Koibumi

恋文~私たちが愛した男 · Love Letters - Men We Have Loved

  • Winter
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn 2003
NetworkTBS
Broadcast8 Oct 2003 – 10 Dec 2003
Episodes10 Episodes
ViewershipAverage 8.7%
Fan score 6.4 from 5 reviews

Synopsis

Points to Watch
There are as many forms of a husband and wife's love as there are husbands and wives. A couple, whose life together was normal and contented, suddenly find their relationship changing to something quite different.

The story is based on the 1984 Naoki Award-winning short story "Koibumi" by Mikihiko Renjo that was made into a film the following year. This famous work addressed the subtleties of male and female relationships with a transparent touch. The story was adapted for the screen by renowned scriptwriter Yoshikazu Okada. The powerful trio of Atsuro Watabe, Miki Mizuno and Emi Wakui show the subtle changes in emotions that is part of this story. This autumn we present a tender love story for husbands and wives.

Storyline
The husband (Atsuro Watabe) leaves home, leaving behind his wife (Miki Mizuno) and child and his job as a middle school teacher. He leaves all this to live with a former girlfriend (Emi Wakui) so that he can nurse her as she battles with terminal illness. He has decided to nurse her until the end. This sudden take-charge approach from a man she thought of as indecisive causes the wife to look at her husband in a completely different way. To top it off, the husband asks her to drop in on the ex-girlfriend from time to time to keep her company. Despite herself, she agrees to her husband's request. She thought that cursing her husband and celebrating the ex-girlfriend's suffering would make her feel better but instead she finds herself even more attracted to him. She even finds herself growing closer to the ex-girlfriend, creating a curious bond between the two women. In the midst of all this, the relationship between the husband and wife continues to change.

Surrounding the three are others; such as the girl sharing the ex-girlfriend's room at the hospital (Ayumi Ishida), others at the husband's part-time job who turned their backs on society before him and the newcomer at the wife's editorial department (Jun Kaname). Each of them has their own problems with love that in turn affect the development of the story.

Synopsis: TBS

Cast & characters 9 credited

Theme songs

Koibumi soundtrack cover
  • “柊” — Do As Infinity
  • “In My Life” — The Beatles

Fan reviews 6 reviews

6.4/ 10
10 0
9 2
8 0
7 1
1–6 2

Average drama, good acting

6 / 10

Jackykero · 2008

Not the best of all dramas, but fair anyway, with a good set of actors. Watabe Atsuro and Mizuno Miki are excellent as usual, and the storyline, though predictable, well written. The series dragged a little bit towards the end, but the excellent acting of the 2 main actors kept me going. Worth a watch.

Enjoyable

9 / 10

noodlefreak · 2006

This drama isn't one of my favorites or anything, but it was very unique. I got pretty into it while watching, often thinking and wanting to shout at the main character "how can you do that?!?! what about your son and wife?!?!" The ending was good, but a little strange. The scenery was seriously beautiful though. I remember that for some reason, as well as the hat that Atsuro Watabe wore (wow my memory is quite strange isn't it?).

Hated this drama...

1 / 10

fintiki · 2005

Lame Peter Pan leaves dishrag wife for terminally ill Tinkerbelle high school sweetheart. Dishrag wife is woefully compliant, child is scarred for life, divorce ensues, marriage to Tinkerbelle, death of Tinkerbelle... -- does Peter Pan ever grow up?

All 6 reviews