Massan (2014)

This drama has been a privilege to watch. From beginning to the end, you truly felt that you were involved with the lives of the Kameyama family. This drama is amazing because it covers almost 50 years of this family; a multiculteral family during a period when marrying outside your race and culture just didn't happen. You got to witness the bravery of Elle going to a foreign country with a passable understanding of the language and morphing herself into a full-fledge Japanese woman. Catherine Kate Fox did a FANTASTIC job! I can already imagine how well she has been accepted in the entertainment community because she did such a wonderful job in portraying Elle. Tamayama Tetsuji was also sensational as a man driven to achieve his dreams of making Japanese Whiskey. The story itself makes you curious about the real people that this was based on. Even the times through World War II were realistic and definitely made you wonder how this woman AND her family maintained their strength through that turbulent time. So, the question is do I recommend it? Yes. If you are a lover of history, a great story and a beautiful romance between two people who beat the odds and stayed together until death do them part. My first Japanese TV Serial and it will not be my last! It was a labor of love to make and also a labor of time (and love) to watch!

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buckets of tears man just buckets (and not all sad either)

They just did everything so well. I can't comprehend how much work the actors and production staff put in to make all 150 episodes so impactful, they didn't slip off at any point even though it's such a big project. This genre of "journey through life" isn't my favourite but I loved it nonethless. And the interracial relationship and the problems mixed couples face was really done well. The support characters and their personal lives were also very moving. The last 5 mins of the entire show had me sobbing uncontrollabaly because of that damn montage and now I kinda wanna watch it all over again.

Anyways if you want a breakdown of why its worth it/ not worth it:

Yes:
1. Exellent story
2 Excellent acting (Charlotte is a gem)
3. Romantic chemistry
4. Good scripting
5. Impactful romance plot line
6. Impactful family plot line
7. Good subplots of the supporting characters that tied in with the main story
8. Very original in it's style
9. Quite funny at the beginning ( Kamoi had me dying in some parts but I'm gen z so keep that in mind haha)

No:
1. Not the butterfly in your tummy kinda romance ( which is not necessary anyays but it's usually what I gravitate towards)
2. Definitely not for escapism lol (it's life portrayed truly with good and bad)
3. Some of the foreigner actors brought for a little bit of screen time throughout the show were cringy (nothing out of the ordinary for white people in dramas though if you've seen it before lol)
5. Comedy after 100 ep market is almost non existent in my opinion even though I personally believe humour is specially important in times of trouble ( but not a deal breaker anyways so doesn't matter)
6. Definitely not a short watch ( about 39 hours of episodes)

This drama has a place in my heart <3

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"Don't let go of this hand."

"Massan" is the 22nd asadora that I've watched and one I'd been specifically saving to watch later on. I had a good feeling about "Massan" early on that I'd really love it. Thankfully, my feeling was spot on. It was truly a pleasure to watch every bit of it. "Massan" also appears to be the template for 2020's "Yell," which I watched last month. Clearly, "Massan" and "Yell" are the right way to do "couple asadoras." Both leads are given nearly equal screen time and character development with the relationship being at the center of it. For me, it felt really special to watch both of these dramas.

In "Massan," the very first non-Japanese asadora heroine was introduced. I was really impressed with the actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who plays Ellie. She undoubtedly had the most difficultly with her role being that she didn't speak Japanese. However, despite these hurdles, Fox was able to portray Ellie with nuance and strong emotions. Furthermore, Ellie serves as a great audience surrogate internationally. Viewers unfamiliar with Japanese customs will learn as Ellie does. [Even after watching several dozens J-dramas, I learned a lot from this asadora.] Tamayama Tetsuji plays Ellie's husband Masaharu "Massan". He is a new gem for me and I'm looking forward to seeing him in other dramas. His acting is a good match for Fox's and they're able to play off of each other well.

The main focus of "Massan" is whiskey. Massan travels to Scotland to learn about whiskey, which was how he met his wife Ellie. She decides to share in his dream forever afterwards. At first, I found the up-and-downs of Massan's dream a bit annoying. But in hindsight, I liked that it shows how business is not linear. Even as a middle-aged man, Massan has to find a way to keep his dream afloat. Strangely, I didn't mind that Ellie's dream was really helping Massan's dream, which has bothered me in other asadoras. I think it comes down to Ellie's personality. She's kind and supportive, but also has a fiery side to her and won't allow anyone to treat her badly.

The strongest supporting character is Massan's and Ellie's adoptive daughter, Emma. She has a strong characterization and, thankfully, is only a little annoying when she's a teenager. I didn't think it was necessary to change the actress in the last two weeks, but the actress Kinami Haruka is very good and I ended up liking her too. Aside from Emma, I also really loved the amazing Pinko Izumi (of Oshin fame) as Massan's strong-willed mother. She appears to be the stereotypical, difficult mother-in-law at first, but ends up subverting expectations. Of course, there are many more lovable characters. My only complaint is that once Massan and Ellie move away from certain areas or storylines you don't really hear about some characters again. For example, I'd really like to know about Boss Kamoi or Yuko, Ellie's first friend in Japan.

After finishing "Massan," I was left sad that it had ended but also satisfied with its [somewhat bittersweet] ending. I got the same feeling from "Yell" and "Asa ga Kita," which both have similar vibes to "Massan." I also really liked the opening theme song of "Massan" and the frequent use of "Auld Lang Syne." [I know asadora music gets repetitive, but I don't really mind.] I'd definitely recommend "Massan" to both new and veteran viewers of asadora.

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