Erika Toda's magnum opus
Just finished the new biopic J-drama on Kazuko Hosoki (Japan’s most famous fortune teller) on Netflix.
In a nutshell, it’s about how a girl rising from the poverty and ruins of post-WW2 Japan develops the hunger, ambition, and eventually the greed to become one of the richest and most influential figures in modern Japan.
I’ve been a long-time fan of Erika Toda ever since her Liar Game days (despite her maybe not being the strongest actress technically — I’ve just always had a soft spot for her lol), so I was honestly in awe when I saw that this biopic would have her portraying the same character all the way into old age.
I’d first like to say this might genuinely be her magnum opus, because the acting she delivers here is easily career-defining. Every stage of Hosoki’s life was portrayed in an absolutely stellar way, filled with deep emotional weight and the complex nuances her character faces throughout each phase of her life.
The story and writing are excellent as well, and the pacing made me binge the entire series in 2 days. (I consume media from everywhere — Western, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai etc. — and nowadays it’s honestly rare for a drama to captivate my attention span enough for me to finish it.) The writers weave together a lot of multi-faceted characters alongside very ambiguous and morally complex dilemmas.
The cinematography is excellent too. I remember within the first 20 minutes or so, there’s a scene where Erika Toda lights a cigarette in her limo and lowers the window just enough for the smoke to drift out as she gazes into the city lights and reminisces about her origins. That was the moment I knew this drama was going to be something special.
Overall, an 11/10 for me, and I’d absolutely recommend any J-drama fan to give this a watch.
In a nutshell, it’s about how a girl rising from the poverty and ruins of post-WW2 Japan develops the hunger, ambition, and eventually the greed to become one of the richest and most influential figures in modern Japan.
I’ve been a long-time fan of Erika Toda ever since her Liar Game days (despite her maybe not being the strongest actress technically — I’ve just always had a soft spot for her lol), so I was honestly in awe when I saw that this biopic would have her portraying the same character all the way into old age.
I’d first like to say this might genuinely be her magnum opus, because the acting she delivers here is easily career-defining. Every stage of Hosoki’s life was portrayed in an absolutely stellar way, filled with deep emotional weight and the complex nuances her character faces throughout each phase of her life.
The story and writing are excellent as well, and the pacing made me binge the entire series in 2 days. (I consume media from everywhere — Western, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai etc. — and nowadays it’s honestly rare for a drama to captivate my attention span enough for me to finish it.) The writers weave together a lot of multi-faceted characters alongside very ambiguous and morally complex dilemmas.
The cinematography is excellent too. I remember within the first 20 minutes or so, there’s a scene where Erika Toda lights a cigarette in her limo and lowers the window just enough for the smoke to drift out as she gazes into the city lights and reminisces about her origins. That was the moment I knew this drama was going to be something special.
Overall, an 11/10 for me, and I’d absolutely recommend any J-drama fan to give this a watch.
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