"Koi wo Nannen Yasundemasu ka" drama: Episode three recap

 Air Dates: October 19th to December 21, 2001     Fridays at 10:00 pm on TBS 

Director: Makoto Kiyohiro     Screenwriter: Noriko Yoshida    Average Rating: 16.6%

 Main Cast:

Naoko Iijima as Mayumi Aida

Kyoko Koizumi as Yuko Konishi

Hitomi Kuroki as Sakiko Horikawa

Hideaki Ito as Hiroshi Sawamura
Toru Nakamura as Ryohei Konishi

Akiko Yada as Risa Horikawa

Koji Shiizu as Kazuo Horikawa

Yumi Morio as Reiko Sakaguchi
Kazufumi Miyazawa as Kenichi Shima

Erika Mabuchi as Kaori

Kimiko Yo as Shizue Takamura

Yuichiro Yamaguchi as Ichiro Aida

 Unlike modern day dramas there's no promo videos on YT but did see most of the episodes there though of course unsubbed. Wasn't going to do this post until the weekend but the subs for episode eight of  'Video Girl Ai' for some reason haven't been done. That may be a blessing in disguise as I watched this third episode instead and decided on a change of plans for recapping it.
 Too often when you have back to back posts the second doesn't appear unless you click on a label. Very odd that it's only that way with Chrome and not Yahoo especially seeing how Blogger is run by Google. So what I'll do know is have one recap at a time for this series instead of those two in a row, will also help me finish the drama quicker so let's get on with the recap for the third episode.

 For this recaps for this series have been breaking them down into segments where I look at the individual lives of the three leads. So far think that's worked out well, can't do this format for most dramas but it lets you know the characters a bit better, first off will be Yuko again. If you haven't read the first two recaps may be better if you do.
 At the conclusion of the previous episode Ryohei had been caught sneaking into a hotel with his lover by Mayumi. She didn't see him but did espy the woman he was with who was Risa, the daughter of Sakiko who is the best friend of Mayumi and Yuko. It's not complicated but there is a love triangle that has developed and soon it may become four sided. Up to now Ryohei's actions haven't raised any suspicions with Yuko but by the end of the show there have been a few warning signs about Ryohei's affair but Yuko has been ignoring them or it seems that way.
 Bottom screenshot above was one sign as Yuko had found a book in his bed by the esteemed author Murakami. It was the second of a two part series and when Yuko asked Ryohei where the first part was he was dumbfounded on what to say.  That's because Risa had given him the book to read, it wasn't the only sign of her in the couple's house. As he was leaving for work the following morning Yuko had noticed a makeup stain on his suit coat, Ryohei replied it was probably from a woman who rubbed against him on the train though it was Risa's. Like all of his increasing total of excuses Yuko accepted what her husband said and can't believe she's so blind about Ryohei's activities.

 Yuko had set up a mini party that Friday night for her best friends Mayumi and Sakiko, Ryohei said he would show up for it. What a disaster the get together was but mainly for Sakiko. Mayumi's husband Ichiro had also joined in on the fun, he's such an excellent cook and had prepared many dishes for the house warming occasion. A few days prior Mayumi had told Yuko about seeing Risa at a hotel with a man who she couldn't identify, it's a secret between the two.
 However Ichiro had been there that night too and had no clue about the secret nor about Risa's prearranged dates with Hiroshi. Ichiro let the cat out the bag when he started blabbering about the night they saw Risa with a man, he preacehd that in his day young people didn't do those kinds of things. Sakiko's jaw almost dropped to the floor as she had no idea about her daughter's life, she's kind of upset at what she learned and was about to take her leave.
 Just at that moment who should come back home but Ryohei though his appearance didn't stop Sakiko from heading back home. Yuko introduced the two and Ryohei ended up having a quiet panic attack when he learned what Sakiko's name was. He had just left Risa before heading home, she wanted to spend some time together but it was out of the question for Ryohei. The scene took place towards the end of the show, Ryohei is clueless on what steps to take as he does care about Risa but to have her mother be Yuko's best friend was something that he had never imagined.

 Those top two screenshots are of Yuko with Shima who has designed a table for her husband. The pair had met in college and were extremely close lovers until Shima dropped out of school. The pair had spent a steamy weekend in Hokkaido, there Shima had fallen in love with some unique furniture he saw and since then woodworking has become his passion. He has been successful as he does own a popular shop and the pair are becoming a bit close again though he's disappointed Yuko quit work to become a housewife. Really don't know what's going to become of the two, don't think they'll have a fling but if Yuko learns about her husband's affair then it could be possible.
 Have started in already about Sakiko who really doesn't know her daughter that well. The prearranged dates with Hiroshi have bombed, he's works at the bank Sakiko's husband is a director at. So far we haven't met the husband Kazuo and we thought we would in this show as Sakiko was heading to Hataka to see him. And who should she run into at the airport but Hiroshi, he also was heading to Hataka to have a business meeting with her husband.
 However Kazuo stood both of them up as once again something urgent came up, he's been living away from Sakiko for close to three years now. That leaves just the two of them in the faraway city of Hataka, not what you would think happened as both are very old fashioned but they do have their third dinner together. Those two really seem to be made for each other even though there's a seventeen year gap in their ages. Hiroshi let slip that it's okay if Risa doesn't want to be with him as he much prefers being with Sakiko, she may have set a record for blushing hearing that statement.

 You'd like to see those two pair up but with Sakiko being old fashioned and married it may not happen. But I won't say 100% that it won't either, Sakiko is such a classy and nice woman but has been alone for so long and has a daughter who she doesn't know well at all. At the end of the show the pair finally have a chat which left us hanging. Won't go into too much of the conversation as it'll be finished in the next episode but Sakiko finally demanded to know who Risa has been seeing. Risa started stammering and never gave an answer, though Ryohei now knows who Risa's mother is she doesn't know that Ryohei's wife is her mother's best friend.
 The only pair who may not go looking for another lover or mate are Mayumi and Ichiro. Their life isn't all wine and roses though as Mayumi is keeping many secrets from him and her friends. That romantic night she booked for her and Ichiro in a hotel was a complete flop as he had too much wine and couldn't perform the duties of a husband. That 'I want a baby' comment was made by Mayumi towards the end of the show, think she's a bit jealous of her friends having children. However Ichiro had fallen asleep already and think the comment probably went unheard.

 Getting close to the end, think doing the recaps by characters make them a tad shorter. Ichiro is more than a struggling actor, he never can land a role and spends all his time cooking at home while Mayumi works at her salon. To me there's no reason he can't get a job as a chef as he is quite talented at cooking plus the couple's finances aren't that strong. Mayumi gives us and her friends the impression her salon is doing well, it seems busy but she had taken out a large bank loan and is having problems paying it along with all of the couple's bills.
 Just two scenes with the trio together which are always highlights of the show. Did talk about their mini house warming party which ended being a disaster for Sakiko. The other scene was at Mayumi's salon as the threesome often have a chat and coffee there, you can't believe how much coffee they all consume. After that party at Yuko's house the three haven't gotten back together again as the scene did take place near the end.
 But with Mayumi and Yuko keeping the secret about Risa wonder if it's going to affect the friend's relationships. There's no right or wrong with what Mayumi and Yuko did, it would have disturbed Sakiko immensely if she learned of her daughter's affair. But then again hearing about it the way she did seemed to have upset Sakiko quite a bit, she's such a nice lady that it's hard to think of her being mad at anyone but she may have a mean streak in her and that'll bring us to the end.

 Hope that wasn't too yawn inducing, took a long break and when that happens you usually lose that train of thought. After three episodes really enjoying this show, seven more to go and think the drama will be getting better with each episode. No Idols in this series nor most of the older ones, as much as I like them the vast majority aren't that good at acting. Kyoko though is an excellent actress and at one time she was the #1 Idol in Japan. Hopefully can do the episode eight recap of 'Video Girl Ai' tomorrow, next post for this drama should be this weekend.

"Koi wo Nannen Yasundemasu ka" drama: Episode one recap

 Air Dates: October 19th to December 21, 2001     Fridays at 10:00 pm on TBS 

Director: Makoto Kiyohiro     Screenwriter: Noriko Yoshida    Average Rating: 16.6%

 Main Cast:

Naoko Iijima as Mayumi Aida

Kyoko Koizumi as Yuko Konishi

Hitomi Kuroki as Sakiko Horikawa

Hideaki Ito as Hiroshi Sawamura
Toru Nakamura as Ryohei Konishi

Akiko Yada as Risa Horikawa

Koji Shiizu as Kazuo Horikawa

Yumi Morio as Reiko Sakaguchi

Erika Mabuchi as Kaori

Kimiko Yo as Shizue Takamura

Yuichiro Yamaguchi as Ichiro Aida
Kazufumi Nakamura as Kenichi Shima

 Once again there's a Blogger problem with viewing two posts in a row so if you want to view the recap for episode two you have to click on it's title which is on the right under 'March Posts/Blog Archive' or the label at the bottom, grrrr....

 Have a feeling this drama isn't going to be popular at all here but it's a golden nugget which I've finally been able to find. The dramas were before my time but my fave ten year stretch for Japanese series by a wide margin was from 1997-2006. Not that the shows are that old but there's something so different about them compared to the dramas these days, they seem so much more interesting and down to earth.
 Naoko was one of my first fave actresses and she's by far the oldest one I somewhat keep tabs on, she just turned 12 1/2(?) two days ago. Her dramas back then were all terrific and recommend any of them but especially "Bus Stop" and "Wedding Planner". The film "Messengers" was also top notch and before her acting career she may have been the hottest gravure Idol of all time, still looks pretty darn hot to me....

 That's Kyoko in the middle above and she starred with Naoko in the two "Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi" seasons that aired in 2012 and 2014, highly recommend both of them. Hitomi is the oldest of the trio and she may be a familiar face to many, my fave thing from her was the "Golden Bowl" drama that aired in 2003 as I may have watched the series close to twenty times.
 This is mainly a women's drama, have only viewed the first of ten episodes but after writing this will watch the second show which will be the next post. Guess if drama fans haven't seen the older shows they think that the ones today are excellent. Some of them are but for the most part the older ones just blow the shows from today away but it's not always easy finding these shows prior to 2005 and especially subbed. On to the recap and not sure what format I'll be using, though the trio are all friends think I'll be describing their individual lives to make it easier for you to know them.

 Naoko in the middle above was too good looking to believe back in 2001, she was 33 at the time and the youngest of the three stars. She plays Mayumi who owns the 'Salon de Lutia' hairdressing shop, the first scene starts off there as her two close friends Yuko and Sakiko are there getting there hair done. All three are married and the conversation had quickly turned to their husbands.
 None of the trio dislike being married but think all three have hit that point where they've become a bit bored in their lives, unknown to them for now so haven't two of their husbands. That format of discussing one character at a time sounds like a good plan to me so will recap at least this first episode that way. Yuko had the first solo scene so let's start off with her.

 That top screenshot is of Yuko's husband Ryohei, he's a section chief for a huge trading company and often has to work late. Have a feeling working late isn't all he does as there have been some signs he could be having an affair but with who is still unknown. The couple for the first time in eons were supposed to have a night out together at a wedding reception, Ryohei was late due to work but at the entrance Yuko ran into her old and dear friend Reiko.
 The couple do have a pair of children who are seven and eight, with those two and Ryohei working long hours the pair don't see each other as often. Think Yuko was quite pleased to run into her old mate Reiko who has moved up in the world. She's now a development manager for a company and the two of them used to work together until Yuko got married. During their reunion had the impression Yuko was a bit envious of Reiko's career and it seems Yuko also could have been high on the company ladder, she was or is very proficient in English.
 Yuko's husband finally arrives at the ceremony though the pair don't spend much time together. As I was mentioning in the beginning two of the trio of friends seem to be drifting away from their husband. It's happening to Yuko but for now and and the near future she's a bit oblivious to what's happening with her husband.

 The couple have moved into a new house and are still in the process of settling in. Yuko's husband Toru does earn a high salary but also has a hard time controlling his spending. On their way home after the wedding reception he saw a table in a store window and just has to have it. The couple's evening together ended abruptly as Toru received a call and said he had to go to work, as you can see in the above screenshot it looks like he's actually getting ready to meet 'the other woman'.
 Few days later it was Sunday, Toru and Yuko visit the store to purchase the table or at least those are his plans. Unknown to Yuko the store was owned by a man named Shima, her husband had no idea who he was except for being the owner. What a small world it is as Shima and Yuko at one time were once close lovers, both of their jaws dropped when they saw each other. This won't be the last time the pair see each other, took a break and watched the second episode so know a little bit of what's going to happen. For now that finishes the intro for Yuko and her husband.

 On to my fave who you figured out is Naoko and her character's name is Mayumi. Naoko has played the same type of character in other dramas which is a gal that likes to have some fun and enjoys popping down many a drink. You can see an example of that above as she brought the workers of her salon out for a few rounds after a very busy day.
 Mayumi's husband's names is Ichiro, he's an actor or should I say wanna-be-actor as he rarely gets any roles. He did have one a few years prior which is how the couple met, Mayumi saw him in a stage play and was so smitten with him she went to every performance. Ichiro was aware of that as he told Mayumi that after the final show he had been noticing her, didn't take long after for the two to tie the knot.
 More than anything Ichiro is more of a stay at home husband, his cooking has become excellent so if he had any ambition it'd be easy for him to get a job as a chef. We didn't see too much of Mayumi and Ichiro together, more her when she was with her two best friends and for now which includes the next episode have no clue how the trio met and became such close friends.

 On to the third member of the close group of friends who is Sakiko. She's the oldest of the trio as her age on the show is 42 but in real life Hitomi was a few years younger. Sakiko's husband has been away for three years working in Fukuoka, he's a major bank director but three years away from home is an awful long time. Sakiko isn't entirely lonely as her 22 year old daughter lives with her. That's Risa who is played by Akiko, at one time she was such a huge fave of mine and looks so fetching in this drama.
 Though her husband is away Sakiko and him have set up an arranged meeting for her daughter with a young man from the husband's bank whose HQ is in Tokyo. The husband Kazuo was supposed to travel back home for the meeting but cancelled out at the last moment leaving just Sakiko and Risa to meet the young man. However Risa also bailed out and never even called to let her mother know she wouldn't be attending the arranged meeting for a potential husband.

 Hiroshi was the young man that Risa was supposed to meet with, it ended up being a dinner with only him and Sakiko. The man playing Hiroshi is Hideaki Ito who I've seen in too many things to count, Idol fans will remember him as the teacher in AKB's "Namida Surprise" PV. The pair really hit off at dinner and though there's about a seventeen year gap in ages seems as though these two were made for each other.
 Had the feeling Sakiko thought so too and she was blushing quite often at Hiroshi's comments. Won't go into too many details but the pair do meet up again in the next episode, think something may happen between the two but not sure what may occur yet. It wasn't until the following night when Sakiko was able to corner Risa and ask why she stood up Hiroshi. She gave a lame excuse that an emergency had arisen with a friend and she was unable to contact her mother.
 Risa did enough sweet talking to pacify her mother, next episode gives us a clue of what she was probably doing. So far for the two episodes the scenes have gone a certain way. The three friends meet up and have an enjoyable time, then we see short scenes of them at their homes and being with their family that are broken up with scenes of the friends seeing each other again. With the mini break not sure how long this recap was but it's finally hit it's conclusion.

 No glitz or action in this drama, if you're into down to earth shows with likable characters then these kinds of shows are not to be missed. This was a strong start to the series and the next episode even topped this one, have a feeling every episode is just going to be better than the previous one. Enough blabbering for one post, plenty more screenshots here to help you follow the story a bit better and after this is the recap for the second episode.