Feel good family drama with lots of heart and laughs. They don't get any better than this. I totally loved it! 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!