Friday, September 10, 2010

Drama review- Edison no Haha




Edison no Haha is a drama roughly based on the life of inventor Thomas Edison who was considered a troublesome child at school because he asked so many questions to which even the teachers did not know the answer. He was kicked out (or dropped put) of school but was able to become great due to his mother's support and encouragement.

Edison no haha starts with the Nobel Prize ceremony where a Japanese man is getting the Nobel prize for science. His mother watches him in the audience and her eyes are filled with tears of joy. He thanks her and she runs up to the stage and hugs him. Then, she wakes up. It is all a dream.

Hanafusa Aoi is a single mother who divorced her husband and is looking after her seven year old son Hanafusa Kento- a curious child who wants to know the reasons behind everything. Even though he is so young, he reads complex books on science and technology due to which Aoi is convinced that he will be a great inventor in the future. He is about to start a new school because Aoi has moved after her divorce from Akita to Tokyo.

The drama follows the school life of Kento and how he is labelled as a problem child and the other parents want him to be removed from the school due to his dangerous behaviour (failed science experiments). However, his classmates love him because his curiousity gives them a lot of information which would otherwise have been unknown to them. His teacher (played by Ito Misaki) is initailly does not like him but she grows to love him and stands on his side when the PTA wants him expelled from the school.

The drama is very touching and aims to bring out the stangant and bookish nature of the education system. Kids with high abilities are often labelled as a problem because teachers lack the ability and knowledge to handle them. This is the reason why many scientists are lost. However, open-mindedness and acceptance along with the will to satisfy the curiosity of such children can benefit the whole class and probably the world (as the drama shows).

Hanafusa Kento's role is very well played by Shimizu Yuya considering he is so young. Sakai Maki also fits very well into the role of Kento's mother. Tanihara Shosuke's acting is average but still enjoyable. Misaki Ito acts terribly, overacting througout the drama which makes the drama appear superficial and fictional.

The settings were nothing too eye-catching or amazing. Overall, it was okay, but it failed to pack a 'punch' the way Gokusen had.

Rating
Story-3.4
Plot-3
Acting-3.6
Characters-4
Direction-3
Settings-3

Pros- Shimizu Yuya's acting is very good
Cons- Misaki Ito destroys the drama.

No comments:

Post a Comment