21 March 2015

ウロボロス Ouroboros


Title: ウロボロス Uroborosu (Ouroboros)
English Title: Ouroboros
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2015
Episode: 10
Cast:
  • 生田斗真 Ikuta Tōma
  • 小栗旬 Oguri Shun
  • 上野樹里 Ueno Juri
  • 吉田鋼太郎 Yoshida Kotaro
  • 滝藤賢一 Takito Kenichi
  • 光石研 Mitsuishi Ken
  • 広末涼子 Hirosue Ryoko
  • ムロツヨシ Muro Tsuyoshi
  • 吉田羊 Yoshida Yo
  • 浜田学 Hamada Manabu
  • 森下能幸 Morishita Yoshiyuki
  • 清野菜名 Seino Nana
  • モロ師岡 Moro Morōka
  • 堀部圭亮 Horibe Keisuke
  • 吉田羊 Yoshida Yo
  • 武田久美子 Takeda Kumiko
  • 中村橋之助 Nakamura Hashinosuke



SYNOPSIS
嵐 Arashi - 桜 Sakura (Cherry Blossom)
Ryūzaki Ikuo and Danno Tatsuya grew up in the Mahoroba orphanage together. When their beloved teacher Kashiwaba Yuiko was murdered, they vowed to exact revenge.

Ikuo is now a police officer with the police precinct's second division investigation unit, and he is considered as the ace because of his high arrest rate of criminals. His partner is detective Hibino Mizuki, who is deemed an elite because of her premier education and powerful connections.

Tatsuya is a gangster with pacifist ideologies and intellectual pursuits. Using some underhanded measures, he helps Ikuo in upholding justice and catching criminals.

Twenty years later, Ikuo and Tatsuya are still working together to avenge the murder of their teacher.



REVIEW
ウロボロス Ouroboros - No One
Ouroboros is an interesting drama about two good friends, more like close brothers, who are hell-bent on exacting revenge. Ryūzaki Ikuo and Danno Tatsuya are determined to do whatever it takes to uncover the identity of the person who murdered their beloved mother figure.

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. It means eternity and infinity, and it can also mean death and resurrection. In the drama, the symbol used is two serpents or dragons biting each other's tails, which may stand for the two male lead characters.

Ikuo and Tatsuya have one goal in mind, to uncover the truth behind the murder of Kashiwaba Yuiko and to exact justice against the people responsible for their beloved teacher's death, and that's something most people would unequivocally support.

However, I think that the means is just as important as the end, so I'm conflicted with how Ikuo and Tatsuya worked to achieve their goal. I also think there's a right way of doing things, and I can't condone them doing wrong things just because their hearts are in the right place.

Anyway, Ouroboros has great writing because of its extensive theme of duality, a condition where opposite aspects or contrasting concepts are presented.

It is evident in the characterization of certain characters, such as how Ikuo has a dark side that he has to hide beneath an easygoing exterior, and how Tatsuya has a good side that he has to suppress under a cold facade. I think it's fascinating that they have such complex natures.




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ウロボロス Ouroboros