Hirugao: Love Affairs in the Afternoon

So-called friends can have a tremendous impact on your life. Sawa Sasamoto (Aya Ueto) is a happily married woman who works part-time as a supermarket cashier to keep herself busy. Rikako Takigawa (Michiko Kichise) recently moved into the neighborhood with her husband, Toru Takigawa (Hoka Kinoshita), the editor of a large publishing company, and their two daughters. Although on the surface Rikako seems to have the perfect family life in their nice new-construction home, she actually has illicit affairs with men while her husband is at work and her daughters at school. While parked one day in the supermarket parking garage with one of her many lovers, Rikako is robbed by a high school student. When the police arrive to take a report, Rikako tries to cover up her tryst by grabbing Sawa as she is leaving work to say that Rikako was meeting Sawa for coffee when the robbery occurred. Sawa corroborates Rikako’s story because she could sense Rikako’s desperation. After the high school student’s teacher, Yuichi Kitano (Takumi Saito), arrives to bail out his student, Sawa suddenly can’t get Yuichi out of her mind. Will Rikako’s extramarital hobby rub off on her new friend Sawa? “Hirugao” is a 2014 Japanese drama series directed by Hiroshi Nishitani.