Title: Gibo to Musume no Blues / 義母と娘のブルース
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Recommended for:
Those who like heartwarming family-oriented stories and/or are fans of the cast members
* Currently available on Netflix (subject to geographical location)
Liked:
- The storyline while predictable at times, was packed with lots of funny, sweet and touching moments. Be it the development of the stepmother-stepdaughter relationship, the slowly developing romance between Akiko and Ryoichi, the cute childhood friends-first love plot involving Miyuki and Hiroki, the rebuilding of Bakery Mugita or the one-sided love story of Akira towards Akiko, there was a lot to take in but the pace was managed just fine without feeling too draggy or rushed.
- Acting-wise, everyone really managed to shine in their own ways. Ayase Haruka has always been quite good in juggling both comedy and serious acting so it was not surprising that she managed to make Akiko so endearing and fun to watch throughout the course of the entire drama. The scenes with Ryoichi (Takenouchi Yutaka) as their relationship developed provided some really fuzzy and nice romantic scenes as well. Her interactions with both the child actor Yokomizo Naho and the grown-up version of Miyuki played by Kamishiraishi Moka were also engaging and touching to watch. Likewise, Kamishiraishi was such a joy to watch as she showed how Miyuki had grown up well with Akiko's love and the positive traits of Ryoichi and I really liked her pairing with Inowaki Kai here. While I didn't quite like Akira as a character, Sato Takeru's performance was able to make him come across as someone you couldn't bear to dislike despite his flaws especially when it came to his mashed-up vocabulary.
- The theme song by MISIA really helped to accentuate the heartwarming vibe in this story especially during climax scenes or towards the end of the episodes.
Disliked:
- Too little of Takenouchi here because Ryoichi died halfway in the story. I would have loved to watch more of him not just because I am his fan but also due to the fact that Ryoichi and Akiko were only just getting started in their romance. Too bad that it wasn't meant to be for them.
- I wouldn't say that I really disliked this part but it did get in the way more so in the beginning of the story. Since Akiko was using formal speech and in a stiff business-like manner quite often, the words she said were at times rather difficult to understand and not what you tend to hear in dramas/movies unless the setting was in a workplace, the corporate world or public sector. As such, for those not used to this kind of speech, you might find it a bit more difficult to follow what she was saying and a tad jarring to the ears even with subtitles to help in your understanding.
Things did improve gradually as Akiko softened up thanks to her interactions with Ryoichi, Miyuki and the people around them. While she maintained her "politeness" in her speech, it was definitely more palatable and felt more comfortable to watch.
