Gibo to Musume no Blues

This is a uniquely Japanese take on the emotional evolution of a stepmom and daughter relationship. It is heartfelt and charming, albeit a bit frustrating at times. Mostly because Step-mom Aikiko is just so mired in self sacrifice and stuck in detached tearless grief. Thankfully we do watch her slowly transform, but I do mean SLOWLY. It's not that she is vulnerable and fragile, it's more like she is excruciatingly tough on herself and has a painfully stubborn streak. Luckily her daughter is played by a chill young actress who conveys stepdaughter teen angst with convincing subtlety. Things do get funnier and lighten up a bit when Takeru Satoh shows up as Mugita. He's her good looking baker boss, a hard working blue collar type guy played with a lot of heat (no pun intended). We kind of know right away that he's got eyes for Aikiko, but she never seems to notice his awkward glances. It's a total 180 degrees from Satoh's usual roles playing the aloof out-of-reach type. (Rorouni Kenshin- Samurai assassin anyone? LOL) All in all, if you view patience as a virtue, and can enjoy an offbeat take on a non-nuclear Japanese family story, my verdict is give it a watch. But in the end, I felt Aikiko left us all kind of hanging. But maybe that was the point? A woman of mystery for sure.