** Subtitles are available here.
Warning: There will be spoilers so if you haven’t watched ep8, I’d advise not to continue reading this post. A major plot twist is revealed in these episodes.
The earlier episodes left me unsatisfied due to the overuse of bitchy one-dimensional rich housewives and relegating Miho to a typical damsel in distress role. Then they landed a major twist in ep7, which I think is quite clever and probably can save all the disastrous choices in the screenplay before (except ep3, that episode alone is unsalvageable). I’m trying hard to enjoy this show for Nanako and Miho so I’m hanging on to see how it unfolds, crossing my fingers for a better second half.
So it turns out that Aki’s husband is actually divorced and has a kid. His ex-wife is none other than Yumiko. And get this; Kazuki is Yumiko’s son. Aki is just a step-mom and that makes her child with Kenichi is little Sora. So there, BOOM! Stuffs start making sense and this has become some sort of personal revenge.
Yumiko’s true intention remains unclear at this point even though we know how she is connected to Kenichi. Her dark history is still unknown. Is this merely ‘wanting to return to Kazuki’s life as his real mother’ or she has more evil thoughts in mind?
Another thing is, Kazuki has always been bullied by his former classmates. That would explain why he didn’t stand up for Aki in ep2. However, there’s something that still bothers me. Now, I’ve never been bullied before so I’m probably not in the right position to comment. But anyways, I’m just wondering, since he moved to a new place now, there’s no need to indulge their requests or even meet them anymore, right? So why is he still lingering with them? He could’ve just ignored them.
I appreciate Kouhei trying to be helpful but hm, I still can’t care less about his affection towards Aki.
Episode 8 continues with the rich housewives making Aki’s life miserable again by exposing her ‘affair’ with Kouhei. Stalker much? After a brawl, she hits her head and has to be hospitalized. Yumiko gets a chance to step in and cook food for her family, revealing Aki’s intention of divorce to Kenichi at the same time.
How many times does Miho need to lie on a hospital bed in her dramas lol
One question: If Yumiko’s been watching since 3 years ago as she claimed, why didn’t she do something about Kazuki’s bullies and waited THREE WHOLE YEARS? She could’ve just sent an anonymous message to trigger Aki or Kenichi to look into the matter, right? Ugh…
And she still scolds Aki for not noticing when all she did was watch and did nothing?! (another screenwriting flaw)
Aki, please grow a spine! You gotta fight back for what you deserve!
At least I’m glad about one thing from this episode. Kenichi finally makes his stand to stay together with Aki no matter what.
I’m sure Kazuki’s not that dumb lmao to just go along with Yumiko’s request: Abandon Aki if he wants to know about his real mother. The thing is, he could listen to whatever Yumiko has to say, and he could still return to his family if he wants. Well, I hope he’s not that dumb though. Even if he finds out that Yumiko’s his real mother, that doesn’t change the fact Aki has been in his life for the last 13 years, as his step-mother.
The backdrop of the show however still doesn’t seem to interest me. They don’t make me care or worry about the kids being kidnapped. I don’t think the kids are really in any danger seeing how all the kids are actually victims of some sort in their own families. So obviously, the kidnapper’s trying to help and probably kept the kids somewhere safe, away from their irresponsible parents (just a guess).
But yes, I’m curious about Kenichi’s history with Yumiko, that bloody bathroom we saw in first episode, what was that about? What triggered their divorce? There better be a really good reason for this.
Onto the next episode!
Ritsu no Dorama Land 
Hi, wasn’t sure where to leave this comment. We have some pretty similar tastes in dramas generally so I was hoping you could help me out. One divergence we’ve had is with Ishi no Mayou and Boku no Yabai Tsuma. Mild spoilers below for any others reading.
I just found Ishi and Boku too violent for me, especially when violence acts involving animals entered the picture (the stuff with the rats). I just tend to be sensitive for that sort of stuff. I really love dramas and am very keen on some of the suspenseful ones like N no Tame ni and Ouroborous (slice of life and romance tend to be my favorite generally, though), but Ishi and Boku were just a bit much for me. I’ve seen your praise for Tantei no Tantei and Siren — how violent are those ones? The description for Siren warns of “gruesome” murders… I watch plenty of American and Japanese shows with murders in them, but the sometimes the violence in Japanese shows seems especially visceral somehow. So, knowing my sensitivity for these matters, I was hoping you could shed some light on how violent these two shows are, and any other shows you think I’d particularly enjoy or should avoid.
Thanks for your time, I really enjoy your blog a ton!
Max
Hi Max
Thanks for visiting my blog and no worries about your question, that’s the point of comment section ^^ I’m not sure if I’m a good indicator for ‘how gruesome or violent’ a series is, because I watch plenty of american crime series/movies so I probably built some kind of immunity already ^^;; I also really love dark/depressing ones lol but I’ll try to explain if you’re using Ishi/Yabai Tsuma as reference. Btw, just curious since you mentioned Yabai Tsuma because it doesn’t have any gruesome murders there (are you referring to the fish scene?)
So it’s been a while since I watched Tantei no Tantei, I can’t really remember the details so I may be wrong, but as far as I recall, I don’t think it has animal cruelty (if you’re worried about that). It’s definitely dark and heavy though (some fighting, shooting, bruising and a rather provoking finale confrontation).
As for Siren, no animal cruelty too. But I’m not sure if you may find some scenes a bit upsetting (someone gets tortured along the way with some cuts/stabbing). Since you like some romance, this may interest you because the relationship/chemistry between the leads are great. Also, if you want a really cunning, manipulative and clever villain, you should check it out. I didn’t name her the Best Villain of 2015 for nothing XD
I do realize what I just said aren’t exactly convincing lol Both dramas are definitely more depressing than Boku no Yabai Tsuma, Ouroboros and N no Tame ni. Still, they’re better-than-your-average suspense/thriller dramas. I’d still recommend giving them a try 🙂
That is so helpful! Thank you immensely for your detailed reply. I’m definitely interested in checking out both.
What did you end up thinking of Watashi wo Hanasanaide, BTW? I heard mixed things but IIRC you were watching at some point.
The slightly more intense or suspenseful shows I tend to watch while exercising, whereas the more romantic stuff
IIRC you dropped Date, right? But more out of busy-ness with other shows? It ended up being very solid but definitely meandered at times. Still need to watch the recommendation though.
I still really want to check out the Emperor’s Cook show you recommended….
I had mixed feelings about Watashi wo Hanasanaide, largely because they strayed from the original novel. I suppose at the end of the day, I very much prefer the novel/movie than the drama version. One thing that bugged me most is how they made Miwa really evil (initially it was okay but as the plot progresses, it became something like Miwa the evil girl and Kyoko the pitiful one). When actually, their relationship wasn’t as bad in the novel/movie. The exaggeration is unnecessary imo, sometimes, subtlety works better. The acting is good though. The drama’s not bad but the screenplay could’ve been better. I liked the addition of a new cast called Manami, she sorta ‘saved’ some of the episodes for me XD Well no harm trying! You might like it ^^
Date…haha okay, I know a lot of people love the show. So I’d say, in Date’s case, the problem is not with the show, it’s just not really my taste? I like the first few eps but somehow lost interest in the middle. Love stories aren’t really the type of shows I easily warm up to (I know this is on the quirky, unconventional side). It takes the right cast, the right mood/feel, the right kind of plot to make me enjoy it. So yeah, I think it shows in my reviews how little I talk about romantic dramas ^^;;
Emperor’s Cook is highly recommended. You’re gonna need tons of tissues for this. Solid acting, great plot and music all around.
I just finished episode 8 and have the same questions as you. Why didn’t Yumiko do something instead of letting Kazuki’s bullying continue for 3 years? Yet she behaves as if everything is Aki’s fault. There’s some serious self-entitlement going on there. She can afford to be “perfect’ if she spends her days doing nothing but monitoring Kazuki, but she’s also got some pretty warped ideas about what it takes to be a mother.
Glad to know we have the same problem with that part. Ep9 reveals her past and the reason for the bloody bathroom in 1st ep. Though it may shed light on why she becomes who she is, it still doesn’t really justify her actions. I better not spoil too much here, we can discuss again after you watch ep9 hehe