She moved to Tokyo for freedom. Now she's trading her dreams for a man who hired her without asking questions.
46 minSeason 1 • Episode 12
LatestKinoshita Kaori (Nakayama Miho), a native of Nagano, was allowed to live alone in Tokyo for two years during her junior college years. Now, with employment still unsettled, her parents are pressuring her to return to Nagano. Her friend Noriko (Sendo Atsuko) had good grades in junior college and had received a job offer from a major company, but the offer was rescinded due to her living alone. Meanwhile, Tomoko (Kawai Michiko), who dreams of becoming a reporter while job hunting, is also struggling to balance her dreams and reality. One day, Kaori visits a small company with her resume in hand, where she meets the company president, Yoshizawa (Oda Yuji). Yoshizawa accepts Kaori without even a proper interview, and despite her misgivings about the company, she soon finds herself drawn to Yoshizawa.
Acting
Nakayama Miho's restrained desperation as Kaori sells every bad decision
Production
Tokyo 1990 as character—bubble economy anxiety in every frame
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released at the literal peak of Japan's bubble economy (December 1990), the series captures the exact moment before everything collapsed—making Kaori's instability eerily prescient.
Oda Yuji and Nakayama Miho became one of J-drama's most iconic couples; this was their first collaboration, and the chemistry was so immediate producers reportedly expanded Yoshizawa's role mid-production.
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