魔女の条件 / Majo no Jouken

Title: 魔女の条件 / Majo no Jouken
Title translated: Witch's requirement / Forbidden love
Aired: 1999-Apr-08 to 1999-Jun-17
Genre: Romance, Human Drama
Episodes: 11

• Matsushima Nanako as Hirose Michi
• Takizawa Hideaki as Kurosawa Hikaru

DramaWiki's synopsis: Michi, a 26 year old high school math teacher, tentatively accepts her boyfriend's proposal of marriage, uncertain of her love for him but feeling pressure from her father and society to do what is expected of her. Hikaru, a 17 year old boy frustrated by his home life with his single mother and having been expelled from many high schools for bad behavior, enters Michi's class as a new transfer student. As their relationship grows they realize that they both feel that they have lost themselves to the pressures of those around them, and it is this common bond that draws them dangerously close. What follows is a heart-wrenching story of forbidden love where Michi must face society's judgement for corrupting a minor, abandoning her fiance, and disappointing her parents and co-workers.

Thoughts: This is quite a depressing drama from beginning to end, but touches on real and often hushed up topics- societal pressures and forbidden love. Sometimes the situation feels so hopeless you feel like switching off the monitor to escape it. But on the other hand, you want to know what happens, if the fates of the protagonists will improve. The acting is commendable, especially for young Takizawa.