Title: Kishibe Rohan wa ugokanai Seasons 1 & 2 / 岸辺露伴は動かない
Rating: 6 / 10
Recommended for:
Those who like suspense stories with a supernatural and/or horror vibe but don't mind the lack of conclusions OR are fans of Takahashi Issei & Iitoyo Marie (or just want to look for signs of their developing romance over the years)
* Disclaimer: I have not read the original manga.
* I did not watch Seasons 3 and 4.
* All 4 seasons are available on Amazon Prime Video (availability subject to geographical location)
Liked:
- While each season featured only 2 to 3 episodes, it appeared that there was no effort spared in the production as seen from the main set i.e. Kishibe Rohan's house and the outdoor shoots in some places which were very nice to look at but obviously remote and difficult to get to. Even the costume design for Rohan and Izumi Kyoka were noticeably very different from the other characters who were wearing pretty "normal" clothes. As such, this aspect of the drama does warrant special mention and commendation.
- For those who like suspense stories with a supernatural or horror vibe, there were two episodes in particular which I thought were really well-done and created a lingering creepy aftertaste i.e. "Kushagara" (Ep 2 in Season 1) and "The Run" (Ep 1 in Season 2). In particular, Kasamatsu Sho nailed his character so brilliantly that he easily stood out among the guest stars in both seasons.
Disliked:
- I headed into this without knowledge of the original material nor was aware of the fact that there were some horror and supernatural elements in the stories. As such, I was surprised when I watched this and actually had the intention of dropping it as soon as I was "spooked" by the Kushagara episode. "The Run" further cemented my belief that I didn't want to continue with this drama any longer.
While the production quality was indeed good, this decision was just a matter of my personal preference since I no longer have the stomach for horror (I used to like the "Ring" series and would watch it in the middle of the night in my teens) and I also didn't like the lack of "conclusions" for suspense stories. Unlike a straightforward horror story where the supernatural being jumps right in front of you, a lot of the horror here actually is insinuated, implied and for the viewer to imagine which I personally feel does linger in your mind longer. Granted that these cases are largely related to supernatural phenomenon, having answers is also not a given so if you can accept this and form your own conclusions without being given an official answer, you should be fine with this.
- Among the episodes I watched in both seasons, the two episodes I highlighted above were the ones which I felt really satisfied with, albeit also the scariest. The others were comparatively bland and I was especially bored with the finale in Episode 1. I thought that there might be something more interesting about Nakamura Tomoya's character but it was so underwhelming and predictable. Likewise, Uchida Rio's story was somewhat been-there-done-that so it didn't invoke that much fear or offer anything particularly new. As such, this was also why I took a long time to get through just two seasons and had no desire to continue.
- This isn't really a bad point but I guess if you are in this to look for traces of Takahashi and Iitoyo's romance which led to their marriage in real life, the first two seasons might not offer much to satisfy you. While it did come across that their chemistry and collaboration seemed a bit smoother in Season 2, I guess their characters not being romantically linked in these two seasons meant that you won't be able to find the elusive romantic signs both onscreen and offscreen. Perhaps the subsequent seasons and movie might be a better bet.
No comments:
Post a Comment