99-nen no ai: Japanese Americans

This series somewhat surprised me in how well it showed some of the problems with pride and prejudice on both sides. The stigma on Japanese first and second generation that were repatriated to Japan is almost never covered by any Japanese media.

But it was not without its' flaws: 1. While there are quite a few comments about how bad the atomic bomb was, nothing at all is mentioned about the Pearl Harbor attack except for the fact that it happened.

2. I guess because nearly all the characters were played by Japanese actors (no real Isei, Nisei, or Sansei) much of the American dialog does not ring true. Probably due to the writing, which was also totally Japanese done. They pretty much totally ignored the fact that nearly all Nisei and later generations could speak perfect English - and the fact that many do not speak Japanese.

3. It put forth the view that nearly all Japanese-Americans at that time were far more "Japanese" than they were American, which is simply not true. The loyalty and/or attachment to America in fact ran across the whole spectrum - a fair percentage in fact considered themselves betrayed by Japan.

This show is such a ridiculously obvious attempt at painting the Japanese immigrants to the US as noble, superior people who work harder and are all-around better than their American hosts.

Of course it disregards the facts known about the actual internment camps and practically stylises them as Nazi death camps.

All Americans in this drama are stereotypically sinister and racist people, while the Japanese are hard-working victims with no flaws whatsoever.

As this drama has been made for Japanese audiences, of course it is dumbed to the point that it becomes nothing but a fairytale for children, and the Japanese makers of this probably had a very good reason to not release it in the US.