It's been about a month since the new fiscal year started. As the spring dramas that will influence TV stations' annual programming strategies are all out, a surprising work is attracting attention. In investigating why it is gaining popularity, we can see the trends of recent dramas.
The show that is attracting attention is " Taigan no Kaji ~Kore ga, Watashi no Ikiru Michi~ " (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring Mikako Tabe . The show is based on the novel " Taigan no Kaji" (Kodansha Bunko) by Akeno Kayoko, and this will be Tabe's second time starring in the same time slot, five years after "My Housekeeper Nagisa-san" (2020).
The drama depicts the "endless work" of housework through the interactions between the main character, a full-time housewife played by Tabe, and "people on the other side of the river" who have different positions and ways of thinking. The total number of views for the first episode exceeded 3 million in 8 days, making it the most popular "Tuesday 10pm" drama of the station's history, and interviews with the cast members have also been a hot topic.
The series revolves around a family of three - a full-time housewife played by Tabe, an elite bureaucrat who is a "house husband" on parental leave played by Dean Fujioka, and a working mother who is struggling to balance her work and child-rearing played by Noriko Eguchi- and carefully portrays the thoughts of these various people, which is probably what has captured the hearts of viewers from all walks of life.
Each character has their own problems, and no truly "nasty people" appear, and Nagano Reiko's (Eguchi) husband, Ryohei (Kawanishi Kenshiro), is a busy man who leaves all the housework to Reiko, but there is a scene where he begins to do the housework in his own way after learning about Reiko's suffering. The plot is less preachy and less pushy, which may also be why it has garnered support.
The popularity of this drama, which has no major incidents or flashy plots, may be due to the recent trend in dramas. Perhaps due to the popularity of dramas with extreme content on subscription services, over the past two years, terrestrial TV has seen an increase in dramas with themes such as bizarre murders, sexual issues, adultery, and revenge. It's true that they are all very interesting and make you want to see how they unfold, but the fact that they are on almost every day, including late-night dramas, seems a bit much.
Also, I think it's because the production team doesn't want to make the ending too ordinary, but it seems like there are more and more works that end up not satisfying. In particular, with revenge stories, I often keep watching even when the story develops in an unpleasant way, hoping for some cathartic moment at the end, so I personally feel disheartened when the ending is a bad one that goes against my expectations.
In that respect, "Taigan no Kaji" gives the impression of carefully analyzing familiar themes and gently dramatizing them. Although no major incidents occur, the issues each family and character faces, such as work sharing and childcare, are all serious matters if you put yourself in their shoes. Thanks to careful direction and excellent performances by the cast, including Tabe, the heavy themes can be watched smoothly with the fictional feel that only a drama can provide.
Peaking with the huge hit "Until I Destroy My Husband's Family" (TV Tokyo) in July last year, a slushy revenge drama, extreme works on terrestrial TV have plateaued, while family dramas that break away from previous trends have gradually started to attract attention. And this season, several works are proving to be popular. "Taigan no Kaji," which was the number one show of all time in the Tuesday 10pm slot, is also one to watch, as it shows that we are approaching a turning point in the trend. (MANTAN/Tateyama Natsuyuki)
