Virgin Road (1997)

Where do I begin? This drama covers so many different bases in one: single motherhood, affairs, contract relationships, family, betrayal, lies, and so much more. The plot although it started off a bit slow just snowballed from there. The last two episodes though just really boggled my mind with how many emotions I went through: I literally cried, I lauged, I smiled, got angry, was nervous, and excited. The ending as well had to be one of the best I've ever seen in a drama.

The bad points: The fashion and wardrobe of the characters at times was pretty horrendous, but otherwise there weren't really any.

The acting was one of the best I've ever seen, and I only really didn't care for the chracter of Kiri who was Kaoru's friend. Kiri could be such a B at times, but you couldn't help feeling sorry for her lonliness.

Music was okay, but got a bit repetive hence the lower score.

Will I watch this drama again? Definitely -it has gone to classic status in my drama portfolio. I can almost completely assure you that this drama will leave you with a fuzzy happy feeling at it's end and that you won't regret watching it!

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A young woman rushes home to Japan from New York City to be by her dying father's side. She convinces an attractive young man she meets on the plane to act as her boyfriend during her father's final moments. But when they arrive, they learn it was all a ruse to bring his daughter home. And during the same visit, she learns she is pregnant by her jerk ex-boyfriend back in NYC...

Virgin Road is a wonderful older drama that blends a warm family story with a mature romance. There is a careful balance between the comedic masquerade of pretend lovers and the sensitive issues of pregnancy and impending single motherhood. The characters are mostly realistic, but things are kept interesting with over-protective silliness, petty jealousies, vengeful exes, and a deep, blossoming romance. The strong cast and carefully executed storyline more than make up for the age of the show.

This emotional, thoughtful, romantic and fun story is a classic well worth watching.

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I enjoyed this drama very much

I enjoyed this drama very much. all the characters are very likable and i especially love the father, he is such a good father...Sorimachi is damn sexy !!!!! It started a bit draggy but after the first episode, I can't wait to see how they will fall in love..ohh and sorimachi is sooo handsome that I wanted to see more of him.. hehehe
The drama emphasizes the role of a parent to a child and the child to the parent. The parnet/parents is to always guide and support their children. Even though their children have their own lives, parents will continue to meddle in their child's affairs because a parent will never stopped loving his child. The drama is also about self discovery. Both kazumi and Kaoru had problems with their identity. Kaoru, having grown up in an orpanage and abandoned by his parents, his heart became cold and distant from human compassion. when he felt the kindness of kazumi and his family, he doubts if he is deserving of that kindness. he puts on an act to runaway from confronting and expressing his true feelings to kazumi, his mother and kiri. ever since she was little and her mother died, Kazumi obeyed his father and always pleased him. She was afraid to live an ordinary life and so decided to go to america to find the life she wanted to lead.

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Wakui Emi (as soon as she cuts that dreadful "ramen hair" she sports at the beginning of the series ^_-) goes back to being the same, absolutely adorable actress who had previously graced the audience in "Pure", and she delivers a solid performance throughout the entire dorama. Talking about great performances, Takeda Testsuya's would deserve a standing ovation, period. The problems lie with Sorimachi (who seems a bit out of place here, imho), with Hosho Mai (I liked her a lot in "Shomuni", but here she's just irritating, sorry), and most of all with the scriptwriting, which has its moments but also many faults - particularly the last episodes which are imho plainly silly. Too bad, it could've been much better than this...:/

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OMG! After 2 heart attacks I finally managed to reach the end of this freaky story.
There is more drama in this romance than in all Brazilian soap operas put together.
I was prepared for ups and downs... but I wasn't prepared for last 2 episodes ^^
This story is like a rollercoaster. It slowly climbs up to highest point just to suddenly fall down. During this ride you will laugh, you will cry, you will get angry and you will regret you decided for this BUT IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE! You have to withstand to the end! You can only hope it will end well... Thats all you got.. hope. Because whoever wrote this story must be some fuckin sadist ^^ But I definitely recommend it!

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The main reason for watching this is Sorimachi (GTO, Good Life Thank You Papa Goodbye). Although his acting skills are rather rudimentary here, he continues to develop into one of Japan's premier actors. If you watch the others I've listed above, you will come to appreciate his abilities and handsome appeal.
Apart from that, there aren't a lot of redeeming qualities about the drama. It is too outdated to appeal to the modern audience. Although the story is somewhat unique, it is too unrealistic to believe 3 men would be simultaneously in love with a pregnant woman. In addition, he music is annoyingly repetitive.
I love old romance dramas, but not this one.

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