The Pinnacle of Japanese Drama: "JIN"
If asked to recommend a masterpiece drama, I would answer "JIN" without a moment's hesitation. It is still fresh in my memory that it was rebroadcast in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and became a hot topic once again. Since the note prompt asks for a masterpiece drama recommendation, I have decided to take this opportunity to talk about the appeal of "JIN" (though I feel like I may have talked about it before...).
What is "JIN"?
First, let's start with a definition. I will summarize the overview once more. The drama "JIN" is based on the manga of the same name by manga artist Motoka Murakami, and the story follows a modern-day neurosurgeon, Jin Minakata, who time-travels to Edo in the late Tokugawa period. In an Edo period lacking proper medical instruments and facilities, Jin strives to save lives, influencing ordinary people and historical figures like Ryoma Sakamoto, and gradually becoming caught up in the great vortex of history himself. When it aired in the autumn 2009 season, it recorded a peak viewership rating of 25.1% and won 33 domestic and international drama awards. In response to the overwhelming acclaim, the final chapter was broadcast in the spring 2011 season, recording a peak viewership rating of 26.1%, bringing the drama to a close. It is a massive hit drama that also received a great response when it was rebroadcast during the pandemic.
That is the introduction. Although I don't watch much television, I truly love this drama, and about 10 years ago, I never missed it on Sundays at 9:00 PM. It is a drama I want every citizen to watch.
From here, I will talk about the appeal of "JIN".
Part 1: A world thoroughly crafted by the cast and staff!
Every actor was so perfectly suited to their role that it felt as if they were living it. The lead actor, Takao Osawa, who played Jin Minakata, reportedly performed all the surgery scenes without a stunt double (Reference: from the "JIN" DVD making-of). This includes the close-up shots of his hands during suturing scenes. Furthermore, the beautiful calligraphy of the courtesan Nokaze, who appears in the drama, was written by the actress Miki Nakatani herself. Additionally, to portray the emaciated state caused by illness, many actors, including Osawa, underwent significant weight loss for the filming.
Moreover, it is not just the actors; the entire drama was thoroughly crafted to be realistic, based on historical research and medical consultation. Not only was the historical research of the Edo period meticulous, but the medical tools were also created under the premise of "what if they were made with materials actually available in the Edo period?" In particular, Jin's operation scenes are full of realism. "JIN" achieves a level of realism that puts other medical dramas to shame.
Within the fiction of the drama, the "authenticity"-oriented approach of the cast and staff draws the viewer into the Edo period and into a story about life.
Part 2: Numerous heart-touching quotes by screenwriter Yoshiko Morishita!
The script is the core of the drama. The script for "JIN" was written by popular screenwriter Yoshiko Morishita. The words woven by Morishita that appear in the drama are truly gems of wisdom. The 2011 broadcast took place against the backdrop of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the 2020 rebroadcast during the COVID-19 pandemic. In such times, the lines in "JIN" strike a chord quietly but powerfully. I will introduce just a few of them below.
"God only gives us trials that we can overcome."
We take things for granted.
That if we set our minds to it, we can go to the other side of the world.
That we can convey our feelings at any time.
That our ordinary, fulfilling days will continue.
Nights that seem to have forgotten the darkness...
"It wasn't my skill that made the surgeries successful until now. It was the medicine, technology, facilities, and knowledge that someone else had created. Without those things, I was just a quack who didn't even know how to stitch a wound with minimal pain."
You are honest and do not try to make yourself look bigger than you are.
However, you put all your effort into what you must do.
Your vessel is surely not that large.
But it must be very beautiful.
Because of that, the people around you want to help you and protect you.
It must surely be more beautiful than you think.
Life.
There is only one thing to do.
Live in the present with all your might. With your own aspirations.
I will change the tomorrow of this era.
"However, there is a meaning to life in this time that cannot be measured by length. There is a meaning to medicine in making the time that remains shine."
Violence only breeds more violence!
"I will never forget that this world, which we take for granted, is woven together by countless miracles that everyone fought for, struggled through, lost their lives for, and won. And I will provide even more light. This time, for the sake of the future. With these hands."
I believe the power of the words woven by the screenwriter is also the power that the drama itself possesses.
Part 3: It is a medical drama, a period drama, and a human drama!
Above all, because the content of the drama is wonderful and it was a drama that moved people deeply, it is likely why it continues to be loved by so many people even after more than 10 years. "JIN" is a unique drama that combines medicine and period drama, and perhaps that is why it allows us to feel the
preciousness and endearment of the life that exists here and now. I believe the underlying theme is "respect for our predecessors."
It is precisely because our ancestors lived their lives to the fullest in their time that we and our society exist today. Therefore, it is now our turn to live to the fullest and provide light to the future
.
The situation where Jin travels back in time to the Edo period
coincidentally links to the situations we have faced, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic,
where what we previously took for granted was overturned at its foundation.
In such a situation, how will we live from now on?
There is no doubt that this is a drama that delves into the essence of living and will live on forever in the memories of those who watched it.
And I watched this drama in real-time, made my decision, and became a doctor.
For me, this drama is a one-of-a-kind treasure.
#RecommendedMasterpieceDrama