In truth, is seems this vigilante was a postal worker named Makoto Mizuno (Kotaro Koizumi) who would covertly collect the pleas of the helpless posted in the post box, and then seek out and ultimately kill the perpetrators on their behalf. But eventually his crimes caught up with him and Mizuno was arrested and imprisoned, therefore ending his short-lived reign...or so they thought.
That was 10 years ago, but now in 2023, murdered people are turning up with cryptic notes stuffed into their mouths stating "Punishment Complete" and signed "The Devil of Neverland"!
Maryjun Takahashi and Noritaka Hamao
The police are also at a loss. They believed the Devil of Neverland case to be over and done with, but with dead bodies appearing with cryptic notes on them claiming it to be retribution by the Devil, they are on high alert.
He is introduced to his new workmates, including Momo Kusanagi (Mirai Shida) and Haruna Kondo (Haruka Harada) and they see him as an agreeable and affable fellow.
And as things become darker and bodies keep turning up, their focus returns once more to the ominous post box just waiting to receive its' next instructions.... But who are the ones truly pulling the strings?
PS: Another kick-butt role for Maryjun Takahashi who has really been making a name for herself in the action genre with badass roles in shows like The Sniffer, Ushijima the Loan Shark, and Avalanche!
Hard to believe she’s the same sexy gal I first saw as the garters-and-stockings clad babe Aiko Polnareff in “The Virgin Psychics”!
Is this the work of a copycat, or is there something that the authorities have overlooked in their initial investigation?
Hinata Sobue (Maryjun Takahashi) is a dedicated detective with a passion to track down the murderer and means to put an end to the killing, and when digging into the original crime, finds a few interesting facts that shed new light onto the case, including the fact that her superior Mikura (Masahiro Komoto) was the investigator on the original case!
Meanwhile, a man named Rikiya Soejima (Kei Tanaka) is starting a job working for the Postal Service. It seems he worked here years ago but has since been working at a Hospice.
What they don't know is that there is a reason Rikiya has returned to the Post Office. 10 years ago, Rikiya was the PARTNER of Makoto Mizuno at the time he was supposedly committing the crimes as the Devil of Neverland and has harbored guilt over his inability to stop it and see it as it was happening.
It's the news of the Devil's return that has brought him back to the city...or is there MORE to it? For there is a dark aura about Soejima that few know, including his violent past. And one wonders...just HOW MUCH did he actually know about Mizuno and his crimes?
Rikiya keeps his true interests under wraps, even as he hears of new abused youngsters clamoring for the return of the Devil to free them of their pain. He tries to keep out of it, but his partner Kusanagi has a kind heart and cares deeply for the troubled kids, and they inevitably end up personally involved with them.
This promises to be a very dark and sombre drama much in the vein of the excellent BORDER or even the recent Keibuho Daimajin, where you not only find yourself hoping for the abusers to get their comeuppance, but are not surprised when the people doing the punishing are the proverbial “good” guys!
VERY enthusiastic to see where this drama goes!!!!
Maryjun's been steppin' up her game!!
