Where Did the Morning Drama Heroine Archetype Come From? The Lineage of the Benio Hanamura Type

Where did the morning drama heroine archetype originate?

Tracing its source,
the figure of a single schoolgirl quietly emerges.

She who ran lightly through Tokyo in the Taisho era—
it is Benio Hanamura from "Haikara-san ga Tooru" (Here Comes Miss Modern).

"Haikara-san ga Tooru" is
a masterpiece by Waki Yamato that began serialization in 1975.
Set against the backdrop of the turbulent era from Taisho democracy to the Great Kanto Earthquake,
it is a story depicting the love and growth of a young couple.

Within the stories of morning dramas,
there is a "heroine archetype" for lightly accepting the changes of the times.

When tracing the prototype of that heroine,
surprisingly, it leads to a protagonist from a girls' manga—
Benio from "Haikara-san ga Tooru."

She does not talk about her values.

She simply gathers friends to overcome her difficulties and moves forward brightly.

This "lighthearted strength" may be exactly what we,
living in turbulent times, need most right now.

*This article does not discuss the entire scope of morning drama heroines.
It merely quietly presents the lineage of the Benio type
as "one prototype" that certainly exists within that long history.

What is a Benio-type heroine?

Waki Yamato's works have a consistent narrative rhythm.

(Brightly) Struggling protagonist
→ Fun daily life
→ Overcoming difficulties
→ Recovery of fun daily life
→ Further hardships
→ Protagonist's growth and a new form of happiness

At the center of this cycle is Benio.

She does not treat heavy events as "heavy."

With her brightness and initiative, she lightens the gravity of the story,
moving forward while drawing others in.

The essence of the Benio-type heroine can be summarized in the following five points.

Brightness—A technique to neutralize the weight of the story.

Positivity—Not pessimism, but a stance of "making things work" as someone living life.

Sharing difficulties—Relationships are born from sharing situations, not values.

Building camaraderie—The ability to naturally create goal-oriented communities.

A lightness that does not impose values—The strength not to try to change others.

These five points form the core of the Benio-type heroine.

Why Morning Dramas Inherited the Benio Type

Morning dramas are not just dramas; they have been created as
"stories that set the viewer's day in 15 minutes each morning."

The heroine archetype required by such stories is surprisingly compatible with the Benio type.

1. What the morning time slot needed was "lightness."
Brightness and positivity are required, not heavy emotions.

2. Morning dramas are stories that depict the "restoration of daily life."
The cyclical pattern of Waki Yamato's stories matches the structure of morning dramas.

3. Morning dramas are "national stories" and need to avoid imposing values.
The Benio-type's "strength of not imposing" was optimal.

4. Morning dramas are "stories of community."
The Benio-type's "sharing difficulties → building camaraderie" is inherited directly.

5. To depict an era of change, the lightness of the Benio type was necessary.
Benio does not fear change and finds new happiness within it.

Thus, the Benio type became the quiet prototype for the morning drama heroine.

How the Benio-type's "sharing of difficulties" was inherited in masterpiece morning dramas

The core of the Benio type lies in the structure where
"camaraderie is born not from shared values, but from shared difficulties."

This structure has been deeply inherited by masterpiece morning dramas.

Asa ga Kita— Sharing the difficulties of women's business, creating practical solidarity.

Hiyokko— Sharing the difficulties of daily life, naturally forming a community.

Gegege no Nyobo— Sharing the difficulties of poverty and creation, with an unforced strength supporting the story.

Come Come Everybody— Each of the three generations shares their difficulties and gains companions.

Ranman— Sharing the difficulties of research, creating goal-oriented solidarity.

In every work, the story progresses with the Benio-type "sharing of difficulties" at its core.

Why is the lightness of the Benio type necessary for Reiwa-era morning dramas?

Reiwa-era Japan is an era where
values are finely fragmented, isolation is deepening, and the pain of change is significant.

What is needed in this era is neither strong words nor the presentation of righteousness.

The lightness of the Benio type matches the society of the Reiwa era surprisingly well.

1. An era where clashes of values are prone to occur → The Benio type does not impose values.

2. An era where isolation is deepening → Companions are naturally created through the sharing of difficulties.

3. An era where the pain of change is significant → The Benio type accepts change with lightness.

4. An era where healing is sought → Can depict stories of recovery.

5. An era of diversity → Can create communities connected by action.

The Benio type is the "optimal solution" for Reiwa-era morning dramas.

The future of the Benio-type heroine in Reiwa-era morning dramas

The Benio-type heroine is not a relic of the past.

Rather, it is the very "narrative technique" needed in an era of change.

The future Benio-type heroine will likely evolve in the following directions.

1. Toward a heroine who connects through circumstances, not values.
Light solidarity connected by action.

2. Toward a heroine who creates network-style communities.
Depicting connections not bound by location.

3. Toward a heroine who shares the difficulties of life and embraces social change.
Actions taken to protect one's life reflect society as a result.

The Benio type will play an even more important role in the morning dramas of the Reiwa era.

Epilogue

Benio's attitude quietly overlaps with our own lives as we walk through an era of change.

While carrying difficulties,
still sharing the situation with someone,
moving forward lightly without imposing.

That way of walking is not something that exists only within stories.

In our daily small choices and in our relationships with others,
it is the very "way of life" that we ourselves choose over and over again.

The lightness of the Benio type
will continue to gently push the backs of those of us living in the coming era.

▶ The divergence of the Benio type depicted in "Yokohama Monogatari" (Sequel)

▶ Regarding the deeper origins of this lineage,
it continues in the discussion surrounding "Asakiyumemishi."

"Haikara-san ga Tooru" © Waki Yamato / Kodansha

The figure of Benio, walking lightly through an era of change, gently illuminates the "shadow" behind it.

The author who depicted that shadow most delicately was Thomas Mann.

▶ "Tonio Kröger"—The quiet rupture born from the asymmetry of light and shadow (German Intellectual History ⑤)

→ Another Heroine Archetype: Reading the Galaxy of "The Story of the Inner Palace"

▶ Into the Depths of Subculture