Saka no Tochu no Le is a Japanese drama produced by Wowow which follows two stories, one of Yamazaki Risako, a mother with a young daughter and a small family and that of Ando Mizuho who is on trial for murdering her infant daughter by drowning her in a bathtub.

The story merges these two seemingly worlds apart incidents when Yamazaki Risako is chosen as a substitute lay judge (a lay judge is cannot participate in the actual sentencing but provide their opinions, a substitute lay judge is merely appointed in case one of the lay judges is unable to attend). But it doesn't stop there, as we see more of Yamazaki Risako's life and that of Ando Mizuho, it is shocking how similar they are. This realisation hits Yamazaki Risako, and this odd connection between herself as a murderer makes our protagonist (and hopefully our audience too), gain a new perspective.

Saka no Tochu no Le feels like a modern rendering of a Kate Chopin story, in particular, the short story “The Story of an Hour,” where Kate Chopin uses her style to narrate how society builds walls and cages and drives people into corners.

“What makes struggling mothers feel cornered is the concept of “normality.” The normality demanded by society. The normality that was decided for you. And the normality sought by the actual mothers themselves.”


Saka no Tochu no Le sheds light on parenthood and its struggles from a multitude of perspectives through the appointment of lay judges; the first of course is our protagonist who is pivotal to the story and our understanding of the murderer Ando Mizuho; a woman who cannot bear children but desperately wants to be a mother and in her own way faces stigma for it; a father whose wife cannot bear him because their marriage has forced her to live in poverty as opposed to her life with her wealthy parents and another important perspective comes from a female judge who is forced to choose between her career and her child by an unaccommodating husband.

At the core of every story is pain which is born as people drive themselves into corners as they try to meet the standards set by society and in its exposition, Saka no Tochu no Le questions this idea of "normalcy" forced upon us by society and by us ourselves. Although it does not say so explicitly, but Postpartum Depression and moral harassment are also dealt with here.

One of my favorite scenes from the story is when our protagonist and Ando Mizuho meet in a tranquil otherworld where she discusses her questions as a new struggling mother and it makes her feel more confident about herself. We do not have to drive ourselves and others into corners. Another message is perhaps that society is too judgemental; knowing the backstory of a person can change the entire perspective and one should not judge so easily.

The title translates to “A House on the Slope,” taken perhaps from how Ando Mizuho went up the sloping road to her house everyday with the afternoon sun overhead making her drenched in sweat and a tiredness and sadness takes over her and manifests in her as she is forced to make this scary journey alone.

Wowow again marvel's me with their use of camerawork. The transitions from Yamazaki Risako to Ando Mizuho were scary and brilliant. They use evocative cinematography and soundtrack to arouse the emotions it wants in its viewers.

This drama is a masterpiece in terms of its direction, production, script, story, acting and message. While I do not believe that any drama is a "must watch," I do believe that some stories are essential watches which have real lessons in them and Saka no Tochu no Le is one of them.