わるいやつら Warui Yatsura (The bad people)

Title: わるいやつら Warui Yatsura
Official website: here
Broadcasted by: TV Asahi
Original novel by: Matsumoto Seicho
Theme song: Luna by Arashiro Beni



Cast:

Terajima Toyomi (Yonekura Ryoko)
Toya Shinichi (Kamikawa Takaya)
Shimomizawa Sakuo (Kitamura Kazuki)
Makimura Takako (Fueki Yuko)
Yokotate Tatsuko (Kojima Ijiri)
Fujishima Chise (Yo Kimiko)
Hayama Kouta (Hirayama Hiroyuki)
Numada (Asaka Mayumi)
Kashiwaya (Ibu Masato)
Kaji Sadakazu (Kaneko Noboru)

Review:

As compared to past Matsumoto Seicho's novels adaptations, I was quite disappointed with Warui Yatsura's storyline. I don't know how closely the drama stuck to the novel but there were many junctures where I felt so bored that I wanted to give up watching it. This is actually the second time which I attempted to watch it and it should be a miracle that I managed to finish watching this after all.

As what the title of this drama suggests, the characters in this story are all bad people, in one way or another. Terijima Toyomi is a nurse who committed murder for the sake of her love, Toya Shinichi. Meanwhile, Toya is a womaniser and dates multiple women at one go. His friend Shimomizawa teamed up with Makimura Takako, the woman whom Toya wants to marry, so as to cheat Toya of his entire fortune. This is quite similar to past Matsumoto Seicho adaptations but the main problem is that the tension in the story took too long to heat up. It was only after the point when Toyomi survived as Toya tried to strangle her to death that things became more interesting.

Well, Yonekura Ryoko is very good at potraying characters who possess charisma and character but her role Toyomi showed off too much vulnerability which took the shine off Yonekura's performance. After the near-death encounter when Toyomi underwent a transformation, that is when I think Yonekura was back to her usual self. She did very well in past Matsumoto Seicho adaptations e.g. Kurokawa no Teccho and Kemonomichi because she was stunning from start to finish. It's a pity that this drama took too long for her to show what she's capable of.

Kamikawa Takaya lacked a bit of shine and chemistry when interacting with Yonekura. Somehow, I am not convinced at all about his ability to womanize. Other the fact that he could sweet-talk them, there wasn't anything I thought would make him really appealing to women.

I liked the ending of the story. It's not because it is a happily-ever-after conclusion but it sends a bloodcurdling chill down the spine. Although Toya was charged with murder and the intended murder of Toyomi, she changed her testimony to allow Toya to get away with a short jail term. Her intention was unknown until the end when it was revealed that she had done that just to keep Toya for herself. By brushing away her rivals and ruining Toya's career as a doctor, she had hoped that Toya would have no one to turn to except her. You can't help but marvel at how calculating she was and how strong her love and desire to possess Toya was. This type of ending is definitely better than just showing Toya getting his just desserts.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 5.5 out of 10 (8 episodes may be too short for the story to develop properly but Kurokawa no Teccho and Kemonomichi were also relatively short yet did pretty well.)
Acting: 6.5 out of 10 (I prefer seeing Yonekura in a feisty role rather than the Toyomi she played in the first half of the drama. The rest of the cast were not particularly outstanding either.
Theme song: 4 out of 10 (It didn't leave an impression on me at all. I just skipped through it from Ep 2 onwards.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 5 out of 10 (Most of the scenes were indoors so there wasn't really much to see. However, seeing the pretty girls in this drama should be a visual treat for guys)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 4 out of 10 (Seriously lacking...Maybe it's got to do with the way the plot is structured.)

Total score: 25 out of 50