Seigi no Tenbin (2021)

as near to perfect as humanly possible

I don't give many 10 star ratings, but this drama was as near to perfect as a crime/law drama can be. While Kamenashi is definitely the headliner, had they cast a different, equally talented actor, I would have still given it 10 stars. The story is just that compelling to me. If there's one downside it's that I need to watch the drama again to fully grasp the nuances of the plot. It's the problem that happens when binging a crime drama, everything runs together and becomes a little muddled, but that's more my fault than the drama's fault. I just didn't want to stop watching.

A few thoughts right now are these.

It's moving to have a Japanese drama depict a Christian minister with such kindness and honesty. That's not how they're depicted in western entertainment, so I love that she really was as kind, compassionate, generous, understanding, and all of the things that a pastor should be. She was an amazing character and it touched me that she was designed that way on purpose.

If Kamenashi is capable of this type of performance, that's what I want to see from him every single time he steps in front of the camera. The energy, the passion, the obvious connection he made to the character he was playing. He brought Takano-san to life in a way that I haven't seen from him in a few years. That spark that makes him an incredible actor was there, again, finally. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I watched Seigi no Tenbin.

I have to give a shout-out to Kitayama Hiromitsu. I haven't seen him in anything else and a lot of idol actors get a little bit of a bad rap, but he definitely piqued my interest. He gave a deeply compelling supporting role performance as one of the lawyers working under Takano.

It was also fun for see Kamenashi and Aya Omasa reunited. They're both far more mature than when they were in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge together, but I couldn't help smiling at the good memories I have of that show whenever they were in the same scene for Seigi no Tenbin.

The end message is that if there's even the smallest chance that someone can be rehabilitated, then we should at least try. There's this message of hope, of potential, of even forgiveness and moving on from hatred and revenge that just really spoke to me. I love Seigi no Tenbin. I think it's brilliant, superior to Red Eyes which was fun in its own way, and it's inspiring to see Kamenashi take on roles like Takano with so many emotional nuances and do them well. I'm excited to see what the future holds for his acting career. May he continue to make amazing choices.

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