14 sai no haha

Synopsis:Shida Mirai, the young actress of Jyou no Kyoushitsu fame, plays an average junior high school student who becomes pregnant with her lover’s child. The drama will show her gradually maturing as the circumstances around her change.

Cast

• Shida Mirai as Ichinose Miki (14)
• Tanaka Misako as Ichinose Kanako (43)
• Namase Katsuhisa as Ichinose Tadahiko (45)
• Miura Haruma as Kirino Satoshi (15)
• Muroi Shigeru as Kirino Shizuka (48)
• Yamaguchi Sayaka as Endo Kyoko (Homeroom teacher, 25)

My thoughts:

Normally I would skip dramas focused desperately on gaining viewer’s tears. But somehow 14 sai no haha was different. The music score by Mr.Children is one of the highlights of this drama. In fact, Mr.Children howling ‘darling, darling…’ at the end is what makes the episode weld together so well. It gives you such a strong, heartfelt feeling that just pulls in a whirlwind. The music is divine, that’s I’m saying.

Shida, sharply improved from her performance from Jyou, and I felt it in her presence. Her role is Jyou was exaggerated, forced, and unpolished. Why she was awarded the 46th Television Drama Academy Award for Jyou was beyond me. Shida, in all due respects, should been awarded something for her role here. In fact, her role here is so fresh and flowy that sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s only fourteen. She played her character with such ease, so wonderful. Regarding her pregnancy scenes, I enjoyed how she naturally carried her baby and how cute she looked in her maternity clothing.

On the topic of teen pregnancy, the mere concept of teen pregnancy is indeed frowned upon. However, it’s so commonplace in our modern society that I cannot fathom why people are still so upset about it. 100 years ago, it was actually normal to be pregnant at age 14. 100 years later, it’s a sin to be married and have kids unless you reached 30. Statistically, women wed after 30. So what’s changed? More rules, that’s what.

So back to the perfomances, I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of Tanaka and Namase. They both starred together in Brother Beat so it was very nostalgic to see them together once again on screen. However, unlike their comedic roles of Brother Beat, Tanaka and Namase passes as the understanding and loving parents of Shida. The family’s dynamic is so warm and tightly connected that it compliments Shida’s performance. However, Tanaka overshadows Namase, in the motherly respect. You just can’t beat a mother’s love.

Miura. I don’t have much to say about it beside how cute/weird he looks at different angles.

The little brother is an excellent actor-in the making. In one of the scenes where Shida, the moment before she is wheeled away to the hospital, he expresses his concern for his older sister by crying woefully. That scene was so beautiful, I nearly cried. NEARLY. It takes a lot to make me cry.

For some reason, I really think Shida resembles Masaa from Berryz Koubou. Anybody agree with me?

Overall Acting: 9/10

Overall Drama Rating: 8/10

Props go to Shida for a stunning performance. The best supporting award goes to Tanaka. XD

Recommendation: Yes, it’s a great drama. However, I’m not the kind person whose able to sit through 11 hours of a cryfest, so I skimmed to the most dramatic parts and watched the whole drama in 2-3 hours. I’ll definitely recommend this closet-emos…Otherwise, this is kind of too heavy to digest for the casual viewer.

A chick flick, if I do say so myself. Some music, specifically from the drama.

Mr.Children-Shirushi

Shirushi-Piano