Ep. 37 My Second Youth
Written by Cordelia.
Listen to the full episode :
Hello, dear listeners! How are you all doing? How’s September treating you so far?
In today’s episode, we’re diving into the TV show My Second Youth (マイ・セカンド・アオハル), which started airing on October 17th 2023. It stars Alice Hirose and Shunsuke Michieda from Naniwa Danshi. Spoiler alert: we’re going to discuss some key details about the show, and TMI alert, I’ll also share some of my personal experiences as someone in their 30s going back to school alongside people in their late teens and early 20s.
About the Show
“I want to change my life! I want some changes in life!”
This drama follows Sayako, who, after facing troubles at work and in life, decides to take the university entrance exam to study architecture. The show describes this as the second chapter of her life, but in reality, it’s a return to where she was always meant to be. Sayako’s journey is about rediscovering her path and having the determination to change her life. She’s fighting for her future, love, studies, and dreams.
Sayako Shiratama
Sayako’s story beautifully illustrates the idea that "eventually, we all find our true path" and "it’s never too late to chase your dreams." Sayako is the eldest daughter of a gift shop owner in Fuji City, near Mount Fuji. She always dreamed of becoming an architect, but due to her family’s financial struggles, she gave up on university in high school. After a series of setbacks, including an accident that left her with two broken arms on the day of her entrance exam, Sayako abandoned her plans. She moved to Tokyo and worked in underpaid contract jobs for 12 years until she was laid off and had another accident. With the compensation money she received, she decided to give her dream another shot.
Finally, after 12 years, she was accepted into the Faculty of Architecture.
The show does a great job of portraying Sayako’s life in Tokyo—the low salary, the struggle with bills, and the feeling that no matter how hard she worked, her life wasn’t improving. Watching her navigate these challenges resonated deeply with me. Many of us can relate to that feeling of trying to survive but forgetting what it means to truly live.
The Age Gap
For a teen: “I can become someone.”
For someone in their 20s: “Who am I?”
For someone in their 30s: “I’m becoming myself.”
Age is just a number when you’re aware of who you are and have your life together. But it can be daunting when you feel like you haven’t achieved anything. Where does Sayako fall?
Sayako’s journey is about recognizing when something isn’t right and finding the courage to fix it. Her strength comes from being shameless, conscious, and open to learning. Even when it was hard, she listened to advice and returned to university to study what she loves.
Now, let’s talk about Taku, the younger guy who enters Sayako’s life. I can’t help but laugh just thinking about it. But we’ll get to him later.
For Taku, it’s never too late. He believes in taking action whenever the time is right—and for him, that time is now. Sayako, despite being older, is strong and brave, with a wealth of life experience. She’s lived alone, worked in big companies, and fought for her rights. Going back to school gives her time to rediscover herself. She knows who she is, and she’s unafraid to stand up for what she needs.
Her classmates adore her because they think she’s cool. And why wouldn’t they? She’s confident, direct, and unashamed of her age. She knows how to stand up to people, ask for help, and take charge of her life. But at first, she felt a bit lonely, as many of her classmates already knew each other from high school. I totally get it—I’d want to be her friend too.
Creativity and Experience
One of the fascinating dynamics explored in My Second Youth is the contrast between Sayako’s life experience and the raw, unfiltered creativity of her younger classmates. As we age, we tend to accumulate not only wisdom but also caution. Life has taught us that risks can lead to failure, and failure often comes with consequences we’d rather avoid. This can make us more hesitant to experiment or step outside our comfort zones. For Sayako, this manifests as a challenge to tap into her creative potential. The weight of her past experiences sometimes acts as a barrier, making her second-guess her instincts and favor the safe, predictable path.
However, the show beautifully illustrates how creativity isn’t solely about age but about mindset. Younger people like Taku haven’t yet been conditioned by repeated failures or the fear of judgment. They approach problems with fresh eyes, unburdened by the same concerns, and are more willing to take bold, unconventional steps. This doesn’t mean that Sayako’s creativity is lost—it’s simply tempered by her experience. When the youthful audacity of her classmates meets her seasoned perspective, it creates a fertile ground for innovation. Together, they challenge each other, blending wisdom with raw imagination to produce ideas neither could have generated alone.
Sayako’s journey reminds us that creativity can be reignited at any age. By surrounding herself with people who think differently, she learns to overcome her own limitations, rediscovering the imaginative spark that once drove her dream of becoming an architect. It’s a powerful message that age doesn’t have to dim creativity—sometimes, it just takes a little more effort to fan the flames.
University Is More Than Just Learning
At the start of her journey, Sayako views university as a purely academic endeavor—a place to gain the knowledge and qualifications she needs to finally pursue her dream. But as she settles into this new phase of her life, she quickly realizes that university is so much more than a place for lectures and exams. It’s a microcosm of life itself, a space where people come together not just to learn, but to grow, explore, and sometimes even lose themselves for a while.
Through her classmate Marin, Sayako gets a glimpse of the social side of university life. She moves into a shared house with other architecture students, and it’s here that she starts to see the true value of her university experience. It’s not just about the classes or the grades—it’s about the people, the conversations, the shared struggles, and the bonds formed over late-night study sessions or spontaneous outings.
University becomes a place for Sayako to engage in self-discovery, to reconnect with parts of herself that she had long forgotten. It’s about more than just textbooks and projects; it’s about learning who she is when she’s away from the pressures of the outside world. The show makes it clear that education doesn’t happen only in the classroom—it happens in the quiet moments of reflection, in the friendships that challenge us, and in the experiences that push us to rethink our place in the world.
Taku’s perspective further deepens this understanding. He believes that “wasting time” is an essential part of staying young. For him, university isn’t just a means to an end—it’s a period of life to be savored, a time to explore without the constraints of adulthood pressing down too heavily. This philosophy resonates with Sayako, who begins to see that the time spent socializing, experimenting, and even making mistakes is not wasted at all. It’s a crucial part of the process of becoming, of evolving into the person she wants to be.
In the end, Sayako learns that university isn’t just about acquiring a degree—it’s about living, in every sense of the word. It’s about finding joy in the little moments, discovering new passions, and, most importantly, allowing herself the freedom to grow without the fear of failure. This experience helps her reclaim the time she felt she lost, proving that it’s never too late to start anew, to learn, and to live fully.
Romantic Relationships
Sayako and Taku share a kiss at the end of episode 4, in a swimming pool, mid-summer. Yes, Sayako is truly living her best life. She’s figured out her specialty and is letting Taku pursue his dreams while she works on her own. Taku eventually proposes, but Sayako always chooses herself first, and I really appreciate that about the show.
Ending
Not going to university won’t kill you, but never trying to make your dreams come true or taking action toward the life you want will lead to regret.
Funny enough, my birth name is Sayoko, given to me by my Jichan. At 31, I decided to pursue a BFA in Creative Writing at an art university. I’m now in my second year. Before moving here, I endured incredibly hard times for about 10 years—just like Sayako. It was one obstacle after another, hill after hill. I was only surviving, not living, with no time for simply being. Vancouver’s rain made everything worse. But after securing a reasonably paying job, obtaining the status I needed, and pulling myself together, I knew that if I didn’t take action toward my dream of becoming a writer and literary translator, I’d regret it so much that it would eat me alive. I might even come back in my next life just to fulfill this desire.
So, I went for it. One night, I applied, sent my writing to our editor Grace for feedback, compiled a portfolio, recorded a spoken word piece, and hit the submit button.
And here I am. I made it.
For me, being able to read and write creatively in English is already a miracle.
After my first semester, I questioned all the marks I received from our professor, so I approached our department chair to ask if I should continue. Let me explain, listener—English is my third language, and at that time, I had only been learning it for about 11 years. I didn’t do too badly, but some comments from a professor made me wonder if readers who only understand English are ready for a writer like me, who isn’t writing for a white or colonial audience. But just like Sayako in the TV show, our chair professor told me, “Cordelia, you are meant to be here. You are in the right place. We’ve been waiting for an emerging writer like you for a long time. You truly belong here.”
So, I stayed.
As for my classmates, I don’t really care what they think about my age. During my first semester, aside from the girl sitting next to me in class, I didn’t know anyone else’s name. I heard some people say that I’m fat, old, and ugly. Oh well, they were just projecting their own insecurities onto me. Even now, I still don’t know their names or faces, but it seems many know who I am.
I could relate to Sayako’s heavy steps as she walked home, her worries, her doubts, her courage, and her choices. Girl, I hear you. I can relate even more after my own bike accident.
Thank you for listening to this episode, and I’ll speak to you again in the next one.
Reference:
Work: マイ・セカンド・アオハル (My Second Youth) TV Show website in Japanese: https://www.tbs.co.jp/mysecondaoharu_tbs/
Background music:
フリーBGM「Land of Bikers」by shimtone
https://dova-s.jp/bgm/play14005.html
フリーBGM「Without Ice」by 伊藤貴章
https://dova-s.jp/bgm/play7555.html
