Inu wo Kau to iu koto Review
This is a story about how a tiny pomeranian can change the lives of the people around him. It is not a fantastic story of rags to riches - but a real story about a young family struggling to keep together in today’s rough world.
Yuji Hongo (Nishikido Ryo) is a 30 year old salary-man who has a wife, Sachiko, (Mizukawa Asami) and two kids. He was struggling to be a breadwinner for his poor family while trying his best to forget about his dreams of being a musician. His wife, also gave up her dream of being a nurse to raise a family with Yuji. The story is a snapshot of their lives taken after Mako, the daughter brings home a cute little pomeranian which they named Sky Tree. It is a picture of the struggles, the strifes, sacrifices and decisions they had to make to keep the family together and safe.
I love this drama. Seriously, not only because it’s a Ryo-drama but also because its something real. It’s not like the usual Japanese drama wherein dreams come true. This drama takes us to real life in Japan and gives us a clear picture of what could happen there. The plot is real, the people, though some are stereotypical are uncannily comparable to real life people and the actors themselves brought reality to the piece. It was something enjoyable and it wasn’t hard to digest so I really love this drama for that quality.
As for casting, I really wasn’t sure at first if Ryo-chan could pull off the daddy role since lately he’s been in a steady stream of psycho roles starting from Last friends, Othros no Inu and Joker. But he pulled it off. Ryo-Papa is LOVE. Indeed, he showed the struggles as a dramatic actor brilliantly and he could move me to tears. I understood the casting when they mentioned that Yuuji really wanted to be a musician and Ryo had played his guitar at the bar. He looked gentle with the kids and was really a convincing father. His role was almost flawlessly cast and it seemed that Ryo-chan had worked really hard to pull it off.
His wife Mizukawa Asami as Sachiko was quite natural as the mommy of the family. She really had it down- from the nagging, the caring side and she looked really cute in an apron. Though, what worried me was her interaction with Ryo but the Ryo-Asami couple pulled it off. They were cute and fun to watch as they bickered their way through life and was sometimes, really sweet on TV. The way they cared for the children was true as well. Asami seems to really be good with children, She’s going to be a good mommy.
Aside from those two another notable character which I flail about is:Dr. HOTTA= Dr. Junnosuke “HOT-TA” Taguchi. He plays the role of Hotta, Sachiko’s high school sweetheart who seems to still have the hots for her. He’s the total foil of Ryo who is successful, handsome, smart and to top it all off, very sweet and nice to Sachiko. He really was amazing - my heart fell to the floor everytime he was in the scene. Yes, I am fangirling Junno because he’s really someone who was perfect for his role.
The drama was cute and real. Something that doesn’t require a lot of brainwork and is totally easy to watch. I recommend it to anyone who likes slice of life dramas like these.