Zenkai Girl

There’s always a pattern in the J-Dramas I choose to watch, which I am a little ashamed to admit. One of the most obvious is that I tend to choose J-Dramas based on an anime or a manga that I’m either familiar or at least aware of. Case in point, the last J-Drama I watched was Liar Game, which was based on a manga that I have heard of long ago. But I stumbled upon the first episode back when I was in college and I absolutely loved it. Just recently, I managed to download it all and 2 seasons and 1 movie after, I was completely in love with it.

The problem with the Liar Game J-Drama was that it overdramatizes characters and they followed a pattern that made it easy to predict what was going to happen next. But it’ll still keep you at the edge of your seat anyways as you’ll still find yourself engrossed by the games and ideas presented to you. The music is superb too as it will stay in your mind long after the episode is over. And while the enemies’ acting may turn you off a lot, the main characters are still endearing. But for better development, I know the manga does a better job.

Like every adaption out there, the original source would do a better job of conveying the story than the Live Drama. Characters are, more often than not, changed to suit the drama’s current setting and while this may help the drama progress in its own pace and stand on its own, it tends to be hard to swallow for fans of the original source. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard of fans complaining or cringing at the idea of their beloved anime/manga/book being adapted into Live Action, Japanese OR American.

But I don’t know, for some reason I LOVE adaptions, especially the Japanese ones (not touching the American one!). The moment I hear an anime or manga is being adapted into a Live Action, I’m on it and am eager to watch it. This happened with Zettai Kareshi, which I thought did a much better job than the original manga as it developed the personalities of all the characters (except one) for the better, bringing out more than just the cookie cutter high school student looking for love, but a working girl who longs to have her dreams fulfilled while she also dreams of falling in love.

Other dramas that I thoroughly enjoyed was HanaKimi, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and… I am so ashamed to admit this… Hana Yori Dango. My love for HYD is complicated, and it’s been on my mind to write up on it as I’ve even watched the K-Drama version of it. But I will leave it for another day.

Currently, I’m even catching up with the live action drama of Ouran High School Host Club. All in all, I’m aware of my weakness when it comes to J-Dramas, and I know I shouldn’t be watching these kind of J-Dramas and should instead try out some original ones. But I still haven’t really gotten myself to watch original J-Dramas… which is definitely strange. I’ve heard of a lot of good J-Dramas, but none of them interest me enough to want to download them just yet.

So it may not mean much to you, but it is a feat that the summary of this J-Drama alone convinced me to download it and follow its updates weekly.

I present to you…

Zenkai Girl

Zenkai Girl Poster

Zenkai Girl (Zenkai means Full Throttle) is the story of Ayukawa Wakaba who has just graduated from a lawyer course and is looking for a job. But she’s not looking for any typical job, oh no, Wakaba has big dreams. She not only wants to be the best international lawyer in the world, but she wants to marry a rich man, live a luxurious life, and become the Hawk of Manhattan. When this girl dreams, she dreams big and she makes sure she gets what she wants.

Ayukawa Wakaba

That's right, people, this girl has big dreams.

But in today’s world, jobs are scarce, and after struggling to get herself a job, she finds out that an international law firm is hiring and so she snaps it up without question. Only to find out later that she was hired to babysit her boss’s 5 year old daughter, Hinata. While Wakaba is annoyed and disgusted at the idea that all her hard work and studies came up to this, she takes on the challenge for various reasons. One is because she finally has the chance to work in an international law firm, so there’s no way she’s giving it up.

Second, it is because when she’s given an assignment, she sees it to the end no matter what.

Wakaba and Hinata

As she babysits, she stumbles upon Yamada Sota who has a son that goes to the same Kindergarten as Hinata. Sota is the complete opposite of what Wakaba could ever want. He has no higher education, no wealth and he has no other dream other than to take care of a son who is not even his. His very existence disgusts Wakaba, but as time goes by both Sota and Wakaba learn a lot about each other that helps them reach a level of understanding with each other, and most importantly themselves.

Sota is unworthy of Wakaba's drunken state!

Now why was this premise enough to make me eager to download it? It’s not everyday that I hear of a show that has all the elements that I like. Romance? Check. Working, ambitious girl? Check. KIDS?! Now that’s new! I was especially curious to see how Wakaba is like since it’s not everyday you hear of a woman who is that ambitious. It’s even lampshaded in the drama constantly as you see her growing up and practically working her little butt off to do the best in EVERYTHING, from school attendance to even morning exercises while everyone else lagged behind.

A lot of people may find this off-putting as Wakaba tends to come off as rude and pushy because of this. But instead of finding myself scoffing at her blunt, “You’re not what I want!” speeches, I think it’s admirable that there’s a character out there who’s really driven with what she wants. She will not apologize for what she believes is right, and will stand her ground when necessary. Yet you can still see she is willing to sway when given the right reason to, so she’s not as cold or heartless as she may put herself to be.

Another reason why I like her is that despite babysitting, Wakaba takes on projects and assignments from other lawyers while Hinata is in kindergarten, with the promise of DEFINITELY finishing her work in time. And while I know this is superficial and not a good thing to do, but as I have just gotten into a new job, someone like Wakaba is inspiring to me. Here’s a woman who was willing to dream big, and will make no compromises about it. She WILL work towards her goal, and nothing can stop her.

Hey, she uses a Lenovo too! 8D

Of course, too much of this is not good as you’ll only end up eluded to what is really important in your life. So Wakaba receives life lessons not only from Sota, but from the kids Hinata and Sota’s son Pitaro. And here’s another element of the drama that I totally love.

Hinata and Pitaro

The epitome of cuteness

Hinata and Pitaro are the epitome of cuteness. You may be put off by Hinata and her attempts of being stuck up and adult like, but as the episodes go by, you realize this is a front she puts up as her mother is constantly busy and though the little girl knows she is well loved by her mother, she still yearns to have her mother around and be loved. So she acts as if she has everything under control and doesn’t even need a babysitter, which is why they lost many babysitters before Wakaba came in. But like every child, she feels loneliness and pain and the little actress pulls out these simple emotions incredibly well.

Hinata's first time to sleep with other people, just like the kanji "川" (River)

Pitaro is like a ray of sunshine whenever he comes into the scene smiling. He is adorable and incredibly endearing. Yet when times are tough for him, this little actor does an amazing job of being in that child like state of feeling lost and needing comfort. All in all, they’re exactly how kids are like…

Don't cry, Pitaro! ;__;

Except that they tend to be a lot more adult-like than Wakaba or Sota at times. Which I couldn’t help but be reminded of Cardcaptor Sakura, and the creators CLAMP claiming that there are kids out there who are more mature than most adults. Even Hinata is capable of giving wisely advice to Wakaba about her feelings, and Pitaro is incredibly observant over Sota and the changes he goes through. They’re adorable, and were one of the main reasons why I like this drama.

Yamada Sota

Yamada Sota

And then there’s Sota. Sota isn’t your typical main male character in most shows. He’s an incredibly soft character who gets pushed around a lot, but is incredibly sweet, understanding and has a lot of love for a child that isn’t even his. Heck, he’s even proud to be known as a House Dad. Pitaro is actually Sota’s ex-neighbour’s son, a young mother named Ririka whose boyfriend dumped her and Pitaro forcing them to leave their home. So Sota allows them to stay over at his place, and Ririka forces him to marry her as he babysits Pitaro while she works to reach her dream as a dancer. In the next year, she divorces him and leaves Pitaro in his care as she now aims to be a dancer in America.

Sota really does love Pitaro, even if they're not bonded by blood.

Because of this, Sota sacrifices his own dream of being a great chef and settles to work in a small Japanese restaurant so he can have enough time to take care of Pitaro. He’s happy with the way things are, but as Wakaba finds out about all this, she forces him to reconsider on what he should deem as important. And while Sota KNOWS that Pitaro is important to him as he has now grown to love him, Sota is also aware that deep inside, he really is torn about not being a stronger man.

In the meantime, Sota points out to Wakaba that children are never as bad as they seem as they are also capable of bringing joy and lessons, and that love is a very important aspect in everyone’s life. Eventually, they both fall for each other. But Wakaba has finally found a path that would lead her to her dream of being the Hawk of Manhattan, and being with Sota just doesn’t fit into what she wants. Sota himself doesn’t think he’s a man worthy of being with Wakaba.

Wakaba and Sota struggle to face their feelings...

A lot of the drama is premised around the main characters as they try to accept the changes they’re both forced to face. And I think the drama was done tastefully well. You find yourself feeling for the characters as they struggle to come up with an understanding of what they’re going through, as well as carry the burden of their own responsibilities. And at the same time, you find their interactions with the other characters around them both adorable, simple and heartwarming.

What doesn’t quite work… spoilers!

Wakaba about to get married?

But even though this drama had scored a lot of awesome points for me, it lost quite a bit in its last episode, which is a pity. I found the way Wakaba and Sota finally coming to terms with how they really felt clumsy and done in a rather silly premise. It didn’t help that they were both attached to different people earlier in the episode and they were both keen to move on with their lives apart that you can’t help but be understanding and supporting, as we all know life doesn’t always go the way you want it, so it is best to just accept it. So when it was all quickly cut off and they both were suddenly free to confess how they really feel under a wedding premise, it just felt awkward for me.

And parts of the ending confused me, as I wasn’t sure about what Wakaba was aiming to do now as it seemed as though she may have changed her dream of becoming the Hawk of Manhattan. But to what and why, I am not sure. But at least Sota reached his dream of becoming a great chef after traveling to France for a year, and as promised, came back for Wakaba. Heartwarming all the same, but if only they had a little bit more time, I think they could have handled the ending a lot better than this.

Overall verdict!

Overall, this is a great J-Drama. It’s worth it to watch just for the great emotional impact it has. It touches on themes such as accepting change, being grateful for who you are and never forgetting what is important to you. Even the child actors will tug on your heartstrings as they themselves struggle to find a place where they belong, and it was beautifully done.

The music doesn’t stand out that much and will take a while to grow on you. But once it does, you’ll find yourself really enjoying it, and probably even tear up as you remember certain scenes in the drama that are heart-wrenching.

And with that I hope this will open up more doors for me to check out more original J-Dramas as I must say, I’m impressed. For now, I am checking out Secret Garden, a K-Drama that will hopefully revive my faith in K-Dramas overall. I shall explain this soon enough.

But on an ironic note the actress for Wakaba, Aragaki Yui, announced that she will be starring as Akane Tendo for the live action adaption of Ranma 1/2.

….

Guess what’s next on my must watch list now. XD

In the meantime, feel free to recommend me any other J-Dramas worth watching!

Tags: j-drama, review, zenkai girl