I just finished watching the Japanese serial drama Mother, which had aired last spring in Japan and had won a lot of critical acclaim in the past year. I’d been curious about it for a while, and after watching the first episode last week, I was immediately hooked and had no problem finishing it within a week.
The drama revolves around Suzuhara Nao, a scientific researcher who reluctantly takes on the job of substituting as an elementary school when her research lab is shut down. Single and childless, she doesn’t care too much for children, and initially turns a blind eye when she notices bruises and other signs of domestic abuse on one of her students, Michiki Rena. But when she happens to visit Rena’s house one freezing winter night and discovers Rena abandoned in a garbage bag by her mother, she impulsively takes matters into her own hands and decides to kidnap Rena and become her mother, to save her from a life of further abuse and possible death. The drama follows them as they embark on a life on the run and attempt to start a new life together as mother and daughter in Tokyo, undetected by authorities.
Mother had me emotionally invested from the first episode, and had me in tears at various points throughout the story. The scenes of neglect and abuse, which ranged from subtle to appalling, were very real and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, the gradual transformation of Nao from a cold, solitary woman to a desperate mother who will sacrifice anything for her child was remarkable and convincing. What was particularly striking to me about the drama was that it was not solely about the development of the mother-child relationship forged between Nao and Rena, but that the theme of motherhood was carried through and represented by various other women in the drama –Â Nao’s overbearing and concerned adopted mother, Nao’s biological mother who bears a burden of guilt from abandoning her at a young age, Nao’s foster mother whose care she was under for a short period of time, and even Rena’s biological mother who was once a loving mother who was embittered over the years. It was really interesting to see all the ways in which a mother relates to their child, and really made me think and wonder about what sort of a mother I will become. The theme was not just about Nao and Rena’s journey, but more about the universal role of motherhood and what it means to every woman.
The most impressive part of the drama for me personally (and I think for a lot of viewers) was the breakthrough performance by Ashida Mana, who played the role of Rena (renamed “Tsugumi” by Nao while they are on the run). She was only five years old at the time the drama was filmed, and yet she demonstrates an incredible breadth of expression in her acting. She is of course adorable, but she is not just another cute kid — she harbors exceptional talent and has the ability to engage and arrest an audience. It was announced recently that she will play the main lead in another upcoming drama and will be the youngest star to ever take on a lead role in a Japanese drama.
I have been in love with Mana-chan since I saw her as a guest on SMAPxSMAP‘s Bistro SMAP corner a couple months ago — she is so well-mannered and articulate for her age, and is just super sweet all-around. I hope our future daughter is this adorable…!
