Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru!

A 1986/Showa era middle-aged man, Ichiro Ogawa, finds himself in 2024/Reiwa Japan. At first utterly baffled, almost every word out of his mouth causes offence, but he starts to learn about modern life and behaviours.

Much of the plot revolves around the Ogawa family's future - and past - and Ichiro's clumsy efforts to avert his teenage daughter's 'hanky-panky', as he bounces back and forward in time, with additional stories particularly in the modern timeline.

There are quite a few Japanese pop culture references, but the plot is never dependent on these, so no matter for other viewers. The series maintains a rapid pace, both comedic and dramatic. Just hold your nose so your ears don't go 'eeee' - it can be a bumpy ride, especially when they break into song, but it's warm-hearted at its core.

This was being heavily promoted on Netflix in Japan when I was there in March 2024. It looked intriguing but never did I expect for it to be such a good show.

The time travel premise, the outlandish and amusing characters and random musical numbers all hooked me in the first episode.

As the show went on, it had more and more to say about how different the 80's were to the present day for better or for worse, but through the eyes of Ogawa we see a different take on our current world and learn with him as some his views change.

We eventually get hit with some major emotional moments that were completely unexpected and add further depth to the show in such a fantastic way, but even after that it doesn't fail to be funny and entertaining.

The musical numbers, while some better than others were almost always catchy standouts being, Let's Have A Conversation, Harassment and Daddy's Suit. Of course the opening Nidone by Creepy Nuts which played often through the show was incredible and it became my most played song for that month while travelling Japan.

If you're looking for something completely different to watch and want to give something new a chance, this show will surprise you in almost every way and you'll be glad for having watched it.

I started this reluctantly but it turned out so good! The first review before mine says it all basically.

I admire the Japanese so much for how crazy and funny they can be, like seriously surreal and hilarious. Plus they always add a humanity and morality factor, and there's always a deeper meaning behind even the wackiest scripts.

All the actors were really good, especially the least experienced younger ones, the random bursting into song was funny, the cultural references were very accurate universally not just in the Japanese context. There were parts I literally laughed out loud and there were even a couple parts I teared up a bit, which I was really not expecting. All in all, very entertaining!!