"You did nothing wrong."
Jul. 10th, 2018 05:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
risablacktiger "It's okay, go ahead and cry. You couldn't cry, right?"
I'm completely weak when it comes to lines like this that tug at one's heart and aim to uplift and validate a person's experiences. Strawberry Night had its moments where this happened. The protagonist, Himekawa Reiko, constantly has to deal with her male coworkers' sexism in the police force despite holding a pretty established rank as an Assistant Inspector of the First Investigative Division's Tenth Section. They patronise her, belittle her work and question her methods although they aren't any better. The past is also a heavy weight she holds despite the passing of many years as a survivor of both rape and knife crime and the impact trickles in her family relationships as well. Himekawa is a fighter. Her emotions also gets to her on many occasions. Anger is in her blood. The tragic incident has fortified her with immense strength, which is something that gave me a certain level of discomfort because of the decision to insert rape as a dramatic plot device to explain Himekawa's toughness and develop a weighty backstory for its lead. It does leave me a bit conflicted but to give the show some credit, it's not a one-off move by the writer (yes, it's an adaptation, I don't know much the writer took from the original novel though..) and the ramifications were explored even in the present day. Her relationship with her family is strained, she has episodes at times, the narrative also reinforces that the fault lies with the criminal and she bears no blame. Yet, she struggles with the latter. It's a nuanced portrayal and it rears its head at times in the 11 episodes. Probably the scene that resonated the most was when Himekawa lent her support to a fellow victim. She hugs her with such power and warmth that drips from her words that aim to console but speak the truth as well. That Himekawa could utter the words, "You did nothing wrong.", meant too much for her as a character. She spoke it with such unwavering honesty and I couldn't help but think that those words were meant for her to hear as well. That, she could finally say it. She could finally believe it. It was so powerful watching two women seek solace in each other.
There were things I loved, liked, disliked and abhorred while watching Strawberry Night. I completely loved Himekawa Reiko. Takeuchi Yuko was great, wonderful and relatable in certain aspects with her portrayal. Anger is a good look on her, especially when she is fending off misogyny and sexism from her peers. Her facial emoting is really good, particularly when she's vexed or upset. More on Reiko as a character, she's so forthright with her beliefs, capable of being gentle with people when it counts, is unwavering with her work and so.... Human. Her relationship with her parents, the rashness that comes through when she interacts with them, they're all real. I could empathise with her on some occasions, like the need to escape when the situation hits the fan. Also, the way she handles the men at her work with such poise and passive aggressiveness (though, she's really actively aggressive, lol). I also loved some of the dialogue in the show. It could be poignant and reflective of real life. I should go jot them all down soon, tbh. I appreciate that considerable thought was demonstrated in the exploration of specific cases which discussed the human condition and the consequences of actions. Also, how it was applicable to the show's main characters, particularly Himekawa of course.
What did I like? I liked Himekawa's relationship with Kikuta. The mutual respect, repartee and trust between both characters was enjoyable to watch and the suggestive hints at them becoming more than just partners was nice, I liked that it wasn't overt either. Himekawa draws strength from him while he never demands anything of her. It's great. I also enjoyed her team. I can't forget the time when Tamotsu, iirc, helped her remove her heels before entering a crime scene in one of the earlier episodes. It was a small moment but it was honestly wonderful.
What didn't I like? How the men acted in general. The director, Gantetsu, Hayama... They needed to go. It was too much. The show also had a tendency to prop the perspective of men despite its lead being a women. Hence, some of the message it intended to deliver failed, e.g. Hayama's viewpoint that women should not be present in dangerous crime scenes. Ultimately, his viewpoint was not refuted and validated by one of the female officers. Hayama did not truly grow, he continued to believe that and still questioned Himekawa at times, even if it was not spoken out loud. Aside from that, the show also has a tendency to be violent with women, whether portrayed as a victim or not. It was uncomfortable to note that many of the victims of the cases were women. For example, Hayama's backstory was at the expense of an innocent woman being stabbed to death. It was rather upsetting.
Overall, I liked Strawberry Night but the aspects that I disliked/hated also make up a fair share. I gave this a 8 when I finished but truthfully, I'm not sure if I'll keep to it in the future. Still, the show did prioritise Himekawa given that she is the lead protagonist and this is most definitely her story that was told.
I have to say, the ending was really impactful and too real. Excellent acting from Takeuchi Yuko. It hurt though, as real as it was.
(I hope I keep this up! I really do want to keep writing because not doing it constantly leaves me rusty and I don't want that any longer. So, I'm just making it ~law right now that I should give a short review/do a post thoughts thing with every jdrama I've finished asap.)
I'm completely weak when it comes to lines like this that tug at one's heart and aim to uplift and validate a person's experiences. Strawberry Night had its moments where this happened. The protagonist, Himekawa Reiko, constantly has to deal with her male coworkers' sexism in the police force despite holding a pretty established rank as an Assistant Inspector of the First Investigative Division's Tenth Section. They patronise her, belittle her work and question her methods although they aren't any better. The past is also a heavy weight she holds despite the passing of many years as a survivor of both rape and knife crime and the impact trickles in her family relationships as well. Himekawa is a fighter. Her emotions also gets to her on many occasions. Anger is in her blood. The tragic incident has fortified her with immense strength, which is something that gave me a certain level of discomfort because of the decision to insert rape as a dramatic plot device to explain Himekawa's toughness and develop a weighty backstory for its lead. It does leave me a bit conflicted but to give the show some credit, it's not a one-off move by the writer (yes, it's an adaptation, I don't know much the writer took from the original novel though..) and the ramifications were explored even in the present day. Her relationship with her family is strained, she has episodes at times, the narrative also reinforces that the fault lies with the criminal and she bears no blame. Yet, she struggles with the latter. It's a nuanced portrayal and it rears its head at times in the 11 episodes. Probably the scene that resonated the most was when Himekawa lent her support to a fellow victim. She hugs her with such power and warmth that drips from her words that aim to console but speak the truth as well. That Himekawa could utter the words, "You did nothing wrong.", meant too much for her as a character. She spoke it with such unwavering honesty and I couldn't help but think that those words were meant for her to hear as well. That, she could finally say it. She could finally believe it. It was so powerful watching two women seek solace in each other.
There were things I loved, liked, disliked and abhorred while watching Strawberry Night. I completely loved Himekawa Reiko. Takeuchi Yuko was great, wonderful and relatable in certain aspects with her portrayal. Anger is a good look on her, especially when she is fending off misogyny and sexism from her peers. Her facial emoting is really good, particularly when she's vexed or upset. More on Reiko as a character, she's so forthright with her beliefs, capable of being gentle with people when it counts, is unwavering with her work and so.... Human. Her relationship with her parents, the rashness that comes through when she interacts with them, they're all real. I could empathise with her on some occasions, like the need to escape when the situation hits the fan. Also, the way she handles the men at her work with such poise and passive aggressiveness (though, she's really actively aggressive, lol). I also loved some of the dialogue in the show. It could be poignant and reflective of real life. I should go jot them all down soon, tbh. I appreciate that considerable thought was demonstrated in the exploration of specific cases which discussed the human condition and the consequences of actions. Also, how it was applicable to the show's main characters, particularly Himekawa of course.
What did I like? I liked Himekawa's relationship with Kikuta. The mutual respect, repartee and trust between both characters was enjoyable to watch and the suggestive hints at them becoming more than just partners was nice, I liked that it wasn't overt either. Himekawa draws strength from him while he never demands anything of her. It's great. I also enjoyed her team. I can't forget the time when Tamotsu, iirc, helped her remove her heels before entering a crime scene in one of the earlier episodes. It was a small moment but it was honestly wonderful.
What didn't I like? How the men acted in general. The director, Gantetsu, Hayama... They needed to go. It was too much. The show also had a tendency to prop the perspective of men despite its lead being a women. Hence, some of the message it intended to deliver failed, e.g. Hayama's viewpoint that women should not be present in dangerous crime scenes. Ultimately, his viewpoint was not refuted and validated by one of the female officers. Hayama did not truly grow, he continued to believe that and still questioned Himekawa at times, even if it was not spoken out loud. Aside from that, the show also has a tendency to be violent with women, whether portrayed as a victim or not. It was uncomfortable to note that many of the victims of the cases were women. For example, Hayama's backstory was at the expense of an innocent woman being stabbed to death. It was rather upsetting.
Overall, I liked Strawberry Night but the aspects that I disliked/hated also make up a fair share. I gave this a 8 when I finished but truthfully, I'm not sure if I'll keep to it in the future. Still, the show did prioritise Himekawa given that she is the lead protagonist and this is most definitely her story that was told.
I have to say, the ending was really impactful and too real. Excellent acting from Takeuchi Yuko. It hurt though, as real as it was.
(I hope I keep this up! I really do want to keep writing because not doing it constantly leaves me rusty and I don't want that any longer. So, I'm just making it ~law right now that I should give a short review/do a post thoughts thing with every jdrama I've finished asap.)
