Tsuma wa Kunoichi (2013)

STORY: For starters, anyone that goes into this drama expecting generic ninja action is going to be disappointed. It is a story about a slightly odd, yet sweet man on a journey to find his lost wife. In turn, it is also about her, returning to her 'normal' life as a kunoichi, while also trying to ignore her memories of him.

As a drama, it /is/ full of many dramatic moments, only without too many eye-roll-inducing cliches. It does have plenty to keep you interested, though, which is what saves this somewhat slow drama from being a bore.

You get to see firsthand the kind of life that Orie leads, and how life as kunoichi isn't as 'cool' as one might think. She faces her own issues, both due to work and her feelings for Futaboshi. He, too, struggles with his own feelings for her and his desperate wish to find her - and - in the meantime begins to make a new life for himself in Edo.

It manages to tell its story well within those 8 episodes, doesn't go on too long, nor does it attempt to squash a bunch of information into it all at once. The series is very well done and is fully satisfying.


ACTING/CAST: The cast was great, so I've got no complaints there. There were also a few European's at one point, who acted surprisingly well considering most western actors tend to be pretty shitty in Japanese movies/dramas/etc, so that was a nice touch.

Another issue with action-y dramas is that they can be a bit melodramatic (and I don't just mean the typical over-exaggeration that Japanese dramas are known for), but the fighting was actually pretty well done, and wasn't too over-the-top.


MUSIC: Like most dramas, it basically repeats the same signature song again and again throughout each episode. It's within reason, though, so it shouldn't get on your nerves. The song is nice, too, so I didn't mind it one bit.


REWATCH VALUE: Personally, I can't really see myself rewatching it simply because I already know what happens. But some may still enjoy watching it again for a variety of reasons.


TRIGGER WARNING: I won't go into detail in order to avoid spoilers, however, there is a scene within the first half of the series which contains sexual assault.


Overall, I'd say that it's a very good drama. It might bore some due to being a fairly laid-back and calm drama despite its genre/description, but if you're fine with that sort of thing, then you should be able to enjoy Tsuma wa Kunoichi quite thoroughly.

I'd highly recommend it to people looking for a short, relaxing, yet still intriguing drama.

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