[KineJapan] TV-drama Ashita, mama ga inai

[Molly Des Jardin]

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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