Atashinchi no Danshi - my boys

Alright, so kicking off episode one starts with Chisato running from the yakuza debt collectors. Why? Because her useless father racked up a large debt of 100 million yen (approx. $1 million) and put Chisato down as the co-signer. Messed up? Tell me about it. We meet her high school friend, Kokudo (Tsuruno Takeshi) who is practically in love with her, and Heiji – one of the net cafe workers who falls for Chisato as well. So she’s being chased by these guys and eventually they catch her. All of a sudden … dun dun dun! Here comes Ohkura Shinzo .. in a helicopter .. wearing a cape. He owns the toy company, called Miracle, and their logo is a bat. If you’re thinking Batman, you’re not the only one! Anyway .. Shinzo pays off Chisato’s debt, without asking her, and kind of tricks her into signing a marriage contract. At first she refuses, but the girl’s got no choice .. why? Because she already signed it. Should’ve read the fine print Chisato! A month later the old man dies and here we meet Tokita (the company director/assistant) and Kyoko (Shinzo’s legal advisor/lawyer). They tell Chisato that she must live in the Trick Heart Castle for 3 months and be the “mother” of Shinzo’s 6 adopted sons. Oh yeah, there’s also a blimp with a series of numbers representing the hiragana chart and if decifered correctly, it says something about being at the Trick Heart Castle at a certain time (I’m too lazy to go and watch it again right now). Tokita then leads Chisato into the next room where all of a sudden she’s met with 4 half-naked guys & a kid on a monitor. The 4 half-naked ones are Takeru, Sho, Masaru, & Akira and Satoru is on the monitor. Why? Because he fears any human contact and the outside world to even bother, in other words, a shut-in. So, what is Chisato’s reaction when she sees them? Scream of course; it’s not everyday you see four half-naked men in front of you. Naturally, they ask who she is while Masaru is freaking out (remember, he as an extreme fear of women). After some words are exchanged, Chisato storms out of the castle after getting a call from Kokudo, who has found out where her father is. While she is out, Kyoko & Tokita give the sons their inheritance – meaningless inventions, in other words .. junk. After being given their “inheritance,” the boys start arguing and talking about how they will not accept Chisato. Chisato then returns (with the help of Sho, who gives her the answer to the entrance password). As she heads back into the castle, Kyoko appears out of nowhere, surprising Sho. (This will happen a heck of a lot, Kyoko will always appear at random times .. talk about creepy). Sho then uses his host charms to try and convince Kyoko to come to the host club he’s currently working at because he believes that the inheritance money was not donated like the will stated. Meanwhile, Chisato is pondering inside reading her quick-guide-book that has information on each son. As she sits back in her chair, she falls into a trap door that leads to the gym. There, she sees Takeru, Masaru, and Akira sitting and drinking their tropical beverages nonchalantly. She gets challenged to a basketball game where all she has to do is score once with Inoue (the castle maid) as her partner. Of course, Inoue is there to mess it up but ends up helping Chisato to score anyway. Since Chisato won, the boys give her another task with the promise of acknoledging her. Her task – to get Satoru out of his room. This isn’t going to be easy, of course. Why? The boy has rigged his room with so many contraptions it’s merely impossible to open the door. What’s her first plan? Talking to the kid. Second plan? To hack open the door with an axe. And when all else fails, freeze him out by tricking him into thinking she’s rigged his room with a freezing invention. But, in fact, all she did was turn up the AC. SMART! Since she managed to get him out, the other three has promised to eat breakfast together. Why? Because Chisato also has a list of “mother” tasks to complete her contract. Surprise there, knew being a “mother” had a catch to it. The next morning, Chisato is making her miso-daikon soup. She walks into the living room only to see it empty. As she sits there eating all the miso-daikon soup, Sho appears on the second floor of the living room, making a deal to help her with her “mother” goals. In return, he wants the inheritance he thinks she’s getting. And that’s the end of episode 1. I have to say, this drama will just bring a smile to your face at all the ridiculous comedic scenes. There is only one or two scenes of the eldest son, Fuu. The scenes are so small, you can forget that there are 6 sons. Overall, good way to start the series