Not too bad, overall. Although definitely a "male-dominated/male-focused" movie with lots of violence involved. Elaiza Ikeda was added to soften the atmosphere a bit & attempted to give a caring, feminine energy to the overwhelmingly masculine drama, but.... her role was too minimal it didn't affect the entire vibe of the drama. It's a bit pointless to have her there, where no one seems to take her seriously.
I've noticed a bit mis-selection of casts, for example Goto Takenori. Although he's a big guy with lots of muscles, he has a kind/caring eyes that would be unfit to play the bad guy / villain character. He can't play mean, let alone violent.
Fukuchi Momoko is a very capable actress, underrated I have to say. She's cute, and has good/positive shining eyes. She's done many really good performances in various lead roles in the movies. But serial drama is a different story that requires different approach to acting and positioning. Here in this "mini asadora" (or is it actually "yoru-dora" aired at night?), as a leading role she seems a bit "buried" when it comes to how she would put herself during conversation exchanges with other casts. It still feels like she's doing a supporting role. She needs to stand out more on camera. Maybe something to do with her being too frequent as supporting roles in TV dramas, or the directors actually put her too much pressure to act like Nounen "Non" Rena in Amachan (which to this date is still being regarded as the "template" when it comes to multi-episodes dramas). Not all actors or actresses have that naturally strong aura/vibe to shine on camera the way Non had in Amachan, even with similar characteristics in the role being taken - a kind of hectic & enthusiastic one with various expressions per minute. It could end up being a bit "forced" & over-acting, like Kiyohara Kaya did in Okaeri Mone.
I can see that Fukuchi Momoko is more leaning toward "darker" roles (not in a negative way) as she would do much better in that, the kind of role she did in the movie that I really like, "Leave in Summer". Something more in-line with Sugisaki Hana as a successful example (when it comes to the darker roles).
Had to drop it halfway. I don't like the story. This drama seems to "push" the idea of "false memories" in kids. I once read a non-fiction book about high-profile sexual abuse victims that says it (the whole idea of "false memories") was actually a deliberate propaganda made in order to discredit kids that suffered from mental and physical abuses from telling their stories to the public, so that they (these victims) will not be seen as legit or be taken seriously. That propaganda wing is actually made by those who are either part or the ones that had to do the "cleanup jobs" of those inside "the club", the perpetrators, so that these perpetrators would not be brought to justice. Those who know know what I'm talking about. Right now it has been talked everywhere, the "E files". The reality is actually the other way around. If someone experienced traumatic things as a kid (like being abused, raped, etc.), they might suppress them and would have forgotten the experience until certain moment happens to trigger it. But, if they actually do remember their experiences, 90% chance that their experiences were actually true.
Furukawa Kotone is very underrated. Very attractive on-screen (she has that strong likeable aura), & her acting is one of the best in her generation of female J-actors (born around mid to late 90s), surpassing many of the more 'well-known' ones incl. numerous 'asadora heroines'. It's good NHK gave her a respectable '2nd main-role' spot.
I feel like its way too obvious that Ichika is Natsumi. Especially with her that desperate in wanting to save…
I actually "found" that on episode 4. They (either the director or the screenwriter) gave a short clue when Ichika woke up from a nightmare of "her" being shot right in the heart area (should be fatal), but viewed from the the shooter's perspective. They are other subtle clues as well on ep.4.
I rate this 7/10 just because of Takeuchi Ryoma's acting, otherwise it's probably only 5.5/10. His acting is exceptional, but that also made the other supporting casts to push their acting beyond what they're capable of, just to balance the intensity of his acting, and it's a bit embarrassing to watch because over-acting/over-expressing are all over the place. This drama is average and even below average in terms of story, production, directing, etc.
Seems like they (producer & director) were having a hard time to fill the final episode. This whole drama can be done (and could have been even better) in about 6 - 7 episodes with tighter scenes. Lots of unnecessary "filler" scenes and repetitive flashbacks.
I discovered her in Dousuru Ieyasu. She is so good and underrated i must say. Hope to see her break soon.
She's done very well in both Miss King and also Themis no Futashikana Hotei. Her part in After The Quake (Jishin No Ato De) is also really good. NHK should give her a chance to play the main lead heroine in their asadora.
This drama has been OK for me.One thing that has been preventing me from enjoying it more is that none of the…
To me, there's one character that's very likeable: the cafe owner played by Kochi Yamato (the legendary "walking man" on Exit 8 movie). But too bad it's only a few minutes guest role. 😀
Episode 6 is really really good! It's where the action really starts and the plot thickens, and it's no longer…
A bit of a let-down. It went downhill after episode 6. If it wasn't because of Non (Nounen Rena)'s appearance, I could have dropped this already. Final verdict: 6.5/10
One of the best from WOWOW in terms of the story. Acting could have been a bit better for the male lead, but maybe it's better to present it this way (the story itself is bigger/more important than the acting).
Actually, there's a similar kind of drama from NHK that had just finished airing, Themis no Futashikana Hotei. That one has a much better line-up of casts in terms of acting-ability, but the story-line is a kind of a bit of lacking cohesiveness. Too many "filler episodes". So, overall, I'd rate this better. 9/10
Koshi is overrated IMO. He couldn't match Riho's excellent acting here, no chemistry at all, which is embarrassing to watch. If the role given is more into semi-comedy-type like Synanthrope that's OK. But here it requires ability to embody deep emotional expressions and act with nuance. He couldn't even really cry!
Riho, on the other hand, delivers excellent acting as always, and she still looks cute and youthful at 32.
I watched this because some years ago I watched "Homestay", an excellent movie played by both the two main casts here (Kento Nagao & Anna Yamada). They are more than capable Japanese actors from the "Gen Z", and can grasp difficult roles and act accordingly without being awkward. If this movie wasn't played by them it could have become a much worse movie. They didn't play as good here as in "Homestay" and the other casts didn't deliver good enough acting (maybe the huge age-gap between the director & the casts?), even the story itself isn't bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSkqnSX2wPo
https://mydramalist.com/photos/zBVXpz_3
Although definitely a "male-dominated/male-focused" movie with lots of violence involved. Elaiza Ikeda was added to soften the atmosphere a bit & attempted to give a caring, feminine energy to the overwhelmingly masculine drama, but.... her role was too minimal it didn't affect the entire vibe of the drama. It's a bit pointless to have her there, where no one seems to take her seriously.
I've noticed a bit mis-selection of casts, for example Goto Takenori. Although he's a big guy with lots of muscles, he has a kind/caring eyes that would be unfit to play the bad guy / villain character. He can't play mean, let alone violent.
But serial drama is a different story that requires different approach to acting and positioning. Here in this "mini asadora" (or is it actually "yoru-dora" aired at night?), as a leading role she seems a bit "buried" when it comes to how she would put herself during conversation exchanges with other casts. It still feels like she's doing a supporting role. She needs to stand out more on camera. Maybe something to do with her being too frequent as supporting roles in TV dramas, or the directors actually put her too much pressure to act like Nounen "Non" Rena in Amachan (which to this date is still being regarded as the "template" when it comes to multi-episodes dramas). Not all actors or actresses have that naturally strong aura/vibe to shine on camera the way Non had in Amachan, even with similar characteristics in the role being taken - a kind of hectic & enthusiastic one with various expressions per minute. It could end up being a bit "forced" & over-acting, like Kiyohara Kaya did in Okaeri Mone.
I can see that Fukuchi Momoko is more leaning toward "darker" roles (not in a negative way) as she would do much better in that, the kind of role she did in the movie that I really like, "Leave in Summer". Something more in-line with Sugisaki Hana as a successful example (when it comes to the darker roles).
This drama seems to "push" the idea of "false memories" in kids. I once read a non-fiction book about high-profile sexual abuse victims that says it (the whole idea of "false memories") was actually a deliberate propaganda made in order to discredit kids that suffered from mental and physical abuses from telling their stories to the public, so that they (these victims) will not be seen as legit or be taken seriously. That propaganda wing is actually made by those who are either part or the ones that had to do the "cleanup jobs" of those inside "the club", the perpetrators, so that these perpetrators would not be brought to justice.
Those who know know what I'm talking about. Right now it has been talked everywhere, the "E files".
The reality is actually the other way around. If someone experienced traumatic things as a kid (like being abused, raped, etc.), they might suppress them and would have forgotten the experience until certain moment happens to trigger it. But, if they actually do remember their experiences, 90% chance that their experiences were actually true.
This drama is average and even below average in terms of story, production, directing, etc.
NHK should give her a chance to play the main lead heroine in their asadora.
If it wasn't because of Non (Nounen Rena)'s appearance, I could have dropped this already.
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Acting could have been a bit better for the male lead, but maybe it's better to present it this way (the story itself is bigger/more important than the acting).
Actually, there's a similar kind of drama from NHK that had just finished airing, Themis no Futashikana Hotei. That one has a much better line-up of casts in terms of acting-ability, but the story-line is a kind of a bit of lacking cohesiveness. Too many "filler episodes". So, overall, I'd rate this better. 9/10
Riho, on the other hand, delivers excellent acting as always, and she still looks cute and youthful at 32.