A great story told well. The premise is simple- the trials and hardships a man faces living in a prejudiced world, and yet he faces the world with his most infectious heartiest smile.. The characters are great..the actors are great. Matsumoto Jun does a brilliant job as the kind hearted Vito. The lawyer and the girl are both central to the drama as well, and their roles and smiles are beautiful. Oguri Shun plays Hayashi, the dark shaded character, with great impact in the drama. The story is uplifting in the end; ends on a happy note, has a great message throughout and is about facing life's difficulties with a big smile. So, why was it so difficult for me to smile through the drama? Despite what the ending is, this drama was really difficult for me to watch happily. I had a heavy heart through all of it. There was so much injustice and the good people were too unlucky. Every victory they gained was only to be followed by more heartbreaking troubles. The characters showed great spirit through it all, but I really couldn't share it. I was heavyhearted and sad throughout, and I was thankful when it finally ended, happy or not. In fact I don't think a different ending would have affected me anymore, I was already feeling so blue. I definitely wouldn't re-watch it, though I assure you- this is a good drama.