional acting was the key to the success of this drama because 98% of everything in the drama was about her and her family.

Overall, the pacing was good, neither too fast nor too slow, there was never a dull moment I could remember, even when what they were doing or talking about were just ordinary everyday stuff.

I have to specially mention the OST. The drama was not filmed in the 80s or 90s, but somehow, there was a nostalgic feel to the music which was soothing to the ears.

As with most Japanese dramas I have watched, loose ends were tied properly at the end, closures were properly made, goodbyes and words of gratitude were properly said, leaving no regrets and nothing hanging in mid-air or unsettled. The ending gave a sense of satisfaction and positivity towards the future.

It reminded us that even if our loved ones were to leave us one day, we should still face life positively and live it to its fullest.

Negative comments? I did think hard, if I really have to comment, it will be that the stories of side characters were not developed much, BUT they were not irritating and did not at all worsen the main storyline. This is perhaps the characteristic of most Japanese dramas, short and focused (on only the main story and the main leads), but really, other than that, I cannot find anything negative worth commenting because EVEN IF there are, the positive ones above far surpass any negative ones.

I highly recommend this drama if you like heart-warming Japanese slice-of-life, family dramas with a supernatural element, but I have to mention that the supernatural element in this drama is not the focus and does not play a huge part at all.

There are numerous such Japanese dramas out there, but this is definitely one of them I did not regret watching.

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Don’t let the age gap tag stop you from watching this!

First of all, this drama offers more than you can expect. One of the main reasons people avoided this, was because of the age gap but this is not about romance at all, it is about family and how you feel or act when you lost someone you love. Of course! it has a pinch of romance but not from them and it isn't the main plot either, which I love, since it made the drama go more naturally. Secondly, I read the manga and I had high expectations on this adaptation, and let me tell you: “It exceeded them!” The manga had many things I didn’t enjoy. However, the drama made changes and that made me really happy. But, simultaneously, there were things I wanted to be included in the drama but they weren't. Nonetheless, I prefer the drama way more than the manga, sorry. The manga is still ongoing, therefore, there could be some things that can change my mind in the future; I'm not saying this drama is perfect, though. It has tons of flaws. The setting was really beautiful, camera movements and scenes were well-developed; I noticed the producers took many shots from different angles and were shown as flashbacks...Nice move! However, there were plenty of continuity errors that made me a bit upset but it's not something I cannot forgive. Another thing is how good the cliffhangers of each episode were but the producers' inability to continue them was very disappointing, to an extent they were not exciting anymore and I was just like..meh! Regardless, I haven’t felt so excited while watching a drama in a long time. This drama kept me every week waiting for the episodes and couldn’t help but rewatch and rewatch them over and over again, I’m not exaggerating.

Story: Such a heartwarming journey I enjoyed from beginning to end. On one hand, the drama exposes us how painful it could be losing someone you love and suddenly comes back, a miracle! On the other hand, how this miracle influences the characters’ current life and their future. I really loved how the conflicts were handled since they were approached from a real-life point of view. Prepare some tissues!

Acting/Cast: I have plenty of things to say here. Since I’m a huge fan of Ishida Yuriko, I couldn’t skip this one. However, I didn’t stay because of her but Maida Nono and Morita Misato. The veteran actors were not disappointing at all but I expected more from them, some scenes were not developed correctly, it felt a bit overacted and unnatural (I exclude Yoshida Yoh, she was on point). On the contrary, we have Nono-chan whom portrayed her character perfectly, her gestures and reactions were indeed from a middle-aged woman; sometimes I forgot she’s actually a kid. Then, we have Morita Misato whose character was my favourite by far. I grew fond of her so deeply that I was more excited about her than the main plot. Her kindness, voice, mannerism, and smile kept me obsessed with her, I mean.. a healthy obsession, you know. Those two left the veteran actors behind but by a lot! And yes! I supported Moriya with all my heart!

Music: Absolutely fresh and original. The main song suited the scenes so well (That bike scene from Ep1: MAJESTIC!). The soundtrack is so unique, I really appreciated the use of wind instruments, loved it!

Rewatch value: I already did, every single week. But I would definitely do it again.

Final verdict: My cup of tea! So happy I watched this while it was airing. The content provided by the drama Instagram account was delightful. I had never seen such chemistry among all the cast! They all look like a real family. The only reason I don't give this drama a 10, is because of the ending, I wanted a more specific one. It ended how I expected it but I wanted a bit more, just a bit more but yeah! I can't get everything I desire.

Cheers
Belu

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