Character driven crime drama: Nice twist to legal elements with excellent acting
I adored the show!
I'm not even sure why the comment section is so lukewarm (and all about Mibu! I mean Machida did great and the character is important, but still...). I thought I'll hate the Yakuza track and yet another grey character willingly walking on a dangerous path; but surprisingly Kujo turned out to be a completely good guy! That flip of character as explored by Karasuma alone deserves applause. Acting was truly excellent and for a change I loved the well-roundedness of the plot. We still don't know exactly what kind of connection Kujo and Mibu have but we're intrigued to know. We know Karasuma cares about Kujo deeply and it happened through the course of the first 8 episodes and that was extremely believable. The Yakuza guys are violent, the scenario is set in an underworld atmosphere where clients are usually criminals or exploited to be criminals, which is unique in itself. Kujo is amusingly eccentric but also an excellent judge of peoples' character. Karasuma is more straightforward and considered a brilliant graduate from Todai, still reeling from a past tragedy. Yakushimae san is sort of the light part of the plot, often bringing a much-needed fresh breeze in the the very condensed 40-minute run of the episodes. Not one unnecessary character anywhere. Kyougoku as the underboss of Fushimigumi is played so brilliantly, you'll actually understand why people fear him.
Now Mibu is clearly a criminal. But with a functioning brain and probably a little bit of heart. His mission is clear; he wants to take down Fushinigumi. Kujo trusting him is understandable, but in no way did I like him. Dude is a murderer! But Machida played his part excellently, still thinking about the scene where Karasuma surprises him by being informal, the eye movement alone gave meaning to that scene.
My favorite case was the 'old home' case. It was equally disgusting, violent, sharp and somehow dynamic and warm; handling so much as part of the plot like filial love, dementia, hardship, regret and how well Kujo is when reading people and when comforting them.
There'll be a second season hopefully. I know the cliff hanger is stark, but I'd say it was worth it. Yuya Yagira and Hokuto Matsumura served us well. Loved the cinematography, the graphic yet limited nature of the violence, the deep moody maximalist colour palette, the music. May the next season come soon and with a good ending to an excellent show.
I'm not even sure why the comment section is so lukewarm (and all about Mibu! I mean Machida did great and the character is important, but still...). I thought I'll hate the Yakuza track and yet another grey character willingly walking on a dangerous path; but surprisingly Kujo turned out to be a completely good guy! That flip of character as explored by Karasuma alone deserves applause. Acting was truly excellent and for a change I loved the well-roundedness of the plot. We still don't know exactly what kind of connection Kujo and Mibu have but we're intrigued to know. We know Karasuma cares about Kujo deeply and it happened through the course of the first 8 episodes and that was extremely believable. The Yakuza guys are violent, the scenario is set in an underworld atmosphere where clients are usually criminals or exploited to be criminals, which is unique in itself. Kujo is amusingly eccentric but also an excellent judge of peoples' character. Karasuma is more straightforward and considered a brilliant graduate from Todai, still reeling from a past tragedy. Yakushimae san is sort of the light part of the plot, often bringing a much-needed fresh breeze in the the very condensed 40-minute run of the episodes. Not one unnecessary character anywhere. Kyougoku as the underboss of Fushimigumi is played so brilliantly, you'll actually understand why people fear him.
Now Mibu is clearly a criminal. But with a functioning brain and probably a little bit of heart. His mission is clear; he wants to take down Fushinigumi. Kujo trusting him is understandable, but in no way did I like him. Dude is a murderer! But Machida played his part excellently, still thinking about the scene where Karasuma surprises him by being informal, the eye movement alone gave meaning to that scene.
My favorite case was the 'old home' case. It was equally disgusting, violent, sharp and somehow dynamic and warm; handling so much as part of the plot like filial love, dementia, hardship, regret and how well Kujo is when reading people and when comforting them.
There'll be a second season hopefully. I know the cliff hanger is stark, but I'd say it was worth it. Yuya Yagira and Hokuto Matsumura served us well. Loved the cinematography, the graphic yet limited nature of the violence, the deep moody maximalist colour palette, the music. May the next season come soon and with a good ending to an excellent show.
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