Hanako to Anne (2014)

The Bend in the Road

I first heard about "Hanako to Anne" several years ago. As an avid "Anne of Green Gables" fan, I'm always keeping my eyes out for anything even remotely Anne-related. However, since it has 156 episodes, "Hanako to Anne" got pushed further and further down on my priority list. That is until last December when I discovered the book on which the series is based. It was published in English as "Anne's Cradle: The Life and Works of Hanako Muraoka." I highly recommend it if you're interested in knowing more about Hanako. After reading it, I finally sat down to watch "Hanako to Anne." Now my only regret is that I didn't watch it sooner!

Watching an asadora is an experience like no other form of media I've experienced so far. The closest I can compare it to is a really long novel, which is likely why they're called 連続テレビ小説 ("serial TV novel"). If you're hesitating to watch any asadora, I recommend watching the first six episodes (i.e. the first week). Before I knew it, I was hooked and watching up 12-20 episodes a day.

The main character, Hanako, is my favorite character since I couldn't help feeling more attached to her after reading a whole book about her. She is somewhat upstaged by her best friend, Renko, who at times feels like her co-lead. The rest of the cast also gets the time to shine, which is what I think is the part of watching an asadora. By the end of the series, everyone feels like they could be your friend or family. Extensive character development is given to nearly every single person. It's amazing to watch it play out.

Anne references are sprinkled throughout the series, which are fun to see even if they're not exactly true to life. Many of the characters are based on real-life people Hanako knew, though their names have been changed along with some artistic license. I was surprised that the drama covered some very tragic moments in Hanako's life since it originally aired early in the morning. However, no punches were pulled so expect to be crying at some point.

Now to close out this review. I've given it a very generous rating of 10. Honestly, everything was great about it from the acting, the music, the writing, etc. I loved it every bit of it. Even when the story dragged a little bit, it's easy to forget since the episodes before and after the draggy part are so great. I'm so surprised no one has written a review for this amazing drama yet. I sincerely hope if you're reading this that you'll check it out!

ごきげんよう。さよなら。(Gokigenyo. Sayonara.)

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