Tokyo Girl

I was sorry when this intelligent, humorous series was over. We binge watched on Amazon (titled Tokyo Girl) and after initially being annoyed with the shallow 20-something characters, a few episodes in I realized I was annoyed because when you're twenty, you're annoying and shallow. At 40, I read my 20-something diary and did not even recognize myself. I got better. So does the series.

We see a young woman in Japan with aspirations of a career, a handsome boyfriend, nice clothes, and wanting nothing more than to be the envy of others. Throughout the series she ages 20 years and during that time holds various jobs and relationships, and moves to differing Tokyo neighborhoods, each one signifying a particular lifestyle and perceived status, and she slowly develops self awareness on a deeper level. The series is a statement against the shallow judgments used as a base for evaluating one's worth and a loving criticism of those that fall prey to that system. Yet viewers get relief from the harshness from the many comedic moments, mostly stemming from the universal awkwardness and ridiculousness of the interactions of life. Stunning cinematography, insightful writing, excellent acting and a non formulaic story. It was a complete winner in my eyes.

Loved this beautiful series.