Kare, Otto, Otoko Tomodachi 2011 (カレ、夫、男友達)

This drama centers around the lives of three sisters who find themselves facing different conflicts, and shows how their close family ties helped each of them find resolution for their troubles.  Their “happy family” suffered a blow when their father left them to be with another woman.  And while they still maintained a façade of friendly forgiveness and acceptance with their father, the impact that this event created had undeniable consequences on the three daughters.  

The eldest sister, Asako, suffers from domestic violence and abuse by her husband.  She fears him greatly and wants to break away; yet mysteriously feels drawn to him, wanting to save him and herself at the same time. The second daughter, Haruko, is trying to climb the ladder of career success and while believing herself in love with her boyfriend, succumbs to loneliness and temptation.  Ikuko, the youngest, was most affected by the abandonment and cannot find it in herself to forgive their father.  She feels numb and unable to fall in love, trying to find the answer to her questions in the wrong places.  They often go back to the solace of their mother, who herself silently suffers and tries to maintain the appearance of peace and confidence in order to be the one remaining glue that holds their family together.

The pace of the series was good at only eight episodes.  All the roles were well-portrayed; the women were well-suited to their roles and gave their parts the sensitivity necessary to make the characters come alive.  I really appreciated that the female roles were not stereotyped.  Not one of them was too perfect, good or bad.  I would say that the roles were accurately rendered.  Also, I especially liked the actor who played Asako’s husband – he was really scary and creepy and you just want to strangle him yourself.  All in all a good series that I felt compelled to follow to the very end.  Women would certainly appreciate it.  Men definitely ought to watch it and learn a thing or two about women and what they have to face in the real world.  8/10.