Heaven and Hell (2021)

When heaven and hell collide

Tengoku to Jigoku: Psychona Futari is a body-swap drama that focuses on the central characters of a female police detective and a suspected serial killer, and what happens after they “switch bodies''. With their roles now reversed, from the pursuer to the pursued and vice versa, how will both characters deal with the aftermath? Will justice somehow prevail or will the serial killings continue? And will these two characters revert to their original selves before the story ends? These are the questions that will be answered as the story unfolds in what has been an intriguing roller coaster of emotions.

This TBS “Sunday Theater” production is co-directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa (Tenno no Ryoriban, Tonbi, JIN), Takahiro Aoyama (Grand Maison Tokyo), and Aya Matsuki (Hanzawa Naoki, Tokyo MER). The story is based on the original screenplay by Yoshiko Morishita, who has written for many well-known dramas such as JIN 1 & 2, Tonbi and Tenno no Ryoriban, among many others. The prolific composer Yu Takami (BG: Personal Bodyguard, Library War, Ichiro) serves as music director. The 1st movement Allegro con brio of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 (Fate) is used as the opening theme where the famous motive recurs throughout the drama.

The concept of the body swap is based on the Japanese myth of the Moon and the Sun that originates from Kagoshima and Amami Oshima, where legend has it that “the moon was supposed to be the sun and the sun was supposed to be the moon" in a dark twist of fate that changed the positions of the two entities forever. Interestingly in the drama, the body swap actually takes place during a full moon.

This drama attracted much attention on MDL last year and I can finally comprehend why. The hype is truly justified, so much so that it had garnered a number of accolades including the 24th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix with Leading Actress Award for Haruka Ayase and the 107th Television Drama Academy Awards with Leading Actress Award for Haruka Ayase and Supporting Actor Award for Issei Takahashi.

What I Liked

The acting is truly phenomenal, as reflected by the awards won. The thing with body swap stories is that the role reversals have got to be very well executed, otherwise the entire concept would fall flat. Fortunately that is not the case here and the portrayals by both leads are absolutely on another level, particularly that of Takahashi Issei. How he switched personalities from a gender perspective and utterly assumed the personification of both distinctively disparate characterizations is remarkable beyond doubt. Seeing is believing and having witnessed the performance firsthand, I’m completely mind-blown! From the overall body language down to the intimate mannerisms and subtle quirks, Takahashi Issei killed it as both female detective Mochizuki Ayako and psychotic Hidaka Haruto.

Ayase Haruka is no less impressive herself and demonstrates a masterful display of juxtaposition between the freneticism of Mochizuki Ayako and the ultra coolness of Hidaka Haruto. Generally the more subtle of the two leads, Ayase Haruka brilliantly projects the nuanced microexpressions that convince viewers to immediately buy into the personality switch. The interactions between Takahashi Issei and Ayase Haruka are a particular joy to watch and certainly elevates the storytelling even further because they share such wonderful chemistry that adds profound depth to their characters’ dynamics.

As far as the story is concerned, there are two components to the plot - the criminal investigation and the body swap mystery. I was actually more captivated by the body swap segment, for obvious reasons. Nonetheless, the investigation aspect is quite smartly written although it isn’t a particularly inventive or refreshing take on the crime genre.That said, I do appreciate a certain unexpected twist thrown in towards the end. In fairness, this isn’t a drama that is overly complex on the uptake and it does not take itself too seriously either. Despite the gruesome nature of the crime and depictions of gore, as well as certain dramatic moments of emotionally heavy dialogues, the drama is mostly lighthearted with instances of comedic relief interspersed throughout.

From a technical perspective, the art direction and set designs are quite decently rendered. There are gorgeous vistas of the Amami Oshima filming locale on full display while I also enjoyed the costuming aspects where both leads sported rather fashionable wardrobe selections. The poignant theme song Tadaima (I’m Home), beautifully performed by Aoi Teshima, is one of the highlights of the drama as well.

Final Thoughts

Tengoku to Jigoku: Psychona Futari is a relatively engaging viewing experience that isn't without imperfections. Where it leaves a deep impression is through the acting of its leads. It is the one single aspect that literally blew my mind away and because of that, I won’t be forgetting the performances any time soon. If you weren’t a fan of either lead before this, you might have to change your mind after watching this drama.

Lees verder