Atadan 8: the one where Shou falls a lot.

In more ways than one.

( the serious moonlight )

This show. I love it so much.

Happiness included, or why I watch Atashinchi no Danshi

This is spoileriffic for the most recent episode of Atashinchi no Danshi: 8, or "the one where Sho falls a lot, and fanservice, you can't handle this amount of fanservice."

There are many reasons to watch a drama - entertainment, escapism, a safe hour of catharsis to avoid thinking about the pressing realities in one's life, to get a crash course in a different culture, to lovingly (or not so lovingly) mock the deliciously bad and inane, to enjoy a good story told well --

or for the sheer pleasure of turning one's brain off and just basking in glorious eyecandy, whether the reason is deep or shallow, dramas are meant to be enjoyed.

And I haven't enjoyed a drama so much in such a long time as I have with the Littlest Hobo. I may love it even more than my ultimate summer happy love, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, and that is saying a LOT, if any of you have been paying attention to my LJ for the past two years.

Atashinchi no Danshi is pure sunshine happiness in a lightning struck bottle. It takes a fairly standard situation comedy plot - lone girl adrift in a house full of boys, tweaks it so it becomes a bizarre Brady Bunchesque happening, and faster than you can say OH JAPAN, Atadan's mix of visual pun/slapstick/family humor + pathos has turned into a sweet (but not cloying) drama full of surprises and unexpected romance and heart. Even though there are serious traumas/issues associated with the characters, Atashinchi doesn't take itself seriously, and the humor keeps it afloat instead of a PSA about how the nuclear family has disintegrated. If there's social commentary, it's mostly by accident and in the background.

( 160+ reasons why I watch Atadan, and maybe you should too )

Part II of Atadan 8 capspam

( believe me, we are only covered by stars )