The final episode of the NHK morning drama "Wings of the Tiger" starring Ito Sari has finally aired. Torako, who struggles in the male-dominated world of the legal profession, and the supporting characters surrounding her have colored the story. Among them, we look back on the "battle memories" of Torako's classmates at the Mei Ritsu University Women's Department, who were literally Torako's "comrades in arms."
◇Yone-san & Hyang-chan
Torako's classmates at the Mei Ritsu University Women's Department of Law, where she once attended, were Yamada Yone (Doi Shiori), "Hyang-chan" Choi Hyang-sook/Shiomi Kaori (Ha Yeon-soo), Takehara (Oba) Umeko (Hiraiwa Kami), and Sakuragawa Ryoko (Sakurai Yuki), but here we would like to consider Tama (Hasegawa Nagi), Ryoko's former attendant and now "best friend," as a member of the class.
The five girls come from completely different backgrounds, each with their own unique personality, but they come together as a team. Yone is blunt and foul-mouthed but has more passion in her heart than most, Kasuku lives with resolve, Umeko is easygoing and tolerant, Ryoko is noble and kind, and Tama is brave and hardworking. Their charming characters make the personality of the main character, Torako, stand out even more.
Although she seems to be on bad terms with Torako, Yone is actually her closest friend and is an important presence who scolds Torako when she is reckless. After the war, Yone sets up a law firm with Todoroki (Tozuka Junki), whom she meets again, and with a determined mind, passes the bar exam. After becoming a lawyer, she participated in the atomic bomb trial with Kumono (Tsukaji Muga) and Iwai (Cho Minhwa), and then took on the defense of Miiko (Ishibashi Natsumi), who was accused of parricide.
In the 126th episode (broadcast on September 23rd), Yone appeared in court in Miiko's case, and gave a passionate speech, uttering Torako's catchphrase, "Huh?". Viewers were moved by Yone's desperate appeal to save Miiko, who had been subjected to unreasonable abuse, saying things like "It's the Yone Theater" and "It touched my heart."
Hangsook, a foreign student from the Korean Peninsula, gave up on her path to becoming a lawyer and returned to Korea, but married Shiomi (Hirano Seizo), whom she met there. When her daughter Kaoru was born, she decided to live as "Shiomi Kaori." She had sealed away her past as a Korean-born child, and had lived her life hiding the truth even from Kaoru for many years. After raising her children, she resumed her law studies. She passed the bar exam and became a lawyer.
In episode 120 (broadcast on September 13th), Hyangsuk, who had been hiding her past, declared in front of Kaoru (Ikeda Akana) that she wanted to get Choi Hyangsuk back, and met her classmates from Mei Ritsu University, Kobashi (Namura Tatsu) and Inagaki (Matsukawa Naoruki), whom she had avoided meeting until now. Many viewers were moved to tears by Hyangsuk's way of life, which had taken many years to regain her true self.
◇Umeko-san, Ryoko-sama, and Tama-chan
During her university days, Umeko was the only married woman, and studied law in order to divorce her abusive husband and gain custody of her children. After her husband's death, after a commotion over inheritance, she decided to give up her husband's inheritance, her position as a wife, and her duties as a mother, and to break away from her family. She left home alone and started living with Yone and Todoroki. In order to take over the sweets shop "Takemoto", she trained in bean paste making, and later opened a sushi and sweets shop "Sasatake" with Michio.
In the 64th episode (broadcast on June 27th), in the midst of mediation over the inheritance, it was revealed that Umeko's third son Mitsusaburo (Honda Kyoya) was connected to her late husband's mistress Sumire (Takeda Rina). Umeko laughed out loud and said, "I failed at everything. My marriage, starting a family, raising my sons, and my life as a wife and bride, everything!" She then said, "Good day!" and left the house. Umeko's free-spirited appearance, having decided to live her own life, left a strong impression on viewers.
Originally a daughter of the nobility, Ryoko was famous enough to be featured in magazines for her fashion and behavior. She chose to get married to protect her family and gave up her dream of becoming a lawyer, but lost her nobility status due to the postwar constitution. After that, she runs two stores in Niigata with Tama, including a cafe called "Lighthouse". Inspired by Kasuku, she took the bar exam and passed.
In episode 124 (broadcast on September 19th), Ryoko revealed that she has no intention of taking the bar exam. When Yone asked her why, she replied with a smile, "If I had to say, I guess it's my own way of kicking the world in the crotch." "Whether I become a lawyer or not is in my hands. At the very least, I wanted to do that." Many viewers were touched by her lines, which showed her inner strength and rebellious spirit.
Tama, Ryoko's former attendant who admires her, was injured in an air raid during the war and became wheelchair-bound. She felt indebted to Ryoko, but they shared their true feelings with each other and became "best friends." While working at "Lighthouse," she teaches English to students.
In episode 84 (broadcast on July 25th), Tama and Ryoko shared their true feelings with each other. Tama asks Ryoko in English, "I can't imagine life without you. Will you be my best friend?" and Ryoko replies in English, "You're already my best friend." The scene where the two, who had a master-servant relationship, become equals drew moving comments such as "a beautiful sisterhood" and "I was touched by their noble and beautiful relationship."
Looking back, we are reminded once again of the charm of not only Torako, who struggles in the legal world, but also her classmates who have competed with her and built long-lasting friendships. "Wings of a Tiger" has come to an end, but their memorable scenes and struggles will surely remain in our memories for years to come.
