I borrowed this tag line from the cover of "Vampire Academy". If you have read that novel, you may get a gist of why I chose that as the headline.

I had a hard time rating this drama. It arose very conflicting emotions in me. Was it well written? Yes, personally. But, what I find disconcerting is the mixture of genres.
The story revolves around a small town, Gifu, where a University student had mysteriously disappeared. What's more, the MIA student is accused of sexually assaulting and drugging several girls. Fast forward 15 years later, his own father is found dead soon after his missing son's body is found buried.

One of the people whose life/passion got ruined by the case happens to be Miyazaki Dai, a police officer who had been present at Gifu during the event. When the case is handed to him, he discovers that the prime suspect was Sanada Rio, the gifted president of the Sanada group... who also happens to be his first love.
Delving for the truth, he is forced to question everyone whom he once cared about. But, what exactly was the Sanada family hiding?

This is perhaps the first blended drama I've ever seen. It goes from Family, to Life to Mystery, Crime, Law and Thriller all at once. What makes it distinctly stand out from the others that I've watched is the how the writers managed to make us care for the characters one by one. It made us understand why certain difficult choices had to be made and why certain truths had no option, but to get hidden.

Romance is not an integral part of Saiai. Dai-chan was completely professional when it came to the investigation. I was surprised by how he managed to juggle both his emotions and loyalty to his work. Sanada Rio was as assertive as him. No one allowed their emotions to get the better of them.
I initially disliked Kase-san, but he was just doing his job. Perhaps, being a lawyer is not as easy as it looks.

The BGMs were constant. Someone would be chasing a suspect, but the music never switches to a thrilling vibe. I personally did not find this annoying. But, the choice in music affects the aura of the drama.
Kimi Ni Muchuu by Utadari Hikari is repeatedly used throughout and now it has become one of my favorite songs, even though I rarely like soft music.

A sir who once came to my class asked a question to a girl who was trenchant in her opinion about how justice should be served and criminals should be arrested: "If the person is someone like your own brother, would you do it?"
She replied: "Yes, ofcourse! I will punish him!"
But, all he said was: "No, you won't. You have never been in such a situation, but when it comes to you, you won't do it."

I do not know how true Sir's staement was, but this drama is the closest to what I could find to corroborate what he had said.
The title "Dearest" is the most fitting. At the end of the day, everyone are someone else's dearest.