Betsuni

You do realise that your math is a bit wonky? Her youngest child was born at the end of January 2020. She committed suicide in September 2020. Her youngest child was not even one year old. Also, this is Japan where they do not believe in mental health issues, so she was probably not even treated. I also think she was put under extreme duress from her agency to return to acting, which also adds to more stress.

She had a very specific form of depression related to childbirth. It is called postpartum depression. In fact, people that have this type of depression sometimes even murder their own baby. I do not know the ins and outs of her case, but knowing that postpartum depression can bring about the most irrational things out there (such as hatred for your own kid), I do not find it strange that she did not write a note to her son. Again, I do not know her case, but I truly believe we witnessed a sad suicide without foul play...

That is the international standard. Doors in Japan are only 6 feet (unless office buildings). I do believe that the doors on the set (class room) of Dragon Zakura are a little bit taller to adjust to his height. Because whenever he enters real premises (restaurants), he has to duck. According to his online profile, he is about 6-2.5. I think that it is a fair estimate, because he is too tall for even a Honda motorcycle, which follows a more international dimension.

You should pay attention to Hiroshi Abe's height. It becomes so incredibly funny. Whenever he is getting a scolding from the teachers, he is always sitting, whilst the teachers are standing (or else they cannot look him in the eyes). He is also too tall for his bike and doors. Haha

It is quite clear why Seto did not like Sakuragi at first. Sakuragi caught Kaede stealing. Seto and Kaede are a couple (perhaps not official, but Seto is very keen on Kaede and vice versa).

During the encounter with Kaede at the stairs, Sakuragi said: You will soon lose your scholarship. This was misinterpreted by Kaede, who thought he would expose her stealing habit. What Sakuragi actually meant, was that she would lose her scholarship due to her injury. He saw that there was something wrong with her leg after she fell.

That is when Seto and Kaede planned to get rid of Sakuragi, because he could ruin Kaede's future. Afterwards, they realised that Sakuragi was not a bad person at all and they were cool again.

Definitely this one. If I recall it correctly, the mother in Nobody Knows abandoned her children, but never brainwashed their children to do stupid things such as what Shuhei did...

I think Nagano, Endo, Hirose were promoting their new movie Jigoku no Hanazono

I agree with your take. I personally think that the judicial system is not wrong, but flawed. I rather have cases that are all 99% conviction rate, then have semi-witch hunt cases where the person turns out to be innocent eventually, but their reputation is already damaged. Where the Japanese system fails is the lack of checks and balances. It is also has too big emphasis on privacy. You probably have come across this in your research, but the police has a very limited investigative authority in Japan in order to protect people's privacy. This is ironic, because by giving the suspects privacy, they breach other human rights (long detention and interrogations without attorneys).

But what I like about this drama is that it has a very nuanced take on things. Suspects are mistreated, but are not getting fully acquitted either - they receive the proper punishments. Sometimes whenever the writer wants to push an agenda, they tend to give a one-sided view that works in their favour (they will make it almost propaganda-like and only show "fully" innocent, vulnerable people in an almost dystopian world). Although I do not consider the drama an artistic masterpiece, I still find it a very good drama for these reasons. In my opinion, this drama is also interesting from a comparative law-perspective.

Thanks for the video. I do want to add that whilst the system is flawed and shocking to many, sometimes it is also unfairly criticised by especially guilty foreigners. They will use these shocking facts to throw a smokescreen (whilst they are 100% guilty) by appealing to international human rights organisations who are unfamiliar to the Japanese culture. For a comparative view between the US and Japanese-system and why it is very difficult to compare the two, this article is very insightful: https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/carlos-ghosn-and-japans-99-conviction-rate/

I cannot log in the other account, so I will reply with a new account.

I think "guilty until proven innocent" does not even capture the system. In those circumstances, the defense lawyer is of high value, because then the burden of proof is with the suspect. There would be the possibility to at least prove your innocence.

This system is even worse than that. On paper, it looks really fair, because only guaranteed wins are getting to trial, which means that weak cases are not getting prosecuted. This would in principle save many suspects from unnecessary energy-draining trials. The problem is with the execution though... Prosecutors and police can breach any human rights and even make up things to pin on innocent people. This system is more: "guilty if we say so".

You should watch another j-drama that is currently airing in conjunction with this one: "Sakura no Tou". Whilst "Ichikei no Karasu" tries to correct the flaws in the judicial system, the other drama is basically doing the opposite. I think watching both at the same time might enhance the viewership experience. A note of caution though, "Sakura no Tou" is very serious. If you want something fluffy, that drama is pure toxic, but very intriguing in my opinion.