Review of Kuro no Honryuu (Drama SP)

Title: Kuro no Honryuu
Shown via: TV Asahi
O.A. Date: 4 March 2009, 9pm
Original novel by: Matsumoto Seicho







Cast:

Niwa Shuuzo - Funakoshi Eiichirou
Niwa Hitomi - Kaku Chikako
Yokoyama Rie - Hoshino Mari
Okahashi Yukiko - Kurotani Tomoka
Ninomiya Masaki - Abe Tsuyoshi
Kusuda Takuya - Kazama Tooru
Yashiro Kunikazu - Nishimura Masahiko
Hioki Keigo - Kaga Takeshi

Review:

This is a 2-hour drama special made in commemoration of Matsumoto Seicho's 100th birthday (he passed away at 82 years old) and is based on one of his novels. As this drama was shown in the timeslot known for churning out low-cost detective/suspense drama SPs on a regular basis, the glam factor is somewhat tuned down probably due to cost constraints. And Funakoshi Eiichirou who's usually seen in afternoon dramas helms the lineup this time with his role as Niwa, the lawyer who defends a woman accused of murder for money and inevitably causes his life to go haywire afterwhich. This drama focuses more on the relationships between people rather than asking viewers to find out who's the murderer.

"Happiness and tragedy will change because of a small happening but most people are unaware of this. This is similar to the source of a river. Just when you think that it is just a trickle of water, it becomes a rapid stream of water before you know it. If you are caught in the rapids of life, nobody can go against it."

Frankly speaking, there isn't too much suspense to speak of. Even though Niwa did win the lawsuit for Rie, I'm sure viewers will be able to see that she isn't innocent as what she claims. Nonetheless, she's able to fool people with her sweet and demure look despite her dark and crooked personality. When people realize what she's capable of, it will be too late for regrets. In this case, Niwa paid the price for being too trusting but I would say that he has not lost much at the end. In fact, he should count his blessings that the outcome didn't turn out to be worse than what he had expected.

I don't really like Funakoshi's style of acting. It can be a bit too exaggerated at times and is not suitable for a serious drama like this. The last time I saw him was in Manhattan Love Story which was wacky most of the time so Funakoshi could fit in well with his exaggerated style. In fact, his role at that time required him to be as flashy as possible. As such, it gets really uncomfortable to see him showing the anguish and regret Niwa felt after he saw the true colours of Rie because it felt so unreal. And another point I would like to make is that he gestured too much in the court scenes which is quite unnatural for a lawyer who is expected to keep his cool.

On the other hand, Hoshino Mari fits into the role of Rie pretty well. Of late, she's been featured in such roles (especially on TV) i.e. sweet-looking girl who's evil which is a major deviation from her past goody-two-shoes. And she's not afraid to flaunt her assets ever since her baring-all role in a movie some years back. Well, I think this could be a smart career move for her instead of playing sweet girls but she should take care not to overdo it or else people will just take her as a sexy actress. Going by the trend now, she's no longer taking on lead roles in regular season dramas and is usually seen in supporting roles or once-off 2-hour drama specials. The limited exposure could be bad for her career if this goes on as more promising and younger actresses come along.

And my ratings for this drama SP...
Story: 6 out of 10 (Predictable storyline)
Acting: 7 out of 10 (This is for Hoshino Mari.)
Theme song: 4 out of 10 (Nothing particularly impressive or engaging)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6 out of 10 (The scenery at the river & rapids was good)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 6 out of 10 (The rivalry scene between Hoshino Mari and Kurotani Tomoka was engaging but there wasn't much of a chemistry to speak of between Hoshino and Funakoshi)

Total: 29 out of 50