Raiho80
Story:
If you've read the summary (or not) Tonari no Kazoku focuses on a couple namely Nana and Daiki in their endeavors of getting themselves a child. But, that's not what all the drama offers. Tonari no Kazoku also tells about 3 other families all with their respective problems. And to add up, all of them live inside the same residential complex. You know it takes a lot of getting used to warm up to your neighbours. The problems that exist in this drama are concurrent real life social problems and handles them really well. The many plot points nearing the finale lines up and creates a satisfying continuity, making the viewers feel a sense of connection between the characters.
Acting/Cast:
Speaking of which, the many characters that exist in Tonari no Kazoku is another great example of how to portray 'real' people in a sense. Each actors and actress in this drama outdid themselves, from the important main couple to the guest stars that appear in one or two episodes. My personal favourite character in the entire drama goes to Igarashi Satoko, or Daiki's mother just for the sheer amount of greatness in her character throughout the whole journey from start to finish. The emotions of the characters were on point, expressing their tears, smiles and laughs that I can believe the situations and conversations that take place in this drama can occur in a household in Japan. 'Antagonistic' characters are nothing too amazing but they're there. The main selling point is the rest of the relevant cast, which matters more.
Music:
Ah, music. For every J-Drama that I watch, the music aspect is one that I have really high expectations of (being a sucker for Japanese songs myself). Tonari no Kazoku did not betray my expectations. One thing I'd like to point out and give credit to is Mr.Children for delivering such a powerful and meaningful theme song in 'here comes my love'. The first time I heard the theme song was played, I knew I was in for a ride. The tone of the theme song was somewhat melancholic and the lyrics play a lot with metaphors and the likes. The OST for the drama was okay, nothing too spectacular but once again, the instrumental version of 'here comes my love' hits my heart every single time. The overall OST is nothing bizarre but special enough for you to reminisce about the show once you finish it.
Rewatch Value:
As with most J-Drama that I've watched before, rewatching was never really something I tend to do with them as most air around 40 mins+ per episode which would cause me to skip most of the part. Tonari no Kazoku doesn't escape that pattern, although there are some neat tidbits that you can better understand or if put in better words, understand earlier why certain characters act the way they do. Certainly not entirely as enjoyable as your first watch, but certainly some scenes that attacks you mentally would probably still do same (I'm looking at you Episode * and *).
Overall:
So, would I recommend this Drama? Yes. Totally. Although some might complain that a certain aspect in this drama will turn off some portion of the viewers, my advise is to either avoid those scenes completely or just pretend it didn't happen. I, myself am not fond of said elements but I take into account Tonari no Kazoku as a whole, and for me it did a splendid job in making a family-drama turned neighbours wars.
P.S.~ Every minute spent on subbing this drama has been a blast. Please do spread the words on what an amazing drama Tonari no Kazoku wa Aoku Mieru (Residential Complex) is!
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