I guess we read & listen to stories to discover something new & unexpected, but this doesn't mean that a good story doesn't have repetitive & expected elements. As kids, we learn this as soon as we hear our grandmoms tell us for the second time: "Once Upon A Time ..." One role of this is to make us feel at home and friendly: "Sure, we were there before!"

The short series, Nihon Boro Yado Kiko (2019), is full of repetitions: Shabby hotels, one and only one song sung at every single episode, same fights, and so many others, however, the series miraculously uses all these to make us feel at home, and as some kind of framework for its new, innovative elements. And in the end, we'll have a product One Of A Kind! Story-telling at its best!

As someone who tends to be suspicious, even hateful of, the old, I started the drama with zero expectation, but now, I'm really going to miss Haruko saying: " 'Shabby Lodgings', That's by no means an insult!" I'm now a believer!

My Rating: 10/10