Akimahende (NO WAY!)

The series features Uchida Yuki, which is why I decided to get the series and watch it. She was in Hanjuku Tamago (Half-boiled Egg) and I really enjoyed that series.

This one features an older woman, Katsura, who is going to marry Junichiro but also going to pose as a housekeeper for three months to see how she gets along with the children in the family. Junichiro had been married three times previously and has four children.

Satsuki is the youngest, in sixth grade. She starts the series terribly introverted and always playing her Pokeman game. Daiki is the next oldest, a male in high school who is ultra-smart, expected to take over the family business and in love with a woman who owns an Italian restaurant nearby.

Sumire (played by Uchida Yuki) is still living at home. She starts off working in a bank and in love with another person at the bank who happens, unfortunately, to be married. Finally there's Ayame, a model who is also married to a man who is part of a family that owns a shumai (Chinese dumpling) shop. His sister, who I refer to as the Dragon Lady, wants Ayame to work there as a "proper housewife" should, but she wants only to be a model.

Then there is also Mr. Nakata who is sort of a butler in charge of everything in the house, although Katsura is the only actual housekeeper under his umbrella of responsibility.

The series takes a little bit of getting used to as the characters are almost all played well over-the-top, especially Katsura. There is also an interesting but sometimes annoying segment which is superimposed over the drama, explaining various things that are seen.

Still, it turns out to be a relatively good series and very heavy on the personalities of the people involved. Worth giving a watch.

Scans and synopsis