Each brother has their own issues and struggles and the drama takes the viewer on a journey of growth with them.
The drama has the right balance between the serious and the comedic moments.
The cast is wonderful all across. Each character is portrayed to perfection. My favorite was Tanaka Misako as the disgruntled and lazy mother.
A lovely family drama with a good amount of laughs and heart.
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Brother Beat tells the story of a Tokyo housewife and her 3 sons. After her husband passed away she was left to raise 3 rumbustious boys all on her own, but after the kids reached a certain age this mom hung up her apron, leaving all the household chores to the boys.
The boys carried out their duties with varying degrees of dedication, but still, men doing house chores in Japan is a novelty to me so I appreciated their efforts with awe.
Mom was an offbeat, carefree character & while you're likely to see her face if you look up the definition of slacker mom, I actually think she did her sons a service by teaching them to be self-sufficient at home and not leave all the household chores to her or their future wives. To date I have never seen a Japanese man help out his wife/girlfriend in the kitchen (or lift a finger around the house). Granted I haven't seen that many Japanese dramas or movies but it was nice to see this occur in Brother Beat.
I'm no feminist, but I'm certainly for mutual respect and equal treatment between the sexes & here in this drama I think a fair balance was achieved in so much as can be achieved in a traditional, patriarchal society like Japan.
Moreover, the girlfriend of one brother in particular may strike you as your typical docile Japanese belle, seen but not heard, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I liked how she stood up for herself when he passed his place. It gave me the confidence to believe that in a traditional relationship the woman need not be a doormat.
Brother Beat was just an overall great slice of life drama, man. A revolving door of themes were explored, from lighter stuff to more heavier fare, but it never got dark. Everyone played their roles really well. That positive, upbeat, feel good vibe was maintained throughout the series and that's why I loved it. I almost couldn't believe I was watching a Japanese series. Usually melancholy, sadness, depressing worldviews are staples in Asian cinema, particularly Japan's, but not this time around. This was just pure enjoyment and escapism. The episodes flew by in a jiffy, leaving you wanting more.
It was refreshing to watch a drama where young people acted as you'd expect them to. Especially when it comes to young men, you know they're having sex and they didn't skirt the issue in this drama. This is something the Japanese is decidedly better at dealing with than the Koreans who tend to frustrate me with their innuendo and allusions when it comes to sex. It's like the big pink elephant in the room no body wants to acknowledge, lol.
As usual, though, the lack of kisses was a disappointment. They were pretty much non-existent and when they did occur it was your standard frozen kiss. No passion, no engagement, no nothing, just ... blah. Sigh. Aside from that, though, this drama was flawless entertainment, but I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Brother Beat to anyone. It's the best family drama I've seen to date. The Sakurai family is a wild, but great bunch. Mom put a wonderful spin on the typical Japanese housewife archtype and her rough housing with her sons is quite adorable to watch. Last but certainly not least, female viewers will be particularly pleased with the brothers. They're certified eye candy, esp the older two. I mean seriously. THEY.ARE.FINE!!! :-)
If you don't watch this drama, you're really missing out!
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Genre (s): Family, Human, Slice of Life, & Romance
** As a note there is a lot of physical fighting between the brothers. That's the whole point. I can honestly see brothers going at each other that way.
I'll start of with the Rewatch Value---I know that would be the most important for me if I were to read a review. I'm a person who loves family shows. It's what I would define as a human drama and family drama. What I mean by human drama is that it relates to aspects of our own life. Our relationships with our parents and siblings and our work place. Most human dramas are definitely more tragic, but this is far more upbeat with a bit of bittersweetness. As far as family drama. It is one of the best. Originally this was my favorite family drama that has now been beat out by Tokyo Bandwagon, which I will review later.
I find myself rewatching this drama normally when I'm sad and depressed or I need something else. The two older brothers are ridiculously handsome. The mother seems to have become more so the little sister or child in the house than a mother. While the younger brother has taken the lead. This leads to hilarious moments between the immediate family. It gets far more ridiculous as the boys develop relationships. My favorite is the Older brother's relationship---absolutely adorable. It makes me come back, time and again.
The story really portrays the inner struggles of all of the characters after the passing of their father. The three brothers end becoming the men of the house (in different ways). They are the supportive mechanism not only to each other but to their mother which has caused a level of resentment between all parties invovled but also a high level of codependency.
Sakurai Tatsuya (Tamayama Tetsuji) is the older brother. He's the way classically expected older brothers should be. The most conservative, the most reliable, the most defensive and protective. This brother hell yes is all of the above. But he's also very stubborn and bullheaded. When he has his mind set on something that's it. It takes basically the pushing of his family members to help him in love and living.
Love Interest: Tamura Chisato (Kuninaka Ryoko), as a note this girl became one of my favorite actresses after watching this drama. She's adorable, but she's also someone who feels obliged to follow her parents but also feels pressured by this burden. That being said, she falls in love with a man who is actually very similar to her father in many respects. You'll see her struggle with that, but her push back on her love interest and how that changes him and her.
Sakurai Riku (Hayami Mokomichi): The second brother is irresponsible, undependable, seems to feel insecure, doesn't have a full time job, very flirtatious. I mean he has the classic middle child syndrome. He can't be the little one to have some attention and focus, and he can't be the oldest because in his eyes...he's the hero. So he's not the hero or the baby. What is?! This complex travels with him until the end of the series. You'll see his behaviour and semi-growth.
Sakurai Junpei (Nakao Akiyoshi): The third child, most innocent of them and quite honestly the most "normal" of the bunch. He has aspirations, he is highly dependable in the household. Very caring and very sweet. He's protective of all his brothers but wants love as he has a whole lot to give. He impresses me the most I guess you could say.
**The two younger brothers have love interests but their story is not really built on it as it is with the older brother. Where his significant other plays a massive role to the story as it grows.
Sakurai Harue (Tanaka Misako): The mother is intersting. I think in the initial scene you see aspects of the personality she has with her adult sons later on. At first I found the change to be ridiculously 180, but the more and more I watch the show. I realize that even if her husband was around she would have behaved in a very similar manner. It's just who she is.
I think that's why the story gets me actually. I'm the oldest that really acts like the middle child in my family while my sister the youngest (two child household) is much more like the oldest and my mother (after the death of my father) is not much different from Harue. So I see aspects of my life in some of these people and I like how they work through their obstacles and shame to find healing through love and family. It's a beautiful drama for me. But you have to be into that sort ofo drama.
The acting is on point and I will be honest, I have seen very little Jdoramas with poor acting.
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Best Japanese Drama that focuses upon family.
The best Japanese Drama I have watched to this day, Brother Beat has a bit of everything that I am looking for in a series-Comedy, Drama and Romance. The cast bring the characters to life in a very zany but almost natural way, namely of how family members tend to interact with one another in reality. A widowed mother with three grown sons, each radically different in terms of both appearances and personalities. The series explores the dynamics between this family of four, as well as those they interact with. Especially in regards to the two elder brothers and their girlfriends. A definite 10/10 for those that are looking for slice of life.Was this review helpful to you?
It was a delight to watch the drama. Lotsa funny moments, hilarious cast. Also a lot of teachable moments. I was seriously thinking the three sons would be super loving like 'oh big brother, you must be tired after working hard. Here let me massage your shoulders' , like they'd be shown as a family who stick super duper, unnaturally close after the death of their father, and ideal family. In reality, they just crazy. Haha. Crazy and realistic, don't expect them to go around sacrificing themselevs for the sake of their family every chance they get. Like a very much real family, they fight, disagree, have problems, but they care for eachother and are there for eachother if the situation demands and their house is forever bustling.
All the characters grow throughout the drama and that was great to see. The mom is hilarious and I love her. I lost my father young as well and that's pretty close to how my family is too, we joke around alot and my mom treats us like her friends and we do the same, we also disagree and we're honest about things with eachother.
Anyways, it was a great drama. Has a bit of romance too. It's a great drama to watch for Jdrama enthusiasts. If you've come this far( checking out reviews) the just watch it, you'll like it.
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