Title: スプラウト Supurauto (Sprout)
English Title: Sprout
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2012
Episode: 12
Cast:
- 知念侑李 Chinen Yuri
- 森川葵 Morikawa Aoi
- ルイス・ジェシー Lewis Jesse (ジェシー Jesse)
- 小島藤子 Kojima Fujiko
- 河北麻友子 Kawakita Mayuko
- 田中樹 Tanaka Juri
- 山田親太朗 Yamada Shintaro
- 吉川友 Kikkawa Yū
SYNOPSIS
Ikenochi Miku's parents make their house a boarding house and they have three new tenants: high school student Narahashi Sōhei, and two college students Tanwo Kiyoka and Takigawa Naoharu.
Sōhei's best friend Katagiri Hayato helps him move into Miku's house and Hayato meets his housemates. Miku develops a crush on Sōhei but she later finds out that he is going out with Ozawa Miyuki.
REVIEW
Sprout seemed like an interesting drama and with each episode clocking in at about 20-30 minutes, it seemed that the story would be fast-paced considering the time constraint.
Although most of the characters are interesting, the drama is written from the point of view of petulant and insecure Ikenochi Miku. It doesn't help that most of the first episode is focused on Miku and if you're not taken with her, you may decide to stop watching.
I don't like Miku because she's so immature and selfish. When her parents told her that they're going to take in boarders, Miku was so busy whining that she didn't even consider if her parents are struggling financially. Even though she knows that their boarder and her schoolmate Narahashi Sōhei has a girlfriend, she comes up with all these schemes to get closer to him and to ruin his relationship with his girlfriend Ozawa Miyuki.
Miyuki also goes to the same high school and she is ostracized by most of the girls. They find Miyuki annoying but no explanation is given as to what in particular about Miyuki is annoying. Logic would suggest that most girls, including Miku, don't like Miyuki because she's pretty and all the boys like her.
I'm not saying that Miku and the other girls shouldn't feel emotions like jealousy and envy because people don't really have any control over how they feel. However, I think it is important for people to be aware of their emotions and to choose to act in spite of their emotions.
For instance, if you hate someone for being pretty because you are insecure with your own physical attributes, then it is your problem. You don't have to be best friends with the perfect pretty girl next door and you don't even have to go out of your way to be nice to that person if you don't want to. The least that you have to do though is to be civil to that person and to refrain from contributing to her alienation by other immature girls.
It's a wonder how Sōhei became best friends with Katagiri Hayato because they are very different from each other. Sōhei is the cute and popular guy who is good at sports while Hayato is the cool and silent guy who is good at studies. The only thing they have in common is they both like Miku and that's not to their credit, to be honest.
The crisscrossed love lines in this drama are no joke: Sōhei and Miyuki, Miku and Sōhei, Hayato and Miku, and Miyuki and Hayato. I don't like how they keep going one step forward and two steps back with their romantic relationships. Some words of advice, although unsolicited: If you are confused about how you really feel, then think things through before acting on those feelings!
###
スプラウト Sprout
