Kaya Kiyohara as Hisui Jozuka
When we first meet Mystery Novelist Shiro Kogetsu (Koji Seto) he is helping as an unofficial consultant to the police on a macabre serial killer case.
The Detective in charge, Masakazu Kaneba (Mitsuhiro Oikawa), is an officer with unorthodox methods to working his cases (such as consulting a writer’s opinion likee Kogetsu on things), aggravating his forensics agent Tenko Amano (Michiko Tanaka, doing basically her same role she did as Forensic Agent in “Kizoku Tantei) for his un-scientific ideas. But his latest request takes them all for a loop when yet another victim turns up with no leads or clues, and he asks if they should get a psychic medium brought in!!
Kogetsu is particularly appalled, as he is a great skeptic in miracles and a huge disbeliever in things like psychic phenomena. He scoffs and tells Kaneba he feels it a bad decision. But despite his beliefs on the subject, however, when his college colleague calls him up and asks him to accompany her on a Psychic consultation, he readily agrees.
Seems his friend Yuika Kuramochi (Momoko Tanabe) has been experiencing a repeating haunting vision at night and has been recommended to see a “Self-Professed Medium’ named Jozuka Hisui to take a look at her case.
When they get there, the two are surprised at how grand the place is, expecting a dank and shady place. They are seated by assistant Makoto Chiwasaki (Fuka Koshiba) while they wait for a previous patient to complete their reading.
When they finally meet Hisui Jozuka, she is just as mysterious and ethereal as the expected, with vintage clothing and and antique surroundings to complete the image!
At a glance she seems as wondrous as advertised, and from the first moment Jozuka gives Kuramoto an aura reading, she is already completely mesmerized! Kogetsu, however, remains unconvinced.
Kuramoto’s story of the ghostly image of the weeping woman looking over her has Jozuka worried, as it harkens back to the legend of the Irish banshee, which appears as a crying vision when someone is about to die.
She warns Kogetsu to keep an eye out for Kuramoto’s safety, but he passes it off as part of the spiel.
To get a better assessment of the problem, Jozuka want to visit the home where the spiritual vision appeared, and they agree to meet the next day. Kogetsu happens to catch Jozuka early (where she wards off some would-be mashers with some cutting readings of their dark secrets) and is surprised to find that, while “off the clock”, dresses in a regular, stylish and modern fashion sense.
Jozuka confronted by thugs who demand she accompany them for some fun.
Letting them know she can see their dark secrets, and how they've hurt people.
"L-let's get outta here! That chick is nuts!"
She admits to the skeptic Kogetsu that she dresses in the witchy style outfits while doing consultations because it is what is expected of her and it helps with the readings. but she promises to change into the costume when they meet Kuramoto.
The meeting with Kuramoto never happens. She doesn’t answer calls and when Jozuka gets another bad feeling about things, they burst into her home…
...…where Yuika Kuramoto is found murdered in a pool of her own blood!
As Kogetsu frantically looks around, Hisui is hit with the bad vibes of the place, falling into a trance and whispering to herself, “The murderer is a woman. What…what is she looking for?” before passing out in Kogetsu’s arms.
The next day, Kogetsu ponders about the things Jozuka mumbled while in her trance state. He talks to Detective Kaneba about the murder, and is surprised that no woman is on their list of suspects. Somehow, despite his earlier skepticism, he feels Hisui has some kind of insight that the cops do not have and he finally admits it: he now believes her power is genuine. He needs to talk to her again.
When he does meet up with Hisui, she expresses regret about Kuromoto’s death, feeling greatly that she could have prevented it if she’d only pressed her beliefs stronger. She knows in this world, psychic readings are seen as child’s play, but when Kogetsu finally affirms that he is now a believer in her visions, she pleads with him to use her abilities to help catch the killer.
And thus a new partnership is made- with Jozuka joining hands with the law enforcement, using her powers to see the ethereal threads of the crime and Kogetsu applying his logic to the visions she sees, so that they may see the whole picture....
Going into a trance to channel the dead Yuika...
Once she is under, she begins speaking the truths that only the deceased can know, Kuramoto herself talking through the vessel of Hisui. And though painful for both Hisui and the recently departed Yuika, they finally get the elusive facts they need to catch the criminal.
As some of you may recall, Reibai Tantei Jozuka Hisui has been the drama I’ve most anticipated, and I’m glad to say it was well worth it! Kaya Kiyohara (who is steadily growing as one of my favorite actresses) is properly hypnotic as the medium Hisui and Koji Seto makes a good foil as the serious skeptic Kogetsu.
My only wonder is: what in the WORLD is Fuka Koshiba doing here in such a small role? The role of assistant Chiwasaki is surely more suited for a newbie actress, not someone so relatively well established!
Does this character become more integral as the show progresses? Does she end up being the killer or something? Or was the novel so important and popular that Fuka decided she just HAD to be a part of it, no matter how small the role??? I'm totally baffled.
