TOSHISHITA NO OTOKO (Younger Man)

[From Calvin Campbell]: Inamori Izumi stars as Chikako, a thirty year old OL who feels that life is passing her by. The girls at the office are getting younger and younger, and Chikako is beginning to despair of ever finding a husband. She finds some solace in her home life. Her mother is a typical housewife: devoted to her family, hard-working, and taking pleasure only occasionally in dining out with the friends from the Ginza bento shop where she works. Chikako’s father is a hard-working salesman, and her brother is studying to become a lawyer. However, even this small comfort begins to disintegrate. After Chikako is rejected by a man she loves but hardly knows, her own fifty one year old mother falls in love with him. Her brother drops out of university, and suspicion incessantly nags her father. Chikako finds refuge in the arms of her brother’s twenty year old friend, Kengo, but it becomes all too clear that, while he truly cares for Chikako, he is not mature enough for a serious relationship. Add to this mix Chikako’s nasty colleague, a woman who loathes the happiness of others; and Chikako’s brother’s ex-girlfriend, who becomes obsessed with obtaining Kengo and ruining Chikako, and the result is an intense, wonderfully acted, and deeply affecting drama about secrets, lies, and being true to oneself. Inamori Izumi plays the role to perfection, and displays a remarkable range of emotions. The scene where she confronts her mother and her lover at a Kyoto temple is particularly memorable. The theatre-style ending in which the characters go their separate ways is very moving.

STARRING: Inamori Izumi, Takahashi Katsunori, Fubuki Jun, Hoshino Mari, Kashu Toshiki, Asou Yumi, Hirata Mitsuru, Yamazaki Yuta, Suzuki Ranran, Takahashi Masaya and more.
THEME SONG: "HANA (“Gorgeous”)" by Sinba, "Ka" by Sinba
NETWORK: TBS
DURATION: 11 episodes; from January 9, 2003 to March 20, 2003
REVIEWS:

[from Calvin Campbell]: This is simply an incredible tale well told. I had tears in my eyes by the end of this, and that doesn’t happen very often. Also, the title song by Sinba is haunting. I can’t recommend this drama highly enough. Five stars!