Japan as a 'Reduction-Oriented Society' and the Heroes They Portray Japan is often referred to as a "reduction-oriented society." Despite being an economic powerhouse with a population of over 120 million and a strong cultural influence, the inner workings of the country reveal a surprisingly modest and static nature. In particular, as the long-term economic stagnation and low-growth trend known as the "Lost 30 Years" have continued, there seems to be a stronger tendency across society to focus on individual lives and well-being rather than grand discourses. In the past, Japanese pop culture enthusiastically embraced stories on a massive scale, such as Space Battleship Yamato or Gundam, which were set in the vast universe and involved saving the world. However, now, "my small happiness" and "trivial daily life" seem to be emerging as more important values. This social atmosphere is reflected in content like dramas and movies, creating an era where "petit bourgeois" heroes who seem like they could live next door are more loved than superheroes who protect the Earth.
A Country Without Passports, Gazing Inward According to recent statistics, the percentage of Japanese citizens holding a passport has dropped to less than 20% (referencing the user's note of under 50%). This seems to represent more than just a lack of overseas travel; it reflects the psychology of Japanese people seeking stability within rather than expanding into the outside world. It is likely not unrelated to the decrease in animations or movies active on a global stage or set in space compared to the past. Instead of energy stretching outward, it is converging entirely into the individual's inner self and very trivial daily routines. Perhaps that is why recent Japanese dramas seem to whisper, "Let's live today without incident," rather than shouting, "Let's change the world." The story of this drama begins exactly at that point, in an era where the tranquility of a minor daily life shines brighter than grand justice.
"Forget the Earth, My Life is a Mess": Reality-Based Superpower Users Usually, when we think of "superpowers," we imagine heroes from Marvel or DC Comics flying in the sky, turning back time, or beating up villains with tremendous strength. However, the Japanese sensibility is different. Even if they gain abilities, they have no intention of using them to save the Earth, nor are they given such opportunities in reality. In the Japanese drama Hotspot, which aired earlier this year, aliens appear, but far from conquering the Earth, they are depicted settling in Japanese society, mingling with ordinary people, and worrying about their livelihoods. They try not to stand out even with their abilities, and when they are forced to use them, they stop at solving very minor problems. I think this is the "Real Fantasy" that Japan currently defines. And here, the drama Just a Little Bit of Superpower (Original title nuance: Shoshimin, etc.), which is at the peak of that trend, has come to us via TV Asahi.
TV Asahi's Ambitious Work: Powers Born from Deficiencies The drama Just a Little Bit of Superpower, introduced this time, clearly reveals its identity from the title. It is not about figures with perfect physiques and genius brains exercising superpowers like heroes in American dramas. Rather, it deals with the happenings that occur when characters who are socially weeded out or seem to have a screw loose somewhere unexpectedly gain superpowers. They are not born with these abilities, either. They can only use superpowers temporarily by taking a pill provided by a mysterious company, and the reality of those powers is truly insignificant and even cute. There are no grand transformation scenes or flashy CG, but that is precisely why it forms a strange consensus that touches our lives. The story of slightly special things created by lacking people is the core charm of this drama.
The Superman Who Can't Fly and the Unemployed Uncle Who Reads Minds Looking at the faces of the superpower users in the drama, a chuckle naturally comes out. They can't fly like Superman, nor can they turn back time like Doctor Strange. At best, they can make a withered flower bloom again or have a short conversation like "Are you hungry?" with a passing dog. Among them, the ability of 'Bunta', played by the protagonist Oizumi Yo, seems the most useful. It is a 'Psychometry'-like ability that allows him to read what a person is currently thinking by touching their body. Oizumi Yo's unique acting tone, which is pathetic yet impossible to hate, breathes life into the character of Bunta, a middle-aged man with nothing much to show. His appearance of struggling while using a power that isn't even that great evokes a poignant laughter in the viewer.
Notice of Dismissal, Strange Employment, and Forbidden Love The life of the protagonist, Bunta, is twisted to the extreme. Fired from his job and failing at everything he tries, he receives a scout offer one day from a mysterious company called 'Nonamare'. In the interview he attends with a mindset of 'nothing to lose', Bunta boldly speaks his mind, but ironically, they like that about him and he ends up passing. The company provides him with pills that manifest superpowers and a house to live in, instructing him to perform activities. Here, one of the most absurd yet important conditions is attached. It is, "You must absolutely not fall in love." What does love have to do with activities as a superpower user for them to impose such a condition? This seemingly random condition becomes a crucial foreshadowing that penetrates the entire drama and a seed of conflict.
A Fake Husband and a Wife Who Seems Real: Miyazaki Aoi's Presence There is another tenant in the house provided by the company. It is 'Shiki', played by Miyazaki Aoi. Bunta initially thought that Shiki was a 'fake wife' set up by the company or a colleague performing missions together. However, surprisingly, Shiki is neither a superpower user nor an employee of the company. She is a person with memory and cognitive issues who lives mistaking Bunta for her dead 'real husband'. Her actual husband has already passed away, but in her world, Bunta is the husband who has returned alive. Bunta, who suddenly ends up playing the role of someone else's husband, and Shiki, who brightly welcomes him. Between the company's rule that he must not fall in love and the incredibly lovely fake wife, Bunta constantly wavers. Miyazaki Aoi's lovely acting, returning to drama after a long time, fills the screen.
How to Save the World: Waking Up Oversleepers and Handing Out Umbrellas The company's orders sent to Bunta via smartphone are absurd beyond measure. They are not missions like "Defeat the monster invading the Earth." The mission received on the first day is to wake up an ordinary office worker who is oversleeping to make them go to work on time, to make a passerby take an umbrella on a sunny day, or to drain the battery of a man's cell phone sitting in a cafe. What on earth do these trivial, prank-like tasks have to do with superpowers? At first, both Bunta and the viewers are puzzled. However, the drama shows that these trivial actions spread like the Butterfly Effect, changing someone's life and eventually preventing major accidents. Thanks to waking up and going to work on time, a traffic accident is avoided, and thanks to taking an umbrella, someone meets their destined partner in a sudden shower.
We Are All Connected: The Teamplay of Petit Bourgeois "The trivial thing you did actually saved the world." The company tells Bunta this. And Bunta realizes that the people who helped him knowingly or unknowingly during the mission process, which he thought he was doing alone, were actually colleagues belonging to the same company. Each has insignificant superpowers, but when those abilities gather and mesh like cogwheels, they become the key to solving huge incidents. They form a team in earnest and carry out the eccentric orders coming down from the company. It seems to focus on individual lives, but in the end, it throws a message that those individuals gather to constitute and support society. Miracles starting from the most trivial places—that is the essence of the team play they show.
One-Week Expiration Date, Minor Healing Found on Netflix There is a limit to their superpowers. Once a pill is taken, the ability is maintained for exactly one week. In other words, to maintain the ability, they must continue to follow the company's instructions and receive pills. This seems to be a metaphor for the sorrow of office workers who have to go to work every day to receive a salary, making it bitter yet relatable. The drama consists of a total of 9 episodes and recently concluded in Japan, unfolding excitingly as huge hidden secrets and each character's backstory intertwine. Currently, it is available for viewing through Netflix and Channel J in Korea. If you are tired of stimulating and violent content, why not lend an ear to the story of these eccentric but warm, insignificant but lovely petit bourgeois superpower users? You might find yourself falling for it surprisingly, or rather, quite deeply.
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