Hotaru no Hikari

[Daily Yomiuri, Televiews, Wm. Penn, July 18, 2007]: The most refreshing of the ladies dramas this quarter is Hotaru no Hikari (Wednesdays, 10 p.m., NTV network), starring Haruka Ayase as Hotaru, a young office lady who stands out because she defies all the stereotypes.

After a hard day at work, she prefers to come home early and lounge about her very messy house, in baggy old clothes, guzzling beer and talking to her cat. The word coined to describe this sort of behavior is "himono onna," a woman who is like a piece of dried fish.

But she is happy until Takano (Naohito Fujiki) arrives on the scene. Separated from his wife, he plans to move back home, but his father is off traveling and has rented the house to Hotaru.

The leasing agreement is written on the back of a disposable chopsticks wrapper. Takano is not impressed and wants her out. But by the end of episode one, he gives in. She can stay because, he concludes, she is not really a woman anyway with her slobbish ways. She is relieved but insulted because she has suddenly found her emotions reawakened by the new, fashionable young designer at the company who has developed a crush on her. Not great but it's a welcome departure from the four major stereotypes.

STARRING: Ayase Haruka, Fujiki Naohito
NETWORK: NTV
THEME SONG:
DURATION: July through September 2007

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