Tsumi to Batsu: A Falsified Romance (2012)

It actually boggles my mind that 'psychological' isn't one of the listed genres for this drama, because for me it hit that above any other genre. I want to say right off the bat that this is by no means an easy drama to watch. It's quite heavy, it's not always fast paced, and there are quite a few long-winded speeches (especially by the end). However, this drama really does a fantastic job of evaluating the mind of a character, and watching him as he interacts with the world and begins to change.

I saw a lot of people from various places trying to compare this to Death Note, and it is my opinion that if you do that, you will only be disappointed. This isn't a story about some murderer going on a killing spree, it's far more complex than that. That being said, it is quite an amazing story, drawing beautiful parallels between Miroku and his own fictional novel.

The acting from Kora Kengo was top notch. Even if he hadn't been the main character he would have stolen the show. He portrays Miroku's character with such raw emotion that at times I found myself leaning in to my screen, he absolutely absorbs you into the story. Whenever you feel like its gotten slow, Kengo is able to keep you hooked with Miroku. The supporting cast did a fantastic job as well. At some point, you will likely find yourself despising at least one of the characters, and to me, that is the mark of a well developed character.

The music served its purpose, certainly. It always had me getting into the mood of whatever was on screen, though I honestly can't say I paid attention to it the entire time--I was far too absorbed in the story to notice it on some occasions. But this is also not a bad thing.

I don't know how soon I can rewatch this, since it is a really heavy drama and it requires patience and a certain kind of mood, however I liked it so much that I don't doubt I will one day come back to it. That aside, it's only six episodes long. The length per episode makes up for it though, and for once, I found the low episode count to be satisfying. It gives you plenty of time to understand the story, the characters, and everything is tied up successfully. I never felt like it was going by too quickly.

Overall, this was a very interesting drama. It's mostly a character study in my opinion, so you should expect some heavy psychological themes and topics. It's quite dark, lacking in humor and it's definitely not romantic, so if that's right up your alley then I would highly recommend this drama.

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