| Synopsis | Otoko Abare Hatchaku (A Very Tough Boy! Abare Hatchaku)This is the second installment of the hugely popular TV drama series Abare Hatchaku. The second-generation protagonist、 Chotaro Sakurama、 is an energetic and wild fifth grader who absolutely dislikes any kind of unfairness. Because of his older brother Shinichiro’s entrance exams、 the family moves from Gunma Prefecture to Setagaya、 Tokyo. On his first day、 he meets his next-door neighbor and future classmate、 Miyuki Oshima、 but her first impression of him is far from positive. Calling himself Abare Hatchaku, Chotaro displays his boisterous personality from the first day of transfer、 which causes friction with his classmates、 including Miyuki. Later、 he receives a formal challenge from Miyuki、 who practices aikido、 leading to a direct confrontation. While his reckless behavior initially keeps him from fitting in with the class、 his resilient、 never-give-up personality gradually wins the understanding of people around him.This drama series was broadcast on the TV Asahi network between March 22、 1980、 and March 27、 1982. Unlike the first-generation Chotaro Sakurama in the previous series Ore wa Abare Hatchaku (I’m Abare Hatchaku)、 this installment stars Atsushi Kurimata in the lead role. While the show retains some unique scenes from its predecessor、 such as Chotaro tossing his school bag as soon as he comes home and enters the front door、 it also features its unique backstory; Chotaro actually inherited the Hatchaku title from Tokijiro Akagi、 the First Hatchaku、 while living in Gunma and thus he identifies himself as the Second Hatchaku. The story is based on the children's novel Abare Hatchaku by Hisashi Yamanaka、 which was serialized in the Yomiuri Shonen Shojo Shinbun published by the Yomiuri Shimbun from June 2、 1970、 to March 30、 1972. The scripts were written by Naoko Miyake、 a writer renowned for her extensive work in children's television drama. |
