Doki no Sakura (2019)

Dramas featuring non-neurotypical protagonists are comparatively rare, and they are difficult to pull off. There is always a tension between idealizing or glamorizing their different ways of perceiving the world or, on the other end of the spectrum, demonizing, denigrating and othering them for being different which historically has been how most societies treat such differences. Doki no Sakura successfully presents a non-neurotypical protagonist who is fairly understandably and continuously punished for being different, and, yet, the story values her and her way of seeing the world, and, ultimately provides a critique of normative corporate culture by doing so.

The titular Sakura is played by Takahata Mitsuki in a rigorously disciplined and idiosyncratic performance which is similar in some ways to that of her Sachiko in Boukyaku no Sachiko, but here the script takes her character much more seriously, and she is allowed to go much deeper. I am no expert in neurological classifications, but Sakura appears to be autistic, rarely smiling and unrelentingly honest for which the large construction firm which hires her repeatedly punishes with demotions and transfers.

The episodes themselves are highly structured. Each tells a story in Sakura's corporate life from ten successive years told by her co-worker friends to her while she is in a coma in 2019. Through repeated encounters and motifs in each episode we learn about how she became their friends and the positive impact she has had on their lives.

The series is unquestionably good through episode 9 where the episodic structure is intentionally broken, and there is a very interesting tension well into episode 10 of whether the show can actually stick the landing without betraying the spirit of its characters. Surprisingly, it does so. A bit unrealistically and conveniently, perhaps, but the show does remain true to Sakura's character while providing a satisfying, if a bit pat, ending to the series.

In the end, the series makes a fairly clear case that the company would be better were it more open to Sakura's way of seeing the world. The story talks about corporate power and intention, and provides an interesting though probably simplistic view of what the source of that power and intention should be. Sakura comes to her company with a dream of building structures with her friends that will make the world a better place, and ends with her having helped those friends define their own dreams. They become more Sakura-like, and she becomes more empowered by their increased authenticity.

It's worth checking out.

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This drama hits me in the feels. I can relate to the struggles of Sakura and her friends, felt the frustration of their problems, plus understood why some other characters decided to stop being different/idealistic and just stick to the norms (but not with Sakura - obviously). With Sakura's unyielding will to achieve her dream, the drama provides a soft criticism to big corporate culture and how society kinda accept it as a norm.

I loved the cast members, they showed the chemistry very well and the writers were all very aware about keeping their traits consistent for the whole storyline - which I really appreciated. Also the characters did not just throw 'motivational life lessons' out of the blue, they wait until they managed to capture the emotions and conveyed it to the viewers, before giving the strike (I was close into tears in some of those situations). Sadly that strength and the story start to plummet near the ending, as it became somewhat predictable.

It is worth watching, you won't regret it. Who knows Sakura can also change your life.

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