Ryuusei no Kizuna

I must get a hold of the novel! I know that the original, in this case the book, is always better so I really want to read the novel, translated to English of course! The author was Higashino Keigo.

Ryuusei no Kizuna (流星の絆), or Meteor Bonds, is about three siblings who were orphaned because they’re parents were murdered at the night they were watching meteor showers. I’m glad they were too stubborn that they were out at the time of the crime. But I was actually quite hysterical because children were not supposed to witness a morbid scene, and carry a burden.

14 years have passed and yet the culprit was still not known. Time was running out before the 15th anniversary of the crime, the time for the statute of limitations. Not that the police do nothing. Those assigned were dedicated with the case. And not that the children have forgotten. Truth was, they made a statement before they left their home. ”When we grow up… We’ll kill him together.”

The Ariake Children:

Ninomiya Kazunari – Ariake Kouichi

Nishikido Ryo –  Ariake Taisuke

Toda Erika – Ariake Shizuna

What I love about this drama is its plot. It’s not predictable and there were sub-stories, e.g. Mr. Post It. There was even a mysterious woman (Mika Nakashima) who just popped out from nowhere. Bring that to the latter episode, I guess the eigth, when she was singing Orion, the end theme of Ryuusei no Kizuna. I thought it wasn’t necessary until I realized what the lines she’s singing meant. I was moved.

Kiritani as Takayama Hisanobu

I also like how the actors portrayed their respective roles, even Kiritani Kenta as Mr. Post It. He was naturally and convincingly annoying. I think Toda Erika was also able to portray the true character of Shii. As for Nishikido Ryo as Taisuke, I think he was most brilliant when he’s the swindling Taisuke. As a brother, he’s like someone who needs a big brother’s guidance so when he’s playing the role of a swindler it was like seeing another character. Recalling the drama, I’ve just realized that they did well. I was just not able to “see” them, Nishikido and Toda specifically, because I was most impressed with Ninomiya Kazunari. He was just like his other Arashi brothers who surprised me with their acting.

If Matsumoto Jun made me turn from my prejudice, Sakurai Sho showed me how he can play different personalities, Ninomiya showed me a brilliant actor. Those tears welling up in his eyes were just amazing, unless they were fake.

I prefer “suspended” tears than those that flow because they show the emotion/s building up. Playing the role of the eldest Ariake, Nino showed what kind of a big brother Kouichi was. I loved those moments when he was worrying about Shii, the shouting scene included.

Kouichi’s reaction when asked if it’s ok that Shii…

I kind of felt envious of Shizuka for having brothers like Kouichi and Taisuke. It’d be cool to have them as brothers. I just remembered, even the young actors who played the roles of young Ariake brothers were impressive.

Ryusei Saito and Issei Kakazu as young Kouichi and Taisuke, respectively

However, though I liked Ryuusei no Kizuna so much, there are still parts of this drama that I don’t like. First, like what I pointed in Atashinchi no Danshi, the time transition. I’m not sure if it is part of the cinematography, but I guess it is. I think it was in episode 9 when I was bothered most,
from the scene at the Togatemi residence to Kouchi talking to Kashiwabara Yasutaka (Tomokazu Miura) to the precint scene when Taisuke and Shii were with Hagimura Shinji (Shitara Osamu) until the rooftop scene. It was not convincing that they were gathered in a place one morning then ended up somewhere at night. Most especially, the time when Hagimura and the younger Ariake left for the precint until they called Kashiwabara. Hello! Tic, tac, tic, tac.

I also had questions when I’ve found out the culprit of The Ariake Couple Murder Case. I only knew who but I didn’t know why. Truth was, I thought of the culprit as a suspect. It’s just that I couldn’t find the connection and the motive. That’s one of the reasons I like Ryuusei no Kizuna. I was just clueless and wondering. But I’ve also questioned why they were pretty convinced that their prime suspect was the murderer. What happened to “innocent until proven guilty”?

Even so, I still love Ryuusei no Kizuna. It may be a suspense J-Drama but surely there are comic scenes too. Also, I never thought I’d laugh and cry at the same time since Windstruck. And I still can’t get over how amazing Kazunari was, especially during those poignant scenes.

Of course, I also love that Mika Nakashima’s character had interest with Kouichi.

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Originally posted on: 15 February 2013

Reposted on: 2 August 2013