Title: おせん Osen
English Title: Osen
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2008
Episode: 10
Cast:
- 蒼井優 Aoi Yu
- 杉本哲太 Sugimoto Tetta
- 余貴美子 Yo Kimiko
- 内博貴 Uchi Hiroki
- 向井理 Mukai Osamu
- 奥村知史 Okumura Tomofumi
- 鈴木蘭々 Suzuki Ranran
- 工藤里紗 Kudo Risa
- 森田彩華 Morita Ayaka
- 由紀さおり Yuki Saori
- 宅間孝行 Takuma Takayuki
- 渡辺いっけい Watanabe Ikkei
SYNOPSIS
Micro of Def Tech - 踊れ Odore (Dance)Handa Sen is the proprietress of Ishōhan restaurant with a long history located near Tokyo. Although quite young and an airhead at times, Sen is an accomplished lady who is knowledgeable in traditional Japanese arts and culture, from calligraphy to ceramics.
In line of the modern thinking of most Japanese, Sen struggles to keep the restaurant in operation.
REVIEW
タッキー&翼 Tackey and Tsubasa - 恋詩－コイウタ－ Koi Uta (Love Song)Osen is a very interesting drama because it talks about the difficulty of keeping traditions in a modern world. There are some characters in the drama that point out how traditions, particularly Japanese traditions, have no place in the modern world.
I think it is important to keep traditions alive but as it is pointed out in the drama, it is quite difficult to do so. Particular individuals should be tasked to protect and continue these traditions. But then again, who will decide who actually gets the responsibility of preserving tradition and culture? For the people who get tasked with such a huge responsibility, what if they don't want to be the one to preserve tradition and culture?
It is a very artistic drama and quite informative about the Japanese culture -- food, arts, clothes, writings, etc. It is very interesting to watch and certainly one of those dramas you wouldn't mind watching several times over.
I didn't like the Ezaki Yoshio character because he kept asking to work at Ishōhan restaurant and then kept quitting afterward. I understand his concerns about not earning enough money to live if he works at Ishōhan restaurant considering the low pay but I wish he thought things through before he makes decisions. He is not only making himself suffer the consequences of his half-baked decisions, he is also inconveniencing other people.
For those interested, another drama that showcases traditional Japanese culture would be あんどーなつ Ando Natsu. Another drama that presents the difficulty of traditional Japanese culture surviving in the modern times would be 拝啓、父上様 Haikei, Chichiue-sama.
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おせん Osen
