May. 21st, 2013 06:04 pm
Amachan: Week 1 Episode Guide
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earth_colorsSTART of PART 1."HOMETOWN ARC"
Week 1: "I like this sea!"
"Aki is not the one who needs to change, it's you."
Episode Summaries:
Ep. 1. In 2008, Amano Haruko (42 yo) is a housewife in Tokyo. In 1984, she ran away from Kitasanriku, her hometown in Iwate Prefecture, had lived in Tokyo ever since, and never went back. But she has been receiving emails by a former schoolmate, Daikichi (Train Station Master, 44 yo), telling her that her mother back home had collapsed and insists that she returns home.
So that summer, for the first time in 24 years, she comes back to Sodegahama, a fishing village by the sea, bringing along her shy daughter Aki (high school student, 16 yo). However, Haruko, as she had suspected all along, finds out that it was a ruse to bring her back, and that her mother is actually fit as a fiddle. As Aki is taken through a tour around her mother's hometown, she learns about the depopulation problem of the city. She is introduced to the people of the city's Tourism Office and the Sodegahama Fishing Cooperative, particularly the middle-aged members of Ama Club, a group of women divers who fish for clams and sea urchins for tourists. Later, they arrive at Haruko's parents' home. Aki goes to the beach and, for the first time sees her grandmother, Natsu (Ama and the Leader of the club, 64 yo), swimming for seaweed and sea urchins. "So cool~!" Aki is instantly in awe of her.
Ep. 2. Natsu-bappa*, thinking that Aki is just a regular tourist, feeds her some sea urchins and charges her for it. The other Amas inform Natsu that Aki is her granddaughter. Natsu is surprised but quickly recovers. She says to Aki, "Okay, I'll give you a family discount." Meanwhile, Daikichi and Anbe Sayuri (Ama and former classmate of Haruko, 42) explain to Haruko the real reason why she was called home. They say the Ama group will become extinct because Natsu was heard saying she will be retiring soon, and there is no willing successor. "The other Amas said if Natsu-san retires, then they'll quit, too!" They want Haruko to become an ama. But she refuses, saying she hates it, and it is among the reasons why she left home in the first place (she did not want to follow in her mother's footsteps). Natsu arrives but is cold towards Haruko and vice versa. Aki notices it. Contrary to what Daikichi said, Natsu declares it will be a long ways off before she retires from being an Ama. She also charges Haruko payment for the sea urchins that Aki ate a while back. Haruko is irked and gets up to leave. "Aki, let's go back to Tokyo!" But Aki refuses, saying she wants to stay.
(*Bappa = granny or nana)
Ep 3. "Do what you want, I'm going back to Tokyo!" Haruko storms out, leaving Aki behind. Daikichi goes after her and stops her from boarding a bus bound for Tokyo. He tells her to ride the local train, KitaTetsu* and while she waits for her ride, they hang out at a cafe (run by her mother who is out diving at the moment) at the train station. Here, Haruko complains about how she does not understand her daughter Aki. "She's quiet, plain and gloomy, just like her father." She did not notice the time and misses the last train so she is forced to stay overnight. By then, Natsu arrives at the cafe and tells her to go to some business hotel. "You don't have to tell me!" Haruko again, irked, storms out, taking her luggage with her. But Daikichi manages to bring her back to the cafe which at night transforms into a snack bar. The next day is Umibiraki** which is also the season of the Ama. Aki is at the beach along with many tourists to kick off the event. Meanwhile, Haruko is hanging out at the pachinko parlor where she attracts unwanted stares from people who knew her from before. Feeling uncomfortable, she offers her winning pachinko machine to Adachi Hiroshi, the young man sitting next to her before leaving. She goes to the seashore where she sees Aki and Natsu on a boat. She also watches in horror as Natsu pushes Aki down into the water...
(*KitaTetsu = nickname of the local railway line, Kitasanriku Tetsudo)
(**Umibiraki = official start of the sea-bathing season)
Ep. 4. Haruko remembers how she hated when Natsu forces her to dive when she was a young girl. She would get pushed into the sea by her own mother, too. She worriedly runs towards Aki who even though she was pushed, was laughing and enjoying the water. "Why do you like the only thing I hate the most?!" Haruko walks away angrily. Later, Aki finds out from the Ama-sans that her mom hates the sea and was a rebellious teenager. Natsu says she assumes things are not going well with her husband in Tokyo. Yayoi tells her not to say that in front of her grandchild. But Aki says it might be her fault. "Because I'm plain and gloomy, lacks ambition and coordination...And that I don't stand out." Natsu: "Who told you that?" Aki replies, "Mom." Meantime, Haruko goes to the Tourism Office where Daikichi is badgering Sugawara Tamotsu (Head of Tourism Office, 42 yo; former classmate of Haruko) on why his proposal for a city website is taking too long. Then, when Daikichi is alone with Haruko in his car, he attempts to confess his love for her but gets interrupted when a train comes closely by. That night, Haruko gets into another argument with her mother. Natsu says bitterly, "You didn't even tell me you got married and had a child!" "And you did not tell me Dad was dead!" Haruko retorts back after praying in front of her father's funeral picture at the family altar. Natsu says she knows Haruko goes around town playing pachinko all day because she does not really want to go home. "Is it because things are not going well at your home in Tokyo?" Annoyed, Haruko goes out into the night. When outside she visits her private retreat, a beacon near the beach. There, she sees the words she wrote on the concrete floor 27 years ago, "Tokyo, Harajuku, Omotesando..." The next morning, Aki and Natsu go to the train station where they sell Natsu's famous unidon*. Then, a pretty girl steps on board from Hatano Station...
(*Unidonburi = bowl of sea urchin on rice)
Ep. 5. Aki gets introduced to the girl. She's Adachi Yui, same age as her. She's extraordinarily pretty and doesn't talk with an accent. She's also the sister of Hiroshi (guy at the pachinko parlor). Their father is congressman, Adachi Isao who was also a former high school teacher of Haruko, Sugawara, and Daikichi. By this time Aki is trying to sound like a local by speaking with a Sodegahama accent. At the cafe, Daikichi and the Ama-sans gossip about "Yui-chan's older brother," saying he dropped out of college, also quit his part-time job in Tokyo, and is now jobless. (Actually, Hiroshi tells Haruko at the pachinko parlor that he has recently gotten a job watching out for poachers at the monitoring hut overlooking the beach.) At home, Haruko tells Natsu she is thinking of letting Aki stay for the whole summer break. "She has changed. She was usually quiet and somber back in Tokyo. But here, she is livelier and happier." Natsu asks her, "Which do you like better, your hometown or Tokyo?" Haruko still chooses Tokyo. Natsu tells Haruko, that Sodegahama, "the land that you abandoned", is still the best place to be. "Aki isn't the one who needs to change, it's you." Back at the cafe, Aki listens as the older folks lament about the dire lack of successors for the Ama. She too feels sorry for the town which she has gotten to love. At the beacon near the sea, she contemplates on what to do... and while doing so, she recalls being called "plain, gloomy, and uninteresting" by her mom and friends. "No, no, no, you're wrong!" She shouts, runs, and jumps off into the sea. From the monitoring hut, Hiroshi sees what she did through his binoculars. He panics and sounds the siren. Natsu and Haruko hear it and run towards the beach.
Ep. 6. Natsu and Haruko arrive at the sea to find Aki swimming happily. She calls out to both of them and declares "I wanna be an Ama!" Later, the Ama-sans and the others hear about it and are ecstatic. But Haruko says she and Aki still need to discuss about it. That night, Aki is adamant even if Haruko warns her about the dangers of swimming in the open sea. "But I wouldn't know if I don't try!" Aki argues back. Haruko reveals that growing up in a sea-loving home is lonely. Her father, a deep-sea fisherman, and her Ama mother spent all their time at the sea so she vowed that when she marry, it would be to someone who comes home every day. She also tells her that her dislike for the sea was why she did not want to be an Ama. In fact, she ran away 24 years ago the day after the mayor and other locals back then, were imploring her to become an Ama. Finally, after their talk, Haruko gives her blessing and lets Aki stay and learn to dive only for the summer break. Next day, Haruko treats Hiroshi to a meal, thanking him for "saving" Aki even if she was not really drowning. At the beach, the Ama-sans gather for a new official group portrait, this time with Aki in the center as the first rookie ama after 24 years.
Next: Week 2
Episode Index: Link
Character Guide: Link
Week 1: "I like this sea!"
"Aki is not the one who needs to change, it's you."
Episode Summaries:
Ep. 1. In 2008, Amano Haruko (42 yo) is a housewife in Tokyo. In 1984, she ran away from Kitasanriku, her hometown in Iwate Prefecture, had lived in Tokyo ever since, and never went back. But she has been receiving emails by a former schoolmate, Daikichi (Train Station Master, 44 yo), telling her that her mother back home had collapsed and insists that she returns home.
So that summer, for the first time in 24 years, she comes back to Sodegahama, a fishing village by the sea, bringing along her shy daughter Aki (high school student, 16 yo). However, Haruko, as she had suspected all along, finds out that it was a ruse to bring her back, and that her mother is actually fit as a fiddle. As Aki is taken through a tour around her mother's hometown, she learns about the depopulation problem of the city. She is introduced to the people of the city's Tourism Office and the Sodegahama Fishing Cooperative, particularly the middle-aged members of Ama Club, a group of women divers who fish for clams and sea urchins for tourists. Later, they arrive at Haruko's parents' home. Aki goes to the beach and, for the first time sees her grandmother, Natsu (Ama and the Leader of the club, 64 yo), swimming for seaweed and sea urchins. "So cool~!" Aki is instantly in awe of her.Ep. 2. Natsu-bappa*, thinking that Aki is just a regular tourist, feeds her some sea urchins and charges her for it. The other Amas inform Natsu that Aki is her granddaughter. Natsu is surprised but quickly recovers. She says to Aki, "Okay, I'll give you a family discount."
Meanwhile, Daikichi and Anbe Sayuri (Ama and former classmate of Haruko, 42) explain to Haruko the real reason why she was called home. They say the Ama group will become extinct because Natsu was heard saying she will be retiring soon, and there is no willing successor. "The other Amas said if Natsu-san retires, then they'll quit, too!" They want Haruko to become an ama. But she refuses, saying she hates it, and it is among the reasons why she left home in the first place (she did not want to follow in her mother's footsteps). Natsu arrives but is cold towards Haruko and vice versa. Aki notices it. Contrary to what Daikichi said, Natsu declares it will be a long ways off before she retires from being an Ama. She also charges Haruko payment for the sea urchins that Aki ate a while back. Haruko is irked and gets up to leave. "Aki, let's go back to Tokyo!" But Aki refuses, saying she wants to stay.(*Bappa = granny or nana)
Ep 3. "Do what you want, I'm going back to Tokyo!" Haruko storms out, leaving Aki behind. Daikichi goes after her and stops her from boarding a bus bound for Tokyo. He tells her to ride the local train, KitaTetsu* and while she waits for her ride, they hang out at a cafe (run by her mother who is out diving at the moment) at the train station. Here, Haruko complains about how she does not understand her daughter Aki. "She's quiet, plain and gloomy, just like her father." She did not notice the time and misses the last train so she is forced to stay overnight. By then, Natsu arrives at the cafe and tells her to go to some business hotel. "You don't have to tell me!" Haruko again, irked, storms out, taking her luggage with her. But Daikichi manages to bring her back to the cafe which at night transforms into a snack bar.
The next day is Umibiraki** which is also the season of the Ama. Aki is at the beach along with many tourists to kick off the event. Meanwhile, Haruko is hanging out at the pachinko parlor where she attracts unwanted stares from people who knew her from before. Feeling uncomfortable, she offers her winning pachinko machine to Adachi Hiroshi, the young man sitting next to her before leaving. She goes to the seashore where she sees Aki and Natsu on a boat. She also watches in horror as Natsu pushes Aki down into the water...(*KitaTetsu = nickname of the local railway line, Kitasanriku Tetsudo)
(**Umibiraki = official start of the sea-bathing season)
Ep. 4. Haruko remembers how she hated when Natsu forces her to dive when she was a young girl. She would get pushed into the sea by her own mother, too. She worriedly runs towards Aki who even though she was pushed, was laughing and enjoying the water. "Why do you like the only thing I hate the most?!" Haruko walks away angrily.
Later, Aki finds out from the Ama-sans that her mom hates the sea and was a rebellious teenager. Natsu says she assumes things are not going well with her husband in Tokyo. Yayoi tells her not to say that in front of her grandchild. But Aki says it might be her fault. "Because I'm plain and gloomy, lacks ambition and coordination...And that I don't stand out." Natsu: "Who told you that?" Aki replies, "Mom." Meantime, Haruko goes to the Tourism Office where Daikichi is badgering Sugawara Tamotsu (Head of Tourism Office, 42 yo; former classmate of Haruko) on why his proposal for a city website is taking too long. Then, when Daikichi is alone with Haruko in his car, he attempts to confess his love for her but gets interrupted when a train comes closely by. That night, Haruko gets into another argument with her mother. Natsu says bitterly, "You didn't even tell me you got married and had a child!" "And you did not tell me Dad was dead!" Haruko retorts back after praying in front of her father's funeral picture at the family altar. Natsu says she knows Haruko goes around town playing pachinko all day because she does not really want to go home. "Is it because things are not going well at your home in Tokyo?" Annoyed, Haruko goes out into the night. When outside she visits her private retreat, a beacon near the beach. There, she sees the words she wrote on the concrete floor 27 years ago, "Tokyo, Harajuku, Omotesando..." The next morning, Aki and Natsu go to the train station where they sell Natsu's famous unidon*. Then, a pretty girl steps on board from Hatano Station...(*Unidonburi = bowl of sea urchin on rice)
Ep. 5. Aki gets introduced to the girl. She's Adachi Yui, same age as her. She's extraordinarily pretty and doesn't talk with an accent. She's also the sister of Hiroshi (guy at the pachinko parlor). Their father is congressman, Adachi Isao who was also a former high school teacher of Haruko, Sugawara, and Daikichi. By this time Aki is trying to sound like a local by speaking with a Sodegahama accent.
At the cafe, Daikichi and the Ama-sans gossip about "Yui-chan's older brother," saying he dropped out of college, also quit his part-time job in Tokyo, and is now jobless. (Actually, Hiroshi tells Haruko at the pachinko parlor that he has recently gotten a job watching out for poachers at the monitoring hut overlooking the beach.) At home, Haruko tells Natsu she is thinking of letting Aki stay for the whole summer break. "She has changed. She was usually quiet and somber back in Tokyo. But here, she is livelier and happier." Natsu asks her, "Which do you like better, your hometown or Tokyo?" Haruko still chooses Tokyo. Natsu tells Haruko, that Sodegahama, "the land that you abandoned", is still the best place to be. "Aki isn't the one who needs to change, it's you." Back at the cafe, Aki listens as the older folks lament about the dire lack of successors for the Ama. She too feels sorry for the town which she has gotten to love. At the beacon near the sea, she contemplates on what to do... and while doing so, she recalls being called "plain, gloomy, and uninteresting" by her mom and friends. "No, no, no, you're wrong!" She shouts, runs, and jumps off into the sea. From the monitoring hut, Hiroshi sees what she did through his binoculars. He panics and sounds the siren. Natsu and Haruko hear it and run towards the beach.Ep. 6. Natsu and Haruko arrive at the sea to find Aki swimming happily. She calls out to both of them and declares "I wanna be an Ama!"
Later, the Ama-sans and the others hear about it and are ecstatic. But Haruko says she and Aki still need to discuss about it. That night, Aki is adamant even if Haruko warns her about the dangers of swimming in the open sea. "But I wouldn't know if I don't try!" Aki argues back. Haruko reveals that growing up in a sea-loving home is lonely. Her father, a deep-sea fisherman, and her Ama mother spent all their time at the sea so she vowed that when she marry, it would be to someone who comes home every day. She also tells her that her dislike for the sea was why she did not want to be an Ama. In fact, she ran away 24 years ago the day after the mayor and other locals back then, were imploring her to become an Ama. Finally, after their talk, Haruko gives her blessing and lets Aki stay and learn to dive only for the summer break. Next day, Haruko treats Hiroshi to a meal, thanking him for "saving" Aki even if she was not really drowning. At the beach, the Ama-sans gather for a new official group portrait, this time with Aki in the center as the first rookie ama after 24 years.Next: Week 2
Episode Index: Link
Character Guide: Link
