Japanese Drama Review: Seigi no Tenbin, Season One (2021)

Seigi no Tenbin (The Scales of Justice)

Country: Japan

Year: 2021

Episodes: 5 episodes, 50 minutes each

Genre: Law, Drama, Crime
Starring: Kamenashi Kazuya, Nao, Oshima Yuko, Omasa Aya, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Satoi Kenta

My Rating: ★★★★★

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Watch Seigi no Tenbin through the fansubber's site, MiaMaw Fansubs. You can go the softsub/raw method or you can join her site as a member (go here) for access to the hard-subbed episodes. Respect the fansubber, though, and don't spread the subtitles around online, upload onto thief sites, or claim as your own.

Nao-san playing Saeki Mei-san in Seigi no Tenbin

When one division of a particular law firm loses its chief to an unexpected death, his daughter attempts to step in and fill his shoes, much to the doubt of the partners in the firm. Unfortunately, this division has never made much money, certainly not to the same extent as the other "rooms" in the firm, and the first thought is to close that division down permanently. Except that Saeki-san, recently deceased chief, already had plans to bring in new blood, and his daughter, also Saeki-san (Nao), acts on his prior decision. Takano Kazuya-san (Kamenashi Kazuya) is a fireball, bringing with him heat, passion, and a thirst for excitement in the criminal law arena. The firm partners agree to let Takano try his hand at bringing the division back up to speed, a challenge he relishes but one that won't be entirely easy since, counting him, there are now only 5 lawyers instead of the previous 14 or 15. Quite a few jumped ship after Saeki-san's death.

Omasa Aya-san playing Kiryu-Miyuki-san in Seigi no Tenbin

But the team pulls together, defending criminals in an attempt to see justice meted out fairly, avoiding the death penalty whenever possible. All the while, Takano keeps hidden a secret desire to solve a mystery of his own involving the bludgeoning and subsequent near-vegetative state of the woman he fell in love with, also a former member of that same law firm. He even gave up his surgeon's practice to study to become a lawyer, to serve justice yes, but also, to find answers to the unsolved cold case that stole Amimya Kumiko (Oshima Yuko) from him. He must play a dangerous game of politics to find out the truth, and every step could send him plummeting down the ladder he's fought so hard to climb.

Nao-san and Kitayama Hiromitsu-san in Seigi no Tenbin

For such a short drama, Seigi no Tenbin packs a hefty punch.

There is a somewhat similar plot to Red Eyes (in terms of chasing revenge for a wrong done to a loved one, etc.), also one of Kamenashi's 2021 dramas, but the issues with Red Eyes are completely non-existent in Seigi no Tenbin. This series avoids predictable tropes that can become monotonous, and due to the short timeline of only 5 episodes, it had to tell the story quickly and efficiently. Viewers need to be familiar with law/crime shows before attempting to watch Seigi no Tenbin otherwise it can get confusing fast. It's like watching Law & Order if only 4 hours of time was given to tell the complete story, start to finish. But it's brilliant in that it never lagged, not once. I was compelled to finish it in almost one sitting because, being so short, why not? And I just had to see what happened next. Every episode tied into the next in some way before reaching the final climax of the story. This is also a little bit of a downside because when binging a crime drama like this, it's easy to get some details muddled so I will need to rewatch it.

The Christian minister in Seigi no Tenbin (alas, I don't know the actress' name)

One of the best elements in Seigi no Tenbin, is the surprising use of a Christian minister, a lovely and compassionate woman who knew Kumiko Amamiysa-san since she was a child, met and was fond of Takano, and was also rather like an adviser to Saeki-san, the daughter of the former chief who tries her best, but struggles with her inefficiencies. The minister is gracious, kind, and wise, forgiving in many, many ways. She rings true, and I was blown away by the fact that a Japanese program would depict a Christian minister with such accuracy because she is the way that ministers are called by God to be. It was beautiful.

Kamenashi Kazuya-san playing Takano Kazuya-san in Seigi no Tenbin

While I did watch Seigi no Tenbin because of Kamenashi Kazuya-san (I rarely mention him this politely, but it's the proper way to address him since I think sama might be too much), by the end I realized that I would have loved it regardless of who they'd cast as Takano, so long as he was a talented actor. The story is just that compelling. Of course, they did cast Kamenashi, so that was just icing on a delicious cake. Kame was in rare form, expressing energy and vitality that has been missing from some of his more recent performances. I don't know if he just felt good about the role, or if he was feeling super confident in himself, but he owned every single scene. It may have also been the love of baseball added to Takano's character, since Kamenashi did play baseball before he became an idol. He embodies Takano, allowing that confidence he must have been experiencing to just imbue itself into the character. I was so impressed with his performance here and I want to see him act with this type of confidence every single time he steps in front of the camera. Now that I know he can, that's what I expect from him.

Secondary actors are magnificent. Nao is a good fencing foil to Kamenashi, holding her own against him. Omasa Aya-san plays one of the lawyers, and it is fun seeing her reunited with Kamenashi, her costar in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge. She's matured a lot in 11 years, as has he, and she's a highly competent actress.

One of my favorite scenes with Kamenashi and Kitayama!

But it was really Kitayama Hiromitsu-san (from the band Kis-My-Ft2) that ended up impressing me the most of the supporting cast. Idol actors usually get a bum rap (even Kamenashi sometimes), but since I didn't know anything about Kitayama-san, I had no preconceived notions going in. He blew me away. He's capable of great, nuanced expressions, and showed some serious acting chops. Enough so that I'm hoping to watch some of his other work this year.

Content-wise, we have a PG13 rating since criminal cases are sometimes discussed at length, and there are some sex offenders that the team has to defend. So there is that. But otherwise, it's very clean.

Kitayama Hiromitsu-san as Sugimura Teppei-san in Seigi no Tenbin

Overall, Seigi no Tenbin is a solid addition to the crime/law genre. It's based on a novel rather than a manga, which is probably one of the reasons it's so amazing. Viewers may need to watch it multiple times to catch the little nuances that will be missed the first time through. I binge-watched the first time through and realize I need to set aside time to rewatch.

This is just a teaser trailer and there are no English subs, but, at least it's something.