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  • Location: Turns out, there's really no place like home
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BrightestStar

Turns out, there's really no place like home

BrightestStar

Turns out, there's really no place like home
Sep 17, 2014

Bromance, romance and other stuff

This episode's main story is not one of the siblings but that of Takako. It's my first time seeing Nagasawa Masami so I'm not familiar with her style but I like her here. I think she's doing her character justice. Here we shine the light on her situation and what made her so bitter about the world and made her give up all aspirations. The reveal wasn't that surprising as it has been hinted subtly before but it does shape up her character well.



The episode gave us an interesting analogy about the bullied dog in the beginning of the episode and successfully followed through in my opinion. Satoru says that you should be calculating and sees no sense in saving a collarless dog that won't get him a reward like Asa-nii would do yet when he sees Asa-nii getting in the middle of Haru's problems, he amusingly comes in to assist. The same goes for Takako. Takako is that bullied collarless dog that you might not get anything by helping. You might argue that he's doing that because he's expecting romance on her part but he was willing to go to prison again like he did before. I think he also wants to be as selfless as Asahi but doesn't know how to express it so it's easier to ridicule Asahi instead. The conclusion of that story was as expected and sweet.



An other story we followed on the side was the whole Haru-Tadashi-Kasumi and the theatre. Honestly this needed more time to develop. I think all three characters wronged each other the worst way and this doesn't go away with "I'm sorry". Kasumi played with Tadashi's feelings, Haru's betrayal to Tadashi was on many level, and Tadashi's petty revenge will keep haunting Kasumi for a while so I think we needed more time to feel that forgiveness is earned. Right now I still feel that whatever that is broken will not easily go back to its place.



On a side note, when the theatre group left I felt like GOOD RIDDANCE! I mean they keep threatening him to leave at all time so I think he needs to form another more passionated group.



All in all fun episode with lotsa Asahi-Satoru (Tsumabuki-Eita XD). Upcoming episode seems sad :( please don't take happiness away from that certain couple!

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Sep 11, 2014

Last cluster - youngest in the family

This episode focuses mostly on Tadashi and his place in the family. I gotta say this episode was very cheesy, but still got to me easily but because those siblings, and all the actors' chemistry is so real you can't help believe in it.



So Tadashi made a big mistake and wants to run away from owning up to it. He's very childish and just wants an excuse to blame it on others. Yes the betrayal he felt was real and harsh, but the way he dealt with it is more like a coward. We did learn early on that he was never good at facing problems, and usually just runs away from them, however there comes a time when no one can cover for you. That threat of suicide never really felt as a threat more than a way for him to expose his self loathing and get the attention.



I think what elevated the episode to me was the ending. Sometimes saying sorry is not enough. Also sometimes having someone writing you off from their life is MUCH worst than keeping a grudge against you and blaming you for your misdeed.



On another note, there is a nice subtle reflection that we saw earlier in the show, that gets highlighted here. When Asa-nii wanted to take Tadashi to apologize for his wrongdoing and own up to his mistake, Satoru said to not do it because it'll prove that Tadashi was behind and and may get sued. This is very western way of thinking, or as we call it "the suing" (I didn't invested I heard it from many americans :P). It reflects on Asahi's way of thinking which is, own up to it no matter what the consequences are (their house deed is still in the possession of Takako's siblings.. they may get kicked out of their house at any time.. all this to make a point and make Satoru apologize).



I think most of us today would lean towards the suing culture, and are becoming more individualistic as a global society, and this is affecting even the most socialistic communities so the existence of someone like Asahi is becoming exceptional despite his shortcoming ;)

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Sep 4, 2014

Waiting for the next episode

I didn't have much to say about this episode but I just wanted to highlight a few things. By no means it was anything less than previous episodes, but more self explanatory.



First of, Satoru and Hikari. You'd think he's the one who likes bothering her the most, but he actually knows her the most. He knows how much she can take, what she needs to hear even when it's being avoided, and certainly knows when to lend her a shoulder to cry. Adding to that is Eita and Mitsushima's electrifying chemistry and you got me glued to the screen.



I gotta say that sleazy doctor might be a pathetic human being, but you know you can trust him in doing his job right, the best he can.





As for Azusa and Asahi's ordeal, I'm pretty sure the most of us saw it coming. The hardship that came with it was well portrayed. I like how Tsumabuki tones down his character every time he's facing something serious. You don't get worried when he's screaming and complaining, only when he's being quite.





As for our love triangle, it went the WORST possible way. We haven't seen Haru's story yet, but I was like, tsp tsp, I thought you're smarter and more responsible than this. As for Tadashi, his character build up makes a lot of sense now. The one person he usually goes to for trouble betrayed him. He has this survival guilt that he had no hand in. He's desperate to be accepted and was rejected. I think what he's about to do is immoral but I hope he gets out of it a better person (or he could become a totally despicable person :P)



Anyways wan't until the next episode is subbed ;)

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Aug 19, 2014

Keep it going ;)

Life getting in the way sure can get annoying! Well in any case, the delay of episode 6 of this drama worked in my favour. This episode got Hikari at the heart of it. I always found her to be the heart of the family.



Her connection to each of the siblings is special. Her relationship with Asahi is that of a partner, always depending on each other, understand and respect each other. While he took the role of the father making sure the family is fed, she took the role of the mother and made sure to be there for the younger siblings. They both look up to her as the one they can depend on in times of need. She is especially protective of Tadashi and he always would side with her no matter what (at least up to now). Her relationship with Satoru is more going head to head, which is expected since she was the one born right after him. He also is the one that can read her more easily but always boldly talks to her, touches where it hearts. It might sound mean but I think she needs that type of reminder at this point in her life.



We get a little bit of her background, what she went through and constantly going through doing her job. She may sound harsh for Asahi but for her, wishing for the best doesn't mean it'll all be alright. Sometimes it may just go so wrong you never see it coming. I still don't approve of her relationship with Shinjou Masaomi but I always see why she continues. As much as he causes her pain, he did give in the time to support her emotionally and get closure. I still think of his as sleazy and selfish bacause the pain he himself he causes her may be greater though.



Mitsushima's acting amazes me as always but one scene really moved me was the "I'm fine" scene. It reminded me of times I went through the same feeling, and the way she portrays it really tugged my heatstrings.



I haven't written much about Hikari before so I'm making up for it now ;)



As for the others, we see more of the challenges Asahi and Azusa will be facing. they're just such simplistic people, they're adorable! Some unpredicted issues came to them as a shock, and made them doubt their initial decision to keep the baby that they may be just not up to the task, specially and mainly financially. But like what I was told by my mom growing up, any child that comes to this world, he/she will bring their livelihood with them (it sounds better and makes more sense in arabic lol). Thats exactly what happens at the end of the episode and it reminded me of that saying :P



Also a love triangle is brewing. I normally don't like those but the three involved here are all sensible and interesting characters. All in all though not perfect, I'm just loving this series even more each passing episode!

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Aug 8, 2014

Siblings relationship is all about coming together after all the arguments and the fights!!

I'm writing this review a bit late since episode 5 has already been subbed. I still wanted to write about it. As usual, this character driven dorama follows through with the siblings, this time shifting a bit towards Haru. We also find you more about Satoru and the incentive to his crime.



This episode explores Haru's life decision, passion, and his relationship with Asa-nii as a father figure in his life. Their relationship might be simple on paper but their scenes were so dramatic and the actors carry the feeling so perfectly that your emotions goes swinging with theirs. That scene at the end when Asahi was standing in the back, so not to be seen, all singing and excited at his brother's achievement was priceless.



As for Satoru, we find out more about his past. I gotta say, I wished that his animosity towards Shinjo was for darker reasons. They keep painting shinjo as this angel but I still think he's a jerk. I was agreeing with everything Satoru said to Hikari concerning that douchbag (+ seeing those 2 argue is adorable). The results though was still in line with Satoru's character, something we saw mostly in the previous episode. When things become hard to deal with, or beyond his control, its easier for him to blame others and shift all his anger to them.



Next episode we'll be focusing again on Asa-nii & I can't wait to watch it!



Oh yea Hirosue Ryoko guess staring was a fabulous surprise here ;)

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Jul 27, 2014

This episdoe is the best so far

So this is my 3rd time writing this! Lesson learned: If you can to edit something on a review, first copy the whole thing, then press enter. Reason is, in case it gets wiped out, you can just paste it.



Now back to the drama. I just love this dorama. Its character driven and each character is so flawed in such an endearing way.



First of, the older brother Asahi is really the center of it all. Early on, he was put in the worst position anyone could be in. He had 2 choices: justice or survival. Either way its a burden he had to carry. One interesting moment in the episode is Azusa's mom telling her daughter that being a parent is when you don't have anyone to scold you, but instead you do the scolding. Its true to Asahi. I like that he refused to apologize for his decision. Putting him in that position, his siblings completely ignored the burden he carried all this time.



Except for Hikari. As expected, she is the most sensible of her siblings. If only she'd be more sensible to her situation. I really want her to leave that guy. His excuses are just that, excuses. Taking advantage of those siblings and their weakness is disgusting. You might find me judgemental, but I usually am with extramarital affairs.



As for Satoru, he really is the most complicated of the lot. He's self centered and selfish, but also heartwarming and loves his family. He couldn't stand living in injustice, so he ran away instead of sharing the burden. It is just easier to blame it on others than it is to accept some situation. But he comes back at it in a big way, accepting to go back to work to that same company. I think thats a big step of growth for him. Also calling his older brother Asa-nii just got me in AWE! I see so much bromance coming our way. I can't imagine anyone doing that role other than Eita.



Talking about bromance, the 2 Ototo's aren't missing any either. Sato seems mature enough to see through people. The fact that he recruited the girl that was about to trick his brother shows 2 things. He's a good judge of character, he saw through her façade and decided to give her a chance to use her skill productively; He's very passionated in what he's doing, maybe to a fault. The youngest Tadashi is your everyday baby brother. He's closest to his caring sister, and to Sato, who he depends on when he messes up. He's aware of how unfortunate it is it live without parents, but not too conscious how lucky he is to have such caring siblings. He's easily ashamed, like how he felt about his dad, and he ran away when things got to hard because of his brother's acitons. He still has a lot of growing up to do.



I wrote a lot again. Everytime it got deleted broke my heart but each time I start to rewrite, I just keep going. Its so entertaining. I just love watching dramas, and I love reviewing dramas I love.

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Sep 28, 2014

The end

I think the last episode was self explanatory so I don't have much to say about it except that while last week I thought, "no way how are they gonna solve this!" and "is 1 episode gonna be enough?", now I understand why they left it at that point, and I think it was a perfect way to end that drama.



Asa-nii may be childish and old fashioned, but when its needed, he knows how to make the right decision at the right time. He showed it before when he made the decision to let go of the wrong done to his father in order to survive with his siblings, and made the right decision to let go of the thing that it most dear to all, but also what is holding them all from moving on. I think that theme is perfect to end that dorama.



I'm still annoyed that Shinjo is being let off as some kind of saint while I still find him to be sleazy, but I guess I can get over it. As for the story of Haru-Tadashi-Kasumi, it felt appropriately left open-ended. It's something that needs time to truly get resolved, but I did see growth in Tadashi's character. All 3 are still young and have a long way to go so moving on will happen more subtly.



We all love watching dramas and movies about people getting revenge and people getting back at others in the most dramatic way, but it doesn't happen that way most of the time in real life, so the theme of letting go, though it may be hard to accept, is the most important message I get from Japan and most exceptionally well conveyed here.

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Aug 26, 2014

Well, that was mostly a satysfying episode.…

Well, that was mostly a satysfying episode. I say "mostly" because one sleazy bastard didn't get the beating he deserves! But the exchange between the siblings was great.



This episode dealt with Hikari and her romantic relationship with a married man. Despite being married, she still saw him as her as her fated man. She probably keeps telling herself day in and day out that he doesn't love his wife, that he was just unlucky to meet her earlier on. What a shock it was to find out that he gave his wife the same love he gave her, and share all those beautiful memories with her. It was a shock to see when his wife was expressing the excitment she felt back then. I think she just wanted Hikari to know that there is more to the story then a clingy housewife or wtv hikari believed to sleep at night. The choice the wife did might not appear ideal for many, but I saw strength in her character. Her presence demanded respect.



As the episodes pass by, I was getting angry at Asahi for not doing anything about it. It felt as if she was encouraged by his nonreaction. This episode clarified why. As he said, he didn't want to believe that his sister is just another women having an affaire with a married man. Despite all, he wanted to believe that she is above that, making excuses to himself and her, making it as if it is her right. As if the hardship she went through gives her a legitimate reason to go on. Both actually wanted to feel this way, but that scene when he stopped the music, faced the situation and questioned that bastard's intentions. It was such a sigh from my part when he did that!



Both Asahi and Hikari had to realize one thing, that it is just plain selfishness, from them both. The kick he received and the slap she got from Satoru was well deserved. I love how Satoru faces them head on. He says the exact thing Hikari wants to avoid hearing, which is basically the reality she's in but doesn't want to admit. He calls on them and their selfishness. He, of all people, showed the most sensibility in that episode. He put himself in the other's shoes, something Hikari should learn doing.



There was more going on with the episode like romantic possibilities between Satoru and Takako, the love triangle that is brewing between Haru and Tadashi and Azusa is adorable as ever.



Despite me wanting to slap Hikari for the most part of the episode, but man Mitsushima so beautifully lives through her character. Her look of sadness, determination, defyance, shame, excitment, regret, disappointment can all be seen through her eyes.

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Sep 18, 2013

Interesting but Pretty predictable

I just feel so unsatisfied with the ending of the first case, not because of the mystery, but because that little sister need a BIG SLAP ON THE FACE. If I was Satomi I'd cut ties with her. En Plus she's done that before, it obvious cuz she's jealous, but thats how she is. She's the type who always look at what others have and not what she has, and she only despises Sugimura out of jealousy. I wished to see her seeing herself loosing everything and being alone. I honestly don't see what Sugimura has to be ashamed of. He works to make a living and is faithful to his family.



And the actrice playing Satomi can't seem to be able to do a lot of acting :P Well I've seen her before but here she was really baaad!!



Overall, I think the second story will be more interesting ;) (hopefulle :P)

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Nov 10, 2012

Gets more interesting and less predictable the more you watch it

I think that you should give it at least until the 3rd episode to decide if its a show for you to watch or not. The format of the first episode doesn't show much, and makes us think it'll be the same every episode, but manages to introduce us to the characters.. While up to what i've seen (episode 4) each episode does bring us to the attention to one of the students but its becoming less predictable how she'll deal with it, but mostly, the whole connection between dream and reality is getting more and more interesting, and characters' intentions are still unknown. Episode 4 shows us for the first time the girl with eye shake SMILE and she turned pretty cute when she did ;)

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