Enka no Joou

I think that after playing such a strong character in The Queen's Classroom Amami Yuki was looking for a completely different kind of role. Unfortunately she chose this drama/comedy. It was really sad seeing her play such a dim-witted and too often spineless woman. It is really hard to like the main characters in this series; none seem to possess the slightest amount of common sense.

I think some of this is meant to be a comedy but the writers apparently thought that just making the characters idiots would come across as funny. It didn't. Perhaps if this had been done as anime we might have an easier time overlooking the lack of
normal human conduct. Maybe my expectations were too high since Amami Yuki was the
star but I still couldn't find much to like here.

One feature I did like was that most episodes contained a brief moment where the derivation of a kanji character was discussed. This was quite interesting to the beginning Japanese student.

Clearly not the greatest but entertaining enough that I finished it

I heard a lot of mixed reviews regarding Enka no Joou, so I wasnft sure what to expect when I started watching it. I was a bit indifferent after the first episode, but I was definitely hooked by the second.

Amami Yuki is a force to be reckoned with! Not only is she an amazing enka singer, but shefs a fabulously believable actresses. She gripped my attention and kept it within her grasp throughout her entire performance. I also enjoyed the characters of the supporting cast, especially Harada Taizo, who surprised me. Hefs not the stereotypical handsome lead male character, but he was charming and lovable in his own way.

The plot was entertaining and I loved certain aspects of it. I loved how Himawari traveled through life making friendships and healing lives, although within her own soul she was battling loneliness. I was a little disappointed with the ending, or specifically, with the last two episodes. They seemed set apart from the rest of the drama and were a bit too corny. Now, I like corn, but not when itfs so strong and misplaced.

This drama is a successful comedy, and despite the ending I found it enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone who likes enka, fun, and the very talented Amami Yuki-san!