Macy
~meteor dreamland~
This review may contain spoilers
"I'm going back to the North..."♫
"Amachan" is the 24th asadora that I've watched. I hesitated to watch this one since it's SO popular. My track record with popular asadoras hasn't been so good. Thankfully, I pleasantly surprised with "Amachan" and ended up really liking it. It's an interesting blend of comedy and emotional moments, when asadoras (particularly popular ones) usually go for the big historical dramas. However, it is not without its faults. Warning for small spoilers of the ending
Non is really sweet as the heroine Amano Aki, and I liked her 99% of the time. But... She can be annoying sometimes with her denseness and naïvete, which is mostly played for laughs. I would also say that her motivations are kind of weak. She wants to be an ama because she likes diving; she wants to be an idol because she likes singing and making people smile. I understand that this is in fact part of character, but I think her weak motivations is probably why viewers don't like the idol arc of the asadora as much. Anyway... I consider Aki's mother and grandmother, Haruko (Koizumi Kyoko) and Natsu (Miyamoto Nobuko), to be the second and third heroines of this asadora. Their performances are honestly perfect and their stories were executed perfectly. *Chef's kiss* Props also to Arimura Kasumi playing young Haruko.
"Amachan" also has the perfect cast of side characters. I know asadoras are known for their wonderful side characters, but "Amachan" is the first I've watched where I liked everyone. I felt like everyone had a well laid-out personality. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering characters in asadoras, but I never had that problem here. I particularly related to Yui (Hashimoto Ai) who has a slightly twisted personality. Her arc isn't perfect, but I liked how it mirrored both Haruko's and Aki's experiences. Then there's Suzuka Hiromi (Yakushimaru Hiroko), an actress who can or cannot sing? [Lol I loved that they left that ambiguous at the the end.] I really wasn't expecting to like that character so much, but Yakushimaru plays her with the right amount of comedy and divaness. And, of course, there's every townsperson of Kitasanriku which is too many to name, but I will carry them within my heart from now on.
Now a couple of complaints. "Amachan" doesn't have much in the way of romance, which is fine but I've come to expect stronger romances in asadoras quite frankly. Aki's love interest Taneichi is kind of just there, and a lot of the drama around their relationship feels forced. Especially when you think of Aki's age lol, though I guess she really is naive. My other complaint is that the music is repetitive. The opening is instrumental and can kind of feel like you're on an amusement park ride if you watch multiple episodes in a row. "Shiosai no Memory," sung by several characters, is nice but only made an impact once I heard it 10+ times. GMT's "Hometown" song I thought was terrible and I found it hard to believe that it was a hit lol. Other than that, I liked the frequent plugs of old 80s songs and Daikichi singing "Ghostbuster randomly.
A lot of asadoras explore the theme of "hometown," but I think "Amachan"'s exploration of this has become my favorite. Aki doesn't particularly like Tokyo, where she was born and grew up. She instead finds her "hometown" in Kitasanriku, where her grandma lives and her mother grew up. Therefore, your "hometown" is where you love to be and where the people you love are. Aki does return to Tokyo for a year and a half, but ultimately decides to pursue her dream of being an idol in Kitasanriku. Yes, she'll never become a superstar that way, but she'll get to stay in the place she loves with the people she loves. Honestly, I really love this sentiment. "Amachan" easily enters my top ten asadoras. I love it so much, even the idol arc ;)
Non is really sweet as the heroine Amano Aki, and I liked her 99% of the time. But... She can be annoying sometimes with her denseness and naïvete, which is mostly played for laughs. I would also say that her motivations are kind of weak. She wants to be an ama because she likes diving; she wants to be an idol because she likes singing and making people smile. I understand that this is in fact part of character, but I think her weak motivations is probably why viewers don't like the idol arc of the asadora as much. Anyway... I consider Aki's mother and grandmother, Haruko (Koizumi Kyoko) and Natsu (Miyamoto Nobuko), to be the second and third heroines of this asadora. Their performances are honestly perfect and their stories were executed perfectly. *Chef's kiss* Props also to Arimura Kasumi playing young Haruko.
"Amachan" also has the perfect cast of side characters. I know asadoras are known for their wonderful side characters, but "Amachan" is the first I've watched where I liked everyone. I felt like everyone had a well laid-out personality. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering characters in asadoras, but I never had that problem here. I particularly related to Yui (Hashimoto Ai) who has a slightly twisted personality. Her arc isn't perfect, but I liked how it mirrored both Haruko's and Aki's experiences. Then there's Suzuka Hiromi (Yakushimaru Hiroko), an actress who can or cannot sing? [Lol I loved that they left that ambiguous at the the end.] I really wasn't expecting to like that character so much, but Yakushimaru plays her with the right amount of comedy and divaness. And, of course, there's every townsperson of Kitasanriku which is too many to name, but I will carry them within my heart from now on.
Now a couple of complaints. "Amachan" doesn't have much in the way of romance, which is fine but I've come to expect stronger romances in asadoras quite frankly. Aki's love interest Taneichi is kind of just there, and a lot of the drama around their relationship feels forced. Especially when you think of Aki's age lol, though I guess she really is naive. My other complaint is that the music is repetitive. The opening is instrumental and can kind of feel like you're on an amusement park ride if you watch multiple episodes in a row. "Shiosai no Memory," sung by several characters, is nice but only made an impact once I heard it 10+ times. GMT's "Hometown" song I thought was terrible and I found it hard to believe that it was a hit lol. Other than that, I liked the frequent plugs of old 80s songs and Daikichi singing "Ghostbuster randomly.
A lot of asadoras explore the theme of "hometown," but I think "Amachan"'s exploration of this has become my favorite. Aki doesn't particularly like Tokyo, where she was born and grew up. She instead finds her "hometown" in Kitasanriku, where her grandma lives and her mother grew up. Therefore, your "hometown" is where you love to be and where the people you love are. Aki does return to Tokyo for a year and a half, but ultimately decides to pursue her dream of being an idol in Kitasanriku. Yes, she'll never become a superstar that way, but she'll get to stay in the place she loves with the people she loves. Honestly, I really love this sentiment. "Amachan" easily enters my top ten asadoras. I love it so much, even the idol arc ;)
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