Beppin-san (2016)

Beppin san introduced me to asadora and what a trip it was. A serious emotional trip that hits everywhere.

It follows the life of Bandou Sumire, through her young life, loss, war's hardships, family bonds in hard times and most importantly the role of women during those days. It's easily considered an inspirational and motivational drama.

Despite the drama taking every part of Sumire's life and the people around her, it never, for any second, felt slow or boring. Firstly, the transition from every stage of life was a success and secondly, you could clearly see how every character grows and develops.

Actors did a very good job. Many of whom I have seen in a show for the first time, so this was a really good first impression.

I can't ignore the OST, it was so fitting for every mood. I have to admit my current ringtone is the drama's main theme and I have been using it for a few months now. Not to forget Mr.Children performing the opening so extra marks for that as well!

If you are looking for a new asadora to pick up or are new to them, this is greatly recommended. Be warned though. It will be an emotional roller coaster and you will certainly face some withdrawal symptoms once you finish it. The risk is worth it!

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"Courage. Love. Trust. Hope."

"Beppin-san" is my 25th asadora [Have I really watched that many of these lol]. This is a very solid asadora, though I have some issues with the plot which I will get into later on. "Beppin-san" reminds me of two other asadoras, "Ohisama" and "Carnation." Coincidentally, Nagayama Kento and Kora Kengo both appeared in "Ohisama" but in opposite roles. The lovely Charlotte Kate Fox from "Massan" also has a small role in "Beppin-san."

First, let's address the heroine, aka Bando Sumire (played by Yoshine Kyoko). She's a very understated heroine, being quiet and absent-minded. Surprisingly, the attention isn't always on her though this is still very much her story. It's interesting to me because it shows that a "normal" person is the main character of their own story. Sumire, however, can be assertive when she needs to be and becomes self-confident over time. Another interesting part of her character is that she had a relatively sheltered childhood, which makes her a bit of a naive "ojou-sama". I really enjoyed watching her grow as a character.

"Beppin-san" has some wonderful side characters, particularly Sumire's lifelong friends: Akemi (Tanimura Mitsuki), Ryoko (Momota Kanako), and Kimie (Tsuchimura Kaho). Each girl goes through their own character development and I really love the friendship between these girls and Sumire. My next favorite character is Norio-san (Nagayama Kento), Sumire's husband. Their relationship is really sweet, but also shows that marriage isn't all smooth-sailing. You have to make an effort to understand each other. And then the next best character is Eisuke-san (Matsushita Yuya). His arc is surprisingly poignant and made me cry on more than one occasion. Honorable mentions go to Sumire's father (Namase Katsuhisa) and mother (Kanno Miho, also narrator); her older sister Yuri (Renbutsu Misako), her daughter Sakura (Igashira Manami); and Kimie's son Kentaro (Furukawa Yuki). And really there's so many more~

Now on to my issues with the plot. The first three weeks of "Beppin-san" kind of rush through Sumire's childhood, marriage, and then giving birth. It's a bit of a whiplash moment, though I realize it's because they wanted to get to and then through WWII relatively quickly. I liked the pacing of the drama much better after the war. Halfway through, there's a time-skip to Sakura's teenage years. Honestly, I really hated this plot. Mostly because it dragsss on for four weeks worth of episodes. I actually understand Sakura's feelings, having a workaholic mother myself. However, it some point it just becomes too much and the plot felt like a chore to watch. Thankfully, Sakura becomes a much better character afterwards. She's assertive without being bratty. In the grand scheme of the asadora, I think these are minor complaints and overall it's very good.

I really liked "Beppin-san", despite said minor complaints. It has a really cohesive theme of friendship and parenthood. I love the whole four leaf clover meaning "Courage. Love. Trust. Hope." Sumire and her friends each represent these traits and I think that's why their children's clothing company works so well. On the technical side, it was interesting seeing every step of the company's growth. It's also ironic that Sumire and her friends aren't ambitious and really just go with the flow. If you liked the asadoras "Ohisama," "Carnation," "Gochisosan," or "Toto Nee-chan," I think you'll really like "Beppin-san."

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