Unexpectedly Complex!
10 / 10Susan · 6 Aug 2010
I have to say that Saito-san was a surprisingly enjoyable series for me. Though I initially passed on it, I decided to check it out recently and finished it off in just a few days. I was really impressed by the cast, especially Mimura. She pulled off her role so convincingly and I fell in love with all of Mano's little quirks. Her nervous stutter, her hilarious made-up songs, her skipping, and her colorful facial expressions! Mimura stole the screen every time she was on it and out shined even Mizuki Alisa, who was also superb. One of the other aspects of the series that really defied my expectations was the episodic nature of the series, or lack there of. Initially I expected every episode to have some incident where Saito-san saves the day, solves someone's problems, and makes a new friend. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that is not the case. In fact, the plot of the series and relationships between the characters turned out to be pretty complex and I appreciated the writer's attention to detail and truly awesome characterization! Mikami (Takahsima Reiko) was probably the most well-made character besides Mano, and perhaps even more so. In episode one she came off as a shallow, high-class woman, but as the series went on layer after layer of her character was stripped away to reveal each and every of her complexities. Perhaps Saito-san won't impress everyone, but this is most definitely a drama worth at least checking out!