Title: 笑顔の法則 Egao no Hōsoku
English Title:
- Always Smiling
- Living Today for Tomorrow
Language: Japanese
Year: 2003
Episode: 12
Cast:
- 竹内結子 Takeuchi Yūko
- 阿部寛 Abe Hiroshi
- 西島秀俊Nishijima Hidetoshi
- 野際陽子 Nogiwa Yoko
- 高橋克実 Takahashi Katsumi
- 柴田理恵 Shibata Rie
- 宮地真緒 Miyaji Mao
- 陣内孝則Jinnai Takanori
- 升毅 Masu Takeshi
- 滝沢沙織 Takizawa Saori
SYNOPSIS
柴咲コウ Shibasaki Kō - 眠レナイ夜ハ眠ラナイ夢ヲ Nemurenai Yoru wa Nemuranai Yume oKurasawa Yumi is a 23-year-old office worker who suddenly finds herself out of a job. Running late due to her friend's wedding, she rushes to a job interview wearing her formal kimono. She runs into some trouble when Sakuragi Reijiro notices her and comments that she seems like a goldish who is lost in the big city.
Sakuragi Reijiro is a popular manga writer who needs to be alone when he does his work or he gets distracted. In an editorial meeting where his publishers are proposing that he should stay in a ryokan or traditional Japanese inn for three months so he can concentrate, Sakuragi agrees to the proposal only if Yumi becomes his assistant.
The publisher Muraoka Toshihiko offers Yumi a part-time job of becoming an assistant. Although initially hesitant, Yumi agrees on the condition that the two of them will stay in Yuzuhara Inn, where her brother works as a chef.
REVIEW
Egao no Hosoku is an interesting drama about the relations and interactions about different people, both workers and guests, in a traditional Japanese inn. I had no expectations when I checked it out so I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the drama.
I love the drama's life lessons about everything; from femininity to doing things properly to being considerate of other people. The inn's mistress and owner Yuzuhara Misako is the all-knowing individual who helps people whenever they get in trouble.
Yuzuhara Misako: (Doing one's best.) You do try your best at things but I don't think it's for other people's sake. It's all for you. There's nothing special about that. You'll cause trouble for those around you... Have you really made a great effort at anything?
Yuzuhara Misako: (Putting makeup.) The makeup isn't only to make you look beautiful, you know. You also do it to give other people a good impression. Before you see somebody, look at yourself in a mirror calmly. Putting cream on your face by hand, check how you look. That you can afford to do so, it makes you beautiful and it gives people a good impression. Having spare time before you do something, that's real femininity, you know.
Yuzuhara Misako: (Accepting limitations on work responsibilities.) But, when you have to work twice as much as usual, you need to work twice as hard to complete each job. That means you need to work four times as hard to complete both jobs. Isn't that hard to do? When I was young, I tried to accomplish many things with only my passion and I failed many times.
Yuzuhara Misako: (Saying no.) If you turn them down, you'll end up hurting them, right? And you'll be blamed that's why you try not to say what you want to say. You can't say 'no' so you hold it in. Isn't that it? That's not a virtue. 'I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to be thought of as a bad person.' Those are just excuses for people who always pretend to be good! Because of that, you end up hurting somebody worse later and you end up hurting yourself... Unless you dare to do something one day, you'll get the same result over and over again, you know.
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笑顔の法則 Egao no Hosoku
