Mixed Emotions: Praise and Regret Surrounding the Final Episode of ‘What Day of the Week Were You Born??

On October 8, the drama series “What day was it that I was born on” (TV Asahi) reached its final episode.

The review sites overflow with both praise and regret following the “What Day of the Week Were You Born?” drama’s conclusion.

I watched the last episode over and over again, thinking that it was really and truly over.

There are no interesting fall dramas so far, and I’m missing “What’s Up” so much that I’m watching it over and over again.

The Sunday night 10:00 p.m. slot on TV Asahi, where this drama was broadcast, is a new drama slot that was newly established in April. In the previous season, “Sunday Nights” was aired, and although the work was well-received, the ratings were sluggish. “What’s Up?” seemed to struggle even more than that.

The main feature of “What’s Up?” was that it was an original script written by Shinji Nojima, who has created numerous hits in the past, such as “High School Teacher” (TBS) and “Ie naki ko” (NTV). However, the bad aftertaste of Nojima’s works, which are known for their shocking storylines depicting the dark side of society, such as bullying, rape, and suicide, divides viewers into two groups: those who like it and those who dislike it. In addition, the fact that the broadcast time of 10 p.m. overlapped with the extended broadcast of “VIVANT” (TBS) is considered to be a losing factor.

If there is another reason why viewers may have dropped out of the series, it is because, as the catchphrase says, “Is it a love story, a mystery, a human drama, or a social drama?” Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that until the first episode or two, the viewer was not able to read what kind of drama genre this was.

The story begins when a popular novelist, Kumon Ryuen (Junpei Mizobata), offers Kurome Sui (Marie Iitoyo), who has been a recluse for 10 years since a motorcycle accident in high school, the opportunity to be a model for the original manga he is writing. The offer was made on the condition that Kumon’s original story be drawn by Sui’s father, Joji (Takanori Jinnai), who is an unsuccessful manga artist. In order to get out of withdrawal, Sui goes to see a classmate from his high school days, and as they gradually interact, the truth about an incident 10 years ago is revealed. 

At first glance, it may seem like a love story about solving the mystery of a 10-year-old accident or about regaining youth lost in an accident, but the story is anything but simple. However, the story is not as simple as it seems. As each episode goes by, more and more mysteries are revealed, such as the darkness that the classmates were carrying and the abnormality of Kumon, who keeps “watching” Sui’s every move by eavesdropping, making it difficult to read what is going to happen next. Although the scale is too different from that of “VIVANT,” which was the subject of much discussion at the same time, the discussion was lively here as well.

Such unpredictability, which caused some viewers to drop out, is probably one of the reasons why “What day of the week were you born” is so highly rated.

Another reason for the high evaluation is the presence of Marie Iitoyo, who plays the leading role in a prime time TV drama for the first time. A production company official praised her performance as follows.

 

In the beginning, she is a recluse with a shaved head, wearing a T-shirt and sweatshirt, not knowing what to say to people other than her father, and hyperventilating at the mention of a topic from 10 years ago. He is a man of few words, but the emotions expressed in his subtle facial changes make him very appealing.

In the past, she has been known for her natural ability to play all kinds of characters, such as the career woman in the morning drama “Chimudondon” (NHK), who is kind to the quirky protagonist and has a good work ethic and personality, and the assertive manga editor in “Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai” (NHK), who doesn’t read the atmosphere. It is said that Mr. Nojima wrote the role of Sui for her, and she was a perfect fit for the role. It might be fair to say that the role of Sui became her masterpiece.

 

During an interview with the web media outlet “Telling,” Iitoyo remarked, “I share some similarities with Sui in that I’m easily swayed by what others say, and I find it challenging to decline requests. If it weren’t for my current job, I’d likely be a recluse.” It’s evident that she was deeply engrossed in portraying the character of Sui.

Iitoyo has been an actress for 11 years and has appeared in a large number of films, but she is not well known and was once even called ‘beautiful but somewhat plain.’ She is expected to make her breakthrough in the future.

Despite the disappointing results in terms of numbers, it can be said that Iitoyo has definitely stepped up her game with “What’s Up?”

 

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