Under Age

not in age, but in shock factor. Although there are some very shocking scenes even for TV today which is why it has never seen a re-broadcast in Japan.

A story of 5 boys in their last year of high school, the main character Hiro who has to live in his star older brother's shadow, Junpei with his unrequited love but lacks any confidence in himself whatsoever, Tsutomu who has been pushed all his life to be a studying robot with no freedom, Goro a school dropout with dangerous ties to the Yakuza, and Deku a handicapped boy with a heart of gold but tends to make careless mistakes...

This show delves into the age old fight between young people and society (or 'adults') which arguably takes away their innocence and forces them to conform to a seemingly 'all for me or none at all' mindset. What will it take to avoid becoming one of these 'dirty' adults? Isn't friendship the most important thing? The tag line reads 'will there come a day..when we will backstab our friends?' When the pressure is too great, it leads to a flurry of events which leave an entire country on their toes... and viewers as well! Add to this the requisite love stories, such as with Goro and his prostitute girlfriend, Goro and the girl with a sad secret, and of course Hiro who is hopelessly in love with his older brother's fiancé.

The casting is top notch and some of the scenes will have you in tears... the first half is a little slow moving, but it is a necessary evil leading up to the climax. It's too bad this show is merely still famous for Hamasaki Ayumi's appearance. Recommended for Japanese film and drama fans everywhere.