Atashinchi no Danshi (2009)

Loved: The light-heartedness of it and the refreshing (sometimes wacky) humour. I also liked the subtle romance that develops between Chisato and one of her 'sons' (no, it's not gross at all, despite how it sounds). The 'are they a goodie or a baddie' aspect that develops for some of the characters towards the end also adds a much-needed sense of suspense once the initial conflict with the boys subsides.



Didn't Love: The complete unrealisticness of it - while all the gadgets and gizmos (that couldn't possibly be invented yet!) are amusing at times they can get a bit tiring after a while. Chisato's friend from high school also gets increasingly annoying as the dorama goes on. And, if all homeless people lived as good as Chisato does then I'm sure there'd be a lot more homeless people in the world!



Atashinchi no Danshi is quirky, hilarious at times, about having a good old-fashioned family and state of the art modern gizmos! An eclectic but pleasant blend (with a few handsome guys thrown in for good measure). Recommended for the light-hearted... or the bored!



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I finished this series in two days or so. Amazing ride!

STORY 7/10
Simple and straightforward yet surprisingly entertaining. There were some obvious parallels with Hana Kimi (the shows share some of the crew and cast members) but it still brings something new and fresh. In comparison with Hana Kimi: it is probably not as crazy, it has a bit more of a 'fairytale' feel to it and the relationships between the characters are developed better, in my opinion. I wouldn't mind if this show was a 2-3 episodes longer and gave more of a closure to the romantic subplot (which, by the way, was better than the Hana Kimi one).

ACTING/CAST 10/10
You can't go wrong with Horikita Maki as your lead and people like Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke or Okada Yoshinori (remember him from Hana Kimi? he played Mizuki's brother! what a difference!) in your cast. Great chemistry and everything. Loved them.

MUSIC 8/10
Catchy main track and main song, the whole score is highly enjoyable to listen to!

REWATCH VALUE 9/10
For me, the rewatch value of great crazy comedies is always high and Atashinchi no Danshi is no exception!

OVERALL 9/10
Highly enjoyable crazy comedy that I actually loved even better than the hyper-popular Hana Kimi.

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It was everything I want in a comedy drama. The exact thing I was expecting from "Meichan no Shitsuji" (and that I did not get). This dorama was cute without being corny, funny without being ridiculous, with a bit of romance without being too romantic. There wasn't a single episode I did not like. Most of the times, the last 2 or 3 episodes are MEH, but not in this case. It ended perfectly, actually. Although I wouldn't have minded a Sp, but well, you can't have everything!

I liked the characters so much. The cast was OK, but not perfect. But the characters were very likable! Let's start with Horikita Maki. I don't find her a good actress, to be honest. She is very stiff. Her talent, however, is that she is extremely charming. Maybe she was extra kawaii in this dorama, or maybe she improved in her acting, but I think this was her best role so far -not that I have seen many of her works, mind you.- Chisato was a very likable character: a bit tough, a bit soft, and not annoying at all! So different from her role in HanaKimi. Unlike in other doramas, I understand why the boys ended up loving her.

The boys... At first none of them make a good impression. Takeru (Okada Yoshinori) is a yankee that is hard on Chisato since Day 1. Satoru (Seto Koji) is a hikikomori with the worst kind of hairstyle, which was a shame because he has an adorable face -though a bit feminine-. Akira (the youngest son) was a bit stiff and it seemed like he was going to be a brat. Masaru (Yamamoto Yusuke) is a model who has a woman-phobia, and looked like a drag-queen. Sho (Osamu Mukai) is a playboy who likes money only, and is father of a boy. The older brother takes longer to show, only bits here and there, and at first he looked like he was going to be trouble.

The secondary characters were also charming: from Kyoko, Sinzo-san's (father of the boys and husband of Chisato for a month until he dies) secretary, to the kogal that works at the store. I have to say that the actress who played Kyoko (Takashima Reiko) is so elegant! And looks like an older version of Sawajiri Erica...

It was strange to see Horikita Maki with that guy Yamamato (Sinzo's other secretary), now that they are married. But well, his role was ok and he grew on me. Kind of.

So the challenges that Chisato had to face were silly, so what? I loved the Mother's Goals. Not so much at first, but from #3 or so, when they boys decided to help her, it became funny and entertaining. Slowly all boys started to be nice and sweet. Since they are almost all the time together, it was easy to see and accept their bond. I liked them all, even Akira (it is just that the boy could not act, poor child), but my favorites were Sho and Takeru. Sho because Osamu Mukai looked his best here; he was such a handsome guy! And Takeru because he was damn funny, and his bromance with Sho were just the best. Next in line is, surprisingly, Fuu. He seemed very disagreeable at first, but actually he was a nice guy! I don't know if it was for that, but now I like Kaname Jun more than I used to.

There is a lot of bromance (Sho/Takeru and Masaru/Satoru). There is a lot of fanservice (the guys spent most of their time in their spa, ergo, half naked). There are lot of scenes that could have been cheesy, but were not (all the times that they referred to them being a family. Or Chisato remembering her time with Sinzo-san). There is also a bit of incest, if it can be called like that (Chisato and her father. Three of her "sons" falling for her). Lots of unrealistic moments (Kyoko showing up from nowhere. Inoue the ninja maid. Hidden treasures. The castle itself). A bit of allusions to other doramas (actually, just one that I remember, and it is at the final episode where Yamamoto Yusuke poses as his character in HanaKimi... I loved that part!). And there is actual romance, not just an allusion to it (TWO kisses! and many moments together

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Light hearted and warm

If you're looking for a light-hearted series, this one is for you. Definitely not an ordinary reverse harem, no need to step back from seeing the tags.

Despite being light-hearted, the story makes your heart feel like getting a warm hug. In the family story, each of the character's personal stories is brought up very well. When they're solving each other problems together until they solve their common problem, it makes you realize again how dear is family can be no matter related by blood or not.
No need to question Horikita Maki's acting. Her voice tone and expressions are really good. Her acting screams what her character feels really well. Being her fans after watching this series (It's a shame that she retired but I understand and respect her decision).

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Story: I haven’t seen a drama similar to this yet. The whole situation, throughout the drama, is hilarious. Chisato is posing as a homeless person to escape debt collectors and when they corner her, an old guy says he’ll pay off the debts if she marries him. What’s not funny about that? And then there’s the personalities of the sons. Each one of them is different, from being a womanizer, to have a phobia of women or being a recluse. I laughed every episode just watching Chisato trying to unite them as a family and overcoming their hardships. I was never bored.

Music: I didn’t really care for the music much, except for the theme.

Cast/Acting: The entire cast was great. I really enjoyed watching them. Since they all played characters that are completely different from one another, they were all very interesting. Sometimes it seemed forced but they were still great and will make you laugh your ass off.

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