Saiko no Obahan Nakajima Haruko

Kikuchi Izumi (played by Matsumoto Marika) is a 38-year-old single editor at a small publishing company, troubled by a stale decade-long affair. She encounters a whirlwind of a Nagoya madam in her fifties who pierces people’s hearts with her brutal honesty!

This madam is Nakajima Haruko (played by Daichi Mao), or as she calls herself, “The Super Beauty Doctor!” She’s a shrewd businesswoman running a wildly popular cosmetic clinic in Tokyo’s Ebisu district, and a self-proclaimed and widely acknowledged super lady respected in both political and financial circles. “You’re lucky to get to talk with me,” she declares.

Through an unexpected turn of events, Izumi becomes not just Haruko’s friend but more like her underling. From this day forward, “commoner Izumi’s” whirlwind days begin!

An updated version of the hit entertainment series returns, following its successful April 2021 broadcast. The story follows Nakajima Haruko, a sharp-tongued twice-divorced plastic surgeon in her fifties. As a native of Nagoya who despises waste, she ruthlessly cuts through people’s unnecessary pride and worries with her unfiltered commentary: “Worrying is a waste of time! That means you’re wasting money you could be earning!”

Daichi Mao returns as Haruko, bringing her formidable stage, film, and commercial experience to create an addictively watchable character with an unmistakable aura. Matsumoto Marika also returns as Kikuchi Izumi, a woman in her forties who grows while being swept up in Haruko’s pace – though this time she might show some rebellion against Haruko!

The “Team Haruko” ensemble reunites with Goda Masashi, Warabino Tomoya, and Konno Hiroki (as Izumi’s boss) to continue cutting through society’s problems and injustices. Based on Hayashi Mariko’s “The Greatest Auntie” novel series and boldly adapted by Nishiogi Yumie (known for “Yokai Share House” and “Democrat”), this season is set in Gifu, where Team Haruko fights to preserve endangered traditional culture against corrupt politicians, resigned elderly citizens, and ignorant youth.

Haruko’s signature harsh but resonant statements include:
“They’re not adapting to the times. Their extinction is inevitable!”
“If you invest money with a hundred-year vision, the children will return to town!”
“All that talk of respect and freedom – you’re just good at phrasing while imposing your own will!”

Nakajima Haruko is a super-wealthy plastic surgeon from Nagoya and a self-centered, stingy, sharp-tongued super-madam. In this third installment of the series, she continues to solve common people’s problems with her brutal honesty while dragging along Kikuchi Izumi, a gourmet magazine editor she met by chance.

After setting the first two seasons in Aichi (2021) and Gifu (2022), the third season expands into Asia, with filming locations in Thailand and Cambodia, plus simultaneous broadcast in Taiwan. Her powerful statements that guide others to happiness, known as “Haruko-isms,” have gained strong support among women:

“Worrying is a waste of time! In other words, it’s a waste of money you could be earning!”
“In the end, you’re the only one who can ruin your life.”
“A husband who doesn’t help with housework is no better than bulk trash!”
“There are four rules women must follow in affairs: 1. Don’t let her into his house. 2. Women don’t pay. 3. Don’t give her keys. 4. Don’t believe men’s words. Without these rules, you’re just a convenience.”

Based on Hayashi Mariko’s original work known for its raw depiction of women’s true feelings, this drama creates original stories focusing on modern women’s issues. Through Izumi’s perspective as she turns 40, it explores romance scams, work reform, education pressure, infidelity in weekend marriages, inheritance disputes, and stepfamily issues, all while pursuing the eternal question: “What is happiness?”

The series also introduces a handsome Thai business heir, adding romance to Haruko’s world of straight-talking problem-solving that has resonated with female viewers who declare, “I want Haruko-san to scold me!” and “It’s so satisfying!”

Spin-off episode.

Otani Sho, a doting father and devoted husband who fears his wife, works as the administrative director at Haruko Clinic, which is managed by Nakajima Haruko, a super-madam cosmetic surgeon from Nagoya. Otani takes his first paid vacation in 10 years to go on a family trip to Koda Town in Aichi Prefecture. However, once there, the worries and frustrations of his wife, eldest daughter, and younger daughter, all come to the surface. To make matters worse, one of the attendant’s at their lodging keeps interfering with the Otani family’s problems. What should have been an enjoyable family vacation turns into a potential family breakup crisis! Where will this commotion lead, as it draws in Otani’s sharp-tongued boss Haruko, Haruko’s friend Kikuchi Izumi who is in Cambodia for some reason, and Wakasugi, the secretary at the Haruko clinic?