

126 episodes of pure determination—can a shy girl build a plane and your heart won't melt? Challenge accepted.
25 minSeason 1 • Episode 126
LatestIwakura Mai lives with her parents Kota and Megumi and older brother Haruto. Her father Kota runs a small factory in Higashi Osaka, a district that is known for its craftsmen. Mai is shy and withdrawn. But when she visits her grandmother Shoko who lives on Nagasaki’s Goto Islands which has a rich natural environment, she is entranced by the Baramon kites that catch the wind and soar high in the sky. Wanting to fly high in the sky like these kites, Mai’s longing swells into a dream to become a pilot. Even though she works hard, the path to getting there is tougher than she had imagined. As Mai deepens her ties with the people living in her two hometowns of Higashi Osaka and Goto, her dream eventually takes a new form. She gathers enthusiastic friends to build a small electric plane that can fly to and from the islands. Her dream becomes a wing that carries everyone’s dreams and takes off.
Production
Dual locations: gritty Osaka vs. lush Goto Islands
Acting
Haruka Fukuhara's quiet transformation
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Asadora are NHK morning dramas airing since 1961, traditionally 15-minute episodes targeting female viewers—this continues the format's legacy of humble heroines.
Baramon kites are actual Nagasaki tradition with 400+ years of history; their dragon-like faces symbolize warding off evil and catching fortune.