Really Surprised!

Boring

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I don't want to reveal too many details about the plot, for discovering who is who and what is going to happen is undoubtedly very important when watching any TV drama. It is enough to say that the plot revolves around two women in their thirties who become neighbours. Two women who seem as different as can be, but somehow they feel drawn to each other and make friends. Eriko has a small, 5-year-old son and a husband who is working away. Saki, the new neighbour, moves in next door and is staying there alone. The setting is mostly the suburbs of Tokyo - a peaceful district where neighbours all know and help each other, everyone knows what is happening, happy housewives take care of their cute children in their houses surrounded by flower beds etc. That's all that needs to be said about the basic plot. However, from the very beginning this drama is full of mysteries, the atmosphere at times resembles that of those old TV series about small, sleepy towns which seem perfect and safe at first appearance but in fact have a lot to hide. All the time we have a feeling something is lurking behind the corner and we never quite know what is going to happen. Nakama Yukie is perfect for this role - she's beautiful, fascinating and full of mysteries. The actress playing Eriko - the happy, although perhaps slightly bored housewife, is also great. What I particularly liked about this drama and what makes it different from most of other Asian dramas is that the characters are full-fledged human beings, not some kind of stereotypical figures, but real people who develop, who are affected by the circumstances and who may not be quite what we take them for. They are never black and white. I recommend this drama to everyone who is perhaps a little tired of Asian dramas showing silly, childish and stereotypical characters and which offer nothing more than plain entertainment. Here we not only have entertainment and an interesting plot, but also a great set of characters and a message, too.