Aozora musume

Yuuko has been raised by her grandmother in the countryside while her father and siblings live in Tokyo. Shortly after graduating high-school, she is told the reason for this unusual arrangement. And when she finally moves in with her family, she has to sleep under the stairs like Harry Potter, and work in the house as a maid.

At this point, I thought I knew how the story would play out, but that was premature. What follows is a fast-paced, lively, and sometimes surprising story. The actors are doing a 90 min speed-run through various settings, packed with people and items. The music is prominent with at least two full jazz songs performed. It feels much more American than any other Japanese movie I have seen. Or maybe it is a light critique of the American influence?

A driving force is the wholesome heroine Yuuko (Wakao Ayako). While she has a submissive side, she has her own will and agency, taking actions to derail the plot. Add to this that she also looks strong and healthy. All in all an awesome protagonist.

The large cast contains many likeable characters, who contribute to the encouraging mood, and sometimes make their own moves. The step-mother is not too much of a caricature, and has a clear and understandable reason to hate Yuuko.

The main plot is not very interesting or deep. What is interesting is the individual scenes. What would seem cliché on paper is given energy by the fire in Yuuko's eyes.

Most scenes have a twist in the form of something happening in the background, a weird side character, the enourmous telephones, or just the overwhelming number of people crowding the small spaces.

All lines are not delivered perfectly, but with so many people chatting, dropping pop-cultural refences, or quoting philosophers, there is no time to dwell on imperfections.

There are not many jokes, and there is a bit of conflict and tragedy, but the overall mood is comedy. It will surely increase the happiness in your life.

Nice to watch once, but nothing particularly mindblowing and/or engaging. I give a sufficient rating anyway because the lead actress already shows some talent and guts, but that's it. Recommended to passionate fans of Happy Days and 50's american lifestyle more than proper japanese movie lovers.

Having just completed high school, a teenage girl born out of wedlock named "Yuko Ono" (Ayako Wakao), is sent to Tokyo to live with her father, "Mr. Ono" (Kinzo Shin), and his family after her grandmother's death. Despite being a pleasant young woman, Yuko struggles to adjust primarily because her half-brothers and half-sister exhibit hostility toward her. Similarly, her stepmother is also unwelcoming. However, with the support of her former teacher, "Keikichi Futami" (Kenji Sugawara), and a young suitor named "Ryosuke Hirooka" (Keizo Kawasaki), she embarks on a quest to find her real mother who abandoned her at a young age. The only challenge is that she has no idea where to begin her search. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will simply say that this was an entertaining film, largely due to the light-hearted approach adopted by the director (Yasuzo Masumura). Interestingly, although Ayako Wakao is certainly attractive, she hasn't quite blossomed into the incredible beauty she would later become. But that is just my opinion. In any case, although this certainly wasn't a great picture by any means, it filled the time reasonably well, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

First I will say it stands listed here as a comedy. Either I have lost my sense of humor or it is not a comedy. I would rather call it a drama with a romantic subplot.

Yuko travels to Tokyo to live with her family. Right before leaving she is told that her mother is her Fathers mistress. Then the rest of the movie is based on how the family and Yuko lives with this complicated situation and Yukos search for her real mother.

The movie is in beautiful colors and the story and the characters are interesting. Ayako Wakao that plays Yuko is certainly a charm to follow and in my opinion it is a well acted movie from all. Even though the movie have serious topics it is handled in a light and smiling way so it never gets depressing.

I would recommend this movie to people that is interested in Japanese culture and customs. It is in my opinion above average and neither too light or heavy in the drama section.