Tonight, I Have a Date with a Serial Killer
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by HomeScreen Alchemist
A dark-comedy mystery drama, based on a satire type manga pointing to what's going on in our society
"Konya mo Serial Killer to Machiawase" is a live-action comedy drama, adapted from a serial manga with the same title written by Iguchi Kon and illustrated by Nakamura Yuji. The English translation of the title is "I'm Meeting a Serial Killer Again Tonight." If there's a mention of a "serial killer" in the title, we should know what kind of story this is, right? But, mind you, this is more a dark-comedy type mystery drama than a full-blown thriller. The thriller aspect is very light and much less intimidating when we compare it to those terrifying serial-killer-themed thriller dramas out there, like, for example, WOWOW's 2025 mini-drama "Sai".
Most action-type mangas use various levels of exaggerations in their narrative or storytelling (from mild to "unbelievably-crazy"), but actually, most of them are inspired by the hidden aspects of reality. Before I start with the review, below I'm outlining the current data regarding Japan that are available/published.
Data 1: Japan has maintained one of the lowest homicide rates in the world: 0.2 per 100,000 people in 2023. Only 912 cases of homicides the entire population in 2023.
Data 2: More than 91,000 people were reported missing in Japan in 2023, marking the third consecutive year of increases.
Manga creators are normally very clever artists, and they are aware of all the things "unseen". From comparing the two data above, the basic thought is that "how many of those that are missing are actually unsolved or unreported homicides?" Of course, no one knows the exact thing, but the missing cases are never resolved. However, deep creative thinkers, especially artists and writers, do ask that type of questions.
Now to the review.
The Story (no spoilers here):
I haven't read the original manga series that this drama is based upon. But I tend to feel that the original Manga story started from the kind of thinking I explained in the previous paragraph, and then they created the fictional narrative from it, called a Satire. That's how all these seemingly unbelievable "serial-killers" stories are made in the first place. The reasons behind all the murders in the manga/drama are even more unbelievable too, even downright sick and ridiculous for some, but it's a kind of "satire" pointing at many of the police reports that are ridiculous and cannot be trusted. If you watch J-dramas or J-movies, so many of them put personnel in the police force as "highly corrupt bad guys" that cannot be trusted. I think that's the case when it comes to the numerous "citizen vigilante" themes used in mangas and in films. Average Japanese people may view that the police just don't care and can even be complicit. It's embedded in their collective psyche.
As a dark-comedy drama based on a dark satire manga, almost every character is presented as comical and unrealistic (except probably some of the police personnel, like those played by Yamazaki Hirona and Okuno So). The comedy displayed here is mostly sarcastic and even borderline "rude". There are also moments of dry humor. You may say "that's stupid and absurd!" but that's the reason I like it. It's hilarious! In that way, it is quite similar to the popular manga-based live-action drama called "Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu" with Non as main lead. Worth mentioning: Yamazaki Hirona also plays a very similar supporting role and character there as a serious police detective. Maybe she was picked as a cast here because she did a really good acting there.
From Wikipedia: Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposing or shaming the perceived flaws of individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into improvement.
The Main Actors:
The acting of Yokoyama Yu as the male lead role is decent, even though some would consider as "flat" and "cold". He delivers what's needed for the drama. To be honest, some people may have a problem watching him because he has that kind of "grumpy" and "angry look" by default, creating an impression like he really loathes the world and loathes everyone, including you and me! Hehehe..... But for his role here as Isogai Shiro, I guess it just fits. His role is actually kind of sad and depressing, but watching his acting doesn't give off that vibe, because there are plenty of comical moments that are funny.
Now let's talk about Sekimizu Nagisa. I've watched quite a number of her dramas in the past (my favorite is "#Who Am I"). Her acting style is, shall I say, unique and distinct. When I say "unique", that means it's not for everybody. Not that it is bad, mind you. The way she acts actually has plenty of oomph, so she always stands out and it's never boring. But the way it gets presented is something that would be more common in stage theater plays than in TV dramas or movies, by using plenty of facial expressions and a louder voice. It's not quite a comical exaggeration (acting style normally used by comedians), and I would not say it's over-acting either. It's more a dynamic, expressive acting.
Combining the stylistic acting between the two makes a perfect match, and that makes the drama interesting and not boring to watch. Good job on the cast selection part!
Directing, Production and Post-Production:
We need to realize that this is just a late-night drama with a noticeably low-budget production, quick takes that require some acting improvisations, and re-purposed shooting areas (same space used for multiple different scenes). You cannot expect a smooth, multi-million dollar movie-like budget for dramas like this. It's definitely on the cheap side, but still delivers, resulting in both efficient and effective execution. I'd rather see dramas like this, than ones with a pompous high-budget production but yet failing in the execution. Directing is good, very efficient and also creative. Post-production work also has that low-budget vibe, kind of funny at times because the outcomes look cheap and nasty, but I don't mind seeing that. At least they did not use AI in helping them with the background composites.
If you ever asked "is there any excessive violence displayed here?", I'd say no. They keep everything pretty mild and toned down. The only real "deadly" scenes are perhaps the smoking scenes!
Earlier, I drew a similarity between this and the action-comedy drama "Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu". The character dynamics and general presentation are actually very similar, although they both carry different stories and different genres. In terms of production, the difference is that "Shiawase Kanako" serial drama, produced by DMM and directed by Hanabusa Tsutomu (they have a Season 2 airing September 2026), had a sizable production budget that made that drama look like a proper action movie that is smooth in every aspect, while this one is a low-budget one, with raw and no-frills production. The type of humor is also different. But I happen to enjoy both. Both are based on serial mangas that are essentially satire-type narration utilizing dark humor, pointing to what's going on in our society.
This is a kind of drama that was never made to be "believable" nor realistic, but it's made to provoke our thoughts while still provides a great amount of entertainment. A must for the lovers of satire.
Most action-type mangas use various levels of exaggerations in their narrative or storytelling (from mild to "unbelievably-crazy"), but actually, most of them are inspired by the hidden aspects of reality. Before I start with the review, below I'm outlining the current data regarding Japan that are available/published.
Data 1: Japan has maintained one of the lowest homicide rates in the world: 0.2 per 100,000 people in 2023. Only 912 cases of homicides the entire population in 2023.
Data 2: More than 91,000 people were reported missing in Japan in 2023, marking the third consecutive year of increases.
Manga creators are normally very clever artists, and they are aware of all the things "unseen". From comparing the two data above, the basic thought is that "how many of those that are missing are actually unsolved or unreported homicides?" Of course, no one knows the exact thing, but the missing cases are never resolved. However, deep creative thinkers, especially artists and writers, do ask that type of questions.
Now to the review.
The Story (no spoilers here):
I haven't read the original manga series that this drama is based upon. But I tend to feel that the original Manga story started from the kind of thinking I explained in the previous paragraph, and then they created the fictional narrative from it, called a Satire. That's how all these seemingly unbelievable "serial-killers" stories are made in the first place. The reasons behind all the murders in the manga/drama are even more unbelievable too, even downright sick and ridiculous for some, but it's a kind of "satire" pointing at many of the police reports that are ridiculous and cannot be trusted. If you watch J-dramas or J-movies, so many of them put personnel in the police force as "highly corrupt bad guys" that cannot be trusted. I think that's the case when it comes to the numerous "citizen vigilante" themes used in mangas and in films. Average Japanese people may view that the police just don't care and can even be complicit. It's embedded in their collective psyche.
As a dark-comedy drama based on a dark satire manga, almost every character is presented as comical and unrealistic (except probably some of the police personnel, like those played by Yamazaki Hirona and Okuno So). The comedy displayed here is mostly sarcastic and even borderline "rude". There are also moments of dry humor. You may say "that's stupid and absurd!" but that's the reason I like it. It's hilarious! In that way, it is quite similar to the popular manga-based live-action drama called "Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu" with Non as main lead. Worth mentioning: Yamazaki Hirona also plays a very similar supporting role and character there as a serious police detective. Maybe she was picked as a cast here because she did a really good acting there.
From Wikipedia: Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposing or shaming the perceived flaws of individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into improvement.
The Main Actors:
The acting of Yokoyama Yu as the male lead role is decent, even though some would consider as "flat" and "cold". He delivers what's needed for the drama. To be honest, some people may have a problem watching him because he has that kind of "grumpy" and "angry look" by default, creating an impression like he really loathes the world and loathes everyone, including you and me! Hehehe..... But for his role here as Isogai Shiro, I guess it just fits. His role is actually kind of sad and depressing, but watching his acting doesn't give off that vibe, because there are plenty of comical moments that are funny.
Now let's talk about Sekimizu Nagisa. I've watched quite a number of her dramas in the past (my favorite is "#Who Am I"). Her acting style is, shall I say, unique and distinct. When I say "unique", that means it's not for everybody. Not that it is bad, mind you. The way she acts actually has plenty of oomph, so she always stands out and it's never boring. But the way it gets presented is something that would be more common in stage theater plays than in TV dramas or movies, by using plenty of facial expressions and a louder voice. It's not quite a comical exaggeration (acting style normally used by comedians), and I would not say it's over-acting either. It's more a dynamic, expressive acting.
Combining the stylistic acting between the two makes a perfect match, and that makes the drama interesting and not boring to watch. Good job on the cast selection part!
Directing, Production and Post-Production:
We need to realize that this is just a late-night drama with a noticeably low-budget production, quick takes that require some acting improvisations, and re-purposed shooting areas (same space used for multiple different scenes). You cannot expect a smooth, multi-million dollar movie-like budget for dramas like this. It's definitely on the cheap side, but still delivers, resulting in both efficient and effective execution. I'd rather see dramas like this, than ones with a pompous high-budget production but yet failing in the execution. Directing is good, very efficient and also creative. Post-production work also has that low-budget vibe, kind of funny at times because the outcomes look cheap and nasty, but I don't mind seeing that. At least they did not use AI in helping them with the background composites.
If you ever asked "is there any excessive violence displayed here?", I'd say no. They keep everything pretty mild and toned down. The only real "deadly" scenes are perhaps the smoking scenes!
Earlier, I drew a similarity between this and the action-comedy drama "Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu". The character dynamics and general presentation are actually very similar, although they both carry different stories and different genres. In terms of production, the difference is that "Shiawase Kanako" serial drama, produced by DMM and directed by Hanabusa Tsutomu (they have a Season 2 airing September 2026), had a sizable production budget that made that drama look like a proper action movie that is smooth in every aspect, while this one is a low-budget one, with raw and no-frills production. The type of humor is also different. But I happen to enjoy both. Both are based on serial mangas that are essentially satire-type narration utilizing dark humor, pointing to what's going on in our society.
This is a kind of drama that was never made to be "believable" nor realistic, but it's made to provoke our thoughts while still provides a great amount of entertainment. A must for the lovers of satire.
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