Mamono (2025)

No Fairytales Here: Mamono Delivers a Beautiful Bruise (minimal spoilers)

In this romantic thriller-dark psychological drama, Aso Kumiko stars as Kajin Ayame, a brilliant yet emotionally isolated lawyer who becomes entangled with the enigmatic Minamoto Iteya (Shiono Akihisa), a murder and DV suspect. The show seems disorienting at first, as it jumps between Ayame on trial in the future (foreshadowing what is to come) and the story itself, but you'll find that this storytelling method hooks you into the story!

The main selling point for me was how none of the main characters are "good" in the traditional sense. But although they're full of flaws, you can't help but root for all of them in some way (yes, even him). Unafraid to touch on taboo subjects, the series embraces infidelity, emotional abuse, and moral ambiguity. Everyone is simultaneously a victim and a perpetrator.

Acting-wise, hats off to everyone's acting!! There's a 17-year age gap between Kumiko Aso and Akihisa Shiono (and the characters within the show), making their romance feel far from fluffy and carefree, but Aso delivers a phenomenal performance of a nuanced, compelling character, who I couldn't help but root for despite the immoral things she does throughout the show. Likewise, Shiono (total eye candy btw) conveys unsettling intensity in his gaze. I especially loved how you could see the "snap" in Iteya's eyes in certain moments, as he unleashes (ahem) the monster within. My favorite scene is definitely the end of episode 6!

As a Japanese-Korean co-production, Mamono successfully embodies the strengths and emotional qualities of both countries. The music is AMAZING and melodramatic, and although there really were only a few tracks that repeatedly played throughout the series, it didn't get old for me (I especially love how they had a Korean version of the Japanese OST too).

All in all, it probably shouldn't be rated this high, but I LOVED it, and you should give it a go if you're into dramatic, dark romantic thrillers that leave you questioning after every episode. But also, it's pretty dark and touches on a lot of sensitive topics, so I probably won't rewatch anytime soon haha.

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The realities of DV

tw: domestic violence and abuse

Oh my goodness...this was so hard to watch. Despite it being only eight episodes and having such a compelling story, I find myself not being able to binge-watch it like I normally would because of the issues around abuse it dealt with feeling so real and raw. It's also been a long time since a drama of any kind has put me into the shoes of a character so well that I felt the emotions Ayame was experiencing, which is another reason it took me longer to finish this.

Despite how hard it was to get through, it tells such an important story about abuse that part of me can't decide whether or not I can recommend this. A gut-wrenching story that's told with such sensitivity, I only hope that victims of abuse can feel safe to come forward and get the justice they deserve.

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