Title: フリーター、家を買う。 Freeter, Ie wo Kau.
English Title: Part-timer, Buys a House.
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2010
Episode: 10
Cast:
- 二宮和也 Ninomiya Kazunari
- 能瀬香里奈 Nose Karina (香里奈 Karina)
- 井川遥 Igawa Haruka
- 竹中直人 Takenaka Naoto
- 浅野温子Asano Atsuko
- 大友康平 Otomo Kohei
- 岡本玲 Okamoto Rei
- 丸山隆平 Maruyama Ryuhei
- 井上正大 Inoue Masahiro
- 山本龍二 Yamamoto Ryuji
- 嶋大輔 Shima Daisuke
- 眞島秀和 Mashima Hidekazu
- 橋本智哉 Hashimoto Tomoya
SYNOPSIS
嵐 Arashi - 果てない空 Hatenai Sora (Endless Sky)Take Seiji quits his job after three months. He has no dreams, no savings, and no work opportunities. He has a poor relationship with his father Seīchi who demands that he contribute to the household expenses. In order to do so, Seiji works at various part-time jobs.
Seiji's mother Take Sumiko suffers from depression. Apparently, she has been bullied by the neighborhood women for around ten years already. In order to help his mom recover, Seiji needs to raise enough money to buy a house somewhere else where his mother could be happy.
REVIEW
西野カナ Nishino Kana - 君って Kimi tteYou Say)I really like how Freeter, Ie wo Kau. focused on relationships -- with family members, with the in-laws, with colleagues, with neighbors, with friends, and even with acquaintances. Relationships are always complicated; one party is not always right and the other party is not always wrong.
It's nice how the drama also presents things in two different, sometimes quite opposing ways. It's like a reminder that people look at things differently and people have their own way of interpreting things.
Take Seiji considers himself as quite a failure because he went to a third-rate university and he is quite ordinary. His colleagues in the construction company told him he's actually better off because for certain licenses, he can get these licenses after one year of working whereas other people who didn't go to college can only apply for these licenses after three to five years.
Seiji was initially like most people and see construction jobs as a way to earn a lot of money. For people who stuck with construction work, they see their job as very important because they provide roads for the public.
Seiji also does not respect his father and disagrees with him in a lot of ways. However, for some people, Seiji's father is a man of respect and a mentor.
I think it's nice that the drama shows that things are not always black and white. I think it's important to try to see things from another perspective so that we can look at things more objectively.
Seiji began working hard after he finds out about his mom's depression and his family's need to move to a different environment. I'm not sure if the drama implies that a person works hard after he finds a goal in life or if it means a person works harder if he finds a goal; I'd like to think it's the second option.
The drama presents Seiji's struggle in becoming a better person. There were instances wherein things have gotten so hard that he wanted to just give up and not care anymore. There were also instances wherein things did not turn out the way he wanted to but he has to accept that life sometimes turns out that way.
The drama also talks about how to properly make decisions. More often than not, our decisions are influenced by the society's standards and by what other people will think of us. Although it is important to consider these matters, it is necessary to make decisions by evaluating things through our own standards.
At the end of the drama, Seiji did not become the person he wanted to be (a mature person) and he did not manage to do what he set out to do (buy a house on his own). But I think it's commendable how much he has improved from the person he was before and that's what matters.
Related:
フリーター、家を買う。 Freeter, Ie wo Kau. (2011)
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フリーター、家を買う。 Freeter, Ie wo Kau.
