Just finished: Kurokouchi

A few days ago, it was 10th December – a day forever etched on the Japanese psyche as the date of the 300m yen robbery that took place in 1968. I wanted to do a bit of research on the subject, but found surprisingly little on the subject in English.

Anyway, I remembered that I had this series, still unwatched, which had a story based on uncovering the truth behind this unsolved crime. It’s all hypothetical, of course, and is based on the popular theory that the perpetrator was the son of a police commissioner who committed suicide some days after the crime.

Nagase Tomoya is the gravel-voiced hero, a detective who habitually breaks the rules, and it’s a decent enough performance. Similarly, Gouriki Ayame is perfectly adequate in her role as the new partner to this unconventional cop. In terms of acting, the only performance that stood out for me was Koide Keisuke, seen in silent flashbacks as the person behind the robbery. Despite him not saying a word, it reminded me how good an actor he was. I must try to find something more recent he’s been in.

The story was good. Quite clever and convoluted, and it certainly kept me watching as I sped through the whole series in six days. It was a nice example of an urban myth padded out to a full series, and if you like these kind of “what if” dramas based on history, then this would be right up your street. Excellent subs, too. Big thanks to subie06.