Ouroboros Drama Review
Tadaima minna san~! I just finished watching Ouroboros yesterday, and because it was outrageously not what I expected it to be (in a good way), I decided to write a review :P Review's under the cut (Spoiler alert!).
So the story is about two boys, Danno Tatsuya (Oguri Shun) and Ryuuzaki Ikuo (Ikuta Toma), who as a child witnessed their orphanage caretaker Kashiwaba Yuiko (Hirosue Ryoko)'s murder. The murder was then covered up by some high-powered people, and because of the shock, Ikuo couldn't remember anything about the night of the murder. The only thing they remember was the man who covered up the murder wore a distinct gold watch. Determined to catch (and kill) Yuiko-sensei's murderer, Tatsuya entered the yakuza world while Ikuo became a homicide detective.
I usually don't watch dramas until all the subs are out, but since I'm a huge fan of Ikuta Toma and when I heard that he's collaborating with Oguri Shun again, I just had to see it no matter what. At first I expected this drama to be like Tokyo DOGS (also starring Oguri Shun) or maybe even Ryusei no Kizuna, meaning it was light-funny-revenge tale that ended happily. But it wasn't, it simply wasn't. It was more like Toma's Maou, with Toma plays the revenge-seeker part. So it was a lot darker revenge tale. Maou was good, but this was a lot better (maybe because Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma is a dynamic duo? Remember HanaKimi? Lol~). Story-wise, it was really really good, although there were some plotholes, like why Yuiko-sensei *spoiler-alert* decided to take the gun and face the Kintokei alone instead of just take the kids to safer place herself and NOT getting herself killed (because it's like totally suicide to face those guys ALONE). But all in all the story's pace was good, it's not draggy at all, and it keeps you waiting for what's going to happen next.
The only thing that bothers me is the ending. Seriously, I didn't think it would end THAT way, it was seriously a shock to me. Before I saw the real ending, I even pictured them lead a happy life, say opening an omu-rice restaurant perhaps? :P I really really hoped that Ikuo would end up with Mizuki, because come on!!! She was always there for him, she was willing to abandoned her principles and forgive Ikuo, and in the end she was the one who hurt the most. Her father's dead, Ikuo's dead, poor her T_T I mean, it's one thing if Ikuo got shot and died because of it (like Tatsuya did), but he commited suicide! It's poetic, I give you that. But it also means that Ikuo couldn't move past Yuiko-sensei's killing. He had the chance to finally lead a normal life, a new family who loves him, but he chose not to follow that path and dwell on the past instead. Seriously, Tatsuya died saving him, but he killed himself instead, so what's the point of Tatsuya's sacrifice? The ending is really poetic, but I was hoping for a happier ending. Because the theme of the drama seems to be death and resurrection, so I thought Ikuo would choose the happy life he deserved and moved on. In Tatsuya's case, while there was no one who reached out to him like Mizuki did, his right-hand man and his Yakuza boss really supports him wholeheartedly, and I see that as a chance to a happier life as well. But then again, he died SAVING his best friend so...
Aside from the ending, this drama is really a good one. It's been a long time since I enjoy a drama this good. Acting-wise, Toma and Shun is absolutely perfect, especially Toma since he's the one whose character requires two faces. I really really hope they receive an award for this. If you haven't watch this drama, you MUST!! It has twists and turns that's really good and unexpected.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Note: I'm watching Tensai Tantei Mitarai next, but can any of you recommend what drama to watch next? Thanks ^-^