Reaching the end of this drama has left me feeling rather.... blank. For starters, this drama is not for everyone. It's dark, twisted, but the story telling is rather beautiful. If there's one thing I can honestly say that this drama did best - it's the way it showed the story. Switching camera views, focusing on the characters at the right time, leading up to climatic scenes. It was all done very well. Even the music was added at just the right times, enough to get the mood set right.
So now that I've covered the story, onto the acting. This is not my first Kimura Takuya drama, I actually believe it might be my third drama with him. That being said, I've thought of him as a great actor before, and I definitely think he's still a great actor after watching this drama. To see him in such an intense role of a devilish character, he really pulled it off. Fukatsu Eri also did a great job as Yuko, and the chemistry between these two was also what contributed to the great acting. And Akashiya Sanma as Detective Kanzo was the most shocking. I've never seen him in anything before, but I believe I read somewhere that he was in a variety show, and he's a comedian. His role here was mostly serious, though, and his character was one of the most memorable from the show.
"Smile" by Elvis Costello is the main theme here, and it fits the drama beautifully. Especially as the later episodes come, the song makes more and more sense. Also, the instrumentals that they used added to the drama, but they were also tunes that don't fully stand out.
I can guarantee I will never watch this drama again. It's a show that is good to watch once, but after you know what happens, and after you watch what happens, it doesn't make sense to rewatch it. It's not a favorite. And as Rita stated in her review of this drama, none of the characters were a favorite either. Right when you start to like a character, something happens to change your view.
Overall, like I said, this drama is not for everyone. The first few episodes dragged a little and started off slow, but the mystery kept me going all the way to the end. The twists that come then are not something that a lot of people will like, which is why I recommend that if you intend to watch this drama, you go in with an open mind.
It might be listed as a thriller, but I didn't really find it to be much of one. More of a mystery or suspense. I wasn't kept on the edge of my seat, but I did want to figure out the answers and the reasons to why things happened. It has romance in it as well, but it's not the main overall theme of the drama. Rather it's a play on the act of being human, dark secrets and motives, and an overall search for the truth. What it's like to be stuck in the prison of your own life.
Some of my favorite quotes from One Million Stars Falling From The Sky:
“If you don’t love, then you can’t be loved. If you don’t open your heart, then people won’t open their hearts.”
"How does it feel to live in this big place?"
"It's like putting a bird in a cage and then locking up it's heart. Not being able to come out, not happy, not sad. Not hoping, not trusting, not loving. So I can't be hurt."
"Birds in the cage long for the blue skies. Compared to those free flying birds, people with locked up hearts yearn to be loved more."
"A tamed bird can't lead a life in the wild anymore. It cannot be alone anymore."
At the very least, I also recommend this for Kimura Takuya fans, as his character here is one that will draw you in, and his acting, as I've also said, is great.
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