To begin with, each episode of this drama is shorter than the norm i.e. about 25 mins compared to the usual 45 mins for most dramas. With lesser time to spare, the drama gets down to business almost immediately without the usual fluff to set up the story so it felt as if a lot of stuff had been covered within a short period of time. The good side to this is, no time is wasted. However, if not handled properly, the drawback is that the characters can come across as very superficial and the viewers may not take to them or empathise with their feelings.
Prior to watching this, I had the impression that it was just a fantasy-cum-comedy about the Mochizuki family where father Kou returns in the form of a spirit 6 months after he died suddenly and supposedly can only seen by his son Seitaro. The younger man is still hung up over Kou's last word i.e. sorry and seems to be at a loss as to what to do now that he is left all alone. Nothing much has been said about Kou's wife i.e. Seitaro's mother in this episode although the official website does mention that the couple divorced 10 years after getting married despite overcoming objection from her parents. The contrast in Seitaro's living environment 6 months ago and now seems to be a reflection of his lack of desire and motivation in life. As such, Seitaro's childhood friend Yuuto is concerned about his well-being and even offers him a job opportunity so that Seitaro's mind can focus on something else.
The ironical thing is, much as you would think that Seitaro misses his father, his first reaction and of course, a natural one for anyone in the same situation is being freaked out at first by the appearance of Kou's spirit. However, it doesn't take him that long to come to terms with this new development although he's still curious about why Kou has returned and how he did that.
Another reason for Seitaro's loneliness and huge sense of loss has to do with their family business. The Mochizuki family has been in the business of fireworks for 5 generations but the COVID-19 pandemic nearly makes the company go bust as there is a lack of large scale events which requires fireworks displays. In most stories, the father would be the stubborn one who refuses to rejuvenate the business by trying new methods but here, Kou took the initiative to suggest promoting the idea of fireworks for individuals rather than corporations. However, Seitaro had been reluctant to consider this probably because of the hassle they had to go through to launch fireworks and the profit margin for individual assignments would most likely be not worth the effort.
Surprisingly, just when Seitaro has to grapple with the sudden appearance of Kou in spirit form, a woman named Mizumori Hikari comes knocking with a flyer promoting "fireworks for yourself only" i.e. you can arrange for a fireworks display on an individual rather than for corporates or large events. This is where another mystery pops up - how did Hikari get the flyer? When Kou floated the idea to Seitaro while he was alive, the latter was not supportive at all and it didn't look like Kou went ahead with this behind Seitaro's back. Then if Kou had done this after he died, how did he do it and for what reason? That's probably something which will be revealed in time to come.
Much as I don't expect the story to offer a lot of big surprises, I do like the underlying theme of bucking the trend illustrated in this episode. Kou's efforts in trying to seek a different market for their business which is dependent on large-scale outdoor events and Hikari paying for a fireworks display for her sake and using her own money can be seen as weird or unconventional behaviour. However, who has the right to say that they were wrong or shouldn't follow their hearts? Just because the majority doesn't do something doesn't make it unacceptable. Although it is still unknown why they did what they did, I actually like the notion of doing as you wish without being tied down by conventions but of course, this has to be done without hurting anyone in the process.
This drama is relatively simple and straightforward with just 3 characters and Seitaro's friend looking likely to pop up only from time to time. As such, to hold the interest of the viewers with such a plot and only 3 characters, this drama needs to have something magical that can hold interest through the entire season. For now, I think it's quite palatable and easy to watch and I am pleased to see the interactions between the cast members especially Takahashi Issei and Hashizume Isao. Surprisingly, Honda Tsubasa's acting in this drama has been passable so far but I guess this also has to do with the fact that her role hasn't required her to be extremely expressive at the moment. When Hikari shows more of her background and feelings, that's going to be the litmus test as to whether Honda can handle this character especially when faced with good actors who can either bring out the best in her or she will appear rather inadequate in contrast.
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