[KineJapan] TV-drama Ashita, mama ga inai

[gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp]

Dare mo shiranai is based loosely on a case of child abandonment in Tokyo in the late 1980s. I haven't seen the TV show so I can't compare them, but the film does show the oldest boy seeking help from two of the "fathers" and them rejecting him and shirking responsibility. 

Greg







Gregory S. Johnson, PhD
Professor
Comparative Culture 
Graduate Program in Language and Culture
Otsuma Women's University

-----Original Message-----
From: Molly Des Jardin <mollydes at upenn.edu>
To: Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum <kinejapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: [KineJapan] TV-drama Ashita, mama ga inai
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2014 08:48:31 -0500

> Related to this, I wonder if anyone has opinions on Dare mo shiranai and if there was similar reception to this - i.e. controversy. Of course it’s a different case since it was a movie and so presumably didn’t have sponsors like a TV show would. Anyway, it’s interesting to me because I heard that was also “based on a true story” (is that right?). I’m not a film expert by any means, so I hope this isn’t an ignorant question. I feel like the issue of the portrayal of child-rearing responsibility being solely the mother’s is similar between the two but I haven’t seen the movie in quite a while.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Molly C. Des Jardin, PhD
> Japanese Studies Librarian
> University of Pennsylvania 
> 527 Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
> 3420 Walnut Street 
> Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206 
> Tel: 215-898-3205 
> Fax: 215-898-0559
> mollydes at pobox.upenn.edu
> 
> On Mar 3, 2014, at 3:57 AM, akiko sugawa shimada <akiss00999 at yahoo.co.jp> wrote:
> 
> > Dear Eija
> > 
> > in the first place, i was disappointed to see the title before its airing, because it represents mothers' responsibility for child-rearing, ignoring fathers' presence. Before its broadcasting, our study group somehow predicted this type of TV drama's consequences. 
> > 
> > Okamura of 99's remark was indeed expected. However, since this drama was based on the fact, Baby's post, it cannot avoid criticism only by saying "it's just a fiction." 
> > 
> > I personally think that this drama is challenging "Japanese motherhood in crisis" problem, so the demand for finishing the drama or amending the storyline is not
> > appropriate. I would rather consider how audiences make sense of this 
> > kind of stereotypical trope. In this sense, high school boy's signature-collecting
> > campaign was very interesting.
> > 
> > Thank you for raising up this issue to discuss.
> > 
> > Best,
> > Akiko
> > 
> > Akiko Sugawa-Shimada
> > Assistant Professor
> > Kansai Gaidai University
> > 
> > --- On Sun, 2014/3/2, Eija Niskanen <eija at helsinkicineaasia.fi> wrote:
> > 
> >> 
> >> Sorry to sidetrack from cinema to TV drama, but I was wondering if anyone living in Japan now has seen this drama titled　 明日ママがいない　and what are your thoughts on it? Seems like an interesting case of the network pulling there PR down because of criticism of the show. 
> >> 
> >> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/01/national/trite-tv-drama-about-childrens-home-misses-a-chance-to-edify-and-entertain/#.UxLza3lq4XU
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Eija
> > 
> > ******
> > Akiko Sugawa-Shimada
> > akiss00999 at yahoo.co.jp
> > 
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