Fan reviews: Jotei

Isabelle · 14 Aug 2012

Jotei is an adult drama. It has themes of sex, prostitution, yakuza and political corruption. For the non-Japanese viewer it's especially interesting as it gives us a glimpse of the Japanese way of thinking about sex and virginity. In a way it's a modern geisha story and sometimes made me think of the geisha books I've read. It's a story that can be most understood and appreciated by women.


The main reason why I recommend it most for women is because the story is told as narrated by the main protagonist, a woman named Tachibana Ayaka. It is through her eyes that we see the problems she faces on her road to becoming a "Jotei"; an empress. A Jotei is a woman who is very important in the nightlife of Ginza, the main entertainment district of Tokyo. She starts out as a regular girl who looses her mother at 18 and is left alone. She then learns that her father is still alive and left them to become a powerful person. She decides to become powerful herself and have the men who had stood above her bow down to her. She is willing to do anything in order to reach her goal. Upon reading this we might think that she is not a likeable person, but still, her heart is good and we find ourselves cheering her on towards her goal.

Kato Rosa plays Ayaka and she is a very good choice for the role. She is a pretty woman, but not too beautiful. This makes her more real and likeable for women as regular women can also identify with her. Through her we can also see that inner beauty can enhance your outer beauty.

There are many other characters beside hers that are important, mainly because the story encompasses many years. However, I must make a note of Date Naoto. He is the first man who helps Ayaka on her journey and becomes a very important person in her life. He is the kind of a man who makes us and Ayaka consider just giving up on her goal and settling down in a house to have 2.3 kids with. This ambivalent feeling gives and extra tension to the story. Even more so as he's played brilliantly by Matsuda Shota. He is the kind of actor you just want to see in more dramas as his performances always have a sort of unique elegance. Just what we can expect from someone whose whole family is made up by actors and actresses.

This drama is truly wonderful. The story is very complex and like a book it makes you want to just go to the next chapter. Therefore, I recommend watching it over the weekend as once you start, Ayaka's story just sweeps you up and doesn't let you go until the end.

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Sajen16 · 28 Jun 2010

I can see where it's going the story isn't too deep and there's not much room for character growth so there probably won't be much however it gets points for portraying women in an industry that doesn't get much respect with dignity if not complete respect also Rosa's portrayal of a strong girl determined to make it gets some points as well her face at the end of episode one is simply perfect, however in an industry based on beauty well she's just pretty Saki Aibu, Reina Asami or Mayuko Iwasa would have been better choices for pure beauty and Anne Suzuki if they just wanted a talented actress, still she doeas a passable job most of the time with occasional flashes of brilliance.

eunique06 · 8 May 2008

A story about a girl wanting to rise from the bottom to the top. Her motive for doing so started with revenge but in the end changed as her views were altered by the events that happened in her life. She had to undergo lots of hardships and fight her way to the top. She had to sacrifice on a lot of things in order to achieve her dream of becoming an empress. There are a lot of lessons learned here like the real meaning of power, respect, womanhood and so on.

The ending is a bit sad and quite disappointing if you are the sentimental and romantic type who like mushy love scenes. But you can see how strong Ayaka is in the end because of what she had to endure for love. This drama is really full of girl power. The strong characters can be seen in the women's roles as they fight in men's world.

I really love this drama. It's really cool, no, more than cool, superb!

Eve · 12 Mar 2008

Very catchy. Blasted through it in three nights.
If at times it is a bit contrived it does not fail to please.
Full points to a strong cast!

ayumihamasakisan · 9 Jan 2008

It's a great watch if you're interested in a lot of cat fights and drama, but if you'e a Scooby Doo detective, you'll get tired of it. ;)

I mean, I personally found it VERY interesting, that some people go through the lengths they go through. But other than that, it's a drama I find that doesn't close ends properly (just one too many loose ends). If you watchd and want to know why I think like that, I don't mind discussing. :)

dokodemodoa · 13 Oct 2007

reminds me of soap opera somehow.. a bit over dramatic in every part
but i do love soap opera.. no logic needed to watch
so jotei was.. okay, i guess

Shindou · 19 Sep 2007

Not a bad dorama as far as recent doramas go. Kato Rosa's character was not played convincingly enough IMO, with her rise being attributed more to chance than ability. Shota's character was also a disappointment, being relegated to a minor role as the series develops. The premise of the dorama isn't bad but the good and bad characters are just too one-sided to seem realistic.