Title: ストロベリーナイト Sutoroberī Naito (Strawberry Night)
English Title: Strawberry Night
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2010
Episode: 01
Cast:
- 竹内結子 Takeuchi Yuko
- 西島秀俊 Nishijima Hidetoshi
- 桐谷健太 Kiritani Kenta
- 宇梶剛士 Ukaji Takashi
- 林遣都 Hayashi Kento
- 谷村美月 Tanimura Mitsuki
- 佐藤祐基 Sato Yuki
- 田中要次 Tanaka Yoji
- 生瀬勝久 Namase Katsuhisa
- 遠藤憲一 Endo Kenichi
- 渡辺いっけい Watanabe Ikkei
- 高嶋政宏 Takashima Masahiro
- 武田鉄矢 Takeda Tetsuya
- 鈴木浩介 Suzuki Kosuke
- 国仲涼子 Kuninaka Ryoko
- 手塚理美 Tezuka Satomi
- 津川雅彦 Tsugawa Masahiko
- マギー Magī
- 葵 Aoi
SYNOPSIS
Himekawa Reiko is a capable police detective at the Metropolitan Police Department. She is considered a non-elite as she doesn't have any connections and she did not graduate from the top universities but she has risen fast through the ranks due to her hard work.
Reiko's team handles a murder case called Strawberry Night. Further investigations indicate that the murder case is part of a series of murder cases.
REVIEW
The Strawberry Night case was initially thought to be an isolated murder case but was later found out to be a part of a series of murders. The police are stumped because the victims do not seem to have anything in common. It is also not known why the victims are targeted as well as when and where the murders took place.
After further investigations, it is discovered that the murder victims are selected and have willingly consented to watch a show where a member of the audience is picked to be killed in front of them. I found it really strange that normal people would want to watch someone being killed and would still agree to do so even though there's a possibility that they will not be a spectator but a participant in the show (i.e. the one being killed in front of the audience).
It was later found out that the mastermind in all the killings is not someone you would normally suspect because his credentials and image are exactly the opposite of what you would normally think a killer's credentials and image would be. In a way, this is alarming because people use stereotyping methods to be able to cope with the uncertainty of the world and when something like this happens, it's like nothing makes sense. But in another way, it presents a realistic lesson for everyone because when it really matters, nothing is always clear-cut and what does 'makes sense' mean anyway?!
Himekawa Reiko was raped and stabbed by a serial rapist when she was younger and the female police detective who handled her case inspired her to become a police detective herself.
I initially thought that Reiko's unfortunate experience is somewhat related to the Strawberry Night case that she is currently handling but it seemed that her past experience is a way to give some insights on her personality.
What's really great about Strawberry Night is Reiko's team because everyone respects her and is willing to follow her as their leader even though she is a woman, which seems to be viewed as a disadvantage in the field. It's also great that they are always supporting each other and looking out for each other. Their camaraderie makes them look like they treat their team members as not just work colleagues but as close friends, or even as a pseudo-family.
Related:
ストロベリーナイト Strawberry Night (2012)
ストロベリーナイト Strawberry Night (2013)
ストロベリーナイト Strawberry Night (2013)
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ストロベリーナイト Strawberry Night
