WIT Life #220: Wonderful Single Life/Going My Home
Film, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
As I shared in my last post, one of the best parts of being here in Japan is the chance to catch up on dramas when the work day is done. When I’m at home I try to keep up to date on them via the Internet, but it’s just not the same as watching them in prime time. Two of my current favorites are tonight’s ｢ゴーイング・マイ・ホーム」 (Going My Home) and Thursday night’s 「結婚しない」 (Wonderful Single Life; literally Won’t Get Married).
I greatly enjoy the latter as the main character is a 35-year old woman whose single status is a source of both stress and liberation. The supporting roles feature her female contemporaries as well as younger and older friends, all in various work and personal situations. It is an interesting commentary on the lives of women in modern Japanese society, and I am eager to see how the season plays out.
The former drama caught my attention when it was first announced months ago, as it was created by my favorite Japanese film director, Hirokazu Kore-eda. He actually started out as a television documentary director, so in a way he’s returning to his roots with this series. Many of Kore-eda’s movies, such as Nobody Knows, Still Walking and Air Doll, have received acclaim in the States as well. His influence is quite clear, as the slow pacing characteristic of his films (particularly Still Walking) is evident in this show, which has a subtle jazzy soundtrack as opposed to the typical jingly music accompanying scenes in other dramas. In this way it is more bare bones, but sophisticated in its simplicity.
Going My Home stars Hiroshi Abe, who I have already mentioned here as one of my favorite Japanese actors, as Ryota, an affable television commercial producer who returns to his hometown when his father becomes sick. During this visit, Ryota finds out about the existence there of a mythical species of fairy called Kuna that his father had some sort of involvement with. He meets other locals who are part of a so-called Kuna Explorer Club, and he himself becomes part of the search for these creatures. In the process Ryota makes discoveries in regard to his father, who he had a somewhat estranged relationship with, with, and this has an effect on his relationship with his wife and young daughter.
This drama also offers commentary on working women in Japanese society, as Ryota’s wife is a food stylist whose career keeps her quite busy and causes her to feel guilty that she is not doing enough for their daughter, who has gotten used to her mother not being around all the time. Looking forward to seeing what twists tonight’s episode brings!
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