"TV Preview Room" is a program where reporters review TV programs of various genres, from dramas to documentaries, variety shows, and anime, before they are broadcast. This time, we will be introducing the drama series "The Hot Spot," written by Bakarhythm and starring Ichikawa Mikako, which will be broadcast on the Nippon Television Network from 10:30 pm on January 12th.
Bakarhythm, who won numerous awards both at home and abroad for his "Brush Up Life," a "local time leap human comedy" that depicts the struggles of an ordinary protagonist who has to restart his life many times due to an unexpected turn of events, and the people around him, is returning to NTV's Sunday drama slot for the first time in two years. This time, "The Hot Spot" is a "local alien human comedy" that depicts the protagonist, played by Ichikawa Mikako, who encounters an alien by chance, and the people around her.
The story takes place in a town in Yamanashi Prefecture at the foot of Mount Fuji, Japan's pride. One day, the protagonist, Kiyomi Endo (41), a single mother who works at a business hotel, is saved by an "extraterrestrial lifeform" when she nearly gets into a traffic accident. Although she should never tell anyone, Kiyomi accidentally tells her childhood friends Hazuki (Suzuki Anne) and Minami (Hiraiwa Kami) about it, and her ordinary daily life begins to change a little...
Although it is a time leap story, like "Brush Up Life," which was a slice-of-life story, and "Hell's Garden," which was a yankee battle story despite being about factional disputes between office ladies, this is a work that allows you to enjoy the "everyday life within the extraordinary" and "extraordinary life within the everyday," which are Bakarhythm's specialties.
The slightly (S) and mysterious (F) setting and situation are the backbone of the story, and the comical dialogue between the close friends is the meat and meat of the story, which is the same structure as the popular "Brush Up Life." This time too, you'll find yourself smiling at the conversations between the "childhood friend trio" of Kiyomi, Hazuki, and Minami, and the "coworker trio" of Kiyomi, Yumi (Kaho), and Eri (Maki Sakai).
Of course, the biggest point is the interaction between Kiyomi and the "aliens." I will avoid going into details, but the story unfolds true to its name of "local alien human comedy," and the element of "aliens" itself is a powerful word that stirs up various imaginations from the viewer, so there are high expectations for episodes 2 and beyond.
The hugely successful "Brush Up Life" started out as a comedy about a man climbing the corporate ladder by repeating time leaps, but at the end of the film there was a surprising twist in the story, as the protagonist struggles to avoid the sad future that awaits his friends, leading to a wonderful finale. How will "The Hot Spot" unfold this time? Will there be any surprises? I want to watch this "Bakarhythm version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind" until the very end.
