Massan (2014)

This drama has been a privilege to watch. From beginning to the end, you truly felt that you were involved with the lives of the Kameyama family. This drama is amazing because it covers almost 50 years of this family; a multiculteral family during a period when marrying outside your race and culture just didn't happen. You got to witness the bravery of Elle going to a foreign country with a passable understanding of the language and morphing herself into a full-fledge Japanese woman. Catherine Kate Fox did a FANTASTIC job! I can already imagine how well she has been accepted in the entertainment community because she did such a wonderful job in portraying Elle. Tamayama Tetsuji was also sensational as a man driven to achieve his dreams of making Japanese Whiskey. The story itself makes you curious about the real people that this was based on. Even the times through World War II were realistic and definitely made you wonder how this woman AND her family maintained their strength through that turbulent time. So, the question is do I recommend it? Yes. If you are a lover of history, a great story and a beautiful romance between two people who beat the odds and stayed together until death do them part. My first Japanese TV Serial and it will not be my last! It was a labor of love to make and also a labor of time (and love) to watch!

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buckets of tears man just buckets (and not all sad either)

They just did everything so well. I can't comprehend how much work the actors and production staff put in to make all 150 episodes so impactful, they didn't slip off at any point even though it's such a big project. This genre of "journey through life" isn't my favourite but I loved it nonethless. And the interracial relationship and the problems mixed couples face was really done well. The support characters and their personal lives were also very moving. The last 5 mins of the entire show had me sobbing uncontrollabaly because of that damn montage and now I kinda wanna watch it all over again.

Anyways if you want a breakdown of why its worth it/ not worth it:

Yes:
1. Exellent story
2 Excellent acting (Charlotte is a gem)
3. Romantic chemistry
4. Good scripting
5. Impactful romance plot line
6. Impactful family plot line
7. Good subplots of the supporting characters that tied in with the main story
8. Very original in it's style
9. Quite funny at the beginning ( Kamoi had me dying in some parts but I'm gen z so keep that in mind haha)

No:
1. Not the butterfly in your tummy kinda romance ( which is not necessary anyays but it's usually what I gravitate towards)
2. Definitely not for escapism lol (it's life portrayed truly with good and bad)
3. Some of the foreigner actors brought for a little bit of screen time throughout the show were cringy (nothing out of the ordinary for white people in dramas though if you've seen it before lol)
5. Comedy after 100 ep market is almost non existent in my opinion even though I personally believe humour is specially important in times of trouble ( but not a deal breaker anyways so doesn't matter)
6. Definitely not a short watch ( about 39 hours of episodes)

This drama has a place in my heart <3

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