Bara no nai Hanaya (薔薇のない花屋 -2008)

Starring:
Katori Shingo as Shiomi Eiji
Takeuchi Yuko as Shirato Mio
Shaku Yumiko as Ono Yuki
Matsuda Shota as Kudo Naoya
Motokariya Yuika as Shizuku's mother
Bito Isao as Hirakawa Tatsumi
Terajima Susumu as Shijo Kengo
Ikeuchi Junko as Hishida Keiko
Miura Tomokazu as Anzai Teruo
Yagi Yuki as Shiomi Shizuku
Imai Yuki as Hirota Shogo
Supporting Cast
Aoki Shinsuke (ep1)
Funaki Sachi (舟木幸) (ep1)
Nishiyama Sosuke (ep1)
Sekiya Kento (関谷賢斗) (ep1)
Chijiwa Yoshiyuki (千々和義之) (ep1)
Hanako (はなこ) (ep1,4)
Isono Arisa (磯野光沙) (ep1)
Kawanishi Mizuki (河西泉妃) (ep1)
Matsumoto Hinano (松本妃奈乃) (ep1)
Morimoto Seina (森本聖菜) (ep1)
Abe Ayuha (阿部歩羽) (ep1)
Tada Hikaru (多田煌琉) (ep1)
Kyo Nobuo (ep2)
Minami Yoshiko (南風佳子) (ep2)
Abe Minami (阿部未菜美) (ep2,4,7,10-11)
Ebisawa Kanna (海老沢神菜) (ep2,4,6,10-11)
Ueyama Naomi (上山奈織美) (ep2,4,10-11)
Yonezawa Shiori (米澤史織) (ep2)
Mihara Iona (三原伊織奈) (ep2)
Kawakura Keizo (川倉けいぞう) (ep2)
Yasuoka Nao (安岡直) (ep2)
Kawachi Namie (河内浪江) (ep2)
Yoneda Takuya (米田拓也) (ep2)
Minami Yoshihiro (南好洋) (ep2)
Urushibata Takeyuki (漆畑武征) (ep2)
Mizusawa Shun (水沢駿) (ep2)
Amano Hiroyuki (ep3-4)
Kubota Maki (ep3)
Izumi Takaomi (和泉貴臣) (ep3)
Watanaka Yuzo (渡仲裕蔵) (ep3)
Ninomiya Satoshi (二宮聡) (ep3)
Nishina Akiko (仁科亜季子) as Anzai Kumiko (ep4,8)
Sakamoto Makoto (ep4)
Takaku Chigusa (高久ちぐさ) (ep4)
Mitsunobu (光宣) (ep4)
Yamanashi Hana (山梨ハナ) (ep4-6)
Dangan Jacky (弾丸ジャッキー) (ep4)
Koichi Mantaro as Hayashi Hisanori (ep6-8)
Sueno Takuma (末野卓磨) (ep7)
Tomioka Masafumi (富岡真史) (ep7)
Izutsu Taichi (井筒太一) (ep7)
Tamayama Tetsuji as Kamiyama Shun (ep8-11)
Nakane Toru as Soma Fuyuhiko (ep9,11)
Maeda Ken (前田健) (ep9)
Matsuda Saki (松田沙紀) (ep9)
Shimazaki Nobuo (嶋崎伸夫) (ep9)
Yoshino Yoshiko (よしのよしこ) (ep9)
Goshu (剛州) (ep10)
Nishikawa Yoshiro (西川洋禄) (ep10-11)

Shiomi Eiji is forced to become a single father when his girlfriend passes away while giving birth to their daughter, Shizuku. Desolate after the loss of the woman he loved, Eiji has little time or desire to even consider remarrying, working part-time jobs just to make ends meet. The one thing that gives meaning and joy to his life is Shizuku, but even that begins to trouble him when Shizuku begins acting strange, hiding her face by putting a cloth over her head when around other people.

One day after opening his flower shop, Eiji comes across a blind woman standing by the door, taking shelter from the rain. When he invites her to come inside the shop, she at first refuses, but later gives in to Eiji's kindness. They become intimate friends and she slowly grows to depend on Eiji's sincerity and goodheartedness. After rescuing her a following evening when she walks into the street and is nearly struck by traffic, Eiji himself inexplicably discovers the cold of winter that has saddled his heart all these years slowly melting away...

This was an absolutely, wonderful, exciting, suspensful, fulfilling drama. OMG! Totally loved this. Okay, let's not forget that Shota-kun and my favorite actor of all-time Tetsuji-kun were in it. Some serious eye-candy for me. No joke.

Why, oh why, is my Tetsuji-kun always a bad guy? He sort of redeemed himself at the end but yet......I just wanted to jump through the screen and plant a wet-juicy one on him.

This story was a serious tear jerker with a happy ending. I won't lie....as you all who have read my blog know....I'm a big wuss. LOL!

There were a few parts that were slow but the show never lost its quality. Shota-kun was awesome as the young, immature Baka! I wasn't sure how they could redeem him from his orneryness at the beginning. But, his story came out well in the end. Ahhh.....KOI.

All the characters were well played. I loved them all. Really a truly touching, loving story.

Matsuda Shota