“Continuing, Continuing, Second to Last Love”: A story about an almost-40-year-old watching it late and feeling it hit home

Why haven't I watched this until now...?

A double-starring cast of Kyoko Koizumi and Kiichi Nakai, along with Kenji Sakaguchi, Yuki Uchida, and Naoko Iijima. There's no way a lineup like that could go wrong. But I had never watched this series before.

To be honest, I felt like it was a story for a generation slightly older than mine.
The first season of “Second to Last Love” was in 2012. That was my second year as a new employee after graduating from university. I was still young then, and perhaps I felt it was someone else's business.
But now, I am 36. I think I'm 37 this year. (I've lost track of my own age since turning 30.)
I'm right in the middle of my late 30s. Before I knew it, the halfway point of my life has come into view.

Is it really that easy to envision a second life?

This story begins with a “Second Life Seminar” aimed at employees who are one year away from retirement.
They are shown the amount of their retirement money and told, “Write down what you want to do in your second life.” But the protagonist can't write anything.

I get it, I totally get that feeling!!
Because I can't imagine what my 40s or 50s will be like at all. Let alone a “second life,” I can't think of anything specific I want to do.
In the first place, I'm just trying my best to survive in this day and age! Even AI is evolving at such a rapid pace!

If the protagonist is someone who works hard and is admired by her juniors, it's even more understandable that she can't specifically envision a future after retirement.

I started to think that getting older isn't so bad

“Aging” has a negative image, but in reality, as various experiences accumulate within you, there's a sense that living becomes a little easier.
Of course, I don't want my body to age, but even so, I, as someone in my late 30s, think that “getting older” itself isn't all bad.
My mental state is clearly more stable than it was in my 20s.

It's because I've come to think that way that this drama hits home so much.
Kyoko Koizumi's hair color that embraces her gray hair, her tortoiseshell glasses, the styling that intentionally shows her age—everything is so wonderful and real!
Just the other day, “Asa-Ichi” had a feature on gray hair and coloring that makes the most of white hair.
I'm also at the age where I'm starting to worry about gray hair. Tears.

I feel both reality and longing for the image of an “older working woman.”
Ah, I want to age beautifully like this!!

The workplace situation of the three women also hits hard

TV station, publishing company, record company. The changes in the work environment for the three women were also very realistic.
When they were young, these were industries they thought were “cool,” and they actually were. Now, they are called industries that are “in trouble.”
The conflict that these working women feel, thinking, “This isn't how it was supposed to be.”
Even in industries that are thriving now, the future is uncertain. Especially in an era where AI is evolving this much. The fear that no matter what industry you are in, you might be weeded out, is always there.
It looked like my own future.

The banter between Kyoko Koizumi and Kiichi Nakai is the best!

And above all, the interaction between Kyoko Koizumi and Kiichi Nakai is lighthearted and incredibly funny! The exchange of little remarks makes you chuckle, but it's also deep and somehow touches your heart. The dialogue is superb.
I feel like people who like “Omameda Towako and Her Three Ex-husbands” or “Quartet” will get hooked, and since those who got hooked are also getting older, I think it will hit home...!

Since it's set in Kamakura, the visuals are truly beautiful and healing. Just watching it makes my heart feel a bit more settled.

The ending theme is also sung by the two of them, and that's also great!
A light melody and bright singing voices. There are many unpleasant things, but it's a wonderful song that makes your heart feel a little lighter.
Kyoko Koizumi's singing voice is good, of course, but Kiichi Nakai's voice is also very gentle and good. It's just too good.

If you are interested, please take a look

I'm curious about Season 1 and Season 2 as well...

I'm definitely going to watch this until the end!

Even though I've only watched the first episode, I'm convinced that this is a show I'll watch all the way through.
Why didn't I watch this sooner? But maybe it resonates so much precisely because I'm watching it now.

It's a story about a stage of life just a little bit ahead of my own, which I can enjoy all the more because I'm in my late 30s.
It was a gentle drama that gave me a little bit of hope for my own future.

I still can't fully imagine what it will be like to be 40, 50, or even reaching retirement age.
I decided that I want to be someone who can master AI so I don't get left behind by the times! I'm going to study AI more!!!

Everyone, we might feel like we're about to be left behind by the speed of the times, but let's keep struggling and living on!!!

#DramaReview #TVDramaReview