TV-Series
Description
Misako Kurata adopted Sana after finding the infant abandoned on a park bench. She married a gambling addict at eighteen but divorced him two years later due to irreconcilable differences and infertility struggles, leading to depression and withdrawal. Subsequently, she consciously rejected conventional behavior, adopting eccentric habits like wearing only kimonos and styling her hair in increasingly bizarre ways. A pet chipmunk named Maro resides within these hairstyles, an arrangement originally suggested by a young Sana.
Misako harbored persistent anxiety that Sana's biological mother might reappear. When Sana was five, Misako revealed her adopted status and devised a plan: she would become a famous author while Sana became a recognizable actress to increase the chances of finding the birth mother. This plan succeeded, with Misako becoming an award-winning novelist and Sana a prominent child star.
To facilitate finding the birth mother, Misako authored the autobiography "My Daughter and I" (sometimes misprinted as "Mariko"). The book caused Sana significant distress, fearing Misako intended to relinquish her. Misako later clarified her true motive was to swiftly locate the birth mother and definitively assert Sana was her daughter, whom she would never surrender. The book succeeded in attracting Keiko Sakai, who identified herself as the birth mother and bore a striking resemblance to Sana. After spending time with Keiko, Sana chose not to maintain contact, affirming Misako as her sole mother.
Misako balances discipline with fostering independence in her parenting, allowing Sana to make decisions while ensuring she faces the consequences. She provides wise counsel during Sana's challenges, such as her misguided belief that manager Rei Sagami was her boyfriend, delivering necessary truths. Despite her generally whimsical demeanor—exhibited through behaviors like riding coin-operated toy dogs—she demonstrates sternness and perceptiveness when required. Professionally, she enjoys playfully tormenting her editor, Takezo Onda.
In the spin-off *Deep Clear*, Misako appears as a grandmother following Sana's marriage to Akito Hayama and the birth of their daughter.
Misako harbored persistent anxiety that Sana's biological mother might reappear. When Sana was five, Misako revealed her adopted status and devised a plan: she would become a famous author while Sana became a recognizable actress to increase the chances of finding the birth mother. This plan succeeded, with Misako becoming an award-winning novelist and Sana a prominent child star.
To facilitate finding the birth mother, Misako authored the autobiography "My Daughter and I" (sometimes misprinted as "Mariko"). The book caused Sana significant distress, fearing Misako intended to relinquish her. Misako later clarified her true motive was to swiftly locate the birth mother and definitively assert Sana was her daughter, whom she would never surrender. The book succeeded in attracting Keiko Sakai, who identified herself as the birth mother and bore a striking resemblance to Sana. After spending time with Keiko, Sana chose not to maintain contact, affirming Misako as her sole mother.
Misako balances discipline with fostering independence in her parenting, allowing Sana to make decisions while ensuring she faces the consequences. She provides wise counsel during Sana's challenges, such as her misguided belief that manager Rei Sagami was her boyfriend, delivering necessary truths. Despite her generally whimsical demeanor—exhibited through behaviors like riding coin-operated toy dogs—she demonstrates sternness and perceptiveness when required. Professionally, she enjoys playfully tormenting her editor, Takezo Onda.
In the spin-off *Deep Clear*, Misako appears as a grandmother following Sana's marriage to Akito Hayama and the birth of their daughter.