(Jdrama) Hirayasumi (2025)

 

Adapted from the manga series Hirayasumi (ひらやすみ) by Shinzo Keigo (真造圭伍)

Genre: slice of life, drama

After searching for this NHK drama for so long, I finally found it on Bstation. Yattaaaa!

What I felt while watching:

I was jealous of Hiroto.

I was annoyed but amused by Natsumi.

I felt sorry for Hideki, but that’s what a husband and a father should do.

Akarin was so kawaii (cute).

I also felt sorry for Tachibana-san.

Synopsis:

Hiroto is a carefree spirit with no permanent job or girlfriend, but no worries about the future. Because of his good personality, he becomes friends with a neighbor, an elderly woman named Wada Hanae, and they buy a single-story house for almost no money. He then begins living together with his 18-year-old cousin, Kobayashi Natsumi, who has moved to Tokyo from Yamagata to attend art school. Before long, Hiroto finds himself surrounded by people who are troubled by work, relationships, and vague anxieties about the future.

Who wouldn’t be jealous of Hiroto, whose life just flows like water? His dream of becoming an actor fell apart because he gets nervous in front of beautiful actresses—hahaha. He also couldn’t handle the intense competition in the film industry. In the end, he chose a laid-back life, working part-time at a fishing pond. A kind grandmother left him an old but beautiful house to live in with Natsumi, her niece.

Okayama Amane suits this role perfectly. His rather ordinary face and hair that looks like it’s never been combed, matching his relaxed personality, truly bring the character to life. It doesn’t even feel like he’s acting in front of a camera.

At first, I was waiting for Mori Nana to appear as Natsumi. But it turns out Natsumi is a moody girl with low self-confidence. Nana’s cute face often looks sullen when things don’t go her way. Hungry, angry, out of tea, throwing tantrums, her manga getting rejected—her sulking mood spreads to others. But she does have her sweet moments sometimes. Still, most of the time, she looks upset. Oh, Nacchan. You should be grateful to have a cousin like Hiroto.

Her social life at campus failed right from orientation day, and she chose to run away. And after that, she kept running away. If she hadn’t met Akarin, she might still be drifting around avoiding campus. Her confidence skyrocketed when one of her manga works was going to be published in a magazine. She doesn’t yet know how she will handle the competition in the manga industry. Hiroto seems like he wants to remind Natsumi about this, but he can’t bring himself to see her end up like him.

Hideki is Hiroto’s closest friend. At first, he seems proud of his achievements: marrying a beautiful wife, having a good job, and expecting a baby soon. What more could he want? Compared to Hiroto’s relaxed life, Hideki looks successful. But in reality, he often seems stressed and chooses to escape to Hiroto’s house. What’s funny is that Hideki always brings gifts when he comes over, as if bribing his way into being welcomed there.

Yoshimura Kaito is a face I often see in doramas, but this is the first time I’ve seen him play a role that’s quite important to the main lead. My reaction was the same as Natsumi’s when she met his wife, Sachi-san—why would she choose Hideki? Hahaha.

Akarin is actually similar to Natsumi—an introvert—but she dares to face campus life and speak her mind. Akarin is the one who opens the door for Natsumi to be braver and explore a world beyond manga and Hiroto. Natsumi and Akarin are introverts who forget that they’re introverts when they’re together. They become so lively! Watching their friendship, they might end up like Hiroto and Hideki in the future.

Mitsushima Nazuna plays Akarin with twin braids and glasses, portraying a cute introverted character. As far as I remember, I’ve never seen her in any other drama before. It was heartwarming to see Akarin finally become part of Natsumi’s life.

Tachibana is a hardworking woman who forces herself to enjoy her job. As a property sales agent, she is expected to stay professional even when customers’ demands are unreasonable. Seeing how much she pushes herself is the complete opposite of Hiroto. No wonder she often feels jealous of how relaxed he can live.

Riho Yoshioka, who plays Tachibana, received criticism in some comments on MyDramaList. In the manga, Tachibana is chubby, which makes her somewhat insecure. That’s why during her first meeting with Hiroto, she felt offended by his comment about the price of her clothes. She felt the outfit didn’t suit her. I haven’t read the manga, so I initially wondered why she felt it didn’t suit her. The colors were a bit mismatched between the top and bottom, but since Tachibana is beautiful, I didn’t see any problem. The criticism was mainly about casting someone who isn’t chubby. Hmm… I personally don’t mind at all.

the manga cover

Overall, I really enjoyed this slice-of-life story with 15-minute episodes in Hirayasumi. The manga version has 9 volumes. The anime adaptation is coming soon. We can see ourselves and the people around us reflected in the characters of this drama. The acting fits perfectly, as does the setting. The old house left by Grandma Wada to Hiroto is a typical Japanese house with a yard full of flowers. I also loved the interaction between Hiroto and Grandma Wada while she was still alive. Even after her passing, Hiroto continues to respect and care for her, even though they are not actually related by blood.

This is the kind of drama you can watch when you’re relaxing—or even when you’re overwhelmed with work—while reflecting that being relaxed doesn’t always mean being lazy. Success is not always measured by what we own. The most important thing is being grateful for what we have.

Casts: 10/10

Music: 8/10

Stroy: 9/10

Re-watch value: 10/10

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