Nanase Nishino: "Denei Shojo: Video Girl Ai 2018" drama episodes one and two recap

 Air Dates: January 13, 2018 until ?? on TV Tokyo, Saturday nights at 12:20 am

Main Cast:

Nanase Nishino as Ai Amano

Shuhei Nomura as Sho Moteuchi

Marie Iitoyo as Nanami Shibahara

Hiroya Shimizu as Tomoaki Furuya

Shigeyuki Totsugi as Yota Moteuchi

 For now that's been the only cast introduced but there should be two characters we'll be meeting soon. Above is the trailer for the first episode, at the bottom the second one is there to view. This is an updated version of the manga that ran from 1989 to 1992 as this is set 25 years in the future and the main character of Ai had been locked away in a VHS player(!) all those years. Did read a bit of the series which was enjoyable enough but never did see the anime.... let's get on with the recap.

 Though the main characters are all twenty or older it's a high school drama with the story revolving around three friends. Sho is the main character, his best buddy is Tomoaki and there's also the ultra stunning(to me) Nanami. The trio are working on an anime movie with Nanami in charge of the script. She's finished it twice but the same result happened each time which was that Tomoaki wasn't too pleased with the ending.
 Not sure what Tomoaki's role in creating the movie is, for Sho it's being the artist of the anime. Though just eighteen in the show he's a talented drawer and gets much of it from his uncle Yota who is a manga artist. Sho's personal live isn't going too well as his parents have just got divorced, not sure why but for now Sho won't be staying with either of his parents. Instead his uncle has left for important business and has given Sho free rein of his house.
 It's his first night being in the house alone and Sho isn't the kind of person to live it up so he just ends up doing more work on the film. It's now the middle of the night and Sho is roused from his sleep by a noise in a nearby room. He timidly investigates the origin of it and on the floor in the room he finds an old VHS case with no tape in it. Sho noticed a VHS player on the room and discovering a tape in it presses play.

 That figure on the screen is Ai Amano and to Sho's surprise she seems to know all about his current problems. Naturally he thinks it must be a joke but somehow this figure on the screen is actually alive and Ai begins to slowly wither out of the TV screen but not at all like the 'Ring' films. With a sudden burst the pair were thrown back against the wall, that was no normal figure on the screen as Ai is a living human being who is now sitting next to Sho.
 Of course he doesn't know what to think of the person next to him, Ai told Sho she's there to meet all of his needs. With Nanase as Ai many of us would think differently than Sho who is a bit petrified and for now wants to make Ai disappear. He rushed to the VHS player and began hitting all of the buttons to see if it'll have any effect on her. The buttons did but not in a good way, Sho watched as Ai began fading in and out as she pleaded with him to stop pushing the buttons.

 No comment to the above Ai question. But you'll also see above Ai telling Sho her life span is only three months, hitting the fast forward button will shorten that span. So for now the buttons on the VHS player are off limits and to Sho's dismay he's stuck with Ai. She's all gung ho though and the following day begins cleaning and even prepares his breakfast with the results being far from edible.
 As that breakfast is being grudgingly consumed there's a knock at the door, it's Sho's uncle Yota who has returned home, it's also the end of episode one and the beginning of the following show. Sho had tried contacting his uncle but was cut off during the phone conversation but Yota had heard enough and quickly zoomed back home. Now the origins of Ai begin to be learned from the uncle though for now not all of them.
 May help to read a bit about the original 'Video Ai' series, she had originally come from a VHS tape that Yota had rented. Just as it happened in this new version Ai had somehow come out of the TV screen. One reason is that in both cases the VHS player was damaged with the results being Ai could escape from her video existence. Sure many more details will be revealed as the series goes on but somehow Yota was able to return Ai back to VHS tape where she had been living since.

 Yota to an extent is pleased to see Ai again but not fully so. He knows about her life span and that she has less than three months left in her existence but whats done is done so he happily hails her return to the world. But the world is a much different place then it was in 1992, as you can see above Ai is having doubts if she's needed in the present time.
 Back in 1992 there were no cellphones, DVD players and for the most part modern technology most take for granted wasn't widely used back in her era. In a short span of time Ai is becoming quite depressed and wonder how a creation can have such feelings? However Ai is adept at doing regular household chores so for now she keeps busy doing them and trying to make herself look useful.
 Ai does have one unique talent which is she's able to feel the emotions of others, especially people who are in love with another person. Ai knows how Sho feels towards a certain female but it's a mystery to her who it us, she can read others feelings without knowing the actual details. But Ai is about to learn the cause of Sho's yearning as the doorbell rings and who should it be but Nanami.

 Nanami had come to visit Sho to work more on the script for their anime movie. But she was quite shocked when Ai answered the door, could she be Sho's secret lover? Maybe later on that will be the case but for now there's no feelings of love that Sho has towards Ai. As you can see above Sho and his uncle say that Ai is a cousin visiting, that later gets changed to Ai being Yota's daughter.
 Shortly after that meeting Yota slithered out of his house saying he has to return to his urgent business and has no idea when he'll be back. Ai above begins probing Nanami about what male she may be infatuated with as she has an inkling that Sho is head over heels for her. That guess was correct as Sho really adores Nanami but the opposite can't be said. Nanami for now considers Sho to be a good friend as the boy she has her sights solely focused on is Tomoaki.
 As in the case of Sho Nanami's love towards someone isn't returned, Tomoaki thinks of her as just a partner and has no interest at the present for females. That's even after Nanami partially confessed her love to Tomoaki as the trio were having a meeting about their movie. Tomoaki was quite taken back by Nanami's confession of love, her heart was broken when Tomoaki said he had no interest in her.

 Least that rejection means there's one less suitor I'll have to beat off. It's getting close to the end of the second episode and except for Ai everyone else seems to be down in the dumps. Tomoaki because the movie isn't progressing as well as it should, Nanami because Tomoaki has no loving feelings towards her and Sho for the reason of Nanami just considering him as a friend. Ai notices how mopey Sho has become and is determined to set raise his spirits.
 Ai knows how Sho feels towards Nanami so she gets him in a can-do spirit and he sets up a false meeting with her to talk about the script. But instead their mini get together was so he could ask her out to see a movie or more precisely a date. Nanami is a bit surprised about what Sho asked her, watching in the wings is Ai as the second episode ends with us waiting for her answer.

 These late night dramas aren't too long, both episodes clocked in a tad over 1400 seconds. Bit of a sluggish start but things became much more interesting as it went on. Think that's the kind of series it's going to be, getting a bit better with each show. Not positive but think this is a twelve episode series and will be doing the same format with all of the recaps.
 Third episode airs tonight, will be back with the next post for this drama after the fourth show so expect that recap in two weeks or perhaps a bit earlier than that. For those reading the "Girls' Generation 1979" recaps will be changing that slightly. Had been doing two posts at a time but instead will be having the final four recaps back to back to back to back. Have two more shows to watch so thinking in another week or so those four posts will be done. Many more screenshots here from the pair of episodes plus below them is a mini promo for the second show.