JAPANESE DRAMA DATABASE: Aisuru Tame Ni Aisaretai

Aisuru Tame Ni Aisaretai

[From Wm. Penn, Daily Yomiuri, July 19, 2003]: At the other end of the spectrum is Aisuru Tame ni Aisaretai (Thursdays at 9p.m. on TBS network). It is this season's slick, sophisticated drama aimed at the more mature viewer. The series almost brings it off but it is not quite convincing enough. It does have a sophisticated setting, scenario and adult actors in place at an organization called JASDA, which has been designated to put Japan's first manned space shuttle into orbit.

The project team is headed by astronaut Miyata (Toshiro Yanagiba) who has
found his health will not allow him to be the first to go. His protegee,
Yamazaki (Rei Kikukawa), who boasts an IQ of 150, thinks she will get the
chance to be the first Japanese woman from JASDA in space but someone,
somewhere has other ideas. Akiyama (Kenji Sakaguchi) is brought in from
outside the organization and it looks like he has the inside track. He also
seems to have a history with Reiko (Hitomi Kuroki), an investment banker
with her eye on the business opportunities that outer space will present.
She also continually has her eye on Sakaguchi, and it seems they knew each
other in South Korea before this project began. Veteran character actor
Masao Kusakari takes the role of Kyoichiro, a company president who is
deeply in love with Reiko.

But does the at-home viewer want to sign up for this flight of fantasy?
Check it out, if only as an antidote to the overload of seishun comedy this
quarter. This series is aiming for the stars, but I give it only one so far.

Starring: Yanagiba Toshiro, Kikuwa Rei, Sakaguchi Kenji, Kuroki Hitomi
Theme Song:
TV NETWORK: TBS
DURATION: July 2003 through September 2003
REVIEWS:

2003 is a year of mediocre to crappy dramas. With the talk of space, why not a drama of Japanese astronauts (there are quite a bit of space story anime right?). Well, for this drama, it really didn't do all that well and it barely receives a 5% rating and the number of episodes have been cut down to ten. But there was a lot of competition on TV during the time this drama airs. - Shion

Websites:

Official Website