Too much of everything

Pretty Good

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Rikuo is about a family run company which makes shoes and their struggles to make running shoes. The story is okay, with the family dynamics, especially the son - father relationship. Also, the struggles of the company and the athlete to make his come back and ran the marathon are kind of interesting, though they get tiring after a while. The drama overall is boring and tiring. It took me a bit of an efford to watch, as the twists and the plot itself weren't original and there wasn't much to be expected. The performances, finally, were nice. So, 4 out of 10.

A tearjerker of a story, "Rikuô" is one of those typical Japanese shows that centers on the local, the small, the fight that the little puts against the big and bullies, to tell the story of a small tabi (Japanese socks) company on the verge of bankrupcy. Instead of going belly up, the owner of the long-standing and very respected company decides to go into the sneakers world, which puts the company against the big sport shoes companies. In part to be able to break through, the owner of the tabi company, Miyazawa, tries to get a promising runner to use their new sport shoes.What follows is your typical Japanese drama full of touching moments, ideas of sacrifice, the importance of family and traditional values and some romanticized ideas around Japanese culture and lifestyle. It is very well done and acted, and the direction and plot (even if some extended episodes just run for a little bit too long) grip the viewer's attention and make for compelling viewing. It never gets boring and knows how to bring the tear to the eye (curious, when it is a drama about a sock company trying to survive bankruptcy; you know, capitalism). The viewer will easily enjoy the story and how the characters are very human and nicely developed. Harder to sit through though, are some of those romantic ideas, that some times smell a little bit (it even feels like the drama is sending subtle patriotic messages).A very nicely done show, with great acting and development, which highlights are the characters and their development (something at which Japanese shows shine, with a mysterious knack to walk the line between cheesy and touching without falling into the first).