31 August 2008

みゅうの足パパにあげる Myū no Anyo Papa ni Ageru


Title: みゅうの足パパにあげる Myū no Anyo Papa ni Ageru
English Title: Myū Will Give Daddy Her Legs
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2008
Episode: 01
Cast:
  • 松本潤 Matsumoto Jun
  • 能瀬香里奈 Nose Karina (香里奈 Karina)
  • 畠山彩奈 Hatakeyama Rina
  • 石原良純 Ishihara Yoshizumi
  • 正名僕蔵 Masana Bokuzo
  • 渡辺えり Watanabe Eri
  • 松重豊 Matsushige Yutaka
  • 山崎一 Yamazaki Hajime
  • 大塚良重 Otsuka Yoshie
  • 김지순 Kim Ji Sun (ちすん Chisun)



SYNOPSIS
Yamaguchi Hayato fell in love at first sight with Sakurai Aya at his part-time job at a karaoke place. Hayato and Aya started dating, and they eventually lived together. Aya became pregnant and the two got married although Hayato is still in his senior year as an engineering major in university.

Hayato used to think that the future will eventually work out, but finding employment became necessary because of his wife Yamaguchi Aya and his daughter Yamaguchi Myū. After four years of living happily with his family, Hayato suddenly felt weakness in his legs and arms.

Hayato went to a hospital for tests, and a doctor diagnosed that he has Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves. Although there is no known cure for GBS, there are treatments that can ease its symptoms. Most people diagnosed with GBS eventually recover from the illness, although some may experience lingering effects.

However, Hayato doesn't get better even after undergoing treatments for GBS. Aya strictly encouraged Hayato to go to a different hospital and to undergo more tests.

After getting examined by a different doctor, Hayato is diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves. CIDP symptoms are similar to GBS symtoms, but CIDP is an long-term illness. There is no known cure for CIDP but physiotherapy may help improve a patient's muscle strength, function, and mobility.



REVIEW
Myū no Anyo Papa ni Ageru is about a young man struggling to cope with a chronic illness, but finds much needed support and unconditional love from his family.

Although the drama talks about an illness, it focuses more on the characters. It is about how Yamaguchi Hayato met Sakurai Aya, and how they started their own family.

It was nice to see how Hayato's perspective and priorities changed because of his wife Yamaguchi Aya and daughter Yamaguchi Myū. I think it's great that although there are times that Hayato is depressed about his circumstances, he gets renewed strength from the existence of his loved ones.

Myū no Anyo Papa ni Ageru is a hopeful production because it only featured Hayato's ordeal of figuring out what kind of illness he has and whether it is curable or not, after he noticed that there's something wrong with his body. Although there is a problem, there is always that possibility that there is a solution and things will eventually go back to how they were before he got sick.

I think the tone would have been much different if the production also covered the times when Hayato is having a difficult time doing anything at all, such as looking after himself, working to earn money, or just plain moving around.

Anyway, I like that the drama showed how doctors can misdiagnose a patient at times. Although doctors are medical experts, I think it is important to remember that they are not infallible. It is always necessary to seek a second opinion.

In addition, it is crucial for patients and their families to gather as much information as possible themselves. It is easy to access information from the Internet and medical books are now widely available, so there's no excuse to being uninformed.




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みゅうの足パパにあげる Myū no Anyo Papa ni Ageru