Beautiful Life
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Beautiful Life (ビューティフルライフ) is a dorama of "Nichiyo Gekijo (日曜劇場)" on TBS Television. It was first shown in Japan from 16 January to 26 March 2000.
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Cast
- Shuji Okishima – Takuya Kimura
- Kyoko Machida – Takako Tokiwa
- Sachie Tamura – Miki Mizuno
- Takumi Okabe – Hiruyoki Ikeuchi
- Masao Machida – Atsuro Watabe
- Satoru Kawamura – Takanori Nishikawa
- Kozo Miyama – Koji Matoba
- Mayumi Ozawa – Chiaki Hara
- Nakajima Satsuki – Koyuki
Characters
- Shuji Okishima – A hairstylist. His father wanted him to take over the Okishima hospital but he ignored his family. He becomes a top stylist and is picked up in magazines occasionally.
- Kyoko Machida – Works at a library. The incidence of her disease came when she was 17 and since then, she has to use a wheelchair.
- Sachie Tamura – Kyoko’s best friend who also works at the library. She encourages Kyoko all the time.
- Takumi Okabe – Shuji’s junior. He respects Shuji.
- Masao Machida – Kyoko’s brother. He works at his parents’ home at a liquor store. He sympathizes a lot about Kyoko.
- Satoshi Kawamura – A hairstylist. He works at the same shop as Shuji and has talent.
- Kozo Miyama – Does volunteering. He likes Kyoko and comes to the library often.
- Mayumi Ozawa – Top Stylist. She works at the same shop as Shuji.
Summary
One day, Shuji on his bike and Kyoko in her car, meet at a cross road. They don’t have any interest in each other at that moment but at the library where Kyoko works, Shuji sees Kyoko using a wheel chair. That was how they first met. They begin to talk and Kyoko feels regarded because Shuji never looked at her as a disabled person. Gradually, her feelings change and she waits for Shuji to come to the library.
Shuji who is a hairstylist works at the hairdresser’s called the ‘HOT LIP’. They were going to choose the best hair cut of that shop and were planning to insert it in a magazine. Shuji and Satoru are told to find a model themselves and the owner will choose the best hair cut among them. Shuji asks Kyoko to be his cut model. She first says no worrying about her appearance, but Shuji tells her that he will be her ‘barrier free’ so she does not need to be anxious about it.
Shuji’s haircut is chosen but Kyoko doesn’t feel so happy. Everyone thought the magazine chose Shuji because Kyoko was on a wheel chair in the photo. But soon, Sachie tells Kyoko she shouldn’t care about her appearance.
Satoru feels jealous towards Shuji because he was becoming the most popular hairstylist at HOT LIP. Satoru steals Shuji’s hair cut design and says it is his. But Shuji becomes a top stylist so he forgets about the stealing.
Gradually, Shuji and Kyoko get close. But still, Kyoko doesn’t trust Shuji from her heart. Shuji is now the best hairstylist at HOT LIP and he is very busy. They don’t have time to see each other.
Also, Sachie and Masao were getting close too. They couldn’t speak to each other first, but slowly, they begin to know each other.
Kyoko is worried because she and Shuji live in a completely different world. She thinks about breaking up with him. On the other hand, Takumi was resisting Shuji but he realizes that Shuji was the one who was right and forgets about all the jealousy.
Sachie gets pregnant but Masao tells her he can’t marry yet because he is worried about Kyoko’s disease. Kyoko’s mother tells Shuji about her disease that she doesn’t know how much of her life is left and she can die at any time.
The story is getting closer to the end now and Kyoko’s condition was getting very bad. She is told to enter the hospital but soon after, knowing that it is not good for her body, she leaves the hospital and starts to live together with Shuji. Masao and Sachie, both support Shuji and Kyoko.
Her sickness was getting worse everyday. But one day, Shuji takes part in a fashion show as a hairstylist. Kyoko asks if she could go and see the show but her brother Masao and Sachie both tell her that her body will not be able to bear it. But in the end, the three of them goes to the show.
Kyoko faints while watching the show and she is carried to the hospital. Soon, she passes away.
Few years later, Shuji has opened a hair dresser at the seaside and is living with the memory of Kyoko.
Theme song
Konya tsuki no mieru oka ni by B’z
C.D single released on 9th February 2002
Beautiful Life with English Subtitles
Beautiful Life was fansubbed by Japan-TV, a fansubbing group dedicated to providing Japanese dramas in English.
References
Japan-TV (http://www.jtv-drama.org)