Official Website
www.tbs.co.jp/sunanotou
Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 14 October 2016
Station
TBS
Story
Takano Aki is a happy, ordinary housewife who always puts family happiness first. She has moved with her husband Kenichi and two children to their dream apartment at Sky Grand Tower. Everything in their lives seemed perfect until Aki encounters the housewives from upstairs who discriminate against people living downstairs and sees their vanity and jealousy with her own eyes. She cannot fit in with their unique, queer rules and hierarchy, and feels stressed by their obligatory Halloween event and hellish lunches. The only person she can relax around is Sasaki Yumiko, a kind neighbour who lives one floor above and teaches flower arrangement. However, Yumiko is a mysterious woman who secretly hacks the surveillance cameras in Sky Grand Tower and keeps watching them on large monitors in a room of her apartment. Meanwhile, a series of infant kidnapping cases have been taking place. Aki hears reports that mothers who neglect their children are being targeted and tells Yumiko that she cannot understand the kidnapper. Yumiko jokingly says that she understands the kidnapper’s feelings a little. Aki completely opens up to Yumiko but does not yet realise that Yumiko is the one manipulating the dark emotions of the housewives living in the apartment building and will drive her into isolation within the building and eventually cause the break up of her family. Kenichi worries about his poor performance at the food catering company he works for. He happens to meet Aso Takefumi at Sky Grand Tower’s bar and senses a business opportunity. Aso runs an event company and is the husband of Hiroko, the leader of the housewives who lives on the 50th floor. Aki ends up organising a baby shower because of Hiroko’s pushiness and Kenichi’s entreaty. She is astounded by words she has never heard before such as jacuzzi, diaper cake and swamped with all the preparations due to the sheer volume of work. However, Kenichi who wants to promote his company’s catering food at this party and improve his performance, is oblivious to her mental strain. One day, an old childhood friend Ubukata Kohei visits Aki’s apartment building. He conducts exercise classes. Aki is relieved and smiles at his kind words but does not notice someone staring at them from afar.
Characters
Kanno Miho as Takano Aki
A housewife who always puts family first and has a bright, carefree smile. She lives with her husband Kenichi, their teenage son Kazuki, and nursery school daughter, Sora. She comes from a modest family in a working-class neighbourhood and Kenichi is also an ordinary sarlaryman, but they move into the apartment of their dreams on the 25th floor of Sky Grand Tower. But their hopes of living happily and loving each other gets influenced by the destructive international relationships of the housewives who live in the apartment building and the obligatory socialising. Meanwhile, with the help of her childhood friend Ubukata Kohei, whom she happened to meet again, and neighbour Sasaki Yumiko, who lives one floor above, she tries to prevent her children from being isolated in the apartment building although it is beyond her … …
Iwata Takanori as Ubukata Kohei
The instructor of the exercise classes that the wealthy mothers of Sky Grand Tower let their children attend. A cheerful, pleasant young man who is liked by both the children and their parents. He appeals to the housewives’ maternal instincts, and is passionate about getting the children to develop their potential. He actually grew up in the same shopping street of a working-class neighbourhood as Takano Aki and has adored her since young. She is his first love. He lends an ear to Aki who is suffering under the family and interpersonal relationships at Sky Grand Tower and becomes her support.
Yokoyama Megumi as Aso Hiroko
The leader of the housewives. She lives on the 50th floor, the highest floor of Sky Grand Tower. Her husband runs a company and she dresses elegantly in branded items that give her the look of a wealthy woman. Her pride is higher than the sky and her behaviour to anyone and everyone appears ridiculous. Her entire attitude towards Aki makes a display of the difference between that the wealthy and common people and she makes unreasonable demands.
Horiuchi Keiko as Hashiguchi Rino
A mother who lives on the 45th floor and is obsessed with the education for her children. Her daughter Narumi is classmates with Takano Kazuki and her second daughter Mio goes to kindergarten. She gives Takano Aki advice about getting along with people in the apartment building and seems like a nice person. But she has actually got on the wrong side of Aso Hiroko and does not want to get involved in trouble. She is proud of the fact that she and her husband are Harvard graduates.
Horan Chiaki as Ono Ayaka
A young mother who is proud of being chosen for a beauty contest during her university days. She feels inferior living on the 2nd floor of Sky Grand Tower and often says that it is because her husband has a fear of heights even though she is not even asked about it.
Mitsuishi Ken as Aramata Hidemi
A well-known detective of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. He is investigating the series of kidnappings around the vicinity of Sky Grand Tower. He is a competent detective who makes level-headed decisions, but once he gets a phone call from his wife, he would turn into a doting husband and even leave meetings without hesitation.
Tanaka Naoki as Takano Kenichi
Takano Aki’s husband. He works for a mid-sized food company’s catering department. He is not particularly capable in his work but he is an honest husband who loves his wife and children. Wanting to let his family live in a safe and clean environment, he overstretched himself buying an apartment at Sky Grand Tower which happened to be sold cheaper than the market rate and feels increasingly alarmed by the hefty loan.
Matsushima Nanako as Sasaki Yumiko
A woman who moved into the 26th floor slightly before Takano Aki. Her husband is on an overseas assignment and she conducts flower arrangement classes in her home. She is beautiful and dignified. And yet she tells jokes to soothe the people around her sometimes and is also liked by children. Although she says she was born in New York, she does not brag about it. She becomes fast friends with Aki and always stands by her despite the unreasonable demands that the housewives make.
Scriptwriter
Ikeda Natsuko (Algernon ni Hanataba o, Alice no Toge)
Click here for photos from the press conference.
Related Post:
All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.
Tagged: Kanno Miho, Matsushima Nanako, Mitsuishi Ken, Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin
