The third episode of the drama series " Taigan no Kaji ~Kore ga, Watashi no Ikiru Michi~ " (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring actress Mikako Tabe , became a hot topic on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers
Reiko's eldest daughter, Hoshina (Yoshitama Honoka), has the mumps. Her parents' home is far away, so she can't rely on them, and she can't find childcare for sick children. Reiko is at her wit's end, so she consults Shiho (Tabe), who agrees to look after Hoshina for a day.
Reiko asked her company if she could take a few days off to look after Hoshina. Imai (Matsumoto Rei) readily agreed to take over Reiko's job. A few days later, Reiko returned to work, but then her eldest son, Atsumasa (Kotobuki Shoma), got the mumps. Imai retorted to Reiko, "Isn't it too early for you to return to work?"
"I know. I know that. But if you miss the simultaneous enrollment in April, it's hard to get into nursery school. That's why everyone is returning in April even if it's difficult. Imai-kun doesn't know. He has no experience of being at the mercy of his child's health. He is free to use all his time and money for himself. There's no way someone like him could understand how I feel."
Faced with a reality that she cannot change, Reiko suppresses her urge to cry and searches for someone to look after her child, saying, "Why does this always happen at such important times...?" She asks her husband for advice, "Can you come home early from your business trip?" but he gives a resigned reply, "I don't want to cause trouble for my colleagues."
Reiko, who was cornered, went to Shiho again. "I have no one else I can rely on but Shiho," she said with a troubled look on her face, and asked her to take care of Atsumasa for the rest of the week, handing her 80,000 yen in cash. Shiho refused, saying, "I can't take this," but Reiko refused, saying, "I might need to ask you again. Can you just take it as a babysitter's job?" She suggested, "Please help out at home, even if it's just occasionally."
On social media, people were saying things like, "Watching Reiko makes me feel sad and miserable too. Isn't the person at fault the husband who doesn't support his wife who is trying so hard?", "It's scary for the person taking care of the child, too. That's why they end up talking about getting a babysitter", "It's terrible if you start treating her like a mom friend but before you know it you're being treated like a babysitter. It'd be better to hire a professional", "He doesn't want to cause trouble for his coworker. What!? Instead, he's making his wife, who is his precious life partner, carry everything on her shoulders and causing trouble for her!" and "Why doesn't Noriko Eguchi hire a babysitter?"
The film is based on the novel "Taigan no Kaji" (Housework on the Other Side) by Kiko Akano (published by Kodansha Bunko). It depicts the "endless work" of housework through the protagonist's interactions with "people on the other side" who have different positions and ways of thinking than her.
