Compelling Plot, Questionable People: A Frustrating Watch
I have a bit of a love – hate relationship with this drama, and I’m still not entirely sure which side wins.
I actually came into it because of Takeuchi Ryoma. After watching him in 10Dance, where he was genuinely magnetic and emotionally precise, I started digging into his other work. So when I saw he was leading a detective mystery with a long-buried case at its core, I was immediately on board — and, to be fair, it did keep me coming back week after week.
The premise is strong: a crime from roughly twenty years ago, four interconnected characters (three men and one woman), and that slow drip of revelations that makes you want to piece everything together. Structurally, it works. There’s tension, there’s intrigue, and even when I began to guess where it was heading, I still wanted to see how it would all unfold.
Performance-wise, Takeuchi delivers. His Tobina Junichi is emotionally open, slightly fragile, and easy to root for. You can actually feel the weight he carries, which anchors the whole series. I also really liked the character of Nara, the senior detective, in spite of her strange antics. Honestly, I kept hoping the show would lean into a mentor–trainee dynamic between her and Tobina, maybe even flirt with a subtle workplace bond or unspoken admiration. The chemistry — or at least the potential for it — was there, but the script never quite capitalised on it, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Where things start to wobble is the character writing — especially outside the central detective pair. Keisuke comes off as thoroughly two-faced, and his personal storyline is more off-putting than compelling. Naoto is… fine, I suppose, but a bit too muted to leave a real impression.
And then there’s Makiko. She’s clearly positioned as a sympathetic figure — a struggling single mother with a painful past — but something doesn’t land. Instead of empathy, I mostly felt irritation. Her actions often come across as manipulative or inconsistent, reflecting poor judgement both as a woman and as a parent, and the narrative never really earns the intense loyalty she inspires in others. We’re told she’s worth protecting, but we’re not shown why. That gap is hard to ignore.
The same goes for several relationship dynamics in the story — they feel underdeveloped or, at times, slightly contrived. Even smaller character beats, like Tobina’s girlfriend (the same manipulator, just a quiet one) or Makiko’s son (a real brat), don’t quite ring true. No sympathy for them either.
And the ending… without spoilers, it left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Not in a thought-provoking way, but more in a “that didn’t quite pay off” sense. After all that buildup, I was expecting something sharper, more coherent.
That said, I wouldn’t dismiss the drama altogether. It’s well-produced, emotionally engaging in parts, and the central mystery is solid enough to keep you hooked. If you’re here for the investigative thread and a character-driven performance from Takeuchi, there’s plenty to enjoy.
Just don’t be surprised if the character dynamics — and especially the romantic undertones — end up getting on your nerves.
I actually came into it because of Takeuchi Ryoma. After watching him in 10Dance, where he was genuinely magnetic and emotionally precise, I started digging into his other work. So when I saw he was leading a detective mystery with a long-buried case at its core, I was immediately on board — and, to be fair, it did keep me coming back week after week.
The premise is strong: a crime from roughly twenty years ago, four interconnected characters (three men and one woman), and that slow drip of revelations that makes you want to piece everything together. Structurally, it works. There’s tension, there’s intrigue, and even when I began to guess where it was heading, I still wanted to see how it would all unfold.
Performance-wise, Takeuchi delivers. His Tobina Junichi is emotionally open, slightly fragile, and easy to root for. You can actually feel the weight he carries, which anchors the whole series. I also really liked the character of Nara, the senior detective, in spite of her strange antics. Honestly, I kept hoping the show would lean into a mentor–trainee dynamic between her and Tobina, maybe even flirt with a subtle workplace bond or unspoken admiration. The chemistry — or at least the potential for it — was there, but the script never quite capitalised on it, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Where things start to wobble is the character writing — especially outside the central detective pair. Keisuke comes off as thoroughly two-faced, and his personal storyline is more off-putting than compelling. Naoto is… fine, I suppose, but a bit too muted to leave a real impression.
And then there’s Makiko. She’s clearly positioned as a sympathetic figure — a struggling single mother with a painful past — but something doesn’t land. Instead of empathy, I mostly felt irritation. Her actions often come across as manipulative or inconsistent, reflecting poor judgement both as a woman and as a parent, and the narrative never really earns the intense loyalty she inspires in others. We’re told she’s worth protecting, but we’re not shown why. That gap is hard to ignore.
The same goes for several relationship dynamics in the story — they feel underdeveloped or, at times, slightly contrived. Even smaller character beats, like Tobina’s girlfriend (the same manipulator, just a quiet one) or Makiko’s son (a real brat), don’t quite ring true. No sympathy for them either.
And the ending… without spoilers, it left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Not in a thought-provoking way, but more in a “that didn’t quite pay off” sense. After all that buildup, I was expecting something sharper, more coherent.
That said, I wouldn’t dismiss the drama altogether. It’s well-produced, emotionally engaging in parts, and the central mystery is solid enough to keep you hooked. If you’re here for the investigative thread and a character-driven performance from Takeuchi, there’s plenty to enjoy.
Just don’t be surprised if the character dynamics — and especially the romantic undertones — end up getting on your nerves.
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