Shitsuren Hoken (2011)

An interesting story about how different people deal with love and how it affects their behavior.

I liked this drama. It was very interesting to me. I watched it for Fukuda Saki and it was entertaining. This is one of those dramas which make Jdramas stand out. Watched it without subs but didn't have too many problems understanding any of the story, other than the lines containing information and facts about animal behavior.

The story: 7.5
The story was about different characters who were clients in every episodes and people related to the clients. Since every episode focused on a different set of characters in different settings, it was always interesting. Sometimes it was about revenge, sometimes about a divorcee, sometimes about a doctor, and different themes like that. The conclusion in every episode, no matter how improbable it may seem, the confession succeeds. Not necessarily happy endings for the characters, but the team never had to pay their clients back. Although sometimes it was because of violation of contract. Nonetheless, their team was highly efficient and successful. Some highlights were Luke saying, "Let's take a look at the darkness in his/her heart," everytime he received information about the client and him comparing the clients and their behavior to different animals. I do wish I understood more of what he said about the animals, though. Either way, I found it interesting.

The cast/acting: 8
This was my second time watching Shirota Yu in the main cast of a tv series and my first time watching him play the main character. I think he did a good job of playing the mysterious Luke. His story, purpose and motivations were revealed slowly as the story went on. I also liked the ending his character got. I watched this drama for Fukuda Saki and I loved seeing her play a rather problem-free, normal and bubbly character for once. Maru's role was mostly limited to working as an insurance investigator and she didn't do anything on her own before in the first half of the show. She didn't have much character development or a story arc either, but that wasn't a big problem for me. Torako didn't have anything to do at all other than being the comic relief. So not much to say there. A highlight for me was seeing Luke and Maru wear different disguises every episode. It was also nice seeing Kamen Rider actors guest star in different episodes. It's a bonus for me.

The music: 6.5
The music of the drama sometimes gave it a mystery drama vibe, even though it wasn't really a mystery drama. The ending song was nice, I thought, but didn't stick out too much to me.

Rewatch value: 6
I liked it, but I don't think I'll rewatch it anytime soon.

Overall: 7.5
It could be better. I'm not 100% satisfied but it's pretty good and I'm glad I watched it.

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