Wataru seiken wa oni bakari

actually, kiku-tv subtitled all 6 seasons of making it through. i guess the link for seasons 1 and 2 were too old to put down on their website.

anyhow, i agree with groink, this is probably one of the best dramas that has come out of japan. such a simple storyline about the lives of a family of five daughters. don't need to make anything up because most of it could happen in real life. the first season of making it through would be (as my subject title states) my holy grail (if i could find it subtitled). Satsuki (the 2nd eldest daughter) butting heads with not only the kojima mother, but two sister-in-laws (the two sister-in-laws are Kuniko and Hisako [although she only was on for the first season]) too ... classic tv.

Of course, I also love American daytime dramas. And, Wataru takes on the exact style of an American daytime drama. The drama is based around Daikichi, who is the otousan of five daughters. Daikichi owns Okakura, a 5-star Japanese restaurant most people can only dream of dining. The entire story lines are based on each of the five daughters' lives, ranging from bitchy mother-in-laws, the kids, and so forth. The 2nd oldest daugther is married into the Kojima family, the owners of Koraku, a ramen shop. I'd say about 50-percent of the story is based on the Kojima clan. If you like family dramas, this is a MUST watch. In Japan, Wataru is HEAVILY marketed via merchandise -- from plastic figurines to Koraku-brand instant ramen. There are currently six completed seasons, of which seasons 3 through 6 are English subtitled by JN Productions, and aired on KIKU-TV.