Saturday 27 November 2010

Currently watching: Himitsu











This is one of those body-swap dramas, in which an adult somehow ends up in the body of somebody much younger. Usually, this is played for laughs, but not in this case. A mother and daughter are both in a coach crash, but when the teenage daughter regains consciousness, the mind of the mother (who died) now inhabits the daughter’s body.

The story focuses on quite practical, realistic consequences of this very unlikely situation. The daughter’s friends are confused by her new middle-aged attitudes, and the presence of a boyfriend that the mother didn’t know about causes some awkward situations. Also, any sexual relationships between husband and wife have ended. Thankfully so, because that would be weird.

That this story doesn’t fall apart is partly due to the writing and also due to the performances, especially the two lead roles. Shida Mirai (Hammer Session, Queen’s Classroom) is perfect as the woman in a girl’s body, and Sasaki Kuranosuke (Shimokita Sundays) is great as the husband.

Halfway in, and with the body-swap story fully set up, it’s difficult to see where this can go next. And I mean that in a good way. So far, the only person who seems to suspect what’s happened is their nosy next door neighbour, but she’s too daffy to be any kind of a threat. The other storyline that is being developed is the reason for the crash, currently blamed on the driver falling asleep at the wheel. Whichever way it goes, I hope the good work in the first half of the series keeps on until the end.

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