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No matter what I say, it will not be enough to express how I feel about this drama but to put it simply, I was blown away. By the brilliant writing that never, NEVER showed weakness. By the heartful acting, especially from Nakayama Yuma's side. By the rawness and the realistic portayal of emotions. By every small detail that showed how well-thought everything is. By literally everything.
The drama grabs you from the first seconds of the first episode and never lets you go. You won't finish it with the same feeling you started watching it. The characters' development is beyond great, even from characters I didn't expect it from. The plot takes turns you never expected to happen. And the ending was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Because it makes sense.
And I'll end this short review here, without sharing my thoughts about what happens in the drama and what makes it so brilliant. Watch for yourself and you'll eventually understand.
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Recently, Yuma has been active on stage plays so I really looked forward to this drama after the announcement.
Yuma’s acting in this drama gave me chills. I remember crying because of his acting. >_<
And since it’s Yuma’s first TV drama after years, I definitely saw how much he has grown in terms of acting.
The story was excellent overall and also intense. I won't forget how it gave me chills and made me cry... a lot. The casts complemented each other too! It was short (6 episodes) but really worth it!
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does your past defines you?
Witnessing hokuto's life crumble and getting his liiiitle hope of living life back is just crazy. So Hokuto only have 5 episodes, yet it manages to TELL in its 5 eps. The first ep was so impactful, sad, and depressing, as I feel SO pity to Hokuto. Then eps 2,3,4, were good, but a bit more on the slower side. However ep 5 is the perfect conclusion for the drama. I do wish though that there would be sequel or spin off to show the pov of other characs that are involved, bcos eps 5 is THAT POWERFUL, LIKE A PUNCH. it made me question, does past really help in shaping a person, can your past justify your current behavior, why people can't be kind sooner, how understanding can a person be, how could there exist 2 very polar opposite side such as kindness and evil? also, the lawyer believes that people can change.....but do you think so? like those that commit heinous crimes, do u think they can/will change? if they are all remorseful like hokuto then yeah, but do u think so? even after watching this i'm still not convinced bcos again, i don't believe that all humans are kind. no.the performance from all the actors are very very very good and commendable. from the main characs until the teeny tiny minor characters, they all did such a wonderful job. I also like the detail of emotions, expressions, and the realism in the court scene, bcos heck..... it was intense.
i would recommend for people to watch this drama as it's just short, very realistic and brave in depicting life of an abused person, questions human nature, and just amazing performance.
for people like hokuto out there, i hope someday you'll find your own peace and strength, and I hope that you'll not blame yourself for it because u are not the problem.
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A Heavy Must-Watch.
There are sweet,fluffy and easy to watch series and that is great.But,once in a while,we come across some "a strong punch right to the stomach"Dramas,which leaves us breathless,exhausted and emotionally drained.
Hokuto is one of them and we must be bold enough to decide to hit play,although we already have some notion of what to expect according to the Trigger warnings.
Dysfunctional Family, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse...Not for everyone so be prepared.If you think you can handle all those,do not hesitate to watch it.
During the whole Drama i felt i was watching a Documentary short of,with "real" footage, witnessing real people and their real lives.
Realistic Story,engaging plot and INCREDIBLE acting especially from the Main Lead.
Music and Direction gives the right Dark vibes but is not the kind of Drama you should pay attention to the technicalities.After all is a Japanese one and we all know how raw,dark and disturbed JDramas can be.As usual i got carried away by the gripping story & acting.And although iam a KDrama addict,the more i watch JDramas,the more i love them.
Every time i find Dramas like this,iam trully happy i didn't sleep on them and gave myself the opportunity to watch them.
Heavy,Dark,brought tears in my eyes and felt a cold hand was squeezing my heart all the time.But was totally worth it!
P.s.The low rewatch value i hope is understandable!
Anyhow,don't miss it.Just choose the right day to watch and as i said prepare yourself for a hard ride.
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Absolutely riveting...!!!
I have watched A LOT of J-Drama's over the years. However, this one on an emotional level took the cake. The story is so so tragic. As is the main character's life. And his personal struggles with his inner demons because of his upbringing. Yes in the end justice was served. However, in my opinion after EVERYTHING this boy endured. It was given fairly. I encourage EVERYONE to watch this and go in with an open mind right up until the ending. Because you will truly learn what the word remorseful and being sympathetic means for someone's life.Was this review helpful to you?
