Saki ni Umareta Dake no Boku (2017)

I found this drama in some ways similar to "Ashita no Yakusoku" (a drama I wish to finish someday... if the subs are complete). It is a school drama, but with more emphasis in the teachers and teaching, unlike other school dramas like "Gokusen" and Cia. The visual aspect is darker, but while Ashita no Yakusoku has a more complex story, this one is more on the human side.Story: (8/10) I decided to watch it without reading the plot. I guess because of not having the chance to finish the drama mentioned above. So I was pleasantly surprised, since there isn't nothing more gratifying than starting a drama without expectations and without having read spoilers. The story is about a man (Sakurai Sho) who is appointed to be the principal of a high school in need of a good remodeling. Since he is primarily a businessman (a salaryman) he first sees everything as a product, but all his ideas are good and he is a hard working man. I liked his perspective of hiring best teachers for the different clubs; it is true that if the school excels in, let's say basket, more students will want to attend that school. A strong club attracts more students. I like how, as the school gets better in education, both teachers and students are more motivated to be better themselves, on teaching and on learning, respectively. And also how eventually they all are proud of their school.Cast: (8/10) Sakurai improved greatly since "Kazoku Game", but it could be also because his role wasn't cartoonish. There were a couple of times where I was seeing Sakurai the Idol (his round face was a bit distracting), but most of the times he was Narumi. I think almost all actors did a good job, even the students (I like the student who was going to marry Kuroki-kun). I even liked Seto Koji, specially when he was teaching English. As a suitor, he was like a puppy: a bit clingy and a bit annoying, but harmless. I do feel like Tabe Mikako's character was a a bit wasted. Aoi Yuu's character was better developed.The 3 main ladies were the best for me. The two in the love triangle and the counselor (Igawa Haruka). There were a couple of times where I was thinking what a lucky guy Narumi was, to be surrounded by 3 intelligent, hard-working, beautiful ladies... who also happened to be excellent actresses.I didn't like the bad guy since his laughs were just too much... all of him actually. Even when he was eating his lunch it was disgusting. Such a 2-dimensional villain. And I also didn't like the trio of teachers who were against Narumi. Such a shame because I like YosiYosi.Music: (8/10) Arashi's "Doors" is not one of my favorites, but I came to like it more with this drama. And I liked the OST, since it wasn't serious.Rewatch value: (8/10) Actually I almost never rewatch anything since there are so many dramas and so little time, so the rewatch thing for me would be the "recommended?". Yes, I would recommend it but to people who like to see how a entity improves, from being a MEH school to a praised one.I do think that this is one of those dramas that deserved at least one extra episode, but overall, it ended well.

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This dorama gets a full 10/10 for its many merits (very interesting plot, beautiful message, great performances by the leads - Aoi Yu and Sakurai Sho - and by part of the supporting cast - most of all, Kazama Morio and Kinami Haruka - btw, too bad Morikawa Aoi's role is so small T__T) and despite its flaws (the naiveté of some details - active learning is indeed a great tool, but it's not so easy to implement it, particularly in a high school environment, as shown here; the ridiculously terrible performances given by Arakawa Yoshiyoshi - the guy can "play" only ONE character, and that's what he does *every single time* in *every single drama*...SO ANNOYING!!! - and by Takashima Masanobu - compared to him, even Dick Dastardly from "Wacky Races" was a credible, realistic and sober villain!!! >__<

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