Himitsu: The Top Secret

Textbook Reference on Live Action Adaptation Done Right - Need Sequel

Easily the best version of the manga adaptation, it's incredible how it stayed true to the original source that fans of the manga definitely approved despite some changes. People unfamiliar with the manga would still enjoy this drama very much.

Story: Rated 9/10 because I wish it was longer. And sometimes due to time constraint, the pace felt quite rushed. While the drama had a strong cast, due to the pace, not much attention was paid to the members of the Ninth. Also, the CG effects were nothing outstanding, like the car explosion or the helicopter (budget reasons I'm sure). But on the plus side, the drama didn't just deal with crime-solving, they added so much depth to the story and characters that you questioned the ethical part of their work, that you emphatised with the villains, that made you think about the grey areas and how not everything is easily categorised as right and wrong.

Cast: 10/10. On top of being strong actors, Rihito and Yuto perfectly matched their character descriptions from the manga. Strong supporting cast especially for the roles of Okabe and Kainuma.

One of the drama's main success factors is the cast members. Rihito was incredibly effective as Maki, the heart of this drama. His portrayal of Maki as the strong leader despite his small stature really left a strong mark. Impressive that at his young age, he was able to embody the complicated emotions and struggles of Maki so effectively it made us root for Maki.

Yuto was impressive as both Aoki and Suzuki. The decision to make Yuto play both characters proved a good one as Aoki and Suzuki felt like different characters, not just from hairstyle change and glasses. Even when Yuto portrayed the exact same scene as Aoki and Suzuki, it still felt like different characters. He also nailed the emotional scenes. The scene of Aoki dazed and distraught at discovering his murdered sister and her husband, holding on to his orphaned niece, as well as their funeral, was gut-wrenching.

Okabe as the comic relief yet heartwarming character acting as Maki's guardian angel made him a fan favourite. Kainuma as the main villain was bone-chilling. Yukiko was effective as the formidable pathologist and the source of romantic conflict among Suzuki, Aoki/Maki.

Special mention: Yuto and Rihito's chemistry. Yes, there was that BL undertone, which was present in the manga. The two leads had awesome chemistry with each other, which translated from their real-life dynamic. They managed to portray their characters' feelings for one another, romantic or otherwise. It was so effective that such feelings could be evoked from what was supposed to be a crime drama.

Overall, really hope they have a sequel, since the manga is ongoing. From how they ended the drama, the production probably left it open for a sequel too. We need more Maki, Aoki, and the Ninth! Easily one of the best J-dramas released in 2025. I hope Rihito and Yuto continue to get a lot of exposure from this drama. They are too talented. Rihito is a young talent for sure and Yuto is definitely up there in terms of his acting talent as an idol-actor.

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Beauty Behind The Madness.

This was an abrupt watch from my side with absolutely no expectations except for the synopsis and that one clip on twitter. Japanese crime drama world is rather unfamiliar to me, but the first episode and the very questionable technology of "MRI Scanning" someone's brain was too intriguing and I binged the entire 11 episodes in one night.
Himitsu reminded me a lot of the Taiwanese Drama 'Oh no! Here comes trouble!' though they are both drastically different from each other -- maybe its because both these dramas' strengths and mysteries are steeped in human emotions, particularly of the deceased as well as the people whom they left behind.

And I'm not kidding when I tell you this -- the drama might mess with your head a bit. There are quite intense and emotional scenes. Unfortunately, I chose to watch it during the wee hours before dawn and ended up dreaming about some old guy who claimed to be Jack the Ripper trying to give me an in-depth explanation about the Whitechapel Murders while I shut the door on his face and tried to lock him out. (Thank you, Kainuma-sensei.)
Now, I'll get down to business.

When a special Department called the "9th" is established with the cutting edge technology of scanning the brains of victims to identify the true nature of the crime, it evokes a sense of intense resentment as well as awe amongst everyone in the Police Force. Leading the team of five, is Chief Maki, backed by his trusted Deputy Chief Suzuki, and three other subordinates, all under the tutelage of the renowned neuroscientist, Professor Kainuma.
However, the members soon learn the unpleasant side of the seemingly glamorous mode of investigation and it isn't long before a shocking death plunges everyone into darkness.
Three years later, a new recruit, Aoki Ikkou, joins the team and begins to learn the ropes under the disapproving eyes of Chief Maki, with whom he gradually develops a complex relationship.

---- The mysteries are the very backbone of Himitsu. Pay attention to the first two episodes in particular, because to me, those were the 'basement' cases, particularly for Chief Maki. The remaining ones where more cemented on emotions and aided in shaping as well as gaining insights into the character's actions. I have to say, Itagaki Rihito kicked the ball off the park with his performance here. Apparently, he fits the manga's description of his character, but even so, giving off the superior aura around him is not so easy.
Maki is definitely one of the most loneliest characters I've seen on screen. So, the sense of relief I felt by hearing his final words was intense.
Which brings me to Aoki. I liked how his character countered Maki-san's and tested his limits, bringing him unwillingly back to life. I wanted to bong him on the head and ask him to come to his senses, shape up and spill out his emotions, but I can guess why he stumbled along the way.
This brings me to the coroner Yukiko-san. She was strongest character, second to Maki. I liked how well in tune she was with her emotions as well as her duty. Girl definitely had some guts, particularly at the end of EP6.
And special mention to Okabe San for his existence. His reactions where a mirror image of mine and his protective attitude and care for Maki made him an instant favorite of mine.
The supporting cast, particularly the episodic ones gave impactful performances.

---- The Ending song, Iris by Buddiis, captured my attention. Also, the BGMS! Special thanks to Kate for the subtitles.

This is no flashy drama with over the top aesthetics or mind blowing scenes. But, the intangible relationship between the characters, and the rather human emotions that were depicted at times amongst all the insane mess made 'Himitsu ~ Top Secret' a worthy watch for me.

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Did I watch the same drama as everyone??

In all my years of watching dramas, I've never posted a public review, but after watching this one and seeing all the reviews online, I finally pulled the trigger and created an MDL account because I feel insane and I need someone to hear me out.

To preface, I have not read the original manga or watched the anime and movie, so I can't speak to how well this works as an adaptation - maybe I would have been more forgiving if I knew how this stacked up. Also, a disclaimer that if you enjoyed it, I'm happy for you! But I want to offer a different perspective.

The TL;DR is that I would personally recommend this drama ONLY IF you want to see Itagaki Rihito and Nakajima Yuto interact. If you are looking for ANYTHING else - romance, police procedural, mystery, thriller, sci-fi, BL - I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. Even if you just want to watch any of the actors on this cast, I think there are many options you should choose before you consider this one.

But first, some positives. I think the best part of this drama is the cinematography. The scenes have a nice atmosphere to them that fits the unsettling vibe and some of the stylistic choices were cool. I also really like the opening and ending themes and that one electronicky background track they used during tense moments. The acting is serviceable - I appreciated that it was a very different role for Rihito than what I'm used to and he did an okay job, although I think he is still a bit too young and fresh to really pull off the charisma of a character like Maki. From what I've seen of the manga, though, he definitely looks the part at least.

The first two episodes are also fairly decent. Even if the MRI stuff is a bit hokey, it's an interesting enough premise, and the way it was used in Ep 1 to catch the criminal was kinda clever. The twist at the end of Ep 1 into Ep 2 got me intrigued, too.

However, in my opinion, the number one reason this drama quickly tanked is the introduction of Aoki.

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To be more precise, I think Suzuki was killed off too early. He dies in the first half of Ep 2 when barely anything was known about his character and his relationship to the others, so Maki and Yukiko being so tormented by his death for the remaining run time ends up feeling hollow and overdramatic. Sure, we're told he has deep, strong bonds with them and catch some glimpses of the dynamic, but we basically just have to accept at face value how much he meant to them by seeing how intensely Yukiko and especially Maki are traumatized by it, when the viewers, on the other hand, have barely had time to feel any sort of emotions for him.

Then, because Suzuki was killed so early, when Aoki comes along, we don't have enough information to be able to distinguish Suzuki from Aoki, so Aoki loses his own individuality as a character and is just Suzuki with glasses and different hair, which distorts his dynamic with Maki and Yukiko. Like, do they really like Aoki for Aoki, or do they like him because he reminds them of Suzuki? It's hard to tell because we got almost no characterization of Suzuki, so we don't know how the two are different!!!

This leads into my other big issue with the drama - the romance between Aoki and Yukiko was so WEIRD. It really felt like it came out of nowhere. I can understand that maybe because Suzuki's thoughts/feelings transferred over to Aoki when he saw Suzuki's memories that Aoki would feel attracted to Yukiko, but Yukiko...girl....why are you getting involved with a man who looks EXACTLY like your dead boyfriend? That's just one coping mechanism too far! And then the reveal at the end that she was actually in love with Maki???? You got involved with TWO MEN WHO LOOK THE SAME but you had feelings for SOMEONE ELSE ENTIRELY????

And with Maki and Aoki, there's nothing wrong with shipping them (even tho I personally think they don't have that much chemistry) and I have a suspicion that they are the reason the drama's MDL rating is so high, but in my opinion, the drama doesn't even give shippers a lot to work with. I wouldn't necessarily say it's queerbaiting, but all of their "romantic" interactions are purely subtextual - even the "confession" at the end is a cop out with him saying "Everyone likes you!!" which is why I say this drama is just for people who want to see Rihito and Yuto exist on screen together and hug a couple of times, and honestly, I think that's all the writer wanted to see too because plot???? I don't know her!

It's pretty hard to make the cases interesting when you can basically see everything that happened through the MRI and indeed, the investigation aspect feels more like an afterthought. Everything is so random and disjointed and poorly paced. The twist at the end is very unearned - they suddenly throw all this backstory at us and expect us to care??? I really do believe everything was set up just so Maki could fall into despair and be all tortured every episode and have Aoki swoop in and comfort him.

I like to consider myself someone with a high tolerance for silly dramas, and I can usually find enjoyment somewhere in a mess, but this drama is decidedly not silly and takes itself way too seriously, so it had me groaning with exasperation and took watching at 3x speed to even get through it. It was a grueling experience, but most of all, it was an extremely disappointing experience. Normally, I would just drop a drama when I realize it's not for me, but I kept watching with the hope that it would somehow get really good towards the end and I would understand what all the hype was about, but that moment never came.

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I usually refrain from comparing drama and anime adaptations considering the limitations dramas face but this one was a let down! It's a shame cause I was looking forward to watching it when I figured about it.

My main issue with this drama is the acting.
-I still remember that Maki was a very very interesting character in the anime but here it's just an empty lookalike! that overacts. the only positive about him is looking exactly like the character from the anime and that's it. his facial expressions are just not it.. he lacks the charisma!
-Considering all the effort of the drama to cast someone so similar for Maki's role. the casting for Suzuki/Aoki wasn't right in my opinion. he doesn't look like the character. even that aside he is too stiff and inconsistent. still better compared to Maki's.
Maki and Aoki were my favorite duo in the anime and It's quite unfortunate that the connection of Maki and Aoki was butchered due to stiff/awkward acting.

The acting of the rest of the cast is okay.

Let's talk about the pacing and the plot!
The first episode is so all over the place! scenes are just thrown in! If I wasn't aware of the plot beforehand, I would've dropped it.
Episode 2 wasn't doing any better! I didn't feel anything while watching what happened since it was very rushed!
It got slightly better after ep 3 but still the acting of 2 main characters was either too over the top or too stiff so it kept distracting me.

Here comes my biggest compliment for the drama!
They managed to recreate the unsettling feeling of watching the dead's experience on the screen. It was awesome!
I'll be watching this till the end just for this alone!!

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Ne le dis à personne... mais c'est le meilleur

J’ai un secret. Le meilleur thriller de 2025, en termes d’originalité scénaristique et de mise en scène… ne date pas de 2025. Il ne date même pas d’il y a cinq ans, comme la science nous permet de remonter dans nos souvenirs. Il est même plus ancien que cette première adaptation en film de 2016, ou que ce spin-off et anime de 2012. Non, le premier volume de Himitsu: The Top Secret, en manga, a bien été écrit en 1999.
Ce mélange des genres improbable entre Boys Love (soft, mais affirmé) et des dystopies de plus en plus réelles comme Psycho-Pass, Brazzil ou Bienvenue à Gattaca, m’a laissé un souvenir ineffaçable grâce à ses qualités d’écriture et de réalisation.
À moins que ce cerveau ne me joue des tours en par trop d'hallucinations.

Explications :

Alors que je n’avais jamais entendu parler de l’anime, en ce mois de janvier 2025, seul le titre m’avait mis la puce à l’oreille. Un titre ronflant, avec un visuel, me faisant penser à un josei assuré. Un énième triangle amoureux avec un secret honteux en filigrane.
Je lance donc le premier épisode et là... je vais de surprise en surprise pendant les premières minutes. Et ce n’était que le début. Car épisode après épisode, mon cerveau allait être imprégné de scènes toutes plus intenses et pour certaines très violentes.

Des scènes sorties d'un cerveau tourmenté
Alors que les thrillers — et a fortiori ceux d’anticipation — deviennent de plus en plus fades au fil de la multiplication des plateformes de streaming et des chaines de TV, semblant écrits par une IA, tant les personnages, situations et retournements sont prévisibles, Himitsu nous saisit dès le premier épisode.
Par sa musique, sa mise en scène, le rictus des acteurs… on assiste à une déconstruction du genre. Les trahisons arrivent dès les premières minutes, les scènes intenses aussi. Et je vous conseille vivement de ne rien lire comme résumé sur la série pour profiter pleinement du scénario retors élaboré par l'autrice.
Pas de rictus suspects pendant des épisodes pour nous indiquer qu'un personnage est bon ou mauvais. Pas, ou peu, d’amours contrariés, ou de « je te tourne autour malgré ta préférence pour l’autre, mais je ne veux pas gâcher mon amitié avec toi ». On connait d'amblé les relations qui paraissent être un statu quo amoureux. De même pour les persos secondaires. On ne tourne pas autour du pot pendant cinq épisodes Qui est un salaud, qui a fait des choses horribles.
On assiste donc à l’exact opposé d'un secret bidon révélé au dernier épisode (Kujaku no Dansu, si tu me regardes).
Pas de premiers épisodes anecdotiques où les héros résolvent des enquêtes sans lien entre elles, dévoilant lentement leurs failles et leurs secrets.
Et c’est en cela que la série est géniale : elle ne vous prend pas pour un con. Elle est sans artifice, brutale et troublante de réalisme.
Alors même qu’elle est estampillée josei, voire boys love en manga, elle est clairement SF, dystopique, et d’une noirceur désespérante. Égale à tout ce qui a été fait de 1984 à Psycho-Pass pour anticiper le monde de demain qui ressemble toujours plus à celui d'aujourd'hui. Seule la lecture des pensées des morts semble encore impossible, mais pour combien de temps...

Les garde-fous vont bientôt céder, tant l’efficacité de résolution des enquêtes semble prouvée dans la série. Mais tout cela avec une intelligence rare, soulevant des interrogations philosophiques et éthiques. Sans compter les erreurs de jugement, les mauvaises interprétations des visions, la folie des personnes décédées... mais aussi celle de ceux qui travaillent dans la Section 9, à force de pénétrer l’inconscient, parfois criminel, de leurs sujets.

On assiste donc à une série à ne pas mettre entre toutes les mains.
Même si le caractère affectif est bien marqué, la relation entre ce trop jeune (en apparence) Maki-kun et les hommes de la série trouble autant qu’elle fascine — y compris pour un hétéro. Le manga, écrit de main de maître par l’autrice Reiko Shimizu, est aussi anxiogène que sentimental, et c’est cela sa force.

Alors bien sûr, on pourra regretter le trait forcé des deux (trois, vous comprendrez en regardant) personnages principaux masculins, voulant sans doute coller au plus près du genre littéraire.
Mais la galerie des personnages secondaires — de Kadowaki Mugi à Kunimura Jun, en passant par Takahashi Tsutomu — rend la série d’un réalisme troublant.
Évitant l’écueil d’une série essentiellement masculine à destination d'une minorité genrée ou non, grâce notamment aux enquêtes à résoudre, ce boys love est à mettre entre toutes les mains de plus de 18 ans.
Très violent et désespérant pour notre avenir, l’adolescent n’en sortira qu’avec des idées noires. Mais l’adulte, lui, saura apprécier enfin un thriller de SF brut, qui ne vous prend pas pour un gosse incapable d'utiliser son cerveau pour trouver lui-même les coupables.
Inutile donc de faire semblant de cacher un secret bidon pendant dix épisodes.
Non. On vous balance tout. Et faites-vous votre propre opinion sur les actes de nos anti-héros. Et pour cela, vous serez accompagné d’une musique aussi anxiogène qu’excellente. Bien sûr, l'ending et l'opening seront assurés par des Johnny's, on en attendait pas moins, vu le casting, mais s'intègrent parfaitement à l'ambiance.

Ne vous détrompez pas : peu d’effets spéciaux accompagneront votre ego trip.
Au contraire, tout est dans la retenue et le dystopisme, à commencer par cette technologie en ronce de noyer et acajou.
Mais bon sang… qu’est-ce que c’est bon de se concentrer sur l’essentiel dans un drama. Chaque épisode est une révélation, sur le monde qui nous entoure et vers où il va.
Bien sûr, il faudra peut-être regarder vingt minutes d’Alice-san Chi no Iroribata pour se remettre d’une heure de Himitsu: The Top Secret.
Mais vos neurones en ressortiront grandis.

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