Kazoku Game

家族ゲーム

Before Kazoku Game started airing, I’ve been curious what it’d be about. The trailer showed something dark, from the past. Is Yoshimoto Koya (Sakurai Sho) bad? Is he good? What are his intentions? For someone from the allied health, it’s obvious that there was something about Yoshimoto.

Yes, I also had my share of questions, but as soon as Yoshimoto-sensei pinned Numata Shigeyuki (Uragami Seishuu) down, I knew that Yoshimoto would be one complex character. It’s like I already understood him in a snap. And if you haven’t seen or encountered complex people before, you might just keep on wondering.

“When there is something that people can’t measure with their own scale, it can’t be helped that they’d feel it’s weird.”

So Kazoku Game was about the Numata Family and Yoshimoto Koya, who would always make me wonder why he walked that way.

Sakurai Sho stars in this troubling drama as the private tutor Yoshimoto Koya. Koya becomes a tutor to a student, Numata Shigeyuki, an underachiever on the verge of dropping out of middle school. Expecting immediate results, Shigeyuki’s father makes a deal with Koya that if he could make Shigeyuki return to school within a week, he would receive a 100,000 yen bonus. Koya accepts the offer, replying that he would only need 5 days to complete the mission but demands that no one should interfere with his methodology in doing so. – DramaWiki 

More than the Numata Family, I saw this drama as a story of individuals, of a family representing a/the society, and even the society itself. When I was watching this drama, I happen to have been reading and writing reports about bullying in Japan. It’s like seeing the Japanese society in another “darkness.”

 

And when there was a series of scenes on bullying in this drama, I couldn’t help but be moved. I feel so bad for the students who have been bullied at school. Watching Kazoku Game made me wonder if this drama was a “protest” to the Japanese society.

It may sound like a hard core heavy drama but it was not, at least not always. There were also funny moments. I love those moments when Yoshimoto was trying to blackmail Numata Shinichi (Kamiki Ryunosuke) in episode 8. It was so hilarious. I think another funny scenes were from an earlier episode when both were after a USB, which met an unfortunate end. It was just too silly.

Even when Yoshimoto was trying to mock anyone, through sarcasm, it never fails to make me laugh still. It’s like I understood what he meant. I got his point. I actually sometimes wonder if I’m as “crazy” as Yoshimoto that why’s I understood him.

What Yoshimoto thought and said of the Numata Family were true. I personally disliked the parents. They were so annoying, especially the wife, Numata Kayoko (Suzuki Honami). But I’m happy for Suzuki winning Best Supporting Actress. My aversion toward her character is a proof that she carried out the character well.

The husband, Numata Kazushige (Itao Itsuji), was equally annoying especially for what he did after asking help from Yoshimoto-sensei. Seriously? But I’d like to say that it was triggered by someone particular. It can also be said that Kazushige was a typical guy. Annoying. He’s somehow traditional but bent. I also didn’t like the way he saw his children.

Shinichi, albeit his model student status, was obviously a mess inside. I somehow understood why he acted the way he did but those were not excuse for his actions. He’s actually a complex character. Had Yoshimoto stopped pushing the Numata Family to the edge, Shinichi might’ve totally lost his heart. He found it whilst going through the “family game.”

I think the most impressive among the Numata family was actually Shigeyuki, the youngest member. Sure, he was a pitiful being in the beginning but it was understandable because of his default immaturity.

However, it was Shigeyuki who understood things well and fast. His “recovery” and courage were inspiring. I could also say that his faith in Yoshimoto-sensei was equally impressive. For a kid like him to “understand” Yoshimoto, that was something.

As for Asami Maika/Tachibana Maki (Kutsuna Shiori), I knew there was something about her. It was interesting. I’ve never been annoyed or upset with her but she got me curious. When the drama progressed and she was slowly ‘revealed,’ I was somehow at ease. Well, I was still curious. So when she was finally “revealed,” I was finally relieved and at the same time impressed.

I’ve read comments and stuff about Kazoku Game but I don’t really care much. People are entitled to their opinion. But I admit that  confessions or comments referring to this drama as “weird” or “disturbing” made me wonder. Was Kazoku Game really that complex? I was like, “Welcome to reality.” As for the others, with regard to acting or anything, or what about Sakurai because he’s a Japanese ‘idol,’ you know, I have to borrow the line of Shigeyuki in episode 1.

Except for “Most of the monsters are not created suddenly.” and “Are you psychics?” screenshots, all the photos and .gifs here were taken from Tumblr.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted on: 10 July 2013

Reposted on: 07 August 2013