Quantum Leap (TV Series) The Americanization of Machiko - August 4, 1953 (1989) User Reviews

A real tear-jerker, for me

[kmpres-11214 · 10/10 · 28 February 2015]

This is my favorite Quantum Leap episode, though I admit to being biased. Like the title character, Machiko, my wife is from Japan and I am from the US. We went through the same kind of cultural marriage adjustment depicted in the episode, though ours occurred 34 years later in a much more modern world. We also got to experience the bulk of our marriage in her country rather than she in mine which gave us an up- close look at mixed marriages from the Japanese point of view. This episode is well written, well acted, and for the most part, well researched. The actress who plays Machiko is delightful and flawless in her portrayal of a young Japanese bride of the US Occupation. I found myself tearing up like a baby at the end, though there is one minor inconsistency in the final scene. Without giving too much away, let's just say that it takes more than one person to put on a kimono correctly. If you can overlook that small fact then you'll find it a most satisfying ending.