Asian Addicts Anonymous

I’m not ambitious enough to tackle any sort of series of posts at this time. Thus why you’re getting the final episodes of Dear, Sister in one lump. I’ve been debating and debating what to do and decided to start slowly with finishing up this drama. Obviously this was not a drama I stopped watching because I wanted to, it’s just that certain events just hit too hard for me to do much of anything. It’s only been a month, but it seems like a lifetime.

This drama was really sweet in a way as it not only explores the bond between sisters, but different definitions of love and family. Overall, even with some really spastic acting on Ishihara Satomi’s part, this was a strong and solid series. There was mystery, love, friendship, family, a neurotic ex…something for everyone!

First, a very brief recap of the final episodes: Hachi is helping Misaki along as always. He even finds her a friend who is attending law school to give her legal advice now that Soichiro is ready to hit her up with a paternity test. Misaki doesn’t mind if he knows he’s the father, but she does have no intention of living with him or raising their child together. Unfortunately, Soichiro drops the bomb on an unsuspecting Hazuki who ends up kicking him out of the house once Misaki is home. Hazuki is upset that Misaki kept this from her. Misaki tells her it really was because Soichiro is the father and also because Hazuki confessed to Misaki that Hazuki would have problems conceiving children. Hazuki is upset that Misaki would think she would be anything less than thrilled over the news. Enter Nanae who is overflowing with happiness that she will be a grandmother.

Hazuki is still troubled over how to answer Yohei’s shocking proposal and Misaki decides to make things easy on both Yohei and Hazuki by designing a test. While Hazuki is out with Sato on an arranged date (for Sato, not Hazuki), Misaki calls Hazuki and tells her that Yohei was badly burned. Hazuki flies to the restaurant in time to shock him and make Yohei fall off a step stool. Yohei is touched by how Hazuki cares for him, but does admit that Misaki hinted at pulling something to test Hazuki’s true feelings. Hazuki is upset, but not surprised. She then apologizes and says that she cannot accept Yohei at this time as she is still struggling to find her dream and change herself first. Yohei promises to wait. Misaki stops by, but doesn’t catch the conversation, so she thinks the two are happily engaged. She goes home all sad and tells Hachi that she has realized that she never truly loved the same men as her sister, but she didn’t want to lose her sister who raised her after their father passed away.

Hachi leaves and Misaki gets sick and passes out. Hachi takes really good care of her. Misaki then is forced to quit her job since the pregnancy is aggravating her Lupus and that could lead to harm for both herself and the baby. Her boss is sad to see her go and offers to just give her time off and a place to come back to, but Misaki can’t have her do that since she really doesn’t know when her health will allow her to return. Misaki then leaves a note saying she’s going on a trip by herself. Hazuki is not happy about this and tries to discover where Misaki is. Yohei points her in the direction of Hachi’s place. Hazuki goes there and ends up reading Misaki’s secret diary which details all of the things she’s done to Hazuki who blows up at her baby sister. Misaki tries to refute Hazuki’s claims that Misaki played with her life, but her sister won’t listen.

Yohei then shows Misaki’s engagement gift which includes a handmade sign for their wedding along with a hall rental for Christmas Eve. This shocks Hazuki. In the same package is a video message where Misaki responds to Hazuki’s voicemail. Misaki encourages her sister to keep pursuing her dreams and have confidence. Misaki also says that Hazuki’s life is a lot closer to her dreams that she realizes. Yohei and Hazuki then go to the park the girls frequented as children and dig up a time capsule and Hazuki realizes that Misaki is right—she has covered nearly have of her bucket list.

Misaki manages to get a job in a small shop for wedding dress designer Ryo. She’s hopelessly clumsy and makes a big error in judgment when she gives her boss her sketches for inspiration when he’s having a hard time designing his final dress. He fires her for her interference, but later he does end up using her design for the final piece and he happily shows her the finished dress—called Hazuki—and offers her a full-time job as a designer. It’s at this time that Misaki’s medical condition becomes known to everyone. This is all thanks to Takako, Soichiro’s ex-wife who gets insanely jealous upon learning Misaki is pregnant with his child. Soichiro gets injured and Misaki goes with him to the hospital. After his treatment, Soichiro confesses his love for her after Misaki confesses she does like him, but can’t keep ruining his life. She faints and is admitted and the doctors tell her family about her Lupus.

Needless to say Hazuki and Nanae are upset but Misaki keeping such a thing a big secret. They are also terrified they will lose both Misaki and her baby girl, but both do their best to be strong and keep insisting to Misaki that she will live. At this time, Hachi wins a major competition and he proposes to Misaki. He doesn’t care who the father of her baby is—he loves her and wants to protect her and the child forever. Misaki is definitely weakening towards Hachi’s love, but she’s terrified she’ll just ruin his life—plus with her condition, she cannot promise him “forever”.

Hazuki and everyone then conspire to make Misaki’s wishes come true. Hazuki pleads for Hachi’s and Soichiro’s father’s approval for Hachi’s and Misaki’s wedding and she and Yohei lie and says they are getting married after all. Hazuki works hard to make Misaki’s wedding dress and Misaki is totally stunned to learn that the wedding is for her and Hachi who tells her that no matter what—she and the child is what he wants for his life. A very happy and joyous wedding takes place. Hachi is gone training or competing and Misaki is staying with Hazuki. The two talk about how bad Hazuki is at receiving love while Misaki shows her love in such misguided ways (like drawing on dresses, cutting hair, and trying to alter Hazuki’s life for her) when the baby comes a bit early. Hazuki is in the hospital room as they take the child by C-section and both the baby, Hana, and Misaki do live! What a relief. At this time, Hazuki finally accepts Yohei’s proposal. We fastforward a few years down the road and Hazuki is pregnant, while Misaki has become a very natural mother hen.

I was really worried that they would end up having Misaki, the baby, or both die. I am very thankful that didn’t happen. One thing that I really liked is how natural Misaki’s progression into loving Hachi was. Once he announced his own love and the fact that he’s straight…she very slowly came to see him as a man and then that did end up leading to love with all that he did for her showing just how special and good he was. I was very happy that they ended up together since their personalities and their caring for each other was much better and healthier than anything you could see between Misaki and Soichiro.

Hazuki and Yohei’s love came softly as well and it took a bit longer for that to develop into fruition. It’s kind of funny that both sisters really didn’t technically date either of their men before marriage. Sure…they spent tons of time together non-romantically and were the best of friends and confidantes, so a lot of romance and dating wasn’t necessary. It was also nice to see Sato find a match in Hirose (this couple didn’t get much screen time, but were still cute in what little they had), and Nanae taking back the man that conned her after he made amends was even okay because you knew he wasn’t genuinely bad…although I really would love to know why he so desperately needed that money, but they never tell you that.

What I didn’t like was Soichiro. I mean…he’s probably the most selfish character in this drama. You could say Misaki was being selfish, but you knew after awhile that she wasn’t. Everything she was doing was to make Hazuki and her mother happy as well as paving the way for her daughter to have a good life should Misaki end up passing away.

I say he’s selfish because he never really seems to consider Hazuki, Hachi, or Misaki’s feelings with all the things that he does. He coldly gives the paternity request papers to Hazuki to pass on to Misaki, he keeps pushing Misaki to do the test and to raise the child with him…and he really does NOT handle his brother’s love for Misaki at times as well as he should. And the reason he’s holding onto Misaki and the baby was made really unclear with the introduction of Takako and hints about children and the like being fissures to his marriage with her long before Misaki came along. They never give you the complete story of Soichiro and Takako’s relationship, so it really does seem to come out of left field when she blames Misaki for everything and tries to push the pregnant woman down a flight of stairs. That could, and should, have been left out entirely. And…at the end…even Soichiro seems like a superfluous character with his sudden acceptance of Hachi marrying Misaki and losing all rights to his own child to his baby brother. His character was a heapingly underdeveloped mess since we never get a full explanation about anything.

Overall though, I really do like this drama and recommend it. I can understand where Misaki comes from. She wants Hazuki to be happy, and yet the thought of her getting married really is hard to bear. Having been through a situation where my older sister mothered me like Hazuki mothered Misaki, I can definitely related to that feeling. Granted I never did anything as crazy as Misaki did, but still. It did hurt when my sister had her various relationships. But I am happy for her and very happy to have an adorable niece and nephew and a wonderful brother-in-law.

I really did like towards the end how they commented that both girls were a little awkward with love. Hazuki had problems receiving love. It could be because of the scar behind why her father died and then taking care of Misaki and watching Nanae baby her little sister so much. Thus, she really doesn’t comprehend how to receive love and understand that she is being loved. With Misaki, you don’t think about it until she answers Hazuki’s complaints of being constantly pranked with the real reasons why she did everything. It makes total sense to hear Hazuki tell Misaki that the younger woman really has no idea how to give love. Hazuki chocks it up to Misaki receiving so much adoration without much work. That could definitely be the issue.

This drama will tug at your heart strings and have you exasperated, have you worried, and have you rooting for the two couples and the Fukuzawa women.