Quick Review #78: Shrink ~ Seishinkai Yowai ~ - Summer 2024

Title: Shrink ~ Seishinkai Yowai ~ / シュリンク ~ 精神科医弱井 ~

Rating: 7 / 10

Recommended for: 

Those who want to watch a short mental health-themed drama with a soft touch and/or are fans of Nakamura Tomoya

* Currently showing on Amazon Prime Video (subject to geographical restrictions)

Liked:

- Stories about mental health issues can sometimes be a bit emotionally-charged especially in the past which inevitably paints people with such conditions in a rather negative light. This drama did not go down that path and instead tried to reinforce the message that anyone can come down with a mental health issue just like any other physical ailments and that there is more help available than you know about and think of. The whole atmosphere of the drama including the soft colours in clinic seemed to be aimed at putting people at ease while balancing out the more emotional scenes when the patients had their outbursts and breakdowns.

One of the lines in the drama was especially worth considering - do you want to live in a country where there are many people who seek help for mental health issues but with a low suicide rate vs. one where there are seemingly lesser people with mental health issues but with a high suicide rate? Sometimes, not talking about something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist so I thought that this question was quite applicable in many situations and makes us reconsider if what we are seeing on the surface is reflective of reality. 

And the point about no issue is too small and that you don't have to wait till something becomes very serious before seeking help - hopefully, this helps in lowering the hurdle to seeking psychiatric or psychological help as soon as possible.

- Nakamura Tomoya was a very reassuring presence on screen as the slightly unusual and a bit eccentric psychiatrist Yowai (pun on his surname which means weak). And I am sure, his voice will put you at ease as well, regardless of whether you are his fan or not.

Disliked: 

- The length of the drama is a double-edged sword. It is easy to get started with watching this because there are only three episodes. However, the drama ended before I knew it and there were so many questions about the main storyline which were thrown at the viewers but not answered as yet. Given that there should be more material from the manga that could be used, I would expect that there would be a sequel to tell the story in its entirety. The thing is, this drama was made by NHK, not Amazon Prime Video so it is difficult to tell if and when a sequel will be made. As such, the feeling of dissatisfaction loomed over me when I finished the drama - too little and definitely not enough.

- Other than Nakamura who took centrestage in this story, the other key characters played by Tsuchiya Tao, Igeta Hiroe, Sakai Wakana, Miura Takahiro and Takezai Terunosuke felt quite flat and one-dimensional due to the lack of airtime for their development. Hopefully, this would be something that could be resolved with a sequel.