Hatsukoi no Akuma (2022)

Just When You Think You've Got It.... What Was It Again..?

Whatever you believe this story is about... You're wrong. You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Detectives... Mysterious cases... First loves... True self... Familial relationships... Friendships... Good and Evil... Coming out of one's shell... Growing as a person... So many different stories wrapped up into one extremely imaginative, genuinely honest, heartbreakingly, gutwrenching, beautiful, funny, thrilling adventure.


I have no idea where to begin with this review. Even the above doesn't sound like an entry paragraph, it sounds more like a confused person rambling. Honestly, though, I couldn't pinpoint a genre or theme for this story throughout all 10 episodes. Just when I thought I had the storyline down, just around the corner came an epic curve that shook me to my core! I never could have predicted what happened within each episode, not to mention within the show as a whole.


While there were some familiar pieces within the story or an episode, trust me when I say that I cannot stress enough how original this story is. I've truly never watched, nor read, anything like this. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be a comedy; lots of detective work but a few deadpan-straight man lines here and there, but as I continued watching I realized how far from the truth that theory was. This show is seemingly "perfect", in my own humble opinion. Hilarious yet sad, thrilling yet perhaps a little dull, dramatic yet simplistic. I rarely cry during dramas or movies, however, I was tearing up during at least 3 or 4 episodes while on the edge of my seat, biting my nails in anticipation of what would happen next to the characters or within the show itself.


Soil & Pimp Sessions did such a fantastic job with the music! During the credits for each episode, it was exciting and enjoyable to listen to the music while wondering and/or imagining what was going to happen next! The ensemble cast for this story was remarkable! In the beginning, I was casting another actor to play a role in the show but the more I watched the more I realized the cast chosen was impeccable, and I enjoyed seeing different sides of the actors I already knew of and watching them portray the different roles of mesmerizingly different characters. I've also found a few new-to-me actors that I really enjoyed watching in this show and look forward to seeing more of them!


If you enjoy mysteries so coiled and warped and tightly wound that you can just barely figure out the truth, or watching actors not only meet their limits but surpass them, or listening to wonderful music, or straight-man-deadpan humor, or dramatics that put your stomach in knots... then please give this show a chance!

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Powerhouse actors masterfully performed

This drama is a powerhouse of skilled actors proving their talents performing a range of characters, the weird, the creep, the oddball, the doormat, and so on. The four main leads are lovable, but then you have Ito Hideaki and Yasuda Ken who freaked me out every time one of them came on screen.

The story itself has many flaws, but not when it comes to the constant change in focus and tone which is usually where dramas fail. Though the focus changed, it made sense as hints were subtly given throughout the drama about it. The flaws I noticed is how some events came to be that felt rushed or unexplained. Some cases were handled greatly while others not so much. The characters can act in such naive way which can be frustrating. Then you have time ticking while our leads are cutting carboard to reconstruct a miniature version of the scene.

Despite its flaws, the drama shines for it's characters and the way they are acting. These actors are all handsome and each can do shard and sexy lead, yet their weird characters is what makes them endearing to me, I partilarly loved Hayashi Kento's character Shikahama and Emoto Tasuku's acting as Kotori.

Overall an entertaining and thrilling watch :D I highly recommed it

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