The five astronauts in training might have the same goal but their personalities are pretty much different from one another.  Asumi (Nanami Sakuraba) really wants to be an astronaut but she’s being held down because of her dad’s involvement with the explosion of the first Japanese rocket.  Running is her advantage over the other candidates.  I don’t know how that helps in becoming an astronaut.

Shu (Yuichi Nakamura) is the leading candidate to be Japan’s first astronaut in space.  His appearance doesn’t show how smart he is but he gets the highest scores in class.  He is self-supporting and works after school.  Everything was going well for him and Asumi even expected him to be the first in space.

Then there’s Marika (Rika Adachi), who is the second when it comes to test scores among the batch.  She is the daughter of a Diet member. Her snobbish attitude turned me off at the beginning but as the series progressed, her aloofness grows into you and you start to cheer for her as well.

Among the aspiring astronauts, Kei (Yuko Takayama) is the most laid back.  She didn’t like Asumi and Marika at first because she thought that the two used their connections to get into the astronaut school.  But as soon as they proved her wrong, she apologizes to Asumi and they became friends.

Lastly, there’s Fuchi (Shunsuke Daito).  He and Asumi go way back.  Actually Asumi is the reason why he’s in astronaut school.  He doesn’t want to be an astronaut; he just wants to be with her.  But he hasn’t told her yet.  Their friendship will be tested when a new guy gets in between them.

A friend will kill me if I wouldn’t mention Osamu Mukai in this one.  He plays Haruki, a senior in school and Asumi’s love interest.  Although his role is brief in this short series, he plays a vital part in the story.  Sometimes astronauts need a little adversity to succeed.

The series is somewhat predictable except for Shu’s death.  Just as Shu was chosen to be sent to NASA for additional training, he died.  Asumi went on to NASA as his replacement.  Her dad and Sano patched things up and started a new rocket company.

Futatsu no Spica is a short drama with only 7 episodes but it was worth watching it.  Be sure to check out the end credits.  The song is performed by Orange Range and it shows clips from memorable space exploration videos.

The series becomes more interesting when Chisato met Shinzo and asked her to marry him and be the mother to his six adopted sons.  In exchange, her debt will be paid off.  This is no easy task especially when the six have their own problems to begin with.   On top of that, she must fulfill ten mothering goals as stated in the contract she signed before their supposed marriage.

Playing the six sons are Jun Kaname (Fuu), Yoshinori Okada (Takeru), Osamu Mukai (Sho), Yusuke Yamamoto (Masaru), Koji Seto (Satoru) and Tomoki Okayama (Akira).  It is amusing how they interact with each other and with their young stepmother as they live together at the Trick Heart Castle.   As the series progress, their views on family change and unite them against evil glasses guy’s plans.

Atashinchi no Danshi has eleven fun-filled and interesting episodes.  It has comedy, drama and a little bit of romance.  Chisato and Sho are cute and wish to see more of their pairing in the future.   The supporting cast delivers comic relief each week.  This makes the series light and fun to watch with the whole family. Inoue reminded me of Richie Rich’s maid Irona.

The plot might seem to be complex at first but everything is explained along the way.  Waiting a week for each episode was worth it.  And like what I’ve said before, Maki Horikita is turning out to be a good actress.

If you don’t want to be spoiled, STOP READING.   The ending was left wide open for a second season or a special in the future.  They found the Okura family treasure but they chose to be a family instead, just as what Shinzo has planned right from the start.  It was also revealed that Shinzo has two real heirs and Fuu is one of them.  The other one is not a son. *wink*