History Series / Oshin

* MeddlingParents: While Ryuuzo's father Daigoro eventually warms up to Oshin, his mother Kiyo ''really'' hates her and makes her life VERY hard [[spoiler: when Ryuuzo and Oshin are forced to live with his parents in Saga and work the fields to earn their keep.]] She later goes as far as [[spoiler: hiding Oshin's letters to Ryuuzo when she works on her own in Tokyo and Sakata, which leads Oshin, Kouta and Kayo to believe that he's abandoned her.]]

* IllGirl:
** [[spoiler: Oshin's older sister Haru, who contracts tuberculosis at her work in a textile mill and ultimately dies.]]
** [[spoiler: Kayo's younger sister Sayo, who dies of pneumonia.]]
** [[spoiler: Oshin's mother Fuji, who dies of leukemia.]]

The series itself was this close to not be aired since it included a not very flattering view of UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan's classism, lack of free speech and increasing militarization through the first part of the 20th century. The head of NHK, however, gave it his seal of approval, which turned out to be a great idea since it was a hit in Japan and in many other countries, specially in the Middle East and some parts of Latin America. The actresses Ayako Kobayashi, Yuuko Tanaka and Nobuko Otowa (little, teenage/adult and old Oshin, respectively) portrayed the main character.

Oshin (おしん, ''Oshin'') is a TV morning drama (''asadora'') aired in 1983 by NHK. It lasted 297 episodes, each one 15 minutes long. Its script writer, Sugako Hashida, said that the story's based on the real life of a woman named Katsu Wada, the mother of the Japanese entrepreneur Ryouhei Wada, founder of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaohan Yaohan supermarket chain.]]

Shin "Oshin" Tanemura is the youngest daughter of a farmer family, who has to start working at age 7 because her father Sakuzou can't make ends. She, however, can barely make it through her first work and almost dies in a snowy day, and only forging a sort-of IntergenerationalFriendship with an ex-soldier saves her. Oshin's second work fares much better and she bonds with her employer's granddaughter, Kayo, plus gets something similar to an education and decides that someday, she will forge her own future. However, since her story is set in ImperialJapan plus she's a humble CountryMouse, it will NOT be an easy task... The story itself is marked as a 83-years old Oshin, now a very succesful entrepreneur, explaining her humble origins to her teenage grandson Kei, while traveling across all the places in Japan where all the most important events in Oshin's life happened.

* ImperialJapan: The story begins in 1907 (Meiji era) and goes through the Taisho and Showa ones, including the 1923 Kanto earthquake [[spoiler: (where Genji sacrifices himself to save the family's eldest son Yu, Ryuuzo and Oshin lose their first business and are forced to live with Ryuuzo's family, with his mother treating Oshin like crap)]] and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (where among many other hardships, [[spoiler: the grown-up Yu dies in the war itself, their business collapses ''again'', their hometown of Ise is bombed and Ryuuzo commits suicide in despair]])

* ImperialJapan: The story begins in 1907 (Meiji era) and goes through the Taisho and Showa ones, including the 1923 Kanto earthquake [[spoiler: (where Genji sacrifices himself to save the family's eldest son Yu, Ryuuzo and Oshin lose their first business and are forced to live with Ryuuzo's family, with his mother treating Oshin like crap)]] and WorldWarTwo (where among many other hardships, [[spoiler: the grown-up Yu dies in the war itself, their business collapses ''again'', their hometown of Ise is bombed and Ryuuzo commits suicide in despair]])

* {{Seppuku}}: [[spoiler: Ryuuzo's suicide counts as this since he stabs himself dead after the death of his and Oshin's son Yu ''and'' his definitive economic ruin at the end of WorldWarTwo, believing that he has failed to Oshin in absolutely unforgiveable ways.]]

* WorldWarTwo: Oshin is not only troubled by the increasing militarization of her country and Ryuuzo's involvement in right-wing circles, but because she's always been a pacifist ''and'' [[spoiler: has never forgotten her first friend Shunsaku's death.]] For worse, [[spoiler: her older sons Yu and Hitoshi want ''badly'' to enroll in the military, and not only Yu does but he ''dies'' of malaria in the Philippines.]]

* YankTheDogsChain: [[spoiler: When it looks like Ryuuzo is ''finally'' going to succeed in his Saga business, a typhoon ruins the land he's been working so hard to claim. [[ThrowTheDogABone At least he decides to finally stay with Oshin and help her wholeheartily]].]]

The series itself was this close to not be aired since it included a not very flattering view of UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan's classism, lack of free speech and increasing militarization through the first part of the 19th century. The head of NHK, however, gave it his seal of approval, which turned out to be a great idea since it was a hit in Japan and in many other countries, specially in the Middle East and some parts of Latin America. The actresses Ayako Kobayashi, Yuuko Tanaka and Nobuko Otowa (little, teenage/adult and old Oshin, respectively) portrayed the main character.

* KickTheDog: Almost ''anything'' that Kiyo does to Oshin during her time in Saga,[[spoiler: [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone until Oshin miscarriaged her baby beacuse of said treatment]].]]

* TextileWorkIsFeminine: One of Oshin's many works is as a seamstress, and she's seen both dewing normally and using a Western sewing machine. [[RareMaleExample And in one scene, Genji is shown sewing next to her.]]
* TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Surprisingly averted, since the series does have Tokyo as one of its scenarios but also features places like Yamagata (Oshin's home prefecture), Saga (Ryuuzo's homeland), Ise (Mie prefecture, where Oshin's family finally settles down)
* TragicDream: [[spoiler: Oshin's dream to become a hairstylist was originally Haru's, and when Haru dies Oshin decides to fulfill it for the two of them.]]

** Also Michiko to Hitoshi, which is one of the reasons that [[ObnoxiousInLaws made her clash often with Oshin]], since she was practically useless as a housewife ''and'' [[MealTicket was aware that Hitoshi married her only to make business with her dad]].

** One of Oshin's friends and strongest supporters in Tokyo is a yakuza named Ken.

* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: How Michiko, Hitoshi's wife interptets Oshin's attitude towards her.

Shin "Oshin" Tanemura is the youngest daughter of a farmer family, who has to start working at age 7 because her father Sakuzou can't make ends. She, however, can barely make it through her first work and almost dies in a snowy day, and only forging a sort-of InterGenerationalFriendship with an ex-soldier saves her. Oshin's second work fares much better and she bonds with her employer's granddaughter, Kayo, plus gets something similar to an education and decides that someday, she will forge her own future. However, since her story is set in ImperialJapan plus she's a humble CountryMouse, it will NOT be an easy task... The story itself is marked as a 83-years old Oshin, now a very succesful entrepreneur, explaining her humble origins to her teenage grandson Kei, while traveling across all the places in Japan where all the most important events in Oshin's life happened.

* ColdBloodedTorture:[[spoiler: Kouta]] suffers this after [[spoiler:being arrested for his communist ideas in order to abandon them]], to the point that he's permanently crippled.

* FramingDevice: The series is framed by an 83- year old Oshin telling the story to her beloved grandson Kei.

The series itself was this close to not be aired since it included a not very flattering view of ImperialJapan's classism, lack of free speech and increasing militarization through the first part of the 19th century. The head of NHK, however, gave it his seal of approval, which turned out to be a great idea since it was a hit in Japan and in many other countries, specially in the Middle East and some parts of Latin America. The actresses Ayako Kobayashi, Yuuko Tanaka and Nobuko Otowa (little, teenage/adult and old Oshin, respectively) portrayed the main character.

* ActualPacifist: Oshin is this, thanks to her friendship with Shunsaku [[spoiler: and its tragic end.]] Not only she's increasingly disturbed as ImperialJapan becomes more militarized, when [[spoiler: Yu is drafted into the military itself]], she breaks down in tears and thinks that she's failed to her first friend.

* BreakTheCutie: The plot bends over and down to break the characters and specially Oshin herself. It ''fails'' in her case (coming close to succeed in Saga), but she does come close and so do many others [[spoiler: like Oshin's sister, best friends, eldest son, and husband.]]

* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler: Hatsuko]] declares to Oshin [[spoiler: after she finds her in a brothel at Tokyo]] that the woman she used to know died [[spoiler: along with her son Yu]], but as Oshin can see BeneathTheMask ([[RuleOfSymbolism while removing her excessive makeup]]), [[spoiler: the Hatsuko who came to her home whe little and considers her own daughter still exists]].

** From the Yashiro sisters, Kayo, the ''eldest'' was the foolish to her little sister Sayo. She outright told her arents and grandmother that she prefered Sayo to inherit Kagaya.

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Hitoshi and Nozomi, respectively. Ironic, [[spoiler considering who are their [[YamatoNadeshiko respective]] [[RebelliousPrincess mothers]].]]

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Hitoshi and Nozomi, respectively.

* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: How Michiko interptets Oshin's attitude towards her.

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: In anger, Someko, one of Oshin's beloved customers essentially tells Ryuuzo when she sees him having an affair with another woman at the bar.

** Hatsuko, even in ther near fifties, is considered this by Hitoshi, Nozomi and Tei. With Yu it was [[NotBloodSiblings a different matter]].

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: In anger, one of Oshin's beloved customers essentially tells Ryuuzo when she sees him having an affair with another woman at the bar.

* CoolBigSis: Hatsuko.

** Hitoshi intend to get his sister Tei married to his best friend and NumberTwo Tatsunori in order to enforce ties with the Tanokura Supermarket business. [[spoiler: She ends up marrying him, not for the business, but because [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan she realises that she wants to be with the type of man he is]].]]

** Hitoshi intend to get his sister Tei married to his best friend and NumberTwo Tatsunori in order to enforce ties with the Tanokura Supermarket business. [[spoiler: She ends up marrying him, not for the business, but because [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan she realises that she wants to be with a nice and caring man like him]].]]