Tsubasa Honda: "Koinaka" drama episode 4 recap and screenshots

 Start Date: Monday, July 20th on Fuji-TV at 9:00 pm

Main Cast:

Tsubasa Honda as Akari Serizawa

Sota Fukushi as Aoi Miura

Shuhei Nomura as Aoi Shota

Taiga as Kouhei Kanazawa

Sakurako Ohara as Nanami Miura

Mizuki Yamamoto as Mirei Tominaga

 Karen Otomo as Kokone Yamasiro
Yui Ichikawa as Ruiko Saeki

 Bit late reviewing this episode but it was just subbed over the weekend, usually it's been getting done 2-3 days after an episode ends but not this time around. That's okay though as I realize subbing is not an easy thing to do and appreciate the fact that others are willing to do it. My Japanese isn't good enough to do the actual subs but have done much editing for others, haven't done that for a while though but if you know if others who need someone to proofread their subs make a comment.
 On to the show and like the previous episode it's going to be a much shorter than most drama recaps are. Shorter too because I didn't take many screenshots again, wanted to but the cast is fairly huge and though Tsubasa has the main female lead in this she has to share screen time with so many others.
 One other reason it's shorter as not as much happened and it's a trend I've noticed in other semi-serious romance dramas, has anyone else noticed what I'm going to say? Seems these ten episode series run a show or two too long, almost every drama in this genre the middle episodes kind of drag a bit whether it's the 4th-5th or 5th- 6th shows. They always start out strong, most times end strong too but the middle has too much filler, seems like they could condense dramas like this down to eight episodes and have something really special. However that will never happen as that would leave the network with too much airtime to fill, it's not a rant or put down but just noticed most dramas in this genre usually fall into that middle episode trap of being boring.

 Wouldn't call this episode boring as the last 1/3 of the show was actually it's high point to date and has set itself up nicely for the following episodes, the first half hour though kind of dragged by though. The third episode ended off with Akari finding the note she had left Miura seven years prior to meet her at a fireworks show one year after their high school graduation. Akari hid the note in a 'One Piece' manga which was discovered by Shota and it was he who met her at the show.
 Akari all these years had thought that Miura just blew her off until she discovered the manga and note in Shota's apartment. The pair had it out a bit about that, Shota confessing he did steal the note but it's because he was jealous of Miura and thought that Akari would never love him. But before that discussion Akari had also found out from one of Shota's fellow doctors that he had paid Akari's father 500,000 yen to leave Tokyo and to never see her again, he took the money and left.

 Akari hasn't seen her father for seven years and has been looking for him all that time, she was devastated when she heard what happened. Shota had no good answer for what he did and Akari left fuming but also in tears, looks like their relationship is over but have a feeling something may get them together again, he's kind of a sneaky guy though he is about to become a doctor.
 Miura meanwhile may be getting back with Ruiko, they had gone out for a while before but had broken up. These days though they're getting along better than ever and even went out on a date where Ruiko said she would like for them to start seeing each other seriously again. Miura didn't give a yes answer yet but looks like he's leaning that way, if he starts going out with her does that mean that getting back with Akari is out of the question.
 My answer to that is no or at least not quite yet, you know Akari and Miura will eventually end up together and it's just a question of when and how. Those are really all the key points that happened in this episode and almost all of them happened in the last 1/3 of the show, that first half hour was too much filler which is a shame as it really ended on an intense note which made it an episode you can't miss.

 Actually you could almost FF until the last 15 minutes as it was a mixed bag of a show, you're not missing much for skipping the first 2/3 but the ending was something you will need to see for future episodes. Shame the whole episode wasn't as good as the finale, it's a bit like what I was talking about above about how middle episodes tend to drag a bit.
 Still it's been a fine watch to date, will be watching and reviewing the remaining episodes which I presume is going to be ten shows but haven't checked on that. Not as many screenshots again but enough to follow what happened in the show, to be honest Tsubasa has always looked beyond fabulous to me but she's really setting her standard of perfection higher with each episode.