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| Synopsis |
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| The 65th NHK Asadora Drama is Honmamon. Locations include Motomiya, Wakayama, Osaka and Kyoto. Yamanaka Konoha is an 18-year-old girl born in the Kumano area of Wakayama prefecture deep in the country. The family makes its living in forestry but barely gets by. Konoha's mother, Senri, is an instructor of Kumano Kodo (ancient arts and practices of living in the Kumano area) who teaches traditional farming techniques and tells historical lore to visitors. The father, Ichiro, whose family had forested the hills for generations, has a secret ambition to start his own restaurant in Osaka. Konoha grew up in the deep forests of the hills and was trained by her grandfather, Sadamichi. He is an itinerant priest and teaches Konoha ranger skills and various forms of the art of meditation like praying while standing underneath a waterfall. Konoha, who is a senior in high school, is wondering what to do with her life. The story circulates around food. Konoha's grandmother, Fuji, passes away one day. As her last meal, Ichiro makes her chagayu (rice gruel made with Japanese tea), which she eats with an expression of happiness. On witnessing this, Konoha decides to study to become a cook with the belief that "good food can make people happy." Konoha has an inbred talent for tasting good food, which was passed down from her father. When her father decided to leave Kumano for Osaka to start up his own restaurant, Konoha decides to go with him. They leave together, Konoha to study from the basics the arts of cooking and Ichiro to fulfill his dream and become the owner of his own restaurant. | | groink |
| Drama Reviews (1) |
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!!WARNING!!
The review section may contain spoilers! Please understand
that you may find out about this drama's endings and plots!
| | 1. | The reason why asadoras ROCK! [Rating: 9/10]
This is my first time watching an asadora, and I can now fully understand why some prefer this format to the 9-12 episode series.
Honmamon spans 10 years, and through this time we see the growth of a young girl by the name of Konoha. Through hardship, sacrifice, and a will that can tear down mountains, Konoha matures into a woman who aims to make her dreams come true, no matter what the cost.
There are so many wonderful things about this drama. To begin with, you really feel like you�fre part of the story. You literally get to see every corner of the characters�f lives, and witness their growth through their daily routines. The casting for this drama is the best I have ever scene. Every actor/actress was perfect�c except for perhaps Kaito Ken. Physically he fit the part beautifully, but his acting was really bad compared to the others. Mind you, I don�ft know whether it was because you get used to his acting (or lack of), or because he really does improve, but by the end he didn�ft bother me as much.
Fubuki Jun completely blew me away. When I first saw her in Orange Days, she was forgettable and a little annoying. In Honmamon, however, she was one of the brighter stars. Her character, Senri, quickly became my favourite and you can truly see the talent it took to fully portray this character. Fubuki was brilliant. As was Asou Yumi. As was everyone!
And then, of course, there is Ikewaki Chizuru. Someone give this girl an Oscar. I�fm still completely stunned by her performance. She portrayed every face of Konoha so perfectly�c one would think that you were actually witnessing the comings and goings of a real person. That scene when Konoha goes to the convent and cries out all her frustrations�c so powerful! There were many moments when I couldn�ft believe it was all make-believe�c There were even times when I hated her for what she was doing to her family. When she told her mother-in-law that she would give up her family for her career, I couldn�ft sleep that night! I couldn�ft understand why she would abandon her daughter, Yukie, like that. Near the end, of course, we learn her thought process, but still it was a hard road to follow.
There are some discrepancies along the way, such as Konoha�fs pregnancy and how we don�ft at all see how it affects the restaurant, even though it was foreshadowed to (like the �ggod of death�h proclaiming that her taste would change). Also, once Konoha�fs half-sister leaves for Italy, we never hear of her again. But these discrepancies are few and easily forgiven considering the length of the show.
In the end, I�fm really glad I donated all the hours it took to complete this show. I�fm sad in the heart that it�fs over and that I can no longer follow Konoha and her family through their lives. I guess the next best thing would be to start from the beginning again�c | | Reviewed by Wynter on 5 May 2007 |
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| Comments From Users (2) |
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!!WARNING!!
This section may contain spoilers! Do not proceed if you
do not want to read about this drama's endings and plots!
| | 1. | Comments by gaijinmark [Rating: 7/10]
Better than average asadora. Took some getting used to, but not bad. | | 2. | Comments by Wynter [Rating: 9/10]
My fast Asadora. A beautiful story about a girl and her dreams... | | 3. | Comments by azarname [Rating: ?/10]
| | 4. | Comments by neiyumiko [Rating: ?/10]
| | 5. | Comments by sadacori [Rating: ?/10]
| | 6. | Comments by lilly_pad [Rating: ?/10]
| | 7. | Comments by xploring [Rating: ?/10]
| | 8. | Comments by marspeach [Rating: ?/10]
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