<p>Looking around the winter drama lineup, many of them feature male actors in their 50s in the lead roles. The most prominent are old men who have failed to update their values such as harassment, diversity, gender identity, and compliance to the modern version. Let us introduce one by one the most talked-about films.</p>
<h2> Is this a gag now? Stubborn Showa-era fathers make an appearance!</h2>
<p> First up is Masahiko Shiina, played by Noritake Kinashi (61) in &#8220;Haru ni Nareta&#8221; (Fuji TV).</p>
<figure id="attachment_359228" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359228" style="width: 4589px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="75b45408"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/452cd52199244a88df20955baac894e9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359228" class="wp-caption-text"> Noritake Kinashi plays a stubborn father.</figcaption></figure>
<p> Masahiko is afflicted with cancer and has only three months to live. He does not wish to undergo life-prolonging treatment, and his hope to die cheerfully while working, even if his life is short, strikes a chord with the viewer. So far, so good. The problem is Masahiko&#8217;s stubborn refusal to allow his only daughter Hitomi (Nao, 29) to get married at all costs. The reason for his opposition to marriage is that Hitomi&#8217;s boyfriend, Kazuma (Gaku Hamada, 35), is 10 years older than her, divorced with a child, and a completely unsuccessful comedian (in episode 5, he quits his job as a comedian to become a full-time cram school teacher).</p>
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<p> Hitomi is right in choosing her partner based on the essence of the man, not on his outer appearance = specs. It&#8217;s troubling that he would unnecessarily oppose that. &#8230;&#8230; and then an even more outdated old man jumps in. In &#8220;Inappropriate Enough!&#8221; (TBS), the main character Ichiro Ogawa (Sadawo Abe, 53).</p>
<p> Ichiro, who has time leapt from the Showa era, does not fit in at all with Reiwa. He is a problematic middle-aged man who smokes wherever he goes and tries to seduce women into non-consensual sexual acts whenever he gets the chance. The difference between this film and &#8220;Spring Comes&#8221; and others is that it dares to pick up old-fashioned values and old men&#8217;s culture and incorporate them into the film. It is an affirmative comedy-drama.</p>
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<p> This work is very interesting. The fact that it is trending on SNS every time it is broadcast is evidence that there are many young people who are interested in Showa-era culture and people who are nostalgic for those days. It may be that people today are somewhat fed up with the delicate times in which it is hard to know where people&#8217;s land mines are located.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The &quot;Oppan&quot; has been a topic of much sympathy from viewers."></div>
<h2>Old Man&#8217;s Pants&#8221; draws strong sympathy from viewers</h2>
<p> The video streaming has been going strong, and the first episode of &#8220;What&#8217;s up with the old man&#8217;s pants? (Tokai TV/Fuji TV), the main character is 51-year-old Makoto Okita (Taizo Harada, 53), who is steeped in old common sense and values. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter has become a two-dimensional otaku and his son a transgender man, and communication with his family has become difficult.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He says, &#8220;Tea tastes better when it&#8217;s made by a woman.</span><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;Charm is a woman&#8217;s weapon,&#8221; he said. You&#8217;ll miss out on your wife.</span></p>
<p> It&#8217;s like this in the company, and I don&#8217;t understand employees who take paid holidays for their hobbies. They naturally become distant from their subordinates. Of all the &#8220;old men who haven&#8217;t updated their skills,&#8221; &#8220;Oopan&#8221; is the most realistic. The highlight of the film is the process of Makoto&#8217;s attempt to change after he realizes how bad he is, but from what I saw, he is in a very serious condition. It is hard to believe that he will be able to reform everything before the final episode. &#8230;&#8230;</p>
<figure id="attachment_359230" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359230" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e4e3ae81"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/c1c1106fce862dfa0027d5f97feb4ba5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359230" class="wp-caption-text"> Even Inappropriate!&#8221; starring Sadawo Abe is highly supported.</figcaption></figure>
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<h2> Why air an old man drama that can&#8217;t be aped, and why on a weekend?</h2>
<p> Finally, let us introduce two films in which we can see adorable old men. In &#8220;Sayonara Maestro ~Father and I Apassionato~&#8221; (TBS), the main character, Shumpei Natsume (Hidetoshi Nishijima, 52), is a genius conductor, but he is very weak with his two children. He is unable to do housework or take care of himself, and has no position in the household. He has lived in France for a long time, and there are a few scenes here and there where he is not up to date on Japanese values and language. However, Hidetoshi Nishijima&#8217;s appearance makes most of them forgivable.</p>
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<p> The other film is &#8220;Osan Zurabu Love Returns&#8221; (TV Asahi), which has become a popular series. Among the many quirky actors in the series, Kurosawa Musashi (Yoshida Kotaro, 65) is the most conspicuous. Unable to find love with Haruta Soichi (Tanaka Kei, 39), he takes early retirement to become a housekeeper, but his love for Haruta never stops. He wants to congratulate his former subordinate, Maki Ryota (Hayashi Kento, 33), who married Haruta, but his rivalry makes him mean-spirited, and he wonders if he is an old-fashioned person. Musashi, however, says, &#8220;I am a mother-in-law. That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m so hard on my wife (Maki),&#8221; and he puts all his energy into his work. This work is supported by Kotaro Yoshida&#8217;s theater, which makes viewers expect something just by appearing on stage. Even the somewhat old-fashioned values are sublimated into laughter, which is refreshing to watch.</p>
<p> The winter drama lineup includes a few troublesome old men. With the exception of &#8220;Spring Comes,&#8221; the broadcast time is almost always on weekends. This may be an alert from the producers to the viewers, the old men, to &#8220;study up on dramas and reevaluate themselves.</p>


 Hisano Kobayashi is an essayist, columnist, editor, writer, and promoter. She is the author of "Kekkon to nakonoshikanai Uruwashikana Jinsei" (KK Bestsellers), "45 cm no Distance: About Human Relations in a World with More Functions to Connect" (WAVE Publishing), and "Best of Heisei Drama! (Seishun Shuppansha). Born in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

 Hisano Kobayashi

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 The winter drama season has gradually begun to wrap up. Looking over the lineup again, many of them feature male actors in their 50s in the leading roles.

The whole story! Sadawo Abe, Noritake Kinashi, Taizo Harada and others… Watch the backs of “inappropriate uncles” for winter dramas!

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