More of her soon, yet a superficial analysis of this sweet J-Drama might not get your pulse racing.
Our focus is a typical hospital nurse's station & assorted patients/staff interactions aren't very different to a bunch of medical shows you've seen before. Centre-stage is young novice Tachibana ( Ayami Nakojo ) & her mentor/trainer, senior nurse Mihara ( Asami Mizukawa ). The other main personalities are a male Head Nurse, a senior surgeon & a capable young male newcomer who starts at the same time as his error-prone female counterpart.
There are two potent weapons employed here to distinguish NIA from the pack, & foremost is the character of Tachibana. She is, quite simply, sweet/adorable/passionate/emotional/good-hearted/ funny & wears her big heart on her sleeve & it would be a very churlish person who doesn't fall in love with her. A few of the faces she makes suggest some channelling of Jim Carrey, while she typically lets out a loud groan when something goes well/badly & isn't averse to hitting someone who deserves it.
The second weapon is Japanese Cuteness. This typically involves some sort of playful animation or insert designed to complement or comment on the action. So for example, a burst of anger from the lead will often see her head haloed in flames while other animated inserts highlight the key emotions ruling the primary duo. It works really well, & kudos also to the script/director for efficient organisation as well as interesting patient stories ( which usually revolve around the staff ). The two romances are well written, with a bit of parallel symmetry arising late on to pleasing effect.
As to the cast, you'll have probably guessed by now that I think AN is wonderful. The British/Japanese former model is unsurprisingly getting a lot of work & handles a range of emotions with exhilarating assurance; I thought she was good in "Real Girl" & better in "Nisekoi", yet those were mere entrées to the main course buffet of this role. It's obviously difficult to make an impression when there's a Supernova in the same room, but AM is excellent as the mentor nurse who is looking for a husband while trying to reign in her tearaway pupil. They gradually become a formidable team, with the older nurse absorbing some of that youthful energy. The male staffers are uniformly good too & many smaller parts are memorable.
I'd award a perfect score if not for some minor annoyances : the Cuteness should have been cranked up, & while it's good that the fourth wall is periodically broken, some fantasy scenes would enhance the narrative. Slightly more oomph for the visuals as well is my preference, such as the beauty of "Princess Jellyfish" & at least one scene towards the end BEGS for slo-mo !
Nevertheless, this is a fun series which you should definitely try. I very much enjoyed the company of these characters, & isn't that what a satisfying TV/Movie experience is all about ? ( and as for the various titles, I reckon "Force Of Nature" is better ).
