Title: リバウンド Ribaundo (Rebound)
English Title: Rebound
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2011
Episode: 10
Cast:
- 相武紗季 Aibu Saki
- 速水もこみち Hayami Mokomichi
- 栗山千明 Kuriyama Chiaki
- 勝地涼 Katsuji Ryo
SYNOPSIS
Oba Nobuko has always struggled with her weight because of her love for food. After a failed relationship, Nobuko puts her all into dieting and exercising in order to become thinner. After much hard work, she finally achieves her target weight.
Nobuko then works for a fashion magazine, where the editor-in-chief demands that the staff are slim or they will get fired. Nobuko's first assignment is to write a review about a pastry shop where she meets Imai Taichi, a handsome patissiere.
Nobuko cannot do a proper review if she will not sample the cakes and pastries but she was warned by her doctor to avoid eating cakes or else she might end up losing control again on her eating habits. Nobuko is torn between sticking with her diet and doing her job properly...
REVIEW
Rebound has a very interesting premise and it's way overdue to have a lead character that struggles with her weight because majority of women do have weight issues. I like how Oba Nobuko is both satisfied with herself and insecure with her physical appearance when she was fat, and then she was both happy with her appearance and unhappy (because she cannot eat what she loves) when she was thin. I suppose it basically means that whatever their weight and however they look like, women will always have issues.
I don't really know why but I was expecting that the drama will be about Nobuko's struggles from being fat to being thin and then when she was finally thin, her struggles on maintaining her ideal weight. I should have realized based on the title that the drama will be about her rebounding or going back to her old weight and then learning to accept herself that way.
Although Nobuko was fat and became thin and then became fat again, Imai Taichi is the opposite case wherein he was fat and became thin and he managed to keep the excess weight off. So in a way, it's great that different kinds of outcomes are presented in the drama.
Being fat or overweight is a really sensitive issue and ultimately I think it is a personal choice; if one is happy (or happier) being fat, then that will be fine for that person. However, it is also important to remember that excess weight brings a lot of health issues such as overexerting one's joints. I suppose I would suggest that there's a healthy medium and the closer a person is to her healthy ideal, the better.
Be that as it may, I think it's sad that overweight people do not have society's acceptance and understanding. I think it's even worse in Asian countries where weight and physical appearance are considered 'self-control' issues. People are more critical in public, such as the case in the drama where the editor-in-chief reprimands a staff member for becoming fat in front of her colleagues. It's not always that extreme but it's quite common in most Asian societies that acquaintances do not hesitate to point out that a person has gained weight even though their opinion is not solicited or even welcome.
Anyway, the drama is a must-watch just for the gorgeous cakes and pastries that look almost too good to eat. I like baking but I'm not exceptionally skilled nor properly trained to make such elaborate pastries and cakes, so it's a treat to see a wide array of such great works of art.
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リバウンド Rebound
