This drama was at times exciting and intriguing but it ends with a flaw that I've seen a few times with Japanese dramas. The criminals in this series are given noble reasons for their actions and, in some way, they all repent. It seemed as if the makers of this show could not bring themselves to punish the characters they'd created.
In a way, I can't blame them. The Chief Nurse, Kasugai Yuka, who is the most immoral of the main characters, is given such a strong portrayal by Nakatani Miki that I didn't want her to be caught. But when she wasn't caught, it didn't feel like a proper ending. Let's not forget that a woman was killed and now her ex-boyfriend has to raise a baby single-handed on child support.
Meanwhile, the punishment for the criminals is simply to lose their family. The couple, Keiko and Toshio, who received the baby, are banished from their prestigious family and have to start again. And Kasugai Yuka is last seen walking away to lead a life without the sister that she's loved and protected for all these years. In a way it's a cruel punishment, but I can't help thinking that a prison sentence is more appropriate for murder.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this series. It wasn't particularly hyped before it began and if Nakatani Miki hadn't been in it, I might not have watched it at all. That would have been a shame, since this was a smart and well-made piece of TV that never quite became essential viewing, but came very close.
no way, i thought it was very telenovela and over the top, but the first few episodes that I saw- yes, Nakatani ruled that screen. LOL
ReplyDeleteHmm, I didn't find it that over the top. But I am a total Nakatani Miki fanboy, so I could well be biased.
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