It is also my all-time favorite NHK "morning drama" (asadora, or 朝ド, in Japanese); it airs Monday through Saturday mornings in Japan. With the other asadora, I somehow wasn't able to keep up. In the case of Dan Dan, I anxiously await each episode - so it was never about time after all (I've never been busier in my life, but am still able to make the time to watch)...
Actually, it didn't catch my interest when I began watching it on NGN2 (Channel 678, or TV Japan). In the first few episodes, I couldn't relate to the dialects, to the geisha world, etc. I had no idea where the story was headed, that there even was a story... so, unfortunately, I missed several episodes (on NGN2). Later when I revisited the series, I realized how shallow my initial impressions were; that it would develop, the characters grow, their lives change... I am hooked.
Dan Dan began showing on NGN1 (Channel 677); I am watching again from the beginning, determined not to miss any episodes this time (with the help of DVR). I am following the story in two different time frames, on NGN1 and NGN2.
Takeuchi Mariya both sings the theme song and narrates the series.
Looking back, I was touched at how the sisters coincidentally met, how "Yumehana" (Nozomi) at first denied they were twins (by lying about her date of birth) and, that same evening, felt compelled to attend an outdoor performance given by her sister, and even, to everyone's surprise, joined her in "on stage" singing "Akai Sweet Pea" (which their mother used to sing to them as a lullaby)...
For those with NGN1, have you noticed there are two different versions of the "promo" for Dan Dan? For late-comers to the series, one promo gives a capsule view of how they met, and contrasts their different lives...
Raymond T. Kaya
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
www.reikialoha.com/raymond