Burn the House Down (2023)

"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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What was that ending?

This review is going to mainly focus on the last 2 episodes. When Makiko was finally confronted and they just decide apologizing to their mother was what they wanted had me ??? After all that, they just wanted her to say sorry and continue on with their lives? Then Kiichi jumps out of the window for some reason ??? It was so over dramatic and random. I also don't get why they didn't immediately turn her into the police when she admitted it, they just let her sleep tight and create more lies not to mention Osamu is a sorry excuse for a father.

Now we get to Kiichi turning himself in which watered down Makiko being as bad as she was but then nope it was actually Shinji and it turned out to be an innocent accident and Makiko will not get punished for anything even though she still had their moms stolen possessions (which is also a plot hole because how did she return all of her things before the house burned down but still have so many of her stolen items???). And she's clearly a terrible mother who psychologically abused her sons but that was glossed over and the two never went against her or really confronted her even after she admitted to starting the fire. And when Shinji confessed to the mom, the whole grudge thing was??

And to top it all off, everyone has a happy ending. Anzu pleads to take Kiichi with her and cook for him and take care of him which was embarrassing honestly. Going back to the beginning, Kiichi definitely acted abusive towards her and we're supposed to be like yes, he's perfect for Anzu. Then Makiko gets back to being famous, Shinji gets a second chance and its clear he will probably end up with Yuzu and their mom plans on moving on with her normal life. None of it sat right with me. It just felt like a cop out ending where nothing really changed and no lessons were learned.

The end.

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Thriller-less Thriller ?

This was a very nice show. The production quality was superb and acting was amazing as well. Liked it from start to end. But the most flawed part about this show is something we need to discuss. First of all this was sold as a psychological thriller, but after finishing it i am realizing this is nothing but a standard family drama.


The plot was undoubtedly thrilling and very conceptual but despite the engaging screenplay the execution lacked many things. The most important thing if this was thriller then there should be one or multiple deaths, multiple mindboggling twists and turns, conspiracy and accident, shocking turns and plot twists, high amount of thrill but i am disappointed there was nothing. Not even very much of drama. The approach was too ordinary.


The cinematography was fantastic, the color grading, filter, editing and shooting angles. Everything were symbol was a premium product. But the background music and scores were lacklustre. Couldnt understand by any of the bgms what they are trying to tell. I never heard motivational or TV commercial style of bgms in a thriller so the sound department did a very poor job according to me. And also why there were only 2/3 bgms in the entire show. It was quite repititive and frustating after a point.

I genuinely liked the first half more than the second half and was expecting good thrill in 2nd half. But knew it somewhere watching first 4 episodes that this is not at all thriller. Storywise, they had a very conceptual plot and it was quite unique. But surely they could have done more to make it crazier flamethrower. If the show was more darker and dramatic this could have been supremely enjoyable because the characters were developing quite well.

2nd half had lack in creating solid plot twists and development felt flat. Moreover the execution was not upto the mark. The characters turned monotonous by the end. I started skipping fewer scenes. Few twists were actually good but the way they executed was very plain.

Anzu (FL) was oversmart and i liked her throughout the show, didnt liked her sister Yuzu and Makiko's youngest son Shinji - both were utterly annoying people. These few characters didnt really shaped well. Makiko (2nd FL) who was introduced as a vindictive nature person turn out to be mostly a fool when i expected her to be more sharp and cruel. The father was an absolutely pathetic character and had no importance. I dont know why he was even shown alive, his personality was gross. Kiichi was very complex character initially. I was enjoying his dark sides and complexity. They were trying to build him up well. But then again in 2nd half his character was made plot device and had no significance. He looked too less powerful.

The final plot twist was honestly something i never expected it to be. It was quite great.

Honestly the romance angle seemed a bit unnecessary here but as there were not many characters and because the main leads had damm good chemistry i liked and enjoyed their healing romance and also wished this to be more like a romantic drama.

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Overall this was a nice one time watch and i quite liked and enjoyed it but only from the perspective of family drama. From thriller perspective this is lacklustre.

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A thrilling story with a messy payoff

This drama had my attention from the premise, and the story and how it's presented made me binge it in only one night.
This review will only spoil the ending, since I'll be talking about it.

The acting, aside from the always terrible child performances, and the actress playing claire (the actual shizuka), was pretty solid and I was sold on the emotions the characters were displaying.
The characters went from pretty good, to "Oh, god, k*ll it". The villain I particularly liked, because (at least with the ending reveal), her motivations felt really human, and while on her high horse and pretty dislikeable, she wasn't an evil caricature and had human emotions and actions. Some dramas can go pretty out there when characterizing their villains, I'm glad this one did not. Anzu and Yuzu, and most of Shinichi were pretty easy to root for, but Kiichi is just... you just don't do that LOL I understand the point is that he's unlikeable, but I didn't really forgive him completely by the end, so there's that. And speaking of which, Anzu's dad has to be the worst man ever, and while I also hate her mom, she was right to divorce him. He just proves you can be the exact opposite of walter white, and be just as toxic and ineffective at protecting your family.
The dialogue was good, except from some conversations that felt stiff and unnatural. It had decent foreshadowing, which mostly paid off. Mostly.

Now, the music. Can an OST ruin a piece of media? Well, this one certainly tried. I haven't head anything more uninspired and downright annoying and distracting. I kept thinking of elevator music and royalty free tunes they play while on hold on phone calls. It reminded me of the vampire diaries game. It was mismatched for almost every scene and having silence would've been more productive. I'm amazed at the scores I'm seeing for it. Yes, I'm writing this review just for this part.

The ending (Spoilers):
It was a bit tiring to witness. Learning that Makiko's actions were less heinous than first presented was fine, and also fleshed her out as a mother, though not in a positive way, which is actually great. Making Kiichi the real culprit would've been more compelling, though I understand it having been Shinichi was the payoff to his character arc, it being that long to present kinda lost me a bit. They should've skipped the whole Kiichi taking the fault. Also, what the f is wrong with Anzu's mom and the "You shall live with the guilt of being a dumb child with an overbearing mother" thing? I just don't like her.

Anyways, I overall enjoyed it, but wouldn't rewatch.

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Slow Burn Suspense, but Entertaining.

I started this show with no high hopes. This is not a typical watch for me, but I was pleasantly surprised.

As slow as it could be at times, I was never was bored while watching. The acting was decent, especially from the FL. The plot was not all that spectacular, but it had nice twists that made up for its "lack of plot."

Even so, there were a few things I didn't like:
1. The romance-I enjoyed it, but it was kind of unnecessary. It didn't make much sense to put it in, and the ML was quite a jerk in the beginning. I didn't like how much time they spent on the romance in the first part, and then abruptly ended it. Then the FL decides that she's in love with him, even though didn't spend much time together.
2. The time skip in the middle- It wasn't a huge deal, but they didn't show how or why the FL went from being the maid to the manger. I was quite confused.
3. The mother- She wasn't bad, but I don't understand where she got those photos from. She would have had to go inside the house to take the photos...

What I liked:
1. The antagonist- They did a good job at making her and the husband very dislikable. I liked the dynamic between characters. I will say, the dad was a top doctor, but extremally brainless. He was the most annoyingly dumb character I've seen.
2. The end- The twist was unpredictable, but I am glad it ended that way. I was scared for a second that the ML had been the arsonist, because I liked his character. It would have ruined it for me.
3. How well rounded the characters were- Most of them had a very interesting personality's. The antagonist had a social media praise addiction, which was a nice touch. The FL was smart and I liked how she took care of her sister. The rich ML who made money off of the demise of other rich people. Etc.

All in all, I would recommend for someone in future, and I really enjoyed it.

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Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Mitaraike Enjou Suru " is a revenge family drama.

The story is pretty basic and, in theory, it is enjoyable, but it goes astray in the second half. Plus, things get out of hand and the result is so-so, kind of unsatisfying and anticlimactic, but okay overall.

The performances, on the other hand, were pretty enjoyable and everyone handled their characters masterfully. The characters, in addition, were interesting, especially the side characters that really did great and supported the main ones that often were too stereotypical melodrama characters.

So, overall, five out of ten.

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WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???

The show is not as good as it could have been. However, I will say that each episode at least, builds off the next and it's a coherent story. Episode 6 is by far the best episode in the series and could have ended there IMO. But NO!! we have to deal with these 11th hour shenanigans of who actually did what. PISH TOSH!!

I must be the only one annoyed by the the treacle ending. Eveyone lives happliy ever after; I call BS. I am also pissed that Makiko did not get the comeuppance I wanted or needed. They tried to make Makiko sympathetic too. NO!!! Anyway, not terrble but a total let down.

The pluses of the series are the lead actresses are really good and I loved the young actress playing Anzu. I also, like the Claire character; she was a good friend.

11/25/23

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There is an imposter among us...

I loved this show. First off, all the performances are solid. I came for Nagano Mei, but everyone really surprised me in parts of this. Suzuki Kyoka plays one of the best modern day femme-fatals I've seen in a while, she is a very controlling, and power hungry in this drama and it really works. The plot is weirdly similar to the horror film 'The Strays' where a group of characters seeks revenge on someone who stole their life, and they slowly infiltrate the character's life to teach them a lesson. 'Burn The House Down' improves on that plot-point WAY better tho. If I give a recommendation, it would be to stick with 'Burn the House Down' and avoid 'The Strays'. This is a story that I recommend going in completely blind, no trailer or anything. It would definitely improve your experience!!

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I tend to shy away from Chinese and Japanese dramas because the actors are so dead! They play these roles as if their lives have been drained and they're using every last effort to make it work.

I wasn't going to watch this drama but another user on here recommended it so I felt obliged to watch it.

It's only 8 episodes so thankfully the plot wasn't drawn out. Something Korea should take note in sometimes.

The characters were great. Didn't feel any chemistry from anybody. I'm so use to that and when I don't get it it makes me change my whole outcome on characterizations and character choices . Two female characters kept squealing over how good the food was in almost every episode. I hate high pitch squealing female voices!!

From the plot you have this mother who envies rich women's lives and will do whatever it takes to live like them. She may have to trample on a family to get there but it will get done.
That attitude was kept until the last two episodes though. With any Asian drama I have now become use to the plot swaying in a different direction which this one did. It sort of leads to a let down for me which lowers my expectations and ratings.

I did not like the father at all! This man had no spine! In my opinion he was the worse character choice for this drama.

I knew there was going to be romance in this! I just knew it but the way it was done wasn't over the top or the cliche romances that I have come to despise in any kind of drama.

The very last episode was kind of a let down for me. I wouldn't call this a revenge or thriller because of that. I wasn't prepared to feel sorry for the wrong doers one bit but in the end I felt a little tinge of sympathy which I didn't want to feel. I wanted that 'Taxi Driver' revenge but alas...I didn't get it.

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Not Your Usual Revenge Story

Overall solid show. Female leads carried the acting but even the supporting characters were pretty good!

The show definitely has some flaws and people who are looking for a fast-paced revenge story will be disappointed. This is a plot on the slower side of things with a lot of family drama and plot twists.

The highlight of the show is definitely Suzuki Kyoka’s Makiko. The character, whether you like her or not, is superb and an excellent example of a multi-dimensional antagonist. Even with her pretty ghastly personality, I was kinda rooting for her a little bit by the end. She is what I call a milfboss.

Shinji’s character is also one of the most interesting ones, even if at first he seems like a boring background character, the more we learn about him and his broken inner world, the more layered he becomes. This can be said about ~most~ of characters in the show. I don’t think any of them are either black-or-white, and you might like them at one point of the story and dislike them at another.

The romance is a bit weird to me, in the sense that it’s well-paced and there’s definitely chemistry between the actors, however, it didn’t strike me as particularly necessary. A platonic relationship between Anzu and Kiichi would’ve been perfectly good as well. I think at the end of the day, I perceived their relationship as meant to be healing rather than romantic. If you’re not a fan of romance just know that it’s not really a huge part of the plot, and it is not a forced relationship, it’s very natural. Heed of warning though: the main couple are technically step-siblings for most of the show (even though they’ve never really seen each other that way).

The plot twists were actually kind of fun, and whenever I thought I had it all figured out, there came another twist to mess me up. If you’re into happy endings… this might be for you.

Good show to binge watch!

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