Sunday Drama: Inu wo Kau to Iu Koto

Just a quick review this week because I have a big test tomorrow.  Also this drama is only half way through the season - which is dangerous because it could turn to shit in the next few episodes and I'll look like a fool.

Inu o Kau to Iu Koto (I hate romaji titles, btw) is super to the power of infinity.  It's like they have taken something cute and added on extra cute, then put a super cute cherry on top.

It's the story of a poor family - Mum, Sachiko (Mizukawa Asami) had gotten knocked up at uni so Dad, Yuji (Nishikido Ryo) did the right thing and married her.  See it's already cute because it has Ryo who is a little man packed full of cuteness with a movie star smile.   Together they raise their two cute kids.

Their daughter,  Mako, finds a super cute puppy and brings it home but, since they can barely afford to eat, how can they raise a puppy?  Mako, of course, is super cute.  And super sad because she loves that puppy.  She took a bus all on her own to rescue it from the pound and everything.

Then, when Mum goes to dump the dog, bitchy kid and bitchy mum start talking to her and it makes her change her mind.

They call the dog Sky Tree because they live near the Tokyo Sky Tree and Mako loves the Sky Tree and, if nothing else made me love this drama it's that because I too love the Sky Tree.

Added to the cuteness, is some heartwarming drama.  Ryo-papa works for the Man in the Giving People the Arse department.  He has to knee down to them so they will sign the resignation forms.  WTF Japan, if I was getting the boot from a job, I'd be like - screw your kneeling down apology, I want a big, fat redundancy pay-out.


Ryo-papa has to sack his friend/sempai which is, of course, heartbreaking... but wait, friend/sempai has a wife and she's -- ZOINKS dying of cancer!  Friend/sempai goes to the union.  I'm like WTF THERE ARE UNIONS IN JAPAN!  Who knew that?

I assumed there were no unions and that's why everyone hangs out at work until bullshit o'clock and sucks up their bosses arse at drinking parties and talks keigo.  What does the union do here?  Shouldn't they be like "KEIGO, GOT TO GO!"  and bringing in the 8 hour day and shit (I tried to explain Australia's 8 hour day holiday to some students once... I think I broke their brains).


So The Man tells Ryo-papa to get sempai out of the union by offering an early payout.  Sempai says 'mates before dates - and dates includes wives with cancer'.  So Ryo-papa goes to The Man and suggests job sharing.  The Man is like - get your dirty hippy arse out of our kaisha, dude.  We don't hold with that kind of talk about her.  Now get out of here so I can go buy a Louis Vuitton handbag to encourage a schoolgirl to have sex with me (note: this may only be in the drama as subtext).


So Mama has to work at the supermarket while Ryo-papa gets a construction job.  It is worth watching this movie just to see Nishikido in construction worker mode.  But, it gets better.  There are scenes with him in the bath.  I'm like - damn you, cloudy water!

Less kids, less dog, less water!

Then, OMG ZOINNKS, mama is pregnant and Junno from KAT-TUN is the baby doctor.  Because they are so poor, they can't even get a good member of KAT-TUN like Kame to deliver it.


Of course, all is not happy with that cute lil scallyway of a puppy either...or with the apartment residents who hate puppies.

This is the one part I had huge problems with.  Before finding out Mama is preggers, they think she collapsed because she's a housewife AND she works part-time!!!!!  WTF... she's a housewife with kids at school.  Because that's so damn exhausting?  I nearly threw something at the TV in that bit.  I was a single mother who worked full time and studied for my degree at night so don't give me that bullshit.

Oh and another bit that shit me - Mum has to work late so Mako, who is like 5 years old, has to cook dinner for her 10 year old brother.  Again, WTF.  If you are going to leave your kids at home, at least make the older one do the cooking.  It's okay because Mako is so wise beyond her years.

It's over the top with sentamentality.  Like they are thinking is there something more we can add to this scene to make it even more heart-wrenching.  But it's so damn cute.  And sweet.

I give this drama 4/5 stars.  If there are more bath scenes, I might give it 5/5.