Alice Hirose in "Kanzen Muzai~Completely Innocent"

As you all know, I am a huge fan of actress Alice Hirose and try to see everything she stars in, and at episode 3 of her latest crime mystery drama “Kanzen Muzai”, think this might be some of her finest acting yet!
Lawyer Chisa Matsuoka (Hirose) is a Criminal Defense attorney who holds the unenviable job of defending purported criminals in court, a job not looked fondly upon the public when she successfully frees suspected murderers in court, but this is her job, and she does it as best she can.

Matsuoka is assigned to a case in her old hometown where a convict who has been imprisoned for years declares he is innocent and wants a retrial.  The convict Satoshi Hirayama (Yukiya Kitamura) is in jail for the kidnapping of three young girls and murdering one of them 21 years ago. At the time, Hirayama confessed to the crimes, but now says he was coerced by the police into it, and that he is innocent.

We can see from her reaction when told about the case that there is something about it that haunts her, and we will learn she has greater personal ties to the case than one would guess…

She arrives at her hometown where she is met with her colleague Hiroki Kuma (Shunsuke Kazama) who knows her well and is on hand top help and assist in the case. In her first interview with the convicted felon Satoshi Hirayama (Yukiya Kitamura) , he seems stand-offish and aloof and she wonders if he even truly wants the case to be re-examined.

 But as someone dedicated to her job, Chisa goes through the initial investigating anyway, going back over the old case files, interviewing past witnesses, and revisiting the location of the murder.

 Word soon gets back to a Victims Counselor named Yoshio Arimori (Eiji Okuda) and a woman named Toshie Ikemura (Naomi Zaizen) that the convict Hirayama is trying to appeal his sentence and get out, news that greatly disturbs both of them.

21 years ago, Arimori was the lead detective on the abduction case and the one, along with fellow detetive Imai (Takumi Ooto) who eventually nabbed and got the confession out of Hirayama that sent him to prison, but now their methods of getting it will be under scrutiny.

The woman Ikemura is the mother of the 8 year old girl Akiho who was kidnapped and murdered, and is still grieving for her loss after all these years. The idea of the murderer trying to get free is outrageous to her, firmly believing in his guilt and saying he should show repentance instead of trying to get out of jail.

Back with Matsuoka, she is finding that there is little evidence to suggest a retrial and once more goes to interview Hirayama for more information. But she is once again rebuffed by the man who presumes she’s just some hotshot city woman who doesn’t really care about his case or what happens to him.

 

Matsuoka finally has had enough of his aloof attitude and, confronting him at last, reveals her connection to the case: Chisa was one of the three girls that got abducted all those years ago! 

Thankfully, she was one who managed to escape at the last minute from the abductor, however she still bears the scars of the traumatic event, fighting nightmares of the past, anxiety, and a flinching phobia of being approached to this day.

She levels with him by telling him that if he IS the murderer, then she gives no DAMN if he is to be executed, and good riddance. HOWEVER, if he truly is innocent, she cannot ABIDE the VERY IDEA of the actual guilty person still walking around FREE. “So let me ask you again for the last time, Hirayama-san," she firmly asks at last.”Are you innocent?” 

And finally, seeing her resolve, Hirayama breaks down. After years of everyone , his lawyers and friends, all telling him they believed him even as they secretly suspected him, here is a woman whom he knows will TRULY get the the bottom of things. He pleads his innocence to her, and puts his fate into her hands…

Chisa Matsuoka will fight with her life to defend Hirayama and bring the ACTUAL perpetrator of the crimes to justice, but she’ll have her work cut out for her…not only is she seen as freeing a guilty man by all involved, but there are people working in the shadows to make sure that what is buried never come to light!

HOLY TOLEDO, what a GUT-WRENCHING first few episodes! And while I’m (as always) apprehensive about the show’s story resorting to the usual cliche twists and bored tropes with corrupt higher ups, etc, I’m hoping that the drama’s lean 5 episode structure  leads to a more straight-forward murder mystery caper….

It's been SO GOOD so far, crossing fingers that they don't blow it!!!

PS: I've said it before but MAN these WOWOW dramas are always shot with these sickeningly greenish blue filters making everything look so drab and cold! Always feel like I need to watch something bright afterwards!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Undead And Loving It: My Undead Yokai Girlfriend

Been blazing through the wacky and totally zany Amazon Prime drama series “Boku no Itoshii Yokai Girlfriend”, the story of a hapless gaming dork who summons a youkai from another dimension to be his girlfriend and then has to deal with the fallout as she binds herself to this plane and begins executing the gods who have imprisoned her.

Starring actor Hayato Sano (last seen by me as the humble Manabu Taira in “Trillion Game”) as the unwitting college student Takashi Inukai, this is a guy who'd do ANYTHING for a girlfriend...enough so that when his buddy Tanuki (Anthony) finds a supposed ritual online to supposedly summon some sexy goddess to him, he leaps at the chance!

Haphazardly performing the seance by night according to the vague instructions on the web, he doesn't REALLY think this thing could work...

...but is shocked out of his mind when the next day, a portal opens up in the sky and a commanding warrior woman steps out from the time rip to confront him!

She is IZUNA (Ai Yoshikawa) , a yokai who has travelled across time to this timeline and, as her 
summoner", immediately announces she must "consummate" their bond with him so she can anchor herself to this reality!

Though Tadashi finds this demonic woman attractive indeed, he's too chicken and nervous to pursue any hanky-panky with her, and ultimately thinks it best if h left this girl alone to her devices! But no matter WHAT, Izzy continues to show up in front of him, in school, in his room, at parties....Tadashi has to wonder just WHAT he's gotten himself IN to!

Though Tadashi is the main character of the show, the real star HAS to be the vibrant Ai Yoshikawa as the bloodthirsty demon yokai Izuna “Izzy” Imiki! WOW, Ai really shines here and it’s just fantastic to watch her go through the ropes, seducing her hapless mortal boyfriend, slaying the undead opponents as they appear…and still managing to go on dates and experience the wonderful foods of this time!

Watching her drink Coca-Cola for the first time or experiencing a sugary crepe, there are times Tadashi feels like she could be a regular, human girl suitable for dating....

...But then he'll come home and find her showing off the severed head of her latest KILL!

!!! Things have GOT to change!!!!

LOLOL, Clearly a very lowbrow comedy, I’m actually surprised how many BIG names are attached to this drama, not least Takashi Sorimachi (!) as the detective in charge of investigating Izzy's strange murders…not only is he determined, but we will find that he's also Takashi’s FATHER!

Also featuring Anna Ishii as Sorimachi’s goofy assistant, Nico Suzuki, a real "comedy relief" character if there ever was one! Ishii looks like she's having a BALL here!

We also have Naoto Takenaka as a mysterious billionaire who may have descended from the same demons plaguing Izzy...also Yukiya Kitamura and Yoshihiko Hakayamada as his sinister agents.

Another actress I really love is Yuna Taira, here as an occult specialist named Arisa Renjo. She helps out the boys as they go about the sticky business of taming their resident yokai!

She's very helpful...though it seems even SHE has secrets no one can know about....We'll have to wait to find out more!

Like I said, this drama is off the rails with silliness, yet I just couldn’t stop watching it! As it's an Amazon Prime series, the whole thing is up and ready to watch, so i just DUG IN! And I gotta say, Ai Yoshikawa does it again! SUCH a cutie!!!

PS: By the way, there’s no doubt that this is an Amazon Prime drama, all right- every episode is just PEPPERED with characters talking about all the fun stuff they’re going to order off of AMAZON.com, surely one of the best bits of advertising yet!