Excellent start to the show I made my
top pick of the coming season. I am not usually a huge Itou Kanae fan, but she was absolutely outstanding here, creating a character with potential depth. And maybe Okada Mari is better at doing original stories than adapting other people's. This appears to be the real thing, depending on where they take it from here. Lots of strong characters and a wonderful stage.
As for slapping children, I am not against it in all cases, but East or West, it is usually more about the adult's anger (which comes from fear) than the child's good. It is apparently a fact that most people in prisons in North America were physically abused as children.