Jdrama Review: Bara no nai Hanaya (2008)

Bara no nai Hanaya

薔薇のない花屋
8/10  ♥♥ 

Need a shockingly good, slightly melo-ish but mostly heartwarming slice-of-life Jdrama with an excellent cast, beautiful and deep characters, that doesn’t feel like work to watch, but still keeps your interest? Can I come up with a longer sentence to describe how gorgeous this drama is inside and out? (Given another 5 minutes, I could probably achieve that.) If your answer is yes, then please do sit down and watch Bara no nai Hanaya, or The Flower Shop Without Roses.

SMAP’s Katori Shingo is single dad Shiomi Eiji who earns a meager living from his small flower shop. When he meets a blind customer Shirata Mio, played by Takeuchi Yuko (Pride), it’s obvious that these two need each other. With a hodgepodge cast of characters, including Shiomi’s young daughter Shizuku (Yagi Yuki) and misfit ruffian Kudo Naoya (Matsuda Shota), it seems evident that all are destined to become one happy family unit for each other. Except more lies under the surface than can ever be seen.

Bara no nai Hanaya is such a lovely atmospheric drama, featuring real and recognizable human beings. Eiji is a simple man with a hidden past, and Katori absolutely does not overact in his characterization. He is slow and plodding, and of the kindest, most selfless creatures you’ll ever see. Yet the drama weaves his past in such a way that the slow unveiling of his life history and the history of the woman he loved is almost as integral to the story as the events that happen in real time. Throw in his obvious affection for Shizuku, and their own adoption of a neighborly grandmother, another loner desperate to feel needed and loved, and just try not having any feels for this beautiful little family structure. 

"O Hanaya-san?"

Keep in mind, all this is even before the lovely Mio steps into their lives, cane in hand, full of anxiety and uncertainty about this new direction in her life. And maybe just a few secrets of her own, hidden behind a web of lies. And perhaps she’s not the only character to have more than one secret.

Read more for some SPOILERY thoughts on the inner workings of this drama. 

Jdrama Review: Pride (2004)



Pride

プライド
7/10 ♥
 

Yay for Pride!  It’s a first-rate steamy romance; no wait, it’s a first-rate inspirational sports drama. No wait, it’s a bit of both and somewhere in the combination is a half-hearted attempt to tell a new and unique story… no wait, there’s nothing new or unique.  But if you A) Like a decently spun romance, or B) like Japanese hockey, then this is the drama for you. 

Pride sets off with some pretty decent story-telling, and a couple of nicely charismatic actors.  Initially I was watching this thing for Kimura Takuya, who plays hockey-player extraordinaire Satonaka Halu.  He’s your standard rom-com lead, romantic yet insecure, and to cover up his insecurities, he hides behind the ‘Pride of the Iceman.’ I think that has something to do with being awesome on skates, padded up like an Eskimo, and generally being able (and allowed) to bowl over any man who gets in your way. 

Equally impressive as an acting force, however, is Takeuchi Yuko playing Murase Aki as the girl left behind… by another guy/jerk introduced halfway through drama.  Here’s the rub:  Halu was warned never to sincerely love a woman, lest it interfere with his career; Aki is technically still waiting for her boyfriend to return (after a two year hiatus – and these people obviously don’t believe in phones).  So in the meantime, to stave off loneliness and generally have fun, they’ve agreed to date until Aki’s boyfriend returns, and then they’ll part amicably as friends.  Maybe…

As a sports drama it’s honestly not too bad.  Keep in mind, I’m not a huge sports junkie and I’m not generally fond of the genre, but I’m also not completely averse to seeing hot guys working out.  Did I have any genuine anxiety that maybe the team wouldn’t play well in the finals, or that every player would become injured and remain crippled? Not really. Were the slow-motion sequences of pucks magically sliding towards the goal net cheesy? Yes, sort of.  Did I really care one way or the other? Nope.

 

As a romance story, it’s above average with a touch of good chemistry, some fairly hot kiss scenes, and then some…  And really up through the halfway mark, I had nothing too bad to say about the development of the couple.  Unfortunately then we’re hit with your typical dose of angst, stupidity, and a serious lack of communication.  There were also some people I wanted to throttle through my computer screen… Oh well.  It prolonged the drama another 4 episodes, by which point I’d already clocked out.



Pride on, “Pride” 

Now this is where I am curious.  Is this just a culture thing that Japanese people (or their drama writers) can pride themselves on having… pride?  Now when I was growing up, we had this lovely little novel called Pride and Prejudice, and I hope I don’t spoil the ending for anyone, but the two main love interests eventually figure out  that having too much pride may not be such a good thing.  Sure, it’s good to have confidence in yourself, as a hockey player (Halu), and as a human being (Aki).  Having something to be proud of, either about yourself or how you live can also go a long way towards your peace of mind and overall quality of life. 

I don’t know if you can tell, but this drama is kind of about the characters having “pride.” 

What’s strange is in how their professed sense of pride actually works.  Halu’s is understandable for an athlete.  He has to exude confidence about himself for the sake of his team and his sport.  Not allowing any girl to get near him to possibly break his heart is a sad yet reasonable fear.  For Aki, her pride is actually in how long she’s waited for a guy to return from another country! Pardon me while I take a moment to choke that down… Okay, I’ve recovered.  Yes, that’s great. She waited.  Not that her pride in such matters kept her from falling in love with the adorably puppy-ish Kimura Takuya. 

SPOILERS ALERT!