Maou

Maou was a remake of the K-Drama The Devil. I haven’t watched the original/Korean version so I can’t really compare both. But I really enjoyed watching this drama that I even wrote a comment for its pilot episode.

According to Wikipedia, Ryo Naruse (Ohno Satoshi) is a two-faced lawyer: on the surface, he is a kind-hearted soul, representing the poor and earning the nickname “The Angel Lawyer” from the press; but unbeknownst to anyone else, he is also a “devil,” meticulously plotting the perfect revenge against those responsible for his younger brother’s death. Naoto Serizawa (Ikuta Toma) is a gung-ho detective whose overzealous methods mask a dark past which he is trying to overcome. When a family acquaintance of Serizawa’s is murdered, Serizawa is thrust in the middle of a multiple-homicide case which stirs up memories of a dark event from his past.

Simply put, think of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, legal version. The only thing “supernatural” in this drama was the ability of Sakita Shiori (Kobayashi Ryoko) to see after-images on items left in the crime scene or those touch by the culprit. But more than Robert Louis Stevenson’s complex character, I couldn’t help but think of Dr. Lecter.

Naruse-sensei and Dr. Lecter both excelled in their respective profession but they’re pretty scary. Hannibal Lecter would lurk in my mind from time to time whenever Naruse had something brewing. He was scary but not as scary as Lecter. Perhaps it’s because Naruse had a good side.

I’m glad Ohno portrayed Naruse very well. The moment I thought or remembered of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Lecter, I was overwhelmed with awe. Ohno Satoshi was a good actor.

Like Shiori, I firmly believed there was something good in Naruse Ryo but when the past leads this lawyer, you know he’s not someone to mess with. And knowing how good he was in his profession, you know he could get away with it.

As the episodes went on, I remembered the Corleones. They’re a Mafia family but you somehow root for them. It was the same with Naruse Ryo. As it dawned me, it made me feel bad because regardless of the possibilities for him to be acquitted, should this go on in the court of law, the things he did and caused others to do were still not good. Yes, to put it bluntly, they were evil.

Naruse-sensei was very manipulative that he’s not even a close third party in the cases that made him and Detective Serizawa keep on bumping into each other. However, Naruse was very human, with all its complexity. And it all started with his adult-age encounter with Shiori.

There was no romance in this drama, definitely not a Korean romance, but there was something going on. According to a friend, the love-triangle in the Korean version was more intense. Even so, I’m fine with the Japanese version. I think it was more realistic because it proves how serious Naruse was with his decade-long plan. Any distraction would really cause a grave effect. And it did. How the lives Naruse, Serizawa, and Shiori got tangled were partly because of emotional involvement. Not just because of Shiori though. I also believe that the little child from episode 2, I guess, had affected Naruse.

I also love how Serizawa was so subtle. He probably knew his place and was most likely focused with the case, or cases. But it’s not unknown that he cared for Shiori. Truth was, it was only in the tenth episode that I got back to my sensibility and realized that Serizawa was also in need of justice. Even his family.

I think Ikuta Toma’s portrayal of Serizawa Naoto kept this character true to himself, someone blunt and rugged but with a sense of justice. He was also a loyal and caring friend. How Serizawa was haunted by his past kept his sense of humanity. His chosen profession was a proof of his attempt for redemption. Even to the very end, his conscience was intact. I hated the ending though, because I wanted something better, but it was more realistic and true to the characters of Naruse and Serizawa.

The ending of Maou made me feel like holding on to the characters, especially Naruse-sensei. It’s sad letting go of this drama.

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Originally posted on: 27 March 2013
Reposted on: 3 August 2013