Title: 残念な夫。 Zannen na Otto.
English Title:
- Disappointing Husband
- Disappointing Man
- Unfortunate Husband
Language: Japanese
Year: 2015
Episode: 10
Cast:
- 玉木宏 Tamaki Hiroshi
- 倉科カナ Kurashina Kana
- 岸谷五朗 Kishitani Goro
- 大塚寧々 Otsuka Nene
- 生田絵梨花 Ikuta Erika
- 林遣都 Hayashi Kento
- 黒木 啓司 Kuroki Keiji (ケイジ KEIJI)
- 高橋 メアリージュン Takahashi Mary Jun
- 笛木優子 Fueki Yuko
- 浅田美代子 Asada Miyoko
- 温水洋一 Nukumizu Yōichi
SYNOPSIS
Haruno Yoichi and Haruno Chisato have a blissful married life, until the arrival of their first daughter Haruno Hana.
Yoichi was a great husband, but he is completely clueless when it comes to being a father. He is oblivious to Chisato's struggles in performing her duties as a wife and as a mother to a newborn baby.
Chisato tries hard to meet the expectations of her husband as the household manager and the parent primarily responsible for childcare, but she's overwhelmed by all her worries and responsibilities.
REVIEW
Zannen na Otto is an interesting drama about a married couple whose relationship had to undergo some changes when they took on the additional role of parents.
Haruno Yoichi used to be the perfect husband, but he became useless both as a husband and as a father when his daughter Haruno Hana was born. Haruno Chisato was the ideal Japanese wife, but she became completely different when she became a mother.
I don't know if it's because of particular cultures or certain stereotypes, but I also grew up with the concept of the father being the breadwinner of the family while the mother is a housewife who takes care of the children. Even in modern times where the mother may also work either full-time or part-time, there is still that expectation that the mother is the one responsible for the household and childcare.
When you think about it, it's amazing to put such massive responsibilities on new mothers, especially because they don't really know what they are doing and they are pretty much in the same predicament as new fathers.
I understand Chisato's desire to do well as a wife and mother, and it's obvious that she's under tremendous pressure because a lot of other women seem to manage such roles with ease.
However, although I understand that Hana has become her number one priority, it seemed sad that she's taking care of her daughter at the expense of herself and her husband. Hana is important, but she's just as precious as Hana and Yoichi should also be one of her top priorities.
I can empathize with Chisato's frustration with Yoichi for not helping as much as possible with taking care of their daughter. But I think she should cut him some slack for not knowing much about babysitting because it is something Yoichi has no prior experience, and he's just not expected to know about childcare because he is a man.
To be honest, I don't understand how Chisato and her fellow housewives can even consider divorce as an option when they were in challenging situations and they felt that their respective husbands were completely useless.
I mean, a housewife can stay at home because her husband is responsible for earning money for the household expenses. If a housewife gets a divorce and she gets custody of the children, she will have to find some work and then organize her day so that she can still look after the children. If she's already overwhelmed with her responsibilities as a mother, it doesn't make sense for her to add the additional role of breadwinner to her already full plate.
Anyway, the married couples in Zannen na Otto surprisingly do not discuss anything with each other, such as financial matters or the manner of raising a child. In the drama, either the wife or the husband decides to do something one way, and then the other party is just supposed to go along with the plan.
That seems terribly misguided because most people have their own ideas, and it seems necessary to compromise on issues that concerns a couple as co-parents.
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残念な夫。 Zannen na Otto.
