EXILE - Flower Song (Theme to 35-Sai No Kou Kou Sei/ 「35歳の高校生」)

It's been a while since I really enjoyed watching a great J-Dorama series. I'm a big fan of 80s and 90s J-Doramas, especially the darker toned dramas of writers such as Nojima Shinji/野島伸司 who would craft wickedly entertaining and emotionally intense stories such as Kou Kou Kyoushi/ 「高校教師」 (1993), Seija No Koushin/ 「聖者の行進」 (1998) and Kono Yo No Hate/ 「この世の果て」 (1994) which were filled with over-the-top soap-opera style tragedy and love romance. That's why I was really happy to finally watch NTV's recent Spring 2013 'renzoku' drama series 35 Sai No Kou Kousei/ 「35歳の高校生」. Penned by fledgling writers Yamamura Masahiro and Takahashi Yuyaa, this inventive story focused on the mysterious Baba Ayako/馬場亜矢子 (played by the stunning 米倉涼子/Yonekura Ryoko), an emotionally scarred 35-year old woman with a tramatic past who is asked by her former high school teacher Asada Yukinobu/阿佐田幸信 (Watari Testuya/渡哲也), who has since become a high ranking official with the Japanese Ministry of Education, to go back to her mother's alma mater, Kunigita High School to fulfill her mother's last dying wish that Ayako graduate from high school (Ayako had dropped out of high school having been the victim of intense bullying and who witnessed her mother's attempted suicide).

While Ayako is not the same timid and frightened girl that left high school years before, she soon discovers that Kunigita High School is still wrought with the same type of bullying problems that she remembers from years ago but has since taken on an even more sinister aspect, growing into a brutal social hierarchy system (known unofficially on the school's internal online blog as the "School Caste" which ranks student popularity based on group ranking (i.e. those in the highest rank "Ichi Gumi" have free reign to do whatever they want while those at the lowest level "San Gumi" are open targets for unrelenting cruelty and abuse). As Ayako struggles to win her classmates approval and friendship (on the first day of class she vows to "make 100 friends") she must also help her various bullied classmates survive from the various abuses doled out by "Ichi Gumi" members headed by beautiful yet cold-hearted star athlete and elitist Kudo Mitsuki/工藤美月 (Shinkawa Yuua/新川優愛) and the brutal, calculating and violently unpredictable pretty-boy Tsuchiya Masamitsu/土屋正光 (Suda Masaki/菅田将暉).

The cast of 35歳の高校生 courtesy of トレンドズームニュース (http://trendzoom-news18.blog.so-net.ne.jp/archive/201304-1)

Ayako (who is often times rudely referred by her classmates as 「ババア」“Baba”/old hag – a word play on her last name) being a woman of many talents and abilities (having had a string of jobs since she dropped out of high school, including experiences as a cook and Police Woman) uses all her skills, charm, noble spirit and strong sense of justice to crush the "School Caste" and bring the students together despite being hampered in her efforts by an appallingly ineffectual and shockingly indifferent school faculty headed by pompous school administrator Noda Yoshio/野田芳男 (Enoki Takaaki/榎木孝明) and his mean spirited assistant principle Mayuzumi Yuki/黛有紀 (Yokoyama Megumi/横山めぐみ). While Ayako's self-serving and naive homeroom teacher Koizumi Jinichi/小泉純一 (Mizobata Jyunpei/溝端淳平) tries his best to support Ayako’s efforts, his disgraced past comes back to haunt him.

While its story is nowhere near as landmark a school drama as 「GTO」, Gokusen/ 「ごくせん」 or the iconic San Nen 'B' Gumi - Kinpachi Sensei/ 「3年B組金八先生」, "35-Sai No Kou Kou Sei" succeeds primarily on the strength of its lead heroine and star, the tall and beautiful Yonekura, who portrays a character very close to her own age. I've been a fan of the former model turned actress ever since watching her in the drama Seikei Bijin/ 「整形美人」 (2002). While Yonekura seems to play the same type of character (strong willed, coolly intelligent, physically tough) in most of the dramas such as 「Doctor X」,  Koshonin/ 「交渉人」 and 「Hunter」, it is still fun to watch her charismatic performances and marvel at ability to shift from lighthearted comedy to serious drama at the drop of a hat. Yonekura was recently voted #2 in a NTT DoCoMo poll as one of the “coolest” (エロ可愛い) actresses on TV (just under Maki Yoko/真木よう子) along with another one of my favorite actresses, 篠原涼子/Shinohara Ryoko (who ranked #5)

The beautiful Yonekura Ryoko/米倉涼子 is heroine
Baba Ayako/馬場亜矢子

The supporting cast is also terrific with the standout being Suda Masaki/菅田将暉. Tokusatsu fans may be particularly surprised as Suda's portrayal of the scumbag character of Masamitsu as it is a complete departure from his affable and fun-loving, heroic character of Philip in the Kamen Rider - W/ 「仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル）」 series. Although not as unapologetically cruel and manipulative as Fukuda Saki's/福田沙紀 'ultimate bitch' character Anzai Manami/安西愛海 in the similar series 「LIFE」, Suda's performance here is nothing short of chilling as his adolescent character is pure evil (although the writers do cop out in the end by having Masamitsu have a change of heart and ending up befriending and making amends with Ayako). 

'Queen Bee' Kudo Mitsuki (Shikawa Yuua - Center) and her underlings (L-R - Miyazaki Karen, Kojima Fujiko, Mizuno Erina, Shikawa Yuua and Kitayama Shiori)

Teen bastard Tsuchiya Masamitsu (Suda Masaki - Center) and his punk henchmen - (L-R - Takazuki Mahiro, Suda Masaki and Nomura Shuhei)

While the story is often times over-the-top in scope and a bit goofy at some parts (particularly when focusing on the various bubbling and incompetent faculty members) it still has a lot of uplifting, tearful and emotionally rousing moments as well. The last few episodes in particular are absolutely riveting and grueling albeit very melodramatic. 

The title song for the series is EXILE’s catchy and triumphant 「Flower Song」. Written by EXILE lead singer ATSUSHI in collaboration with Swedish Music Producer Magnus Funemyr and singer/song writer Nomura Yoichiro, the song is EXILE’s 42^nd single and was a moderate hit ranking No. 2 on the Oricon Charts for June and earning decent CD sales.  It got a lot of airplay on Japanese radio and I think its one of their more fun and energetic songs (RISING SUN being the other one I like a lot). 

Single cover for EXILE's "Flower Song" - Image courtesy of Kanpeki Music - http://kanpekimusic.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/exile-flower-song-%E6%AD%8C%E8%A9%9E-lyrics-video/

The PV for the single is pretty nice but surprisingly features very little of their signature dancing (albeit there is a great sequence at the end).

I definitely recommend “35 Sai No Kou Kou Sei” to fans of Japanese drama as it is a compelling and interesting drama series.  While not as uplifting as 「GTO」 or as relentlessly grim as 「LIFE」 it is very addictive to watch and one can't help but root for Yonekura's character 「馬場ちゃん」 "Baba Chan" to fulfill her goal and win her classmates hearts.

Here's a promotional interview with Yonekura Ryoko where she talks a little bit about her role in "35 Sai No Kou Kou Sei".  This was to help promote the start of the series in Japan earlier this year.  The series is currently available on Japanese DVD and Blu-Ray released by VAP.

(Unfortunately the video has been taken down.)