Title: Taiyou no Uta aka Midnight Sun aka A Song to the Sun
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Yamamuro Daisuke, Imai Natsuki, Takei Atsushi
Format: 10 Episodes
Dates: 14 Jul 2006 – 15 Sep 2006

Synopsis: Amane Kaoru is a 20 year old girl suffering from an incurable disease called XP, which renders her completely helpless to UV rays. As a result, she stays inside during the day and lives in the darkness of night. It’s summer break, and Fujishiro Kouji and his buddies are in Kaoru’s seaside town, working part time and having a blast. While Kaoru can’t come outside and enjoy the summer sun, she has fun in her own way: playing as a street musician at the local train station. Through an odd twist of fate, Kauro and Kouji meet, and through their shared passion for music, spend the summer of their lifetimes.

The Highlights
Story: Takes the tried-and-true formula and makes it work.
Pacing: Just right.
Music: Absolutely astounding.
Ending: Dystopian.

Sophocles once famously described tragedy as the meeting of “man with more than man.” Taiyou no Uta, a television adaptation of the Midnight Sun movie released earlier in 2006, is a story of a girl’s struggle against the inevitable. It’s quite easy to dismiss this series as just another hackneyed teenage love story, but on closer inspection, it’s quite obvious that this show is much, much more.

First we have the story. Girl with terminal illness meets nice guy. Nice guy likes girl, relationship develops. I can name off the top of my head at least twenty dramas with that premise. However, the difference between most of the other nineteen and this one is that in Taiyou no Uta, the romance and the story actually work. The relationships are exactly what you’d expect in real life. Not too corny, not cheesy, and not over-the-top melodramatic. The whole thing is shrouded in mystery; the story will keep you guessing until the end.

Secondly, a good story needs good actors, and they picked the best cast possible. In most cases, swimsuit models aren’t especially renowned for their acting ability, but Sawajiri Erika is a very notable exception. Famous for her figure and her acting skills, her forte is playing girls with terminal illnesses, as shown in her previous work, the heart-shattering Ichi Litoru no Namida. Similarly, the supporting cast works well with her, creating vivid, lifelike characters that convey feelings well.

There’s a slight degree of awkwardness between the women and men of this drama, which is good. It just adds to the realism of the drama. Kouji and his friends are portrayed as a bunch of bumbling, idiotic, and almost socially inept college kids, while Kaoru is portrayed as a strong-willed and strong-minded woman. In a sense, in this drama, the woman protects the man, and not the other way around. It’s certainly interesting to see how this group of complete misfits come together and have the time of their lives making music and doing the things they love.

And then, there’s the music. In a drama about musicians, music is paramount. Sawajiri once again gives us a pleasant surprise, with this drama marking her debut as a singer. The background music is already top notch, but the song that Kaoru sings throughout the series, “Taiyou no Uta”, is just something else. It’s a melody that reverberates through my head over and over, and it is one of the most memorable songs I’ve ever heard. Filled with love and passion, Kaoru’s beautiful voice sings of hope through darkness and unconditional love. As a testament to her ability, “Taiyou no Uta” was released in late August, and became the highest-selling single by a female artist for the year of 2006, ousting pop superstars Utada Hikaru, Hamasaki Ayumi and countless others.

And then there’s the ending. Unlike most J-dramas, it doesn’t end with a glorious fanfare, or a sudden revelation. It doesn’t go out with a bang. Instead, it fades out to the end. And what a beautiful ending it is. The ending itself is not emphasized, but instead highlights the events that have transpired in the previous nine episodes. It ends quietly and realistically, but not in a way that’s totally easy to come to terms with.

Taiyou no Uta is a must-watch. A beautiful human drama, it’s just like life: sweet at times, sour at times, bitter at times. Possibly one of the best dramas I’ve watched in a long time, it will not disappoint.

The Rating: 9

Reviewed by: Akira