Detective dramas are something I generally like but there's so many of them around that it's hard to see something different come out. After so many of them, they tend to get repetitive and the formula is always the same: there's small mysteries, normally tied to a bigger underlying mystery that has some personal ties with the detective/s.

It is said that, in storytelling, whether or not a subject has been told is irrelevant, where true originality needs to lie is on how it's told. And I think this drama has something that makes it really worth the watch, despite the countless detective dramas you'll see around: the two leads.

Leading detective duos are not uncommon, especially not on dramas, but there has to be a very precise balance to work them out: it isn't just about having good characters and good actors, it's also about the actors having good chemistry and working well together. In this one, that's the heart of the drama. I was a bit weary when I started watching because even though Kubota Masataka is a very good actor, some of his pairings tend to not work as well as expected. But that's where Saito Takumi comes in, he works really great in duos and adapts very well to different people. The relationship between Himura and Arisu is the key of this drama, it's an anchor for the characters as well as what makes them move forward, and these two deliver that amazingly well.

The story isn't at its full potential, probably because this is adapting books that have much more space to deliver mysteries and create intrigue. When it comes to cases, it may not be the most innovative drama out there, and for the restraint of adapting to this medium, it may feel somewhat rushed in some places. Still, the characters are all very interesting and these two leads shine both individually and as a duo. They have a sort of Sherlock/Watson resemblance, in the sense that Himura is the smart, calculating and seemingly cold detective while Arisu is the emphatic, loyal and light-hearted companion, but they both shine in their own right and Arisu isn't in any way less smart, interesting or action-prone, as well as Himura has a very emotional side which is the core of his character arc and where him and Arisu connect. It was this core what made me more interested in Himura as the series went on, because Arisu was easily the most fun to watch at first, but Himura's constant turmoil between good and evil and his fear of hurting others hits very deeply with Saito Takumi's performance.

All in all, it has its flaws, it's not a perfect detective drama, but I haven't seen such great chemistry in a drama in a while, and I'm glad these two weren't shy to go to these extents to show it. If you're more interested in well-written mysteries with very surprising twists, maybe this one isn't for you, but if you're more interested in characters, their development and amazing on screen chemistry between these two great actors, then give this one a shot.