Reviewing a Japanese SP drama that I watched awhile back that I highly recommend called "Hitsudan Hostess" which translate to hostess with a pen or conversation by a writing hostess.
Synopsis: This drama is actually based off a true life story. They actually showed video clips of the actual person in the beginning of the drama. Sato Rei is a girl who was born in Aomori Prefecture who lost hearing at a young age of one year and 10 months. Because she is unable to hear which caused her to go through many struggles and difficulties in life. She was teased and criticized by her friends in high school who thought she was a nuisance to be around with and as a result leading Rie to drop out of high school because she felt like her friends didn't understand her and her existence in school wasn't of importance. She met a clothing shop owner who was nice enough to hire her to work as a sale associate at the store. Rei enjoyed her job as a sale associate because she was able to help her customers even though she could not hear or speak. Just when she thought a bright door has opened upon her, the shop owner suddenly decided to close the shop down due to low increase in sales. Rei fell back into her lonely depression hole and felt devastated. Until one day she randomly met a woman who is an owner of a hostess club and changed her life with a new bright opportunity. Rei became a hostess at a night club despite the fact that she could not hear or speak. She communicated with her customers through using paper and a pen as form of communication. She soon became really popular at the club because she listened to her customers with sincerity and expressed words of wisdom that touched the heart of her customers. But when her family found out that she has been working as a hostess at a night club, they strongly opposed her to continue working there, especially her mother. What her family failed to understand was being a hostess at a night club gave Rei a sense of hope and value as a person. She was being appreciated by her customers for her kind heart and words and it was the first time she ever felt "accepted" by people as if she was just a normal person. Rei left home to live off on her own with a dream of becoming the most popular hostess at a hostess club in Ginza, Tokyo. There she met a lovely old man who was her customer and whom she grew close with and also helped him out when he was going through a rough time. The story goes on from there and it talks about how she became a popular hostess at the #1 hostess club in Tokyo.
My thoughts on this SP drama: It's a very inspirational drama. Kitagawa Keiko did a really great job in acting her character as she always does. She is definitely one amazing and talented actress. There was a lot of really great inspirational quotes said in the drama too. The drama is also great for those who want to know more about the life of a woman being a hostess at a night club. And in case you don't know what a hostess is. It's basically kind of like you're selling yourself out as a host. You serve male customers, mixing them alcohol drinks, and talking to them to help them relax and have a good time. It may seem like a bit of a shady job but it's not. There are no sexual activities involved. You can go on dates with customers to have a drink or eat dinner at a fancy restaurant but they cannot ask you to offer them sex or do any inappropriate things. And this drama SP shows you that being a hostess can be seen as rather elegant and beautiful. There are actually host clubs in Japan as well in which men work there as a host and serve female customers doing relatively the same things that a hostess would do. I especially really like the ending of the drama where Rei and her mother had a deep heart to heart talk where they both spilled out words kept deep within their hearts and how Rei's mother finally accepted Rei to be herself and what a beautiful person she has become! That scene had me crying sooooo much. T____T Prepare tissues when you reach the end of the drama. Overall I'd give this drama a 5/5! Well acted and a very inspiring story. I also watched this SP at a time when I was feeling extremely depressed in my life and watching this SP made me think how there are other unfortunate people who are born with the inability to do things and yet they are able to pull through and make a worthy living life. It inspired me that you can do anything as long as you keep trying and keep having faith in yourself!
Some of my favourite quotes from the drama:
A life without challenges is an innocuous life, and a life with challenges is an appreciative life.
You cannot change the past and others, but you can change the future and yourself.
The character for "stars" is written as "a day is born". During hard times, look up at the sky. Surely, tomorrow will be born.
Fancy is wanting yourself to be loved. Love is showing your true heart.
The important thing is not how much you do. It is how much you do it with your whole heart.
If there is someone next to you, discouragement will change to tenderness.
Difficult times happen on the way to happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment