Ai nante iranê yo, natsu

This drama of hers is rather different from her usual light-hearted fare which plays upon her cutie-pie image(albeit with heart-breaking endings) aka Summer Snow. I will introduce the main story without revealing the plot.. basically the back of the VCD box.As a warning it is a rather dark story... containing elements of murder, incest, greed among others.

Ryoko Hirosue plays Ako, an angsty blind girl with a massive inheritance from her dad who's passed away, with a long-lost brother. Atsuro Watabe plays Reiji, a slick con-man who is out to get Ako's money by posing as her brother. He has a huge debt with a couple of gangsters, and they have given him only a short time to pay up or its his life. He was previously a toy-boy for wealthy women, until the police caught up with him and sent him to jail for 6 months.

He is accompanied by his protégé and playboy/con-man in the making Naru(Tatsuya Fujiwara), who worships him but seems to have his own agenda. Ako on the other hand, proves to be a difficult character to get close to because she is bitter about her blindness, as well as her non-existent family and unloving father. She lives with her father's mistress, who on the surface is a loving and gentle mother to her.

This serial is good because it is different, without trying too hard to be. It does not try to cater to fans(like me), unlike some Japanese serials which write the stories for the actors/actresses. It is not essentially a weepie, but an extensive probe into the meaning and worth of life, with an outstanding cast who portray carefully layered characters. Quite beautiful, and thankfully is not accompanied by an abrupt and awkward ending that has become quite characteristic of some serials. A serious and thinking piece, which i hope every1 has the opportunity to enjoy.