Nostalgia often results in an image of the past that isn¡¯t quite right. For example, I¡¯m pretty sure Ayumi Hamasaki¡¯s rise to the top of J-pop didn¡¯t involve nefarious secretaries sporting eyepatches.
¡°M: Ai Subeki Hito ga Ite,¡± a series based on the life of the pop titan made jointly by TV Asahi and AbemaTV, and which airs every Saturday night, isn¡¯t really concerned about getting history right, which isn¡¯t a bad thing. Rather than try to turn the story of Hamasaki¡¯s ascent to the top into prestige TV, the folks behind this show are embracing spectacle. Disciplinarian teachers throw buckets of water in flailing performer¡¯s faces, board meetings collapse into screaming contests, rainbows appear in the sky at climactic moments and we¡¯re introduced to an agency employee who employs an eye patch to maximum sinister pirate effect.
It¡¯s a dizzying and frequently goofy watch, but it¡¯s never boring. ¡°M¡± is part 1990s junk-food comfort, part real-world escapism and part of a greater push to help cement the image of one of Japan¡¯s biggest stars.
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