I just finished
a series called “Q10” (pronounced kyuu-to)
which aired in Japan in 2010. The
premise of the story gives us a kind-hearted but rather distant young man,
Heita, who comes across a girl that’s actually a robot. I know. There are already a great number of
similar stories out there. “Not another Pinocchio spin-off!” is
what I thought. But I was wrong. Good thing I stuck around and saw the whole
thing through.
The series
focused not on the robot, but the people around it. The episodes featured themes that revolved
around coping with financial ruin, loneliness, separation, friendship, aging, illness,
and how people cope with life in all of its fragility and transience. Heita
behaves rather distantly towards his peers and family. He’s very careful of his heart condition and prefers
not to involve himself in anything serious or emotional. Through Kyuuto’s innocence and unbiased view
of the world, Heita learns more and more about what it means to struggle, to
hope, to help and be helped, and of course, to love. Because of Kyuuto, Heita’s world gradually
changes.
The way they
handled these myriad themes was unexpectedly sensitive and moving. I thought this would be another one of those
teen-oriented comedic stories, but no. I
was pleasantly surprised by how delicately and gracefully the story
developed. The actors were very
convincing; sublime performances, I’d say. The pace of the series was unhurried; and they
managed the entire tale in nine episodes without leaving you hanging. I recommend this drama to those who would
like to get a fresh view of life. Thumbs
up.
Cast: Sato
Takeru, Maeda Atsuko, Kaku Kento, Renbutsu Misako, etc.
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