The working single woman is used to living on her own terms. A nice apartment, freedom to purchase what she wants, leaving those purchases wherever she wants them and knowing exactly where in the pile they are, and a kitchen that rarely sees any use. All this is true of Satomi Akiyama. Now a teacher at an all-girls school she once attended, Satomi balances her teaching duties with her new title as head of year teacher. Added to this, the principal asks her to mentor the new substitute teacher, 23 year old Shinichi Kamisaka.
Shinichi is not too sure about his future as an educator. He definitely lacks experience and is an easy target for his students, some of whom have immediate crushes on him. So does Kimika Sawai, a fellow teacher who is at odds with a certain one of Shinichi’s student crushes.
Life gets complicated when Shinichi starts living in an internet and manga cafe. When Satomi finds out, she tells him he can stay at her place until he has enough money to rent his own apartment. Now they must keep this secret from getting out or they could both lose their jobs.
As with most J-dramas that revolve around teaching, there are many issues that arise that will test both Satomi and Shinichi. Together they take on a creepy photographer stalking the girls at the school, help a student get over her hatred of eggplant, and deal with missing money from the staff room.
But it wouldn’t be a great drama without some romance. Without knowing it, Satomi finds herself caring more about Shinichi. Meanwhile, Sawai-sensei is trying to date Shinichi, but the poor boy doesn’t seem to understand what is going on. And then there is Principal Tajima (Maya Miki). What is the real reason behind her hiring Shinichi as a teacher at the school?
Ohitorisama provides a great balance of drama and laughter and sometimes tears. As Satomi and Shinichi discover exactly what their feelings for one another, we are treated to seeing them both develop more as individuals as well. Ohitorisama is one of the best romantic comedies that I have seen in the past five years.
Original Air Dates: Oct 16 to Dec 18, 2009
Number of Episodes: 10 episodes
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Broadcast Network: TBS