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DRAMA

Ode to Joy: A Chorus for Life

DRAMA 2008 70 mins Episode(s): 1 English English
Gold Winner, Entertainment Category, 11th World Media Festival, 2010.

It is summer in the hilly port city of Ootaru. The singing of the Ootaru Ladies Chorus group comes through the dusk from a room of the Minami Ootaru Community Center. They are absorbed in rehearsals for their upcoming 20th anniversary concert to be held in the Ootaru City Hall.

Meanwhile in the City Hall, a problem caused by irresponsible chief clerk Ryosuke Sano (Yo Oizumi) comes to light. The 20th anniversary ceremony of the city administration led by Ootaru Mayor Takeda (Koichi Ueda) has been double-booked with the concert on the same day. But Chief Sano stays unruffled, thoughtlessly saying, “Between the city ceremony and the chorus concert, which is more important? The concert can be postponed to another day.”

Having spent a whole year practicing for this special day, moms in the group, including their leader Miyako Miyamoto (Yuko Tanaka), make a strong stand and even declare a battle against the city.

Although the chief clerk is trapped in the dilemma between the city ceremony that cannot be rescheduled and the stubborn group of housewives, he comes to be moved by these women putting their hearts into singing in the face of their own difficult circumstances.

The chief wants by any means to give them a chance to sing, finally hitting upon a crazy idea.

It is summer in the hilly port city of Ootaru. The singing of the Ootaru Ladies Chorus group comes through the dusk from a room of the Minami Ootaru Community Center. They are absorbed in rehearsals for their upcoming 20th anniversary concert to be held in the Ootaru City Hall. Meanwhile in the City Hall, a problem caused by irresponsible chief clerk Ryosuke Sano (Yo Oizumi) comes to light. The 20th anniversary ceremony of the city administration led by Ootaru Mayor Takeda (Koichi Ueda) has been double-booked with the concert on the same day. But Chief Sano stays unruffled, thoughtlessly saying, “Between the city ceremony and the chorus concert, which is more important? The concert can be postponed to another day.”

Having spent a whole year practicing for this special day, moms in the group, including their leader Miyako Miyamoto (Yuko Tanaka), make a strong stand and even declare a battle against the city. Although the chief clerk is trapped in the dilemma between the city ceremony that cannot be rescheduled and the stubborn group of housewives, he comes to be moved by these women putting their hearts into singing in the face of their own difficult circumstances.

The chief wants by any means to give them a chance to sing, finally hitting upon a crazy idea.

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