DragonAlien

I dare to say that this is maybe the best drama of 2014. Or with certainty it is one of the finest and best dramas ever. I was curious from the moment when I've read the title, The Testimony of N- so mysterious and interesting it sounded to me. And I wasn't wrong. It went even beyond my expectations. I love Japanese dramas because of the way some things are just not said. Words are not needed to convey emotion. The young actors in this drama can demonstrate a myriad of feelings through one glance or simply reaching out their hand. The plot and how everything was executed was really well done. At the end of each episodes, it keeps you wanting more and leaves you guessing what really happened in that apartment that night. N no Tame ni is a thought provoking murder-mystery drama based on a novel by Minato Kanae. It follows 15 years of Sugishita Nozomi's life. We get to see her grow from a teenager to a woman. We also get to see her weaknesses and strengths, and her frustrations, fears and happiness. The traumatic events within the first two episodes, where Nozomi's father kicks her, her mother, and brother out of the house and took in a mistress to live with him, plays a huge part in shaping Nozomi. I pitied her, the girl who spent her whole life fighting to survive. I feel injustice that the writer had to give her the bittersweet ending. It seems like trite plot device at first glance, but the more I think the more I feel like it was necessary for the plot. Sugishita needed to be grounded and to realize the value of life and to slow down. She fought so hard to survive she forgot how to live. But I truly admired her, her will and strength to be someone, to succeed in life, she was a true survivor and woman who didn't want to depend on anyone. What was intriguing and struck me is the connection between the characters. Each of them have burned themselves into my heart and mind. The casts were excellent, especially the four main ones. They had great chemistry. They didn't need words to express how they felt. Their glance and just a slight touch tells you how they feel about one another. Nana's portrayal of Sugishita Nozomi was wonderful. Nozomi was a complicating character. There were times where I question if she is a bad person, but as the drama progressed, I realized that she was neither good nor bad. Her decisions, actions, and beliefs came from her dark life experiences. She successfully left the island, her family, but she ends up still feeling somewhat empty and lonely. Besides Nana's great portrayal of Nozomi, she also had great chemistry with the other three male casts. Kubota Masataka as Naruse Shinji, Nozomi's childhood friend. I didn't really connect with him, but no doubt, he was great as Naruse. He was a sympathetic character, and someone I wished would have lived a better life once he left the island. As for Kaku Kento, he portrayed Ando really great with all his innocent and sweet gestures and facial expressions, I really wanted a happy ending for him. His character was the most innocent and balanced out the depressing characters. From his very first scene, we know right away that he has fallen for Nozomi. I think the reason why Nozomi doesn't want Ando involve in some of the schemes that came up with was that Ando is the opposite of them all. He knows what he wants and does so with pure intentions. He is her source of hope. He grew up well and has not seen humanity's dark side. She wants him to succeed, and so she tries to protect him from whatever will bring him down. And it was clearly that she had feelings for him. Koide Keisuke as Nishizaki was maybe for me the most believable and most intriguing character, and Keisuke's performance was simply great, how he portrayed damaged and abused person with tormented soul was so real. And I loved his conversations with Sugishita, they showed us a true honest friendship and how they shared many secrets and went through may difficulties together, I loved those two so much. Despite all the depressing personal problems of these characters, they have a beautiful bond with one another. They all have their own precious "N". For those who hasn't caught on, "N" stands for the letter in each characters' name. Everyone had someone they wanted to protect in that room, and they lied and hid the truth. To me, the three guys had one person they love in that room the night of the murder. But for Nozomi, I think, she loved all three of them. The romance in here is not petty, childish, nor argumentative. It is sacrificing, slow, and understanding. It does not pretend that first love is the final love. And I think that love story in this drama is more touching than the ones in actual romance dramas. One of the many best things of of N no Tameni is the soundtrack. I fell in love with the beautiful instrumentals.Ieiri Leo has not fail to impress me with her singles as of yet. Silly was a wonderful song and the lyrics fit the drama perfectly. Overall, N no Tame ni is a brilliant love story that cover up in suspense drama, it's sweet but painful, it's complicated but makes it addicted to watch till the end and it has a great twist ending. It has a great cast, brilliant writing, a beautiful soundtrack, and the mystery can lead you to watch the whole drama in one sitting. I highly recommend everyone to take a chance and watch it. It is a hidden gem that needs more attention.