MOZU Season1

One of the most waited Japanese drama of the year has been a disappointing rating wise, yet the production and the acting never disappointed.

Seeing the ratings barely getting 13 was kind of sad especially since in every episode it was obvious the detailed work that the staff did to make this drama.

It's been awhile since a drama has blown me away like Mozu has done with Season 1: Shrike. Disclaimer: this is the type of drama I really like conspiracy, dark, full of mystery and suspense. Another series that come to my mind like it is Utopia. This will be a three-part series and as we are just beginning the second part, there is still so much mystery and intrigue that I just can't wait.

The Explosion

The story starts off with a bomb that went off killing and injuring many people in Japan. Akeboshi Misa is there and was working undercover during the explosion. Her objective and actions were top-secret, but she does seem to know a lot more about what happened than anything else. Misa is a key figure in uncovering what happened, as there is a lot more going on. Misa's also a likeable character that has a darker connection to these events. She is looking for her father who went missing and somehow you know her father will be connected with this case. You can tell off the bat that a lot went into producing this drama, and it's not your normal low-budget Japanese drama. This drama is not at all short of the top dorama actors.

Your Typical Hard-nosed Detective

The main character, Kuraki Naotake, is the main man on a mission to find the truth about what happened at this bombing. He has been tangled in a web of lies and untruths, and he is now on a mission to uncover the events of what happened. You can think of him as Jack Bauer / John MacClane type. He's that "don't-take-anything

Man's Search for the Truth

Kuraki lost his wife to the bombing. Is it just a coincidence? Probably not. Kuraki and his wife had a loving but distant relationship over her involvement in some secret spy operation as well as the death of their daughter. The death of her daughter was by "accidental drowning" where his wife was the only one there. I love his wife's character as she is shrouded in so much mystery, and the casting of Ishida Yuriko for this role is perfect.

Conspiracy

Kuraki and Misa (two main characters presented) have some good chemistry as detectives on the same mission: finding out the truth about the bombing. They have good interplay and along with one more hard-nosed detective, form a group that will fight the organization responsible for the bombing. Of course, that's not so easy as there are so many key figures in this conspiracy that have prominent positions in their own organizations.

The Devil

I really like it when the villain is likeable and the villain isn't really good or bad. Okay, this character mercilessly kills a lot of people and is the main character in the first season: Shingai. Shingai is interesting because he is the shrike - a bird who mysteriously impales its victims on a stick and just leaves them there for days. Shingai gets thrown off a cliff where he is recovering from amnesia and is on a mission to find who he is and who is his sister.

The Shrike

Shingai is just a born killer. But there is there is something more interesting about Shingai, he is actually a twin. One twin tells the other one who to kill and the other twin goes out and attacks. I don't want to spoil the story for you, but let's just say there's a lot of interesting development between Shingai and his twin -- and the amnesia. The most interesting thing about Shingai's character is he does not seem to kill for pure evil - he's driven more by impulse much as to the reason the shrike needlessly sticks its prey on a stick.

The Dharma Conspiracy

What is Dharma? This seems to be the big conspiracy in this drama. This man appears in people's sleep repeatedly throughout the world. No one knows who he is or the origin of the word "Dharma." In the first season, there are only a few clues about what this is, but this creepy drawing is more than enough to keep my interest. This is the looming question after the first season, what is dharma? I can't wait to find out!

Watch MOZU Season1 episode 10 online at dramanice.com