Cold Case 3 – コールドケース3 ～真実の扉～ [JP Drama 2020-2021]

[liddi]

@SnowBlobSome episodes are extremely memorable and stay with me even if the details may not be as clear cut, but you give me too much credit for remembering the exact season and episode. All that is thanks to our trusty companions Google and Wikipedia   As for the suspense, I guess in that sense, you're probably right, assuming I remember the case clearly. However, that does not detract from my enjoyment of the story, especially since the production quality is high bolstered by strong performances and an excellent soundtrack selection for each case. More often than not, the adaptation holds its own very well indeed and still draws effortlessly me into the narrative, evoking the very same feelings of shock, horror and sadness just as the original did.

 

Try as I might, and even when I think Ep3 seems familiar, I can't seem to tie it back to a specific episode from the original. Perhaps it is an original screenplay after all. If not, hopefully it will come to me some day. A tale of an unwavering love spanning 60 years for whom he would go to any lengths to protect; a self-centred woman who trampled over anyone for the limelight until that fateful night, but very easily forgot the past as she moved on with life, though the limelight she basked in would elude her hence, and she would find life not as rosy as she envisioned. What little sympathies I have lie solely with him who planned every detail for her to the end, and far far less for her and the victim whose actions eroded any pity I had for him very quickly. While the plot is more simplistic, the casting is spot on, particularly the older counterparts, and Edith Piaf's Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien very reminiscent of the era that the case is based.

 

Ep4 on the other hand is clearly adapted from S5 Ep12 Sabotage. Another taut, well-crafted narrative that brings us through dawning horror each time we hear the fateful tune play out followed by the inevitable explosion. Here, the focus is on the perpetrator, allowing us to see why he spiralled out of control as everything he held sacred is destroyed or taken from him one by one, and I feel keenly his pain while I watch in fear of what he would do next. My one gripe would be how the team managed to

Spoiler

save the last victim. Timing is far too off to be believable since we have seen how quickly the music box explodes after the tune is played, yet we are supposed to suspend belief that they managed to rush from outside the recital hall in there, past the audience and children to save her. Also, what on earth was she doing bringing the music box along with her to a recital and only choosing to open it then? It makes no sense.

 

Ep5 next.

Edited February 2, 2021 by liddi

[SnowBlob]

Unfortunately, ep 7 and 8 are still not subbed but ep 9 and 10 are. 

So I decided to skip the unsubbed eps and went straight to watch ep 9. 

 

I applaud the writer that dared to address a certain sensitive issue in ep 9. It showed the problem that I'm guessing still exists currently in Japan. During the ep, the detective lady said the situation in the housing complex will be how Japan will be in 10 years time - ageing Japanese population and a lot migrants. 

 

It particularly addressed the issue with certain country/culture (not going to name it here but you can watch for yourself). Once one of the character said that people who came from the said culture/country are very loud and inconsiderate of others. The main issue with victim was also because he was a war orphan who was raised in the said country. He's a Japanese but due to war, he got separated from his parents and he was raised in the other country by the local. He was able to return to Japan later on but he's not able to speak or understand Japanese nor read or write in the language he was brought up with by the parents who adopted him. He's really caught in the middle (something I can somewhat relate to)... so he was discriminated when he was in the said country because they said he's a Japanese and yet he's also discriminated in Japan because Japanese thought him as one of the migrants. 

 

This ep does provide somehow a balance. Although it was mentioned before that the people from that country are inconsiderate in the eye of this character, it's also revealed that the people from that country were willing to adopt Japanese orphans and were also going through the hard time because the neighbours looked down on them. The son of the victim later also said that before if people know he's born in that said country, ppl would look down on him, but in this day and age, it's such an advantage to be born in that said country. 

 

Anyway, I really like how the writer courageously and somehow truthfully portrayed this sensitive issue. I did enjoy the episode although as with all other Cold Case episodes.. I hardly ended up feeling happy when I finished. 

[liddi]

Just lost practically everything I rambled about from Eps 5 to 10... argh! Anyway... will try and recollect my thoughts once more, though most likely far less verbose now.

 

Ep5 Night Drive is a pretty faithful adaptation of S5 Ep15 The Road, the taunting cruelty of offering then withdrawing hope a haunting testament to how crucial hope is, especially when in a situation where there is no proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It drives very close to home, realising that that tiny sliver, found within or without oneself, can make the difference between persevering and overcoming, or succumbing to despair from which there is no return. 

 

Meanwhile, Ep6 To the Women on the Wall is a horrific tale of how a serial rapist's actions continue to traumatise his victims years down the road, despite being killed so long ago. Here, a sisterhood of victims came together to support one another when they found no help in the institutions and people who should have had their backs... their trauma spilling over to their families when one of them kills herself, unable to find the strength to go on, while another relives the horror once more knowing what her brother did for her to put an end to her nightmare. I find this version frustrating compared to the original S5 Ep10 Justice. Where the detectives of the original led the questioning to justify the brother's actions, the remake was far more detached in persisting in revealing the facts of the events that night, with only the sister trying to reason what her brother did for her. Her bitter tears, "Why is it... you never ever... stand up for us?" broke my heart, to see the siblings who had no one to rely upon except each other, are still forced to pay for what was done, exactly because the law failed to protect them when it should have.

 

Putting Ep7 and 8 in spoilers since @SnowBlobhas not watched them:

Spoiler

 

Ep7 Memories of the Beach is a well-made adaptation of S3 Ep9's A Perfect Day that breaks my heart as much as the original did, depicting the ugliness of domestic violence, a mother's attempts to escape her abusive husband resulting in tragedy upon tragedy, finally forced to give up her remaining child as her only means to protect her from harm. My only disappointment is the incongruity of why her protector would only track down and kill her husband 30 years down the road, thus culpable for the crime which still falls within the statute of limitations. It makes no sense that he would have waited so long, instead of dealing with it as soon as possible, knowing that she and her children, albeit missing, would never be safe unless something is done. As such, the closing while finally reuniting mother and daughter, is incomplete, as the one who ensured they survived to have that reunion, is now incarcerated for what he did for them.

 

Meanwhile, Ep8 Dishonor, like the original S7 Ep17 Flashover, is a tragic tale of a man who hung himself in prison after being incarcerated for setting his two sons on fire in his rental home despite his protestations of innocence all these years. We see Detective Tachikawa's downward spiral as he is forced to confront his own demons which led to his prejudiced investigation, lent credence by the fire marshal's conviction that it was arson. At last finding evidence that it was accidental fire due to circuit overload, Tachikawa can only work to clear the father's name to give closure to his ex-wife and parents who still thought he killed his own children, albeit a hollow recompense that could no longer undo what was done, nor the life that was lost.

 

 

Ep9 Homeland, an original episode is the highlight of the season for me, devastating in its unflinching portrayal of prejudice and racism, whichever the nation. It is heartbreaking to see a man driven to the brink whose predicament is through no fault of his own, yet treated like an outcast, be it in his own homeland, or his adopted country. His illiteracy of his mother tongue and that of his adoptive country meant he could never fit in anywhere, sidelined wherever he goes, whatever he does. The moment he realises he was not even allowed to go back to pay respects at his adoptive mother's grave, she who loved him as her own. as he would lose welfare support was just one more nail that drives home his hopelessness and grief. The final tragedy is that his death was due to the one person who was kind to them in his own country, and the bitter irony that his son's actions out of frustration towards those who looked down upon him, were the cause that exacerbated everything leading up to his tragic end. Sobering, especially realising that such discrimination remains prevalent today.

 

The finale Conditions of a Mother is loosely adapted from S5 Ep18 Ghost of my Child, and poses the question whether a troubled parent who had no proper role model would be able to change her life around and become the parent her own child needs. Unlike the original which ends on a note of hope, there is none, at least not for this mother, whose chance to change her life around for her and her child was cruelly taken away due to a misconception by the person she trusted, who was ironically instrumental in her making that decision to step towards the right direction. Here, I find the case particularly cruel on the child who was taken from one home to another, and now wrenched to yet another, not finding any stability, all her perceptions of those she trusted shattered through no fault of her own. Though the child is now reunited with her blood grandmother who finally cleaned up after her daughter's death, the trauma of her early years will require time to heal.
 

Ultimately, this season has come back stronger than ever with strong adaptations and even stronger original episodes, recalling the brilliance of the 1st season. Season 4 please.

[SnowBlob]

@liddi Thank you for sharing your thoughts on each episode here and even made reference to the original version  I still haven't caught up with ep 7,8 and 10 so I'll read your comments on those eps later after I watch them. Btw, where did you get to watch ep 7 and 8 with Eng sub? Or did you watch them subbed in another language? 

[liddi]

@SnowBlob I truly enjoyed this season's adaptations... brings back a lot of memories, while refreshing in its own approach, subtle or otherwise. This is the standard that I hold adaptations to, and I really hope they will continue to deliver future seasons with the same quality. Having ended S3 on a high note, if time permits, I will try to catch up where I left off in S2, and see if it compels me to complete it this time round.

Edited May 2, 2021 by liddi

[SnowBlob]

Finally I managed to finish the remaining 3 episodes I hadn't watched (ep 7,8 and 10). It's a good season but I feel like I never end up feeling light/happy after watching any of the ep. It's indeed a serious drama and although the criminals would mostly end up being caught (and some it did make me feel better and some it didn't because the criminals were the 'good' guys to certain extent) but in general the cruelty of the crimes/situations just felt heavy even when the perps were caught. Couldn't remember how I felt when watching season 1 and 2 .. I'm guessing I was feeling the same throughout. 

 

I wonder at the end of the season, was det Ishikawa's dead or alive? I thought it's smart to place that scene at the end because we know that at the end of each episode, our beloved detectives often saw the dead alive in the last scenes. 

 

I'm not sure how it goes in the original version ... but I'm shipping the 2 '-kawa' detectives... Ishikawa and Tachikawa  

 

@liddi thank you for sending me the link! And I also hope for a season 4 although I doubt it will be anytime soon. Past history shows that there were 2 years in between each season. So maybe in 2022?? Well.. let's hope that they do make another season for this. Some Japanese crime dramas have so many seasons already and still some still ongoing! 

[liddi]

@SnowBlob You're right. None of the episodes truly leave you with a sense of happiness... merely closure, if any. Definitely not something to watch if one is looking for happier viewing fare. In the finale, I believe Det. Ishikawa's sister died, and Ishikawa has taken over the care of her nephew, finally making peace with her sister, acknowledging that she was wrong in believing she could never turn her life around for her child. As for shipping Ishikawa and Tachikawa, these two characters were never romantically involved in the original, though Ishikawa's counterpart there did not have any permanent relationships throughout the 7 seasons of the show either. Not sure if they would actually introduce a romantic relationship within the team - would it change the dynamics of the show? As for S4, you're right about the possibility that we'll only get it 2 years hence. No matter how long the wait, I do hope they will continue to produce more seasons, even if the premise is predominantly bleak. And, thank you very much for your wonderful company throughout this drama! 

[NiteWalker]

this one sounds interesting....maybe i will pick it up....after watching 'Traces' i find im into detective drama recently lols