In the wastland
Dakara Koya
★ ★ ★ ★
Overview
Dakara Koya starts off with an overworked middle-aged housewife who finally snaps and abandons her family, taking her car and driving south to meet her friend in Fukuoka. The first few episodes follow her mishaps and reveals her naiveté as she meets a host of odd characters along her way. Eventually she winds up in Nagasaki, and in addition to showing her development into an independent person, it also takes on some new themes as she gets more involved with the kataribe Yamaoka, whose life mission is to tell the next generation about his experience of the atom bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki during WWII.
Closer Look
Starting with this broken, but very realistic modern Japanese family, the drama shows a wide variety of character development despite being only 8 episodes long, proving the point that good writers can be concise and still provide interest and reality. Some of the younger actors are a bit lacking but Suzuki Kyoka and Sugimoto Tetta are two veterans who are more than capable of picking up the slack.
The musical score is a little retro but it fits the atmosphere of the drama and is used well throughout. A large part of the action takes place in Nagasaki, which is a beautiful town built on steep hillsides around a bay.
Bottom Line
Dakara Koya really gets better as it goes along. The character development is interesting and the content really makes you think about life, love, and family. It’s brought up often, but it really is important to remember what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and dramas like this are a good way to pass it on to the next generation.
★ ★ ★ ★
Overview
Dakara Koya starts off with an overworked middle-aged housewife who finally snaps and abandons her family, taking her car and driving south to meet her friend in Fukuoka. The first few episodes follow her mishaps and reveals her naiveté as she meets a host of odd characters along her way. Eventually she winds up in Nagasaki, and in addition to showing her development into an independent person, it also takes on some new themes as she gets more involved with the kataribe Yamaoka, whose life mission is to tell the next generation about his experience of the atom bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki during WWII.
Closer Look
Starting with this broken, but very realistic modern Japanese family, the drama shows a wide variety of character development despite being only 8 episodes long, proving the point that good writers can be concise and still provide interest and reality. Some of the younger actors are a bit lacking but Suzuki Kyoka and Sugimoto Tetta are two veterans who are more than capable of picking up the slack.
The musical score is a little retro but it fits the atmosphere of the drama and is used well throughout. A large part of the action takes place in Nagasaki, which is a beautiful town built on steep hillsides around a bay.
Bottom Line
Dakara Koya really gets better as it goes along. The character development is interesting and the content really makes you think about life, love, and family. It’s brought up often, but it really is important to remember what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and dramas like this are a good way to pass it on to the next generation.