PickFlick
What a Wonderful Life

What a Wonderful Life

1993•54m•8.0/10
Drama

Ratings

🎬TMDb
8.0/10(1)

Yume (Asano) is a single mother raising a now teenage daughter, Haruka, by herself. She has trouble trusting men, as Haruka's real father Kunio left before Haruka was born, and her first marriage ended when her husband cheated on her. It is then though that she meets Kunio's younger brother, Mitsugu (played by Oda). He falls for her immediately, and sets out to win her heart despite her disbelief.

Open in PickFlick

Production

Fuji Television Network

Language

JA

Status

Ended

First Aired

July 1, 1993

Last Aired

September 16, 1993

Networks

Fuji TV

Created By

Hisashi Nozawa

Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
E1
Episode 1
Air date: 1993-07-01
Shibaki returns to his hometown to work as a high school teacher, only to find that his niece Haruka is his student. He visits her mother, Yume, and his long buried feelings of love for her reawaken.
E2
Episode 2
Air date: 1993-07-08
Shibaki confesses his love for Yume at school. Her ex-husband Shimpei hits Tsubaki, but then Yume's daughter Haruka and Shibaki's girlfriend Hatsune appear, baffled by what the fight is about.
E3
Episode 3
Air date: 1993-07-15
Shibaki tutors Haruka. Yume comes, and overhears him telling Haruka about his first love, Yume. He takes them out to supper. Yume explains she fears love because of what she's been through.
E4
Episode 4
Air date: 1993-07-22
Shibaki takes over the announcements to speak out for true love. Meeting with the principal, Yume says Shibaki should marry Hatsune, but Shibaki yells how can she talk about love, while hiding from it herself.
E5
Episode 5
Air date: 1993-07-29
Yume is admitted to hospital to have a breast removed. Shimpei stays there all night. The next night Shibaki comes, and swears her he will take care of her no matter what.
E6
Episode 6
Air date: 1993-08-05
Shibaki ends it with Hatsune. He convinces Haruka to let him marry Yume, who finally accepts Shibaki's love. Haruka returns home to find a tape from her real father, Shibaki's older brother.
E7
Episode 7
Air date: 1993-08-12
Kunio meets his daughter Haruka for the first time. Her adoptive father Shimpei leaves, and Haruka yells at Kunio for leaving. Shibaki worries that with his brother back, Yume's feelings will turn to him.
E8
Episode 8
Air date: 1993-08-19
Haruka heads out on a trip with her father. Shibaki invites Yume and Shimpei to a special class where he proposes to Yume in front of everyone. She says yes.
E9
Episode 9
Air date: 1993-08-26
Shibaki's ex-girlfriend Hatsune starts stalking him, while the father of Yume's child, Kunio, hatches his own plot to try to pry Yume away from his younger brother.
E10
Episode 10
Air date: 1993-09-02
Hatsune is pregnant with Shibaki's child. Shibaki asks her to get an abortion, but gets cold feet. Amiko finds out, and tells Shimpei who tells Yume. Yume confronts Shibaki at Hatsune's place.
E11
Episode 11
Air date: 1993-09-09
Yume and Mitsugu get word that Hatsune is dead. They go to the funeral. Mitsugu accepts the blame, but then disappears. Yume sets out for his father's home trying to track down Mitsugu before he does something rash.
E12
Episode 12
Air date: 1993-09-16

Cast

Atsuko Asano

Atsuko Asano

Yume Takahata (present)

Yuji Oda

Yuji Oda

Mitsugu Shibaki

Yasuko Tomita

Yasuko Tomita

Hatsune Ito

Rie Tomosaka

Rie Tomosaka

Haruka Takahata

Koichi Sato

Koichi Sato

Shimpei Hosaka

Ken Tanaka

Ken Tanaka

Kunio Nagasawa

Asaka Seto

Asaka Seto

Yume Takahata (high school)

Recommended

Hotaru no Hikari: It's Only A Little Light In My Life

Hotaru no Hikari: It's Only A Little Light In My Life

7.2
2007
TV Show

Hotaru no Hikari is a Japanese josei manga series by Satoru Hiura. It has been adapted into 2 television drama series and a live action film that was released on 7 July 2012.

Hotaru no Hikari: It's Only A Little Light In My Life

2007
7.2
BOYS OVER FLOWERS

BOYS OVER FLOWERS

8.0
2005
TV Show

Set at a famous high school for the super-wealthy, this is a puppy love story centered on Tsukushi Makino, a poor girl, and the F4 gang of rich kids headed by the rough and fearless Prince Charming, Tsukasa Domyoji.

BOYS OVER FLOWERS

2005
8.0
Love in the Moonlight

Love in the Moonlight

7.0
2016
TV Show

A young Joseon woman who's lived her whole life as a man ends up as a eunuch in the royal palace, where she begins to bond with the crown prince.

Love in the Moonlight

2016
7.0
I Am Not a Robot

I Am Not a Robot

8.3
2017
TV Show

Kim Min Gyu has wealth and success, but lives an isolated life due to his allergy of people. He then meets and falls in love with a girl who is pretending to be a robot for her ex-boyfriend, a genius robots professor.

I Am Not a Robot

2017
8.3
Wizards of Waverly Place

Wizards of Waverly Place

8.6
2007
TV Show

Alex, Justin and Max Russo are not your ordinary kids - they're wizards in training! While their parents run the Waverly Sub Station, the siblings struggle to balance their ordinary lives while learning to master their extraordinary powers.

Wizards of Waverly Place

2007
8.6
Fight for My Way

Fight for My Way

8.0
2017
TV Show

A former taekwondo champion and an information desk worker aspire to chase their dreams in a world that isn't kind to those with mediocre credentials.

Fight for My Way

2017
8.0
The Legend of the Blue Sea

The Legend of the Blue Sea

7.4
2016
TV Show

A mermaid from the Joseon period ends up in present-day Seoul, where she crosses paths with a swindler who may have ties to someone from her past.

The Legend of the Blue Sea

2016
7.4
Mr. Nobunaga's Young Bride

Mr. Nobunaga's Young Bride

7.8
2019
TV Show

Nobunaga was a teacher who was waiting for that kind of dating sim event to happen in real life. One day, a 14 year old girl named Kicho appears in front of him, saying that she's his wife?! Apparently she came from the Warring States era and seems to have mistaken Nobunaga for the Oda Nobunaga and tells him that she wants to have his children. An age-gap love comedy featuring a teacher with a dating sims brain and a princess with a warring states era brain!!

Mr. Nobunaga's Young Bride

2019
7.8
So Not Worth It

So Not Worth It

7.7
2021
TV Show

New friends, new loves and new experiences mix together inside a colorful college dormitory in Korea that's home to students from around the world.

So Not Worth It

2021
7.7
Last Twilight

Last Twilight

9.6
2023
TV Show

A struggling student becomes a caregiver to a fading badminton star, and as his sight slips away, the two forge a bond tested by time and fate.

Last Twilight

2023
9.6
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

7.7
1980
TV Show

Tom Sawyer is a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River in the mid 1800s. Along with his best friend Huckleberry Finn, he spends his days ditching school, fishing, climbing trees and having adventures.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

1980
7.7
Elite Short Stories: Omar Ander Alexis

Elite Short Stories: Omar Ander Alexis

7.3
2021
TV Show

Now in remission, Ander is set on spending his summer helping Alexis, his chemo partner, go through treatment.

Elite Short Stories: Omar Ander Alexis

2021
7.3