Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and thrice married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.
Based on the novel "Sego Don" by Hayashi Mariko.
Hula Girl is a true story set in the 60s. Stricken by the recession due to the adoption of oil as a primary energy resource, the charcoal mine of Joban, in Iwaki city, decides to relay on tourism and to use the hot springs on its territory to create the 'Joban Hawaian Center', spa resort and theme park of Hawaian inspiration. To fulfill this project, the mine direction creates a hula dance troop, facing the incredulity and even the opposition of the majority of the population.
Hula Girl tells the struggle of those young women who chose to enter the dance troop.