Risou no musuko (2012)

Country: Japan
Format: drama in 10 episodes
Genre: family, school, comedy
Cast: Suzuki Kyoka, Yamada Ryosuke, Fujigaya Taisuke, Sawamura Ikki, Nakajima Yuto, Takeda Kohei, Irie Jingi, Emoto Tokio, Kaneko Nobuaki, Waki Tomohiro, Miyoshi Ayaka, Kendo Kobayashi, Suzuki Anju, Moromizato Daisuke, Yoshinaga Jun, Hayashi Kento,
Synopsis: Suzuki Umi is single mother whose life's purpose is to get his son to buy a house for her. Despite the fact that they are poor, she wants to grow Suzuki into perfect son by giving him expensive Meifu private school and stuff, but things change dramatically when Dachi leaves Meifu for delinquent boys school, where Umi started her part-time job, in order to protect mom from other guys. What is really "perfect son or mother"? What is the most important in their lives? and all other questions arise in their minds and hearts...  
Rating: 4/5 (Actually it is 3,5, but I do not have this half system)
Before watching it, I thought that Daichi is some Oedipus-complexer guy and wanted to see it because of Fujigaya Taisuke, but it turned all up-side-down as I fell in love with Yamada’s 

 acting and found out that he really does not have Oedipus-complex and „he is not a mama-boy, "he just loves his mother“. Yamada Ryosuke’s acting is seriously one of the high-lights of the drama – you can see him sweet, laughing, crying, beaten up, beating up, angry, bath-scene, cross-dressing. Maybe love-troubles are the only things that are missing, but at the same time there are girl-troubles and Daichi is not that interested in women. You can really say that Daichi is late-bloomer and as a male he is useless, but as a son he might be perfect, may be too perfect, but you seriously must watch it till the end to have a conclusion of their story. But there were some annoying things about him – 

firstly, holding your pointing finger up while running to school is not normal, that only made me realize how weird and short are Yamada’s fingers. Secondly I did not like that he had to repeat the Australia story all the time, but as I understood then this was like a good luck charm to make the punch work – it was with all the other characters and their moves too. On the other hand, (not making fun over Yamada)  Yamada pulled everything off and he even sings a couple of lines in the movie – so if you want his version of “Happy birthday” then try to record it.   

 Mother, Umi-san, was actually a great mother – it seemed that she might be too self-centered 

and stuff, but as the drama goes on, she gets aware of her maternal instincts as she starts to worry about him much more. Umi-san is very good at manipulating with Daichi, so he would do anything to please her. She has some small dreams and secrets of her own, but because of Daichi and poorness, she has lost her feminine side and will to do anything else. She has a big appetite – eating 3-4 people portions at once  (reminds me at the moment, eating 2 people portions as a meal.. woah.. I might end up fat by the end of this year .

Kobayashi Kouji is involved with Daichi’s life more than once and things get once more complicated and then calm down again. He is the one character who I ended up hating and then a bit loving again. He is weak, mama-boy, lying son of a bitch. Gomen, but his mother is worst bitch, who actually made me cry in the last episode. I bet that each child will hate and be afraid of this kind of mother, but because she is mother, the child still loves and respects her. I must say that Nakajima Yuto suits into this geeky weak worm-like role, but I feel like he was pretty much the same in “Sensei wa Erai”.
There are many-many-many different characters in drama – each episode extends the cast 

 and Kaneko Nobuaki even plays 4 different characters.  Also there are Goro-san, Habu, Wanikawa, Hyozuka, Zou-san, Tanba and his sister,  Minoru-san, Ikeda-sensei and etc. With whom all kind of jokes are connect to. From second episode till the end you will laugh. I do not know why they made the first episode depressing and not funny at all, but from second episode it is great comedy.

I know that I have not mention much about other characters, but it is because they mostly have one episode about them, but Mifune Kengo is an exception as his story goes on and on till the end. Fujigawa Taisuke was sooooooooo hot(?)They do not show Mifune that much nor let you 

fully understand him, but he is that kind of character who makes one appearance in episode and you know that you love that character. Compared to Daichi and all other characters, he is mature, manly, strong and wise at the same time. I most enjoyed UmixMifune relationship. They were great buddies – listening each other’s problems and stuff . Mifune saw the ideal mother in Umi and I do not really know what Mifune was to Umi – maybe a second son?    

It did not get higher stars because it is the drama you watch and have a great laugh and then do not watch it again.. at least for me. But I do recommend if you want a break and want to enjoy Yama-chan’s acting (getting too personal with the chan-thing?)