Akai Yubi, Shinzanmono SP
I just watched Akai Yubi, the 2-hour Shinzanmono Special. I really enjoyed the drama when it was airing last Autumn, so it was natural that I would want to check out this story as well. Another thing is that I have found that I really enjoy dramas based on Higashino Keigo's stories...
On the surface, the story caught up in a crime is simple, but by the end, there are so many layers to the interpersonal relations!
This story really raised some questions in my mind, since I know next to nothing about the treatment of the elderly (especially those with dementia) or people with mental problems in Japan. But at it's basis, this story is about families,
Based on his depiction in the drama, it very much looked like the son who actually killed the little girl was either mentally ill, or mentally retarded. He clearly had serious issues with violent behaviour, but the parents still did their best to hide it from others. Still, we didn't get to see too much about him, the parents were at the centre of this story.
The mother's case was even more tragic: she had suffered an accident and had trouble moving, so her son and his family moved in with her. But then they started ignoring her and kept their distance, so she began to pretend she had dementia like her husband, hoping her son would notice. But he never did. And then he and his wife started plotting about basing the blame on her...
The mother-son relationship is also mirrored in the way Abe Hiroshi's detective Kaga would not go to visit his dying son in the hospital while his cousin does. But in the end it's revealed that it's actually the father's choice, and it's not like Kaga was deliberately ignoring his father.
Puppy!boy (i.e. Mizobata Junpei) - I've been calling him that since BOSS is cute as always. And I really liked Sugimoto Tetta as the father (finally learned his name, since he's been appearing in quite a few dramas :D).
On the surface, the story caught up in a crime is simple, but by the end, there are so many layers to the interpersonal relations!
This story really raised some questions in my mind, since I know next to nothing about the treatment of the elderly (especially those with dementia) or people with mental problems in Japan. But at it's basis, this story is about families,
Based on his depiction in the drama, it very much looked like the son who actually killed the little girl was either mentally ill, or mentally retarded. He clearly had serious issues with violent behaviour, but the parents still did their best to hide it from others. Still, we didn't get to see too much about him, the parents were at the centre of this story.
The mother's case was even more tragic: she had suffered an accident and had trouble moving, so her son and his family moved in with her. But then they started ignoring her and kept their distance, so she began to pretend she had dementia like her husband, hoping her son would notice. But he never did. And then he and his wife started plotting about basing the blame on her...
The mother-son relationship is also mirrored in the way Abe Hiroshi's detective Kaga would not go to visit his dying son in the hospital while his cousin does. But in the end it's revealed that it's actually the father's choice, and it's not like Kaga was deliberately ignoring his father.
Puppy!boy (i.e. Mizobata Junpei) - I've been calling him that since BOSS is cute as always. And I really liked Sugimoto Tetta as the father (finally learned his name, since he's been appearing in quite a few dramas :D).