Zenkai Girl (2011)

The dream of rookie lawyer, Ayukawa Wakaba, is to be an international lawyer with a yearly income of 10 billion yen. However, the foreign law firm that had employed her, suddenly announces its withdrawal from Japan. A flustered Wakaba contacts a law firm that she had received an offer from, and ends up being employed by the firm run by Sakuragawa Shoko. When Wakaba comes to work the next day, Shoko says that a client is waiting. Wakaba gets stars in her eyes, but the person she is introduced to is Shoko’s 5-ear-old daughter, Hinata. Shoko would like Wakaba to take care of the girl. Wakaba immediately introduces herself, but Hinata’s attitude is brusque. Because Wakaba is her 26th caregiver, she does not see a need to remember her name because she will be replaced soon. Hearing this, Wakaba decides to deal with Hinata on equal terms. Even though she detests children, she declares that she definitely will follow through with what she has accepted. Hinata is convinced, and promises to do what she is able to. After that, the two of them head to the nursery school that Hinata attends. On the way there, Wakaba’s gaze is rooted to a spot because of Yamada Sota, whom she had mistaken for a molester in the train a few days ago. Sota is with a child called Bitaro, and Bitaro is a friend who also attends the same nursery as Hinata. Hearing from Sota that caregivers have recently been screened when they come to the school, Wakaba declares to Hanamura Hitoshi, the head of the nursery, that if they are doing so, they should cross check with the list of sex offenders. A panicky Sota intervenes. Then Hanamura’s daughter Urara praises Sota as a role model for ‘ikumen’ (men who proactively and voluntarily take care of their children). Wakaba scoffs that Japan’s economy would fail if the country were full of these unproductive men. Sota and the Hanamuras are struck dumb, while Wakaba smiles sweetly and says she is neither interested nor concerned about ‘ikumen’ … …