User reviews

I almost never write reviews. But this case is a special one for me! Please, don't tease me into pieces for my opinion… I would appreciate any reasonable counter-opinions.

First of all this is wonderful, admirable, emotional series! Adorable small genius – Mana Ashida! For the last 23 years never got so many emotions from movies like here. All my nerves at once were cleaned from years of their armoring! The first 10 episodes are almost genius! Ocean of tears together with bright scenes. Turbulence of feelings and emotions! Unpredictable turning points. Even some scenario assumptions are not so serious to draw enough attention for them. It's worth to see those 10 episodes!

But then the last episode occurred. I would like the series to finish at the end of the 10th episode. Sorry, but the last episode is an awful epic fail!!! And the reason for this is a horrible "OOC" – "Out Of Character" demonstrated (IMHO). I'll tell now my reasons. You can agree, or disagree. Probably you better know Japanese traditions than me. Through all the series we can watch the way for Nao and Reina/Tsugumi to become a real mom and daughter. There was not a single scene through the whole series to disapprove this statement! And in the last episode when Tsugumi ran out of orphan's home to Nao it's unbelievable what happens next! Unbelievable and illogical at least for me – natural Russian. Please, Asian friends, correct me if I'm wrong! OK, I can accept why Nao returns Tsugumi back to orphan's home. But I have no imagination to get reasons why Nao abandons Tsugumi until she is 20 years old!!! It's absolutely out of her character, which we could learn through all the series! My God, WHY after so many troubles, when Nao escaped from real prison for kidnapping after all she made even NO ATTEMPT to return Tsugumi?!!!

Why after giving a small cute girl, who rejected her own mother in favor of Nao, a hope for obtaining a family, love and own home, she betrays her?!!! I see no reason for this! A real Mom would never leave her child, even if laws are against her! A real Mom would do everything legal or illegal (we know Nao does can do illegal things) to return her daughter, or at least to keep in touch with her! And in the last episode we can't see even an attempt to do this!!!!! Even no promise to try this! What's the hell???!!! This kills me!!! Leaving her daughter until the end of her childhood looks like pushing of a small kitten rafting along a long river without any assistance observing her hard way from safe riverside!!!

Please, correct me if I got something wrong, because I can't believe my eyes! My soul is crying, that such final is impossible, like impossible looks how Tsugumi returns back to the orphan's home. In real life it would need force of several men to separate of a Mom from her child in the case of so close relations like Tsugumi established with Nao! There are plenty of methods to keep at least contact between Nao and Tsugumi. Starting from official request for affiliation and finishing with secret meetings near the fence, phone calls like that epic one from the end of the 10th episode. Personnel of orphan's home would pass test for refinement of cruelty of the 80th level to prevent such contacts, if they could detect real feelings of Tsugumn and Nao!

If it was my daughter and I found myself in a similar situation, I won't sleep until I try all possible and even impossible ways to return her back! And only if I finally fail in struggle with Juvenal justice, I could say to her: "I did everything to return you back, daughter". And what can Nao say to Tsugumi when she becomes 20 years old? That she had loved Tsugumi through all those long years, but did nothing to help her?!! It's beyond my imagination!!! Sorry, for such a long speech. I'm really fascinated with all the episodes except the last one! My heart can't accept such a final, – moving a child, like she is some kind of furniture without soul! I can't take Nao as betrayer because all the previous episodes, but I can't name her in another way observing what she had made in the last episode! I'd like to be wrong. Kindly asking to correct me, if you have enough arguments!

That 5 years old girl Mana Ashida was brilliant! I had never seen a talent like that at this young age! How did she do it that difficult roll? She make you laugh when she want, and she make you cry when she want, she was acting very natural ,and touch your heart at every scene in this drama. She is really a 5 years litlle star with a huge cuteness and huge talent! I think the success of this drama beside the amazing story and scenario return to this little child. There was two remade for this drama but the orginal child Mana Ashida was the best ever.

If you want to watch an 11 ep drama that will certainly get the tear ducts going ,and with some brilliant performances,, I recommend this one.

Although the title is Mother, it might been more appropriate to call it Mothers. Though the main story concerns a woman who takes on the role of "mother" for an abused child. It also tells of other kinds of mothers too. Perhaps some of it could be seen as a little bit contrived; but overall I believe it deals with it's themes in an honest way.