Unsung Cinderella: Byoin Yakuzaishi no Shoboshi is an ongoing Japanese drama that stars Ishihara Satomi as the lead. It started airing on July 16th and will run for eleven episodes. This show is adapted from a manga series written by Mamare Arai, which is also titled Unsung Cinderella.
Synopsis: Aoi Midori has been working as a pharmacist at Tatsuya General Hospital for 8 years. She believes that pharmacists need to know about the patient’s daily life to ensure the proper medication is prescribed to them. She faces a lot of criticism, especially from the doctors, but she stays true to her beliefs and continues to help the patients. (Source – MyDramaList)
Expectations: I have been looking forward to this drama for a while, mainly because of Ishihara Satomi. Its premiere date was also postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus. So I had to rush in once a good number of episodes were released. Plus, this is my first time seeing a medical drama that focuses on pharmacists, hence why I was intrigued.
(warning – spoilers ahead)
Review:
The premise of this show is promising. I absolutely adore watching medical dramas because I get to learn new things all the time. I think they did an okay job with the execution of this drama, but I will admit that some aspects are quite unrealistic. I honestly do not need any pharmaceutical knowledge to tell that most scenes in this drama are over-exaggerated or out of line for a pharmacist. If I was a medical professional, it would be quite hard not to nitpick on every wrong detail, but since I’m not, I have been dwelling more on the overall sentiment of the show.
Before watching this series, I had the assumption that nurses were the ones who dealt with all medication-related matters. Although I don’t think pharmacists get invested as Aoi Midori, it has been educative to see the roles they play behind the scenes. Like assisting the doctors during emergencies and instructing patients on how to take each medicine. They are indeed part of the unsung heroes in hospitals. This is what I genuinely appreciate about Japanese dramas. They have a unique and raw way of providing viewers with very heartwarming stories. Therefore even though I do not agree with how Aoi Midori tastes new medicines or her attachment with every patient, I do acknowledge and value the emotional aspects of each patient’s story. Since this is based on a manga, a lot of cliches and exaggerations are expected.
From episode one to three, I appreciate how the writer used Hakura Ryunosuke as the layman information giver. This character was used to break down the medical terms to ensure viewers’ understanding. I also love how they tackled the difference between Aoi and her senior Kariya. These two proved that people in the workplace can have different valid opinions or personal approach but still work well together as partners. Kariya Naoko is practical and strict with separating the job from her emotions. She still cares for her patients but doesn’t go the extra mile like Aoi Midori. Aoi, on the other hand, familiarizes with each patient to be the best pharmacist for them. Both have their ways that work, respectively. Basically, they ‘agree to disagree.’ Another great touch of this drama is how we get to see each patient’s possible future after leaving the hospital. I think that aspect is remarkably exciting and beautiful.
Now here are a few lessons I got from Unsung Cinderella: Byoin Yakuzaishi no Shoboshi –
- Be careful with the amount of unprescribed medication that you take, and this includes off counter vitamins. Once you notice something odd, talk to a professional.
- A lot of individuals depend on daily medications or regular medical procedures to survive. So every day you wake up, be grateful because you can do a lot of things generally without any assistance.
To round up, here is one of my favourite scenes –
The way they all kept working and even clapped with their feet. Plus, the pure distress on Aihara Kurumi’s face was funny to see.
If you’ve started watching Unsung Cinderella: Byoin Yakuzaishi no Shoboshi, what do you think of the story so far? Let me know in the comment section.
This drama can be found on sites like Dramanice or Kissasian.
Official HIGE DANdism, also known as Higedan, is a Japanese pop band formed in 2012. There are four members – Satoshi Fujihara (lead vocalist, keyboards), Daisuke Ozasa (guitar, background vocalist), Makoto Narazaki (bass guitar, saxophone, background vocalist) and Masaki Matsuura (drummer, background vocalist). The band is currently signed to Pony Canyon. Official HIGE DANdism gained popularity with their hit song “Pretender” in 2019. 
I don’t know what it is about the song that got me so addicted. I didn’t take notice of it at first, then suddenly since the ending of last week, I found myself listening to it on repeat. Well, I do love a good rock song, and Japanese bands are amazing. So maybe, it was the instrumental that finally got to me. Plus, I like it when they sing “I love” because of the drums and clapping that comes in hard during that section.
Cecilia Boey for NeufMode Magazine. I featured some other photos from this shoot in my Red Signifies A Lot Edition. This is actually my favourite because of how colourful it is.
Han Ji Min looks really radiant in this shoot for HIGH CUT Korea.
Chang Chen’s look for iQiYi Scream Night 2020. He won the Award for Drama Actor of the year that night with his recent series – Love and Destiny. He caught me off guard in the right way. He looks so chiselled.
Korean actor and singer Chani looks good in this casual shoot. I am kind of unsure about the magazine this is for, but I think it is HIGH CUT Korea.
Deng Lun for the documentary variety show – Palace Museum. He looks angelic and innocent in this photo.
Seo Ji Hye always breathes elegance. She is one of the most beautiful women I have seen, and her fashion taste is also incredible.
Yuan Bingyan for a Tiffany & Co. event in Shanghai. Every little detail for this look certainly stands out. The makeup, jewelry, hairstyle and dress fit so well together.
Janice Man glows in her gorgeous gown for the closing ceremony of the 2nd Hainan Island International Film in Sanya.
Elaine Zhong in Chloe at the premiere of her film Liberation in Beijing. She is lovely in yellow.
Xuan Lu on the cover of ONCE Magazine. I love her smile.
Leo Luo updated his Weibo recently with a beautiful set of pictures. He looks good in white, and I am looking forward to all his dramas set for release this year.
Newlyweds Lin Chi-ling and Akira strike a few poses for the cover of COSMOPOLITAN China January 2020 Issue.
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku, also known as Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Fujita. It tells the story of a female office worker named Narumi, who hides her fujoshi lifestyle and her close friend Hirotaka. He is a handsome and capable company man who also happens to be a game otaku. The two reunite in the same company after not being in contact too often since middle school. They begin to date and might seem perfect for each other, but love is hard for an otaku.
Okay, I need to calm down. Where was I again?…. YES LIVE-ACTION FILM.
Ishihara Satomi is beautiful. I have seen her in 5-Ji Kara 9-Ji Made, Dear Sister, and I am currently watching Takane no Hana and Heaven. She definitely brought life to her character in this drama. All her scenes were believable, and her expressions were great.
This is the first drama I have watched from Suda Masaki, so I do not really know much about him, but he impressed me with his role as Orihara Yukito.
Morio gave me a lot of mixed feelings for a good number of episodes. I was very skeptical about her. At first, it seemed like she looked down on Etsuko and was always avoiding her but also felt comfortable enough to hang out in her house. And when I discovered that the man she was dating was already married. I was quite confused and concerned.
Hachiro and Etsuko always bickered like an old married couple. I love the nicknames they had for each other. She called him octopus, and he called her Kou Etsu because her name in some way translates to proofreading.
I find it so funny that I did not take much notice of how different the office looked compared to when it was first introduced. I saw her bring in a few decors here and there but never took to heart the final result until it was pointed out in episode ten.
Kanji Senkawa takes up cases that cannot be handled by the police or private investigators, and he solves them by blackmailing people. While doing his usual business, he meets the wealthy university student Mio Kanesaka. Kanji and Mio get involved in various situations, including voice phishing and kidnappings.
The one and only blackmailer, Kanji Senkawa. Kanji at first seemed like a very nonchalant person without much to worry about except getting his assigned contracts completed. He is cunning and very money-driven, but there is more to Kanji. He actually harbours great regret regarding the death of his girlfriend. We later come to know that Mio Kanesaka is very much alike in behaviour to his ex-girlfriend, and that is why Kanji always disagrees with her. He feels that she is too naive and that her belief in the good nature of people is very unrealistic. At some point in the drama, I could tell that Kanji was hiding his anger and regrets behind the nonchalant attitude. There was definitely something hunting him because he would sometimes go very dark with his words and actions. What I really liked is that at the very end, he understood that revenge is not always the best option. But people who do wrong deeds still deserve to be punished.
She starts off being way too naive and unrealistic with her belief in the good nature of people and their want to redeem themselves. At first, I was really thrown off by her behaviour. Gradually I came to admire her because she did something that many people fail to do when they hit a breaking point. And that is having the ability to stand by an initial decision. After a few fails, Mio Kanesaka realized that images portrayed by others in public cannot always be trusted. But she still held on the idea that everyone should be given a chance to redeem themselves. So in a way, she remained the same. But by the end of the drama, she definitely was not the same naive Mio Kanesaka from episode one. She admitted to her flaws but stood by her belief. To me, that makes her a really confident character, and I LOVE HER FOR THAT.
Takanomi Nami, a politician and uncle figure to Mio Kanesaka due to her grandfather being his mentor. Takanomi played a significant role in making Mio realize how fake someone’s public image could be. In the public eye, he was a righteous politician and a hero. To Mio, he was also like a family member, but she was greatly disappointed when she discovered the monster behind the perfect face. He had her kidnapped and almost killed her grandfather just to make sure he won the upcoming election.
Fuwa Tetsuo, is the major gang leader in the neighbourhood. He is corrupt and capable of many wrongs, but his character stood out to me for two primary reasons. Number one is that his role was a big contrast to that of Takanomi, the politician. Here is a gang leader who the public clearly fears, but he was willing to help Kanji and his team on many occasions. Secondly, his character was also a good show of odd friendships. The friendship between him and Kanji was fascinating to watch. They were initially against each other due to a case Kanji had taken, but the truth is that friends can come from very unexpected places. Also, an extra bonus to his character is that he was an excellent comic add to the drama.
Tominaga Ayako, is the founder and leader of a very influential charity organization in the town. She uses the members of her organization to commit various crimes, including murder. For her defence, she claimed that she was helping the less fortunate to get rid of the people that once tormented them. So anyone who stands in her way will also be killed. She was the one who adopted Kanji’s girlfriend and nurtured her till she was old enough to be on her own. Unfortunately, Kanji’s girlfriend found out about her wrongdoings, so she had to be killed. This was an unfortunate character to watch because she honestly started her organization for a useful purpose. But over time, she had lost her way and failed to admit her wrongdoings. It just means that no matter who you are, it is possible for you to lose the essence of yourself at a certain point. Once you realize the problem, try to deal with it immediately. THE EARLIER, THE BETTER.
