Dear Sister

I only picked up Dear Sister for the sake of watching everything Ishihara Satomi has starred in. Going into this drama, all I knew about it was that it about two sisters, polar opposites in personality, and that the younger sister had a secret. I didn't have massively high expectations, so I wasn't ready for all the delicious melodrama I was given! Dear Sister is completely underrated, and proof that Ishihara Satomi is an actress with the golden touch.

Hazuki thinks she has her life in order. Her job is stable, her apartment is fitting, and she recently got engaged. But her younger sister Misaki, who ran away when she was twenty, drops back into her life just in time to ruin everything. The two sisters have always been at odds, since Hazuki has always been at the receiving end of Misaki's flighty and reckless behaviour. Little does Hazuki know, Misaki has returned with more than a few secrets and a bucket list she's desperate to complete.

As much as Dear Sister is described as a tale of two sisters, Misaki always completely stole the show. It wasn't just her loud and commanding nature, but how easily Ishihara Satomi slipped into this role and made Misaki her own person. Anyone with sisters can relate to this drama - I, personally, relate to Misaki as a bratty younger sister myself, who got away with everything. At the same time, Misaki always has her sister's best interests at heart and loves her immensely and unconditionally. I'm so glad the main focus of the story was Misaki fixing her sister's life. The selfless love she displayed was the main focus of Dear Sister, and I think family stories so emotionally satisfying are rare. All the ratings giants are gritty law dramas and epic thrillers; few stop to look at the little stories.
  Hazuki, on the other hand, was one of the weaker points of the story I think. She was usually portrayed as a sweet and caring person, so her frequent self-induced misunderstandings over Misaki's true nature seemed forced to fit the plot and made Hazuki look ignorant as a result. I liked her enough at the best of times, but the dips in character logic were lost on me.

  Something I didn't expect was the cute romantic sub-plots, specifically between Misaki and her not-so-gay best friend Eito. I love how their relationship simply evolved into something romantic; they've always loved each other, so it was just a matter of their love changing and growing. The easy rapport between them and steady trust was necessary in Dear Sister to balance the melodrama, which I think is where the most dramatic shows often go wrong. If the audience is drowning in sorrow, they aren't having fun.
  Hazuki's love interest (and his hilarious bickering relationship with Misaki) was also awesome - he encouraged her aspire in the way only her precious sister ever had, and that's real love right there.
  My main problem with Dear Sister, which saddens me because almost everything was on point, is that one of the the conditions on Misaki's bucket list was never explained. Why did she want to save such a specific amount of money? It seemed random to be on the list in the first place, since most of the objectives were catered around a common theme. Since we don't know why Misaki wanted to save that much money, it probably was. I wish this review didn't seem quite so negative, because I have tiny complaints from an otherwise decent drama.

Despite the fact the ending was more wrapped in bows than I expected, Dear Sister was a pleasant and memorable watch for me. It was short and sweet, loaded up with contrasting flavours that went together so perfectly, leaving me warmed to the soul. It wasn't just a story about the bond between sisters, but also about overcoming prejudiced expectations and reaching towards what will actually make you happy, even if the road there isn't a short one.