Zíza

Shun'ya and Akira travel from Tokyo all the way to Kagoshima Prefecture to meet Shun'ya's grandfather. Akira's husband and Shun'ya's father has died, and the two of them now have nowhere to go because of their debts. Essentially, we're watching several generations come together who are not actually particularly distant from each other – not in this film. This is probably because each of them (especially Akira and Shun'ya) have to go through a separation. I mean a proper goodbye. It's not about the funeral, it's about the realization that after the death of a loved one you're basically dependent on (whether financially or emotionally), you have to stand on your own two feet and, more importantly, come to terms with it. It takes time. Especially in Japanese society, where these issues aren't particularly aired out loud. It's a slow film, quite deep at the beginning, which, while it does graduate towards the end (as only the "slice of life" genre can), unfortunately it also becomes diluted. At least it felt that way to me. Somehow I found the ending, perhaps idyllic (though I wanted it, of course), and so poorly delivered. I guess it was because of what Shun'ya, meaning the actor Kiyama Ryusei, said at the end. A bit of a cringe for me already. But otherwise I liked it. Granted, Arimura Kasumi's acting was uneven, sometimes “hey" and sometimes “ew", and Sakuraba Nanami didn't suit me at all, but Kunimura Jun was beautifully down to earth as an actor, so it was awfully nice with him and his character. He didn't advise, but he helped. A nice sad snapshot of life and from trains. A weak 4 stars.

I can't help it, even though the series was engaging and had an interesting cast, it failed to fully hit me and somehow I never really liked the main character Aoi Midori. I didn't find her as interesting as Ishihara Satomi's previous roles (Jimi ni sugoi, Takane no hana, Unnatural), even her performance seemed weak to me, kind of passionless. I had to question the procedures the whole time, I don't know why, it constantly felt off. The hospital setting, the cases; it just didn't quite grab me. Sure, there were touching moments, I enjoyed Tanaka Kei and Narita Ryo tremendously, but actually as a whole (although there were refreshing things where we didn't get rid of all the characters right away and used them later) I found it mediocre. It doesn’t really stand out from the pile of other work-based series. Sure, a nice average, enjoyable to watch, but it doesn't really add much more than that. Then again, why always look for something extra, right? When it can still entertain.

Nogi Akiko simply doesn’t disappoint. She understands her craft and knows what the modern viewer wants. She doesn't stick to the old tried and true methods, she makes new paths and uses stereotypes and clichés as shoes, not as intersections. MIU 404 was fun, suspenseful, moving, and well-paced (everything mixed wonderfully together and dosed correctly; clever and witty dialogue coming from the mouths of characters you believe). Not only was it free of the distraction of bad acting performances, on the contrary, the cast boldly supported characters who were constantly evolving. The central duo/foursome of cops had great chemistry with each other and most importantly, they were all reasonable, human, and malleable within the confines of their characters. Ayano and Hoshino were great partners and I just hope to see them together in these roles again soon. The setting, the premise, the tools, the colleagues, the victims and perpetrators, and the random bystanders all fit right in and Nogi Akiko never throws them away after using them. She knows they’re there, that the viewer knows them, and so she isn't afraid to reach for them. In so doing, she has created a clever villain for us to think about for a long time. And as if Nogi’s work wasn't done, she still created all of this in a world that is familiar to us from her previous series, Unnatural. She even has two characters cut cameos. I enjoyed it immensely. It was suspenseful, fresh, funny, and gritty. Oh, and Suda Masaki spoke in his Osaka accent. Who is this guy?! A strong 4 stars, maybe when I watch it again without my kid after me I'll bump it up to a 5 stars.