"Massan" is the 22nd asadora that I've watched and one I'd been specifically saving to watch later on. I had a good feeling about "Massan" early on that I'd really love it. Thankfully, my feeling was spot on. It was truly a pleasure to watch every bit of it. "Massan" also appears to be the template for 2020's "Yell," which I watched last month. Clearly, "Massan" and "Yell" are the right way to do "couple asadoras." Both leads are given nearly equal screen time and character development with the relationship being at the center of it. For me, it felt really special to watch both of these dramas.

In "Massan," the very first non-Japanese asadora heroine was introduced. I was really impressed with the actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who plays Ellie. She undoubtedly had the most difficultly with her role being that she didn't speak Japanese. However, despite these hurdles, Fox was able to portray Ellie with nuance and strong emotions. Furthermore, Ellie serves as a great audience surrogate internationally. Viewers unfamiliar with Japanese customs will learn as Ellie does. [Even after watching several dozens J-dramas, I learned a lot from this asadora.] Tamayama Tetsuji plays Ellie's husband Masaharu "Massan". He is a new gem for me and I'm looking forward to seeing him in other dramas. His acting is a good match for Fox's and they're able to play off of each other well.

The main focus of "Massan" is whiskey. Massan travels to Scotland to learn about whiskey, which was how he met his wife Ellie. She decides to share in his dream forever afterwards. At first, I found the up-and-downs of Massan's dream a bit annoying. But in hindsight, I liked that it shows how business is not linear. Even as a middle-aged man, Massan has to find a way to keep his dream afloat. Strangely, I didn't mind that Ellie's dream was really helping Massan's dream, which has bothered me in other asadoras. I think it comes down to Ellie's personality. She's kind and supportive, but also has a fiery side to her and won't allow anyone to treat her badly.

The strongest supporting character is Massan's and Ellie's adoptive daughter, Emma. She has a strong characterization and, thankfully, is only a little annoying when she's a teenager. I didn't think it was necessary to change the actress in the last two weeks, but the actress Kinami Haruka is very good and I ended up liking her too. Aside from Emma, I also really loved the amazing Pinko Izumi (of Oshin fame) as Massan's strong-willed mother. She appears to be the stereotypical, difficult mother-in-law at first, but ends up subverting expectations. Of course, there are many more lovable characters. My only complaint is that once Massan and Ellie move away from certain areas or storylines you don't really hear about some characters again. For example, I'd really like to know about Boss Kamoi or Yuko, Ellie's first friend in Japan.

After finishing "Massan," I was left sad that it had ended but also satisfied with its [somewhat bittersweet] ending. I got the same feeling from "Yell" and "Asa ga Kita," which both have similar vibes to "Massan." I also really liked the opening theme song of "Massan" and the frequent use of "Auld Lang Syne." [I know asadora music gets repetitive, but I don't really mind.] I'd definitely recommend "Massan" to both new and veteran viewers of asadora.