Mitaraike, Enjou Suru (2023)

Burn The House Down: A Gripping Thriller with Some Missed Thrills

Burn The House Down is a thriller that kept me engaged with its gripping plot & numerous plot twists, although it lacked the desired level of thrill. Nevertheless I found it quite enjoyable.

The story follows Anzu, who returns to her childhood home as a maid in order to uncover the truth about a tragic incident that occurred thirteen years ago. Anzu's mission is to prove her mother's innocence, as her mother has been blaming herself for a fire incident that took place all those years ago. As Anzu begins to work as maid, she meticulously plans her path to revealing the truth, setting the stage for an intriguing thriller.

The acting performances of both the female lead and the supporting male characters were commendable, as they fully immersed themselves in their respective roles.

One of the aspects I appreciated about this thriller was of plot twists. The unexpected turns kept me intrigued throughout the story.

Additionally, the bond between Anzu and Kiichi was a highlight for me. I admired how Anzu made efforts to heal Kiichi's emotional wounds throughout the show.

The cinematography and overall production quality of the series were impressive adding to the visual appeal of the drama.

However, I felt that the thrill factor was somewhat lacking. While the absence of OTT moments was a positive aspect, it didn't consistently provide the thrilling experience I was hoping for. This could be seen as both a positive and negative point of the drama.

Another downside for me was the character of Anzu's father. I found him to be a hypocrite and hated him throughout the series.

Furthermore, the execution of the final plot twist could have been better. If Shinji was the main culprit throughout the drama, it left me wondering why Kiichi isolated himself from the world and portrayed himself as someone burdened with guilt throughout the story.

Despite these drawbacks, Burn The House Down is overall a nice thriller worth watching.

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"Don't give up-it's a galactic message!"

If you're looking for a taut suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Burn the House Down may not fulfill your desire. More family mystery than vengeful thriller, two sisters determine to clear their mother's name regarding a fire from thirteen years ago by taking on their greedy stepmother. Think Scooby Gang rather than The Quiet Family.

Very minor spoilers:
Anzu and her sister Yuzu are convinced that Makiko, their mother's ex-friend and father's new wife burned down their childhood home thirteen years ago and destroyed their family in the process. Their mother who admitted to causing the fire is currently hospitalized with a case of amnesia and they are desperate to find evidence proving she is innocent hoping it will help her to heal. Anzu uses her best friend's name to get hired on as maid at Makiko's house. She's forbidden from going upstairs, exactly where she's hoping to search for evidence the hoarder might still have. Anzu is shocked to find Makiko's eldest son from a previous marriage is secluded in his room upstairs as he is thought to be working at a prestigious job out of the country. Kiichi suffers from agoraphobia and a really bad wig. The younger son, Shiji, is a med student and clueless and naïve Yuzu works on getting close to him. Their friend, Claire, is a computer geek who can breech any cyber security. The sisters' spineless and absent father hasn't contacted them in 13 years so Anzu's secret identity isn't hard to keep.

Burn the House Down had all sorts of plot devices to keep the story moving along: Revenge, amnesia, surprise allies, setbacks, character growth, red herrings, a little romance, and a couple of good slaps. Anzu's relationship with Kiichi was complicated and at first I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a Flowers in the Attic complication or Hannibal Lector wanting to eat her liver situation. As it turned out, Kiichi had his own guilt and burdens from the past that had crippled him. When they were children, Kiichi had given Anzu a compass and told her that the stars were always watching and they were telling her "Don't give up. It's a galactic message." Resilience and redemption were leading themes in this drama, right behind finding out who was behind the grotesque mask or in this case ugly sweater.

The sisters found out the hard way if you had to trust a shaggy looking guy who believed the stars were cheering us on or their father who hadn't sent so much as a birthday card in thirteen years, you'd better take your chances with the intergalactic messenger. As awful as Makiko was, and she was thoroughly unlikeable-a thief, egomaniacal, a homewrecker, liar extraordinaire, and completely lacking in compassion-their spineless father was even more repulsive. With the exception of Makiko and the father, the rest of the characters came in shades of gray and were mostly good people trying to find their way in the world, over and around the obstacles thrown in their paths.

As much as the drama was about discovering the truth regarding the fire, it also dealt with how people use social media to manipulate public opinion and how devastating doxxing can be. It also showed the addictive nature of having fans and needing positive affirmation from strangers. Both sides used the social media and netizens to their advantage. Makiko enjoyed having a reputation as the perfect wife, mother, cook, and housekeeper though none of those things were true. The Scooby Gang used the internet to help close in on their investigation and bait their quarry.

Despite the complex relationships and subterfuge, the drama managed to avoid falling into heavy melodrama or over the top makjang. It was a mostly light and easy thriller with a few surprises along the way. Anzu was able to put together a Scooby Gang made up of friends and family who became quite formidable. The guilty party might have gotten away with the fire if it hadn't been for those meddling kids who took the galactic message seriously and never gave up.

7/13/23

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