Amachan

Aki Amano leaves Tokyo for the Sanriku Coast to train as an ama, a traditional female diver, and quickly becomes a local favorite thanks to her bright personality and onstage charm. After gaining regional fame she returns to Tokyo to try to break into the idol world, facing the city's harsher side and the realities of show business. The series follows her movement between two worlds, the small coastal town that shaped her and the capital that tempts her, and shows how those ties lead her back to help her home after the Great East Japan earthquake without giving away key plot turns.

Released in 2013, the series was created by Kankuro Kudo, Teruyuki Yoshida and Toki Kajiwara. The cast includes Non as Aki Amano, Ai Hashimoto, Nobuko Miyamoto and Kyoko Koizumi, with Kasumi Arimura appearing as the younger Springko.

It received several domestic television awards and nominations, with praise aimed at its ensemble performances, screenplay and tone. Industry recognition helped boost the profiles of younger cast members and reaffirmed the show's place within contemporary Japanese TV drama.

Amachan struck a chord beyond television, increasing interest in the Sanriku region and traditional ama diving, and contributing to conversations about regional recovery after the 2011 quake. Its music, fashion moments and memorable scenes entered everyday talk in Japan, and local tourism saw renewed attention tied to the show's locations and cultural references.

Critics and audiences reacted positively, reflected in a vote average of 8.636 out of 10 from viewers. Reviewers highlighted the series balance of humor and seriousness, its focus on community and identity, and the way it treats fame and ambition without losing sight of family and place. Thematically it looks at resilience, the pull between urban opportunity and rural responsibility, and how small acts in a community can matter after large-scale disruption.