Anti-Hero (2024)

Thrilling and sensitive take on justice

I generally don't watch dramas classified as thrillers, as they tend to be overly dramatic, focus on cliffhangers and twists, while character development and the overall message takes a back seat. Not here. Via a man's quest for justice (and shall we say, atonement?) it asks viewers more questions than it provides answer for. What is justice when people who carry out justice are just humans like the rest of us? If they're also human, how can justice be black and white? Who decides what is just or unjust? Is it ok to pursue justice at all cost, even at the expense of violating the law itself? Akizumi is not THAT gray of a hero, but he's definitely much more interesting than your typical protagonist.

My favorite part of the drama is the portrayal of two (three?) parallel father/daughter relationship, and the characters are so much more relatable because they don't exist in a law enforcement/legal vacuum. Their lives outside of it are fairly fleshed out (interesting, except for Akizumi's) as well as their relationship with their loved ones.

The cast is amazing from everyone in the law office to the prosecutor/law enforcement side, with perhaps the exception of Datehara, and I do wish he didn't act in such an exagerrated way. Judge Seko's arc is also very fleshed out and adds another layer to the themes (women's struggles in fields predominantly occupied by men).

I also LOVE how there's no romance which would have really diluted the story. Very much appreciated. The music in general and theme song Hanataba (milet) is very suiting and still haunts me.

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GOOD ETHICAL AND MORAL LESSONS.

We had a very histrionic villain who was very well constructed by the established Nomura Mansai II, who knew how to lead his character well without making him caricatured, showed that he is an actor with good resources. The protagonists had secure and forceful performances in my opinion.

The drama wanted to show that one crime can never justify another under any circumstances, no one can be penalized for something they did not, they should only be blamed for mistakes made and proven. Furthermore, even under pressure, one should never sacrifice the life of another. And the hardest part: acting in a beneficial way will never erase the crime you committed and nor will it mitigate it.

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