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"Many people who can't be saved by the justice system are victimized by it instead"
Sins of Kujo is a law drama that focuses on Kujo Taiza, a defense attorney who specializes in cases involving the weak, the poor, and the wicked. Despite the fact that the judicial system promises representation for defendants, Kujo is treated as a pariah among other lawyers for the clients he takes on.
Defense lawyer Kujo Taiza harbors dark secrets and takes on cases others shun. He lives in a tent on the roof of the building he works in having lost everything in his divorce. He has no visitation rights to his daughter and has been completely disowned by his own family. The straightlaced Karasuma Shinji applies to work in Kujo’s practice with secrets of his own. Shinji finds Kujo’s clients distasteful and his methods aberrant. Social worker Yakushimae Hitomi drops in occasionally to help with clients in need of public assistance. Mibu Kengo, a yakuza fixer, helps on the fringe, for good or bad remains to be seen.
One of the things that worked for me in this drama was that there were no meaningful court scenes. We were privy to the actions before court and the resolutions afterwards. No long, drawn-out, overly dramatic speeches with each case. It was also interesting to watch a law drama that covered the gray areas and people. Kujo told Shinji to not confuse morality and the law. His clients were not people anyone in polite society was going to invite to dinner but they deserved to be properly represented just like everyone else. Not that anyone seemed to believe that. Other lawyers, the police, and citizens on the street considered Kujo a crooked lawyer because he represented criminals. He was threatened with prison often, nearly every episode, which I found confusing. Unless he did something illegal, being a defense attorney was an important cog in the wheels of justice. How was representing crooks any less ethical that representing corporate raiders who bled people dry on a grand scale? At least once an episode someone would bang on about how awful he was, despite the fact he also worked tirelessly to help victims and didn’t charge exorbitant fees. He was definitely an unorthodox human rights lawyer at times.
The work relationship between Kujo and Shinji never gelled for me. The connection between Kujo and the tattooed Mibu was far more intriguing. The social worker tended to show up at mealtimes and spent most of her scenes with Shinji. There was an incredibly repressed and narrow-minded activist lawyer that was dangled as a possible love interest for Kujo. Neither female character was written very well.
There was obviously a sinister connection between Kujo, Mibu, the yakuza Kyoguko, and detective Arashiyama though a frustrating dearth of clues as to what their connections were. Kujo was playing a long game but the writers were silent on what that game was. Something you do need to know about this drama is that it ends on a cliffhanger without resolving any of the issues that were hinted at for 10 episodes***. If no season 2 appears on the horizon, I’ll be dropping my score. Up until the last episode I would have rated this drama an 8 merely for not retreading overused law cases and tropes. I’d honestly put off watching this drama until a season 2 has been confirmed.
13 July 2026
Trigger warnings: A long finger lopping scene, nekkid tattooed buttocks, smoking, torture scenes, sexual assault alluded to in a flashback scene.
Snack note: these lawyers and friends ate and drank often so if seeing food triggers you to hit the frig you might need to find an appropriate snack or mindset beforehand. XD
Spoilery thoughts below regarding the unanswered and unasked questions
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Why didn’t Kujo have any visitation rights with his daughter? Was that his choice?
What is the dark secret connecting Kujo and Mibu? They both obviously want to take down Kyogoku.
Was Kujo that absurdly stupid to take and then give back Morita’s phone?
He said he wouldn’t leave it to the courts if a loved one of his had been murdered. Why did we never meet his wife?
Was Shinji’s dad truly into a shady business or was it just a salacious news story?
What really brought Shinji to Kujo?
What was the real reason Kujo was disowned by his family? That one case didn’t seem reason enough for such drastic action.
What is Kujo’s brother up to?
How did Kujo’s dad die?
How was the estrangement connected to Shinji’s family?
Usually, dramas drop a juicy clue before the cliffhanger. Not this one. Combined with not knowing if there will be a season 2, those are the real Sins of Kujo.
Defense lawyer Kujo Taiza harbors dark secrets and takes on cases others shun. He lives in a tent on the roof of the building he works in having lost everything in his divorce. He has no visitation rights to his daughter and has been completely disowned by his own family. The straightlaced Karasuma Shinji applies to work in Kujo’s practice with secrets of his own. Shinji finds Kujo’s clients distasteful and his methods aberrant. Social worker Yakushimae Hitomi drops in occasionally to help with clients in need of public assistance. Mibu Kengo, a yakuza fixer, helps on the fringe, for good or bad remains to be seen.
One of the things that worked for me in this drama was that there were no meaningful court scenes. We were privy to the actions before court and the resolutions afterwards. No long, drawn-out, overly dramatic speeches with each case. It was also interesting to watch a law drama that covered the gray areas and people. Kujo told Shinji to not confuse morality and the law. His clients were not people anyone in polite society was going to invite to dinner but they deserved to be properly represented just like everyone else. Not that anyone seemed to believe that. Other lawyers, the police, and citizens on the street considered Kujo a crooked lawyer because he represented criminals. He was threatened with prison often, nearly every episode, which I found confusing. Unless he did something illegal, being a defense attorney was an important cog in the wheels of justice. How was representing crooks any less ethical that representing corporate raiders who bled people dry on a grand scale? At least once an episode someone would bang on about how awful he was, despite the fact he also worked tirelessly to help victims and didn’t charge exorbitant fees. He was definitely an unorthodox human rights lawyer at times.
The work relationship between Kujo and Shinji never gelled for me. The connection between Kujo and the tattooed Mibu was far more intriguing. The social worker tended to show up at mealtimes and spent most of her scenes with Shinji. There was an incredibly repressed and narrow-minded activist lawyer that was dangled as a possible love interest for Kujo. Neither female character was written very well.
There was obviously a sinister connection between Kujo, Mibu, the yakuza Kyoguko, and detective Arashiyama though a frustrating dearth of clues as to what their connections were. Kujo was playing a long game but the writers were silent on what that game was. Something you do need to know about this drama is that it ends on a cliffhanger without resolving any of the issues that were hinted at for 10 episodes***. If no season 2 appears on the horizon, I’ll be dropping my score. Up until the last episode I would have rated this drama an 8 merely for not retreading overused law cases and tropes. I’d honestly put off watching this drama until a season 2 has been confirmed.
13 July 2026
Trigger warnings: A long finger lopping scene, nekkid tattooed buttocks, smoking, torture scenes, sexual assault alluded to in a flashback scene.
Snack note: these lawyers and friends ate and drank often so if seeing food triggers you to hit the frig you might need to find an appropriate snack or mindset beforehand. XD
Spoilery thoughts below regarding the unanswered and unasked questions
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
Why didn’t Kujo have any visitation rights with his daughter? Was that his choice?
What is the dark secret connecting Kujo and Mibu? They both obviously want to take down Kyogoku.
Was Kujo that absurdly stupid to take and then give back Morita’s phone?
He said he wouldn’t leave it to the courts if a loved one of his had been murdered. Why did we never meet his wife?
Was Shinji’s dad truly into a shady business or was it just a salacious news story?
What really brought Shinji to Kujo?
What was the real reason Kujo was disowned by his family? That one case didn’t seem reason enough for such drastic action.
What is Kujo’s brother up to?
How did Kujo’s dad die?
How was the estrangement connected to Shinji’s family?
Usually, dramas drop a juicy clue before the cliffhanger. Not this one. Combined with not knowing if there will be a season 2, those are the real Sins of Kujo.
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