Kofuku no Oji (The Happy Prince)

[From Japan Times, July 7, 2003, Wm. Penn]: The Oscar Wilde fairy tale on which the drama is based is about a gold-plated statue that gives away its valuable coating to help people in need. However, in this version the hero, Shuhei (Masahiro Motoki), is neither a statue nor a prince -- unless, of course, you consider the scion to a wealthy family that owns a large hospital a kind of prince. Shuhei doesn't, though explaining this would give away the story, which is told in flashbacks. In the opening episode, broadcast last week, Shuhei, with white hair, a large scar on his neck, and speech patterns more appropriate for an 8-year-old, walks into the office of a loan shark and shoots everyone dead. He then walks out and is himself shot by policemen. He is brought to a hospital where he remains in a coma while a teenage girl named Mayu, who requires a heart transplant, is given good news by her doctor, a young man named Ryosuke. Ryosuke was once Shuhei's best friend, and in this week's installment he starts telling Mayu Shuhei's tale, about how he wanted to study music and marry a young cellist named Umi (Miho Kanno), but that his family insisted he become a doctor and take over the family business. They even found a different bride for him. The script is by Yukawa Kazuhiko (of "GTO" and "Mahiru no Tsuki" fame).

STARRING: Masahiro Motoko, Kanno Miho
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DURATION: July 2003 through September 2003
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