Mother (2010)

You know a drama's good when it makes you cry. You know it's excellent when it turns you into a snivelling wreck every single episode. Thus, my main issue with Mother was what it cost me in Kleenex.

The most devastating thing about this drama (and there are a fair few to choose from) is that you know there's no way it can end happily. It's very premise sets it up to have at best a bittersweet ending.It is extremely well written in this respect, and believable throughout. I found myself truly invested in the characters and the storyline, desperately hoping both Nao and Reina could find safety and happiness on a more permanent basis than constantly being on the run.

I would now spend a paragraph picking apart the faults of this drama, except I'm rather convinced it doesn't have them. Everything from the acting (Ashida Mana may have become my favourite child actor of all time through this drama) to the movie-esque quality to the filming records it down as a must-watch in my book. It truly is once watched, never forgotten.

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Parents, you can't choose them. When I watched this show, I remembered how lucky I was with the parents I have.

So what exactly is the show about? I mean you have read the synopsis, and maybe would like to have another push towards why you should watch this incredible show. And believe me, when I say incredible I mean that in every way.

The show is most definitely about the relationship between a mother and a child, and how the two main characters tackle the trials they are given during the course of the show. So what makes it so good?

Maybe you could have guessed it, the character interactions. Ashide Mana and Matsuyuki Yasuko deliver a great performance regarding the interactions between a mother and a daughter. Their trials will make you laugh, cry or just smile weirdly because it's so cute *ahum*.

I mainly stated the two main characters here, but the supporting cast is great as well.

The story progresses in a well-written manner while never forgetting the realism they need to maintain during the course of the show. The story doesn't let you play ball, they throw the ball at you from the get-go, and you will keep following the ball until it finally reaches your glove. The pacing in the show may be slow to some, however incredibly fitting due to the shows Slice-of-life nature.

Because of the well-written storyline and the great acting, you will start rooting for the main two characters hoping they will get that final happy ending, because as you could’ve guessed, the story isn’t a light one. It’s about acceptance, Overcoming trials without giving up, family and so much more.

So why do you need to watch this? The well written story combined with great actors deliver a touching emotional story. This show will stay with you for a long time. It is one of those shows that makes you ponder for a bit while remembering the show, coming to the conclusion that it was a great watch.

So I heartily recommend it to anyone who doesn’t dislike slice-of-life shows. Because if you do watch it, you are in for a treat.

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I’ll keep this review short and simple. Mother is an award winning drama of 2010. It won 2 best drama awards, 3 best actress awards, 3 best supporting actress awards and also 1 best newcomer award, 2 screenplay awards and 1 direction award; and it deserves every award. Mother is one of those dramas that have ability to create huge impact on viewers. It’s one of few meaningful dramas that make you think about life.

Story of this drama is very serious. Writers brought up very unusual and sensitive humanity related topics like child abuse, abandoning child, foster parents and adoption. Story is quite realistic and has strong sub plots of background of some characters. Story is strong enough to keep you glued to screen from very first moment to very last moment. It’s soft and warm. It’s slow but to enjoy beauty of this kind of drama slow pace is required.
It has one of the most beautiful endings I've ever seen. Writers gave best possible ending.

There isn't overacting like other Asian dramas. Matsuyuki Yasuko is great as Suzuhara Nao. Wonder kid Ashida Mana is incredible at such young age. She is charming and cute. Chemistry between her and Matsuyuki Yasuko is really beautiful. Supporting cast is great too.

With amazing sensitive and moving topic, great acting and superb music makes this drama one of my most favorite dramas.

Mother is a drama which won’t suit many people’s taste. So if you’re bored of sappy and unrealistic dramas or looking for a drama related with humanity and realism, watch it!!

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I completed Mother in three days after starting it on a whim. It easily earned its place as one of my favorite dramas of all time. The story is built masterfully and the acting is outstanding. The structure of the episodes was well done, with each ending bringing a new light to the story, and deeper into the lives of the characters, questioning what might happen next. I would have such a hard time watching one episode a week. The photography was also beautifully done. There is a balance of quiet beauty and at times stirring sense of mystery, that makes you want to keep watching. It's like I have become good friends with these characters, that I'm sad I've reached the final episode.

If you at all feel turned off from the stillness of the show, don't stop watching. You won't regret it!

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I've just finished watching the Finale moments ago and decided to write a review right away.
I know this drama's already got a high rating, still at first I was hesitant to watch it.
At times it was because I was in no mood for family dramas, at times I was in no mood for melodramas and preferred comedies, but I'm so glad I decided to watch it.

I rarely Give a drama a perfect 10, but this one SURE deserves it.

The Story: A very well written story and script, that not only moves you greatly but also makes one think and reconsider the meaning of a lot of things that may seem obvious, it makes wonder what you would have done if you were in each and every character's shoes (which is by the way one of the greatest proofs of a great story) and wonder whether what the character actually done was the right thing or not.
It's a story about maternity and what it really means, what makes a woman turn into a mother and what makes a girl into a daughter, the unconditional love that both share, "love free of charges" as the main character call it.

The Cast: The acting in this one leaves you utterly speechless. If I say it's PERFECT it definitely won't be an exaggeration. Above all Ashida Mana was spectacular, an acting prodigy for sure. Matsuyuki Yasuko also proved just how great an actress she was, she was really very convincing with her facial expressions saying a hundred things without needing any lines. All the other characters however big or small, they all delivered a very good acting especially all three mothers (Takahata Atsuko, Ono Machiko & Tanaka Yuko)

The Music: I loved the OST in particular and found it really fitted the drama's atmosphere a lot. The theme song was however the best part, the moment it played was always the moment you found your tears flowing without you even noticing.

Rewatch Value: This is a drama I will SURE rewatch, I believe it deserves rewatching it with a family member!!

I totally recommend this drama to everyone, even drama fans who don't really fancy Family dramas and believe them too melodramatic for their tastes, give this one a try and I assure you WON'T REGRET IT!!

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After taking a deep breathe, after shedding tears, after spending hours thinking about this show I finally decided to write my feelings down.

Mother is not a drama, it’s slice-of-life and is in no way made for entertainment purposes but rather to move every shred of humanity in you. So why watch when a drama's primary purpose is to entertain? The answer is simple, Japan is the best in human dramas like Mother, which stay with you long after the glowing warmth of a sappy romantic comedy drama has faded.

“I am not trying to justify what I’m doing, I am an observer who became a criminal that’s all“ Suzuhara Nao.

A school-teacher who ‘kidnaps’ one of her pupils when she discovers she is being abused at home. Her desperate desire to save this little girl’s life she with no faith in authorities decides to take matters into her own hands.

This is one of those few dramas that will have you emotionally invested by episode one. I personally have shed tears towards the end.The slow building relationship between Nao and Tsugumi, as little by little Nao learns what it really is to be a mother, is wonderful to watch.

I am not afraid to say that despite the fact that “kidnapping” is illegal in the eyes of the law, I was wholeheartedly supporting Nao all the way. She wants to save this little girl, whatever it takes and she is willing to take the penalty. You can’t help but admire her strength.

Another gift which this show bring to you and which rightfully could be the most important reason if not the only enough reason I’d tell you to watch this show for is Ashida Mana as Rena. This little girl was only 6 years old when she starred in this show and yet her acting skills by far surpass her age. Her emotional scenes just breaks your heart into pieces and leaves you uncontrollably sobbing. There are two scenes for her that left me emotionally vulnerable and heart broken from the heartbreakingly raw sincerity she has shown. I had to remind myself over and over she is just "playing" the part she’s not really going through this, I had to remind myself that so I too can move on with my life. Yes that's how powerful her performance is.

You might read the synopsis and think to yourself there’s no way that this story can have a happy, feel-good ending. Without spoiling anything away, the drama ends in the best most fitting way possible. Personally I’d say the ending is one of the most wonderful things about this show and has left me speechlessly sobbing.

Overall, I think by looking at the synopsis it is pretty much clear that if you are looking for something feel-good and entertaining then you most definitely should look elsewhere. But if you want to see a drama at its best, acting at its best, story at its best and finally Japan at its best then I suggest to have this one on your-must-watch-top-priorities.

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I almost never write reviews. But this case is a special one for me! Please, don’t tease me into pieces for my opinion… I would appreciate any reasonable counter-opinions.

First of all this is wonderful, admirable, emotional series! Adorable small genius – Mana Ashida!
For the last 23 years never got so many emotions from movies like here. All my nerves at once were cleaned from years of their armoring!
The first 10 episodes are almost genius! Ocean of tears together with bright scenes. Turbulence of feelings and emotions! Unpredictable turning points. Even some scenario assumptions are not so serious to draw enough attention for them. It’s worth to see those 10 episodes!
But then the last episode occurred. I would like the series to finish at the end of the 10th episode. Sorry, but the last episode is an awful epic fail!!! And the reason for this is a horrible “OOC” ¬– “Out Of Character” demonstrated (IMHO). I’ll tell now my reasons. You can agree, or disagree. Probably you better know Japanese traditions than me.
Through all the series we can watch the way for Nao and Reina/Tsugumi to become a real mom and daughter. There was not a single scene through the whole series to disapprove this statement! And in the last episode when Tsugumi ran out of orphan's home to Nao it’s unbelievable what happens next! Unbelievable and illogical at least for me – natural Russian. Please, Asian friends, correct me if I’m wrong!
Ok, I can accept why Nao returns Tsugumi back to orphan's home. But I have no imagination to get reasons why Nao abandons Tsugumi until she is 20 years old!!! It’s absolutely out of her character, which we could learn through all the series! My God, WHY after so many troubles, when Nao escaped from real prison for kidnapping after all she made even NO ATTEMPT to return Tsugumi?!!! Why after giving a small cute girl, who rejected her own mother in favor of Nao, a hope for obtaining a family, love and own house, she betrays her?!!! I see no reason for this! A real Mom would never leave her child, even if laws are against her! A real Mom would do everything legal or illegal (we know Nao does can do illegal things) to return her daughter, or at least to keep in contact with her! And in the last episode we can’t see even an attempt to do this!!!!! What’s the hell???!!! This kills me!!! Leaving her daughter until the end of her childhood looks like pushing of a small kitten rafting along a long river without any assistance observing her hard way from safe riverside!!!
Please, correct me if I got something wrong, because I can’t believe my eyes! My soul is crying, that such final is impossible, like impossible looks how Tsugumi returns back to the orphan's home. In real life it would need force of several men to separate of a Mom from her child in the case of so close relations like Tsugumi established with Nao!
There are plenty of methods to keep at least contact between Nao and Tsugumi. Starting from official request for adrogation and finishing with secret meetings near the fence, phone calls like that epic one from the end of the 10th episode. Personnel of orphan's home would pass test for refinement of cruelty of the 80th level to prevent such contacts, if they could detect real feelings of Tsugumn and Nao!
If it was my daughter and I found myself in a similar situation, I won’t sleep until I try all possible and even impossible ways to return her back! And only if I finally fail in struggle with Juvenal justice, I could say to her: “I did everything to return you back, daughter”. And what can Nao say to Tsugumi when she becomes 20 years old? That she had loved Tsugumi through all those long years, but did nothing to help her?!! It’s beyond my imagination!!!
Sorry, for such a long speech. I’m really fascinated with all the episodes except the last one! My heart can’t accept such a final, – moving a child, like she is some kind of furniture without soul! I can’t take Nao as betrayer because all the previous episodes, but I can’t name her in another way observing what she had made in the last episode!
I'd like to be wrong. Kindly asking to correct me, if you have enough arguments!

Alex I-16 ([email protected])

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This drama brought so many feels, it was unbelievable. You really felt some strong emotions throughout the drama. The story was beautiful, the acting was superior, the music was the cherry on top. I usually don't rewatch shows which is why I gave it a 6.5. As for my dislikes, the pace of drama was really neutral, but it really just was able to capture the essence of a mother and child's relationship so perfectly. The amount of tears that fell from my eyes was disastrous. If you're in to family/relationship, love, emotions, abuse, feeeeeels, type of dramas, then this is it! Similar to the drama Tonbi.

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Just finished this and I'm an emotional wreck.
The story about an abused child being kidnapped by a woman with no motherly instinct and how they change one another along their amazing journey is heart-wrenching.
I find when child actors are used they tend to be annoying when given to much screen time and are best delegated to the background. Not in this case. Ashida Mana- there are simply no words to describe this young actress. When I say astonishing... I was just blown away by her. There are adult actors who can't even hold a candle to this girl. Matsuyuki Yasuko as the woman, who I thought, didn't really know her place in he world and didn't feel like she belonged anywhere was fantastic as well. When she cried I cried, when she was scared I was scared- I felt like I was on the journey with her.
The writing/ progression of the story had my eyes glued the entire time. I didn't know how it would end until the end and I like that with a drama. It also had me questioning myself as to what I would do in that sort of situation- could I go through with it?
If you're in the mood to watch something with an amazing cast, amazing writing, and that will have you balling your eyes out- this is for you.

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