Review of Hakusen Nagashi ~ Yume miru goro sugitemo

Title: Hakusen Nagashi ~ Yume miru goro sugitemo (Even when it's past the time to dream)
O.A. Date: 7 Oct 2005

Cast:
Ookouchi Wataru - Nagase Tomoya
Nanakura Sonoko - Sakai Miki
Tomiyama Madoka - Kyono Kotomi
Hasebe Yusuke - Kashiwabara Takashi
Tachibana Fuyumi - Mabuchi Erika
Tomiyama Shinji - Nakamura Ryu
Shiota Kayano - Yui Ryoko
Yoshikawa Misato - Hara Sachie
Sugata Shiro - Nagai Masaru
Senjuu Yutaka - Koide Eisuke
Goto Kana - Nishihara Aki

Story
It has been 8 years since Sonoko and her friends have graduated from senior high school.

Wataru has married Misato whom he met at the International Youth Welfare Team in Sri Lanka and they have been living in Gifu for 2 years as Wataru is helping out at Misato's uncle's factory. Misato is working as a kindergarten teacher and they are living happily together.

After breaking up with Wataru, Sonoko is now a teacher at her previous senior high school and feels nostalgic when she sees the couple, Yutaka and Kana who reminds her of how she was with Wataru in the past.

Madoka is juggling work as a nurse while taking care of her son, Shingo and she is continuing to argue with her husband, Shinji who works as a police officer.

Yusuke is doing well in Tokyo as a lawyer and Kayano continues to work as a stylist. Fuyumi is working as a waitress while writing scripts but she gets irritated at her live-in boyfriend, Shiro who is unemployed and yet does not go to find jobs.

One day, Wataru hears from Misato's aunt that she had gone to the gynae and suspects whether she is pregnant. However, Misato tells Wataru she had only gone for a check up.

At this time, the observatory where Wataru's father used to work in would be closed soon and Sonoko happens to read it from the papers. She feels helpless at not being able to do anything to save that place which means a lot to her and Wataru. Madoka suggests holding a gathering there for old classmates but only Sonoko and Yusuke turns up. Sonoko confides in Yusuke that even though she has become a teacher as she had wished, she finds that there is something missing in her life and she can't help but feel lonely. Yusuke confesses that he's still in love with Sonoko which makes her very surprised...

In addition, Sonoko is informed that her students, Yutaka and Kana are hospitalised because of a traffic accident. It appears that the accident happened while Shinji was chasing the two of them in the patrol car and they were riding a motorbike then...

Review

Hakusen Nagashi is one of my favourite dramas which left a deep impression on me. Well, I watched the series when I was around the age of the characters barely after I left secondary school and went on to an institute of higher learning. That was why I could identify with the emotions and issues in the drama like being apprehensive about the future and what it may hold. As there were SPs at regular intervals of about 1-2 years, this gives viewers an update of what the characters were doing which enhances the nostalgic feel of the series. It's almost as if this has become a part of me and I'm rather sad to see that this is the final instalment.

I won't give a detailed synopsis of the series but will just give a brief summary.

Wataru - He moved to Gifu with Misato whom he married at the end of the last SP. However, that attracted lots of complaints from viewers who disliked the idea of breaking Wataru and Sonoko up. To be frank, I was so sad when I watched the last SP and didn't understand why they had to part. Maybe that's why the scriptwriter arranged for Misato to pass away due to an illness which is probably the only way that Wataru and Sonoko can be together. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, based on the ending, it can be assumed that the couple should be reunited. By the way, Wataru went back to work at the observatory where his father worked at.

Sonoko - She's a teacher at her senior high school where she teaches the graduating class. There's a couple in her class who get into some trouble and they had to part ways due to parental objection. This made Sonoko think about her past with Wataru and realise that she's not moving on with her life. At the same time, she is dating Yusuke and plans to get married with him. However, after talking to Misato (she was hospitalised in Matsumoto's hospital), Sonoko realises that she is still pining for Wataru and backs out of the marriage. In the end, she reunites with Wataru after Misato passes away.

Yusuke - He's a lawyer at a big law firm but he doesn't like what he's doing as it differs from his initial aim of helping those in need. As such, he is harbouring thoughts of leaving and setting up his own firm one day. In addition, he still loves Sonoko and suggests that they start dating. Even though they are going to be married, Sonoko breaks up with him but he still forgives her.

Madoka - She has a son, Shingo and is working as a nurse. However, due to the demands of bringing up her child, work, household chores, the stress is getting to her and she flares up easily. She also takes to drinking when she's at home. The situation gets resolved when Shinji quits his job as a policeman and lightens her burden so she resumes her cheerful self. By the end of the series, she is pregnant with her second child.

Shinji - He's working as a policeman as usual but things between him and Madoka get tense because of her temper due to stress. After an accident of chasing after the wrong person which results in Sonoko's students sustaining injuries, he starts to rethink his priorities and feels that he must protect his family first before talking about protecting others. As such, he quits from his job and takes over the shrine so as to spend more time with his family.

Fuyumi - She's working in Tokyo as a hotel staff of the banquet section while writing scripts for competitions and lives with her boyfriend whom she knew in the last SP. However, he is unemployed and lives off her which makes Fuyumi very frustrated. The last straw for her is seeing that her boyfriend managed to write a much better script than her and she chased him out of her apartment. At a time, she has lost faith in continuing to chase her dreams but she decides to continue taking part in contests.

Kayano - She's a stylist who has just turned independent. However, problems crop up when an artiste who agreed to use her services goes back on her word. This results in some money problems but she continues to perservere.

This SP seems to be focused on showing how the characters had to compromise in various ways due to the problems in daily life but despite being at an age where it is said that you should not chase dreams anymore, they continue their quest in whatever way possible. This brings out the sub title of "yume miru goro sugitemo" where you are still entitled to chasing your dreams no matter how old you may be. That is why Wataru has finally achieved his aim of working in the observatory, Fuyumi continues to write scripts in order to realise her dream of being a scriptwriter, Kayano braves through the tough demands of an independent stylist while Yusuke leaves the big law firm for his first step of doing what he wants.

Although I'm happy with the fact that Wataru and Sonoko are finally together, I feel sorry for Hara Sachie whose character Misato had to be killed off so as to make way for the couple. The last SP shouldn't have introduced her as a rival of Sonoko in the first place.

And I can't help but think that Yusuke has a right to get angry at Sonoko for getting cold feet before the marriage but knowing his character and how much he loves her, there is no way he can hold it against her. Actually, I thought that he and Kayano were a nice couple in the first 2 SPs but it is unlikely that they can get together again since he's still pining for Sonoko while she knows that they are not compatible.

Fuyumi must be the most unlucky character among them where she doesn't have a decent relationship or achieved anything concrete during all these years. On the career side, she was aiming to be an actress but later changed her goal to a scriptwriter. At one time, she was even suffering from depression due to her inability to achieve her dream and she couldn't go home to take over the onsen ryokan since her elder sister was managing it. In love, she used to be holding a torch for Shinji but he married Madoka. The second boyfriend she had looked promising in the last SP but who would have expected things to turn sour in this SP?

Personally, this is not the best SP among the five in this series with regards to the story. I liked the third SP (Tabidachi no Uta) the most where Wataru left for Sri Lanka to be a volunteer and that scene where he and Sonoko parted ways after kissing left a deep impression on me. That SP comprised of sad and happy events at the same time too i.e. Sonoko's father's funeral and Madoka & Shinji's wedding. It just felt that this final SP was in a hurry to wrap up the entire story and I was hoping for a clearer ending on Wataru and Sonoko's relationship instead of leaving viewers to assume things.