Revenge is the order of the day in the 2019 remake of popular Japanese drama, Strawberry Night Saga

Strawberry Night Saga follows assistant inspector Reiko Himekawa (Fumi Nikaido) with the Tenth Homicide Section in Tokyo. She's only 27 so to be leading her own team is a huge stretch in the primarily male-dominated world of the Japanese police force. Himekawa is called Hime (as in princess) both fondly and not so fondly by the men around her, but at least she has a loyal team of subordinates, including Kazuo Kikuta (Kazuya Kamenashi), a newer member of the team who's not entirely sure about working for her because he's heard of her reputation. And she does have one for being reckless, but also for having solid instincts that don't always rely on proof or evidence to be right.

Her nemesis, if we can call him that, is Kensaku Katsumata (Yosuke Eguchi) who feels crooked since he seems to be on the take, but can actually be a pretty good cop when he tries hard enough. He does have some unfortunate bullying tendencies that usually crop up when he's dealing with Himekawa.

Himekawa and Katsumata butting heads during an investigation in episode 2.

The first episode is 90 minutes long and deals with an underground murder-for-entertainment-purposes ring called Strawberry Night. People are filmed being brutally murdered, and it is up to Himekawa's team to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Strawberry Night Saga is a pretty intense drama, and it focuses heavily on a vengeful mindset. 

Himekawa was sexually assaulted when she was a teenager and that reality has haunted her into her adulthood. She possesses a unique ability to both understand the criminal mind and to hate it. To be honest, I don't much like her. She's a rogue agent in many ways, intuitive, but distrustful. She acts outside the allowed rules to achieve an end, sort of like Katsumata, and I personally believe rules are there for a reason.

Kamenashi as Kikuta during an investigation in episode 3.

This brings me to Kikuta. He is a loyal, upstanding, solid police sergeant. You can absolutely 100% trust him to have your back and to do the right thing according to the rules. He also happens to be played by Kazuya Kamenashi, one of my favorite Japanese actors. So naturally, I'm going to love him. But I think I would have loved the character even if he'd been played by someone else because Kikuta is the type of character that I love, regardless of the actor. It just was nice that Kamenashi played him. BUT, the problem remains of casting an idol actor and giving him almost NOTHING TO DO. Other than stand around looking silently competent. And he was a little active in the last episode which was nice to see. Otherwise, he was the type to observe conversations and not participate in them. Kamenashi did a wonderful job in the role, but I like hearing him speak. He's gorgeous, yes, but dialogue is also a good thing.

Kamenashi was so much better in Red Eyes with such a broader role. I haven't officially reviewed Red Eyes yet, but I did write THIS BLOG POST with some gushing enthusiasm when the series was first airing.

Do not expect a hopeful message in Strawberry Night Saga. My one and only thought while observing Himekawa is that she needs therapy . . . DESPERATELY. 

Fumi Nikaido as Himekawa putting the pieces together regarding her yakuza love interest in episode 8.

The woman is an undisputed mess, unable to maintain healthy relationships (she falls for a yakuza which is just insane), and her entire life is her job. She's, frankly, depressing, and I wouldn't wish her life choices on anyone. There are people and resources in place to help those who have been sexually assaulted cope and heal as best as they possibly can and hopefully become fulfilled and happy members of society down the road. Ten years after her assault, Himekawa might be fulfilled in her job, but happy she is not.

The drama ends acceptably, but it's not a "woohoo, everything's coming up roses" type of ending. And it did get somewhat ridiculous at times, especially with the whole yakuza love affair thing. She's a cop in love with a mobster. Please . . . just . . . no.

As for content, you're looking at something like Criminal Minds, with a TV14 level of violence and gore. It can get intense. There is some minor language, but nothing too severe.

Kikuta and Himekawa in episode 8.

My review might sound critical, but really, as crime dramas go, Strawberry Night Saga isn't bad. It would have been much better without the yakuza thing. And possibly if Kikuta's character had more dialogue, like more than 10 lines an episode during the first half of the drama. He's there and clearly observing, just not speaking. I didn't love it, but it was worth watching since I enjoy the genre. And Kamenashi. If he weren't playing Kikuta, I'm not 100% sure that I would have finished the drama.

I'm now sensing a trend with the dramas I review. A very large portion star Kame!

If you don't believe me, here are my official reviews written as of July 2021 for other dramas starring him:

• Sapuri (2006)
• Second Love (2015)
• Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006)

This list will continue to grow. Consider yourself forewarned!

Where can I watch Strawberry Night Saga?

First, I'm giving full credit to the fansubber, Mia-Maw Fansubs, who did a good job. If you know all about joining soft-sub files with videos then go for it and download from her site.

Drama: Strawberry Night Saga 
Country: Japan
Year: 2019
Episodes: 11 episodes, 1st ep 90 minutes, rest 45 minutes
Genre: Mystery Drama, Detective, Investigation
Starring: Fumi Nikaido, Kazuya Kamenashi, Yosuke Eguchi, Koji Yamamoto (the yakuza)
My Rating: ★★★ out of 5

You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page. 

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Book Review: Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



- I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the small town of Summerton, life is normal. Kids go to school, parents go to work . . . and people pop prescription pills for fun. Kelly discovers the hard way that being accepted into a pill party isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when another attendee ends up dead. But she's too scared to talk, not even to her best friend Lexie, and certainly not to Lexie's Uncle Ethan who just happens to be a Texas Ranger. Secrets and lies pile up and Ethan is desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery, especially before someone he loves gets hurt.

This is one of those books with a plot so true-to-life that it's terrifying. Pill parties are real. Kids don't just take heroine or cocaine to get high. It can just be a combination of pills snitched from their parents. So, in this regard, Margaret Daley addresses a very real issue that tends to get glossed over in literature, even Christian lit. Prescription drug addiction is real and it can ruin your life.

Now, on to the book itself, I couldn't really put it down. I started it sometime early this morning, before church, and just finished it now. Which means that the story was compelling enough to keep me reading. However, I will say that I think Ms. Daley had a few too many main characters. She changes perspective several times to represent these characters and it was hard for me to remember who was related to who and what their connection was to someone else. Also, I think it climaxed too quickly and with too easy of a resolution. I'm not sure what I expected, but not everything tidily wrapped up, well mostly wrapped up since I'm still not sure about one guy's motive in showing up again in his ex-wife's life.

Ultimately, the book would have been better had it been written strictly for teens. Because I read a lot of teen lit, I found Ms. Daley's voice to match teen lit better than adult. I connected with Kelly and Lexie much better than her adult characters. The teen voice just worked. I would like to see what she would do with a book written solely for teens. I think she would wow the Christian market and I hope she considers it someday.

On the whole, Severed Trust was a very compelling read about a terrifying subject, made all the more scary because it's real.



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Book Review: Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantore

Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Two things exist in K-9 Officer Brinna Caruso's world: her scent-trained dog Hero and her hunt for child predators. Photos she's dubbed the Wall of Slime cover one section of her office, the faces of those child predators reminding her to be ever vigilant. Why? Because Brinna Caruso was once a six-year-old child, handcuffed to a post at an abandoned shack in the desert by a child molester, left to die. Except she was rescued, and even though Brinna's faith in God died that day, His compassion and use for her continues on in her calling as a police officer.

When a lawsuit crops up against her involving the death of a minor, Brinna is temporarily busted down to patrol. And her partner is none other than Jack O'Reilly, local basket-case who ended up "five fries short of a happy meal" when his pregnant wife died in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. She must leave Hero at home and work with a man she would really rather not, especially when her first good look at him reveals not just dead eyes, but empty, creepy eyes. Jack O'Reilly is a train wreck, made worse through his loss of faith in a God he once loved. Can these unwilling partners help one another not only heal, but also stop the sudden influx of missing little girls with a suspiciously similar MO as the way Brinna was abducted and restrained?

I judge my Christian thrillers according to two separate authors. If a writer falls somewhere in between Dee Henderson (pretty good) and Brandilyn Collins (the best there is), then they've succeeded. Janice Cantore's Critical Pursuit hits the mark to perfection, falling somewhere right in the middle. It's always hard reading a book where the main character not only struggles with God, but is outright bitter about Him. But I get it. I get sometimes why there is a struggle because it is very human to feel that He lets us down when something doesn't go our way. Brinna's bitterness doesn't make her unlikeable, just as Jack's raging against the Almighty rather makes me feel compassion than frustration. Non-Christians ask the question, "If God is so loving, how could He allow so much evil in the world?" It's a normal question that they ask, especially now in this era of doubt. And I feel that Janice Cantore covered that question very well, and even though not every emotion is wrapped up in a neat little package by the end of Critical Pursuit, I feel it will be by the end of the series.

One of the things I like most is how Ms. Cantore doesn't delve into the nasty details. I'm sure she saw her fair share of ugliness in her years as a cop, but her readers don't need all of that detail, and so she doesn't give it to us. It's hard and angering to read about pedophiles, but Ms. Cantore spares us too much informatino. And I for one, appreciate it! I don't really read much in the way of suspense anymore, but I couldn't put Critical Pursuit down, well, except to go to church. But my entire thought process for two days was finding time to finish her book because it is so fascinating with such realistic and relatable characters. I admit that I guessed what would happen next so the climax wasn't much of a surprise, but it still interested me because I was emotionally invested in the characters. I'm excited to see where she takes the series and the characters, and I hope I get to see more of Jack's old homicide partner, Ben Carney, who never stopped caring about Jack even when Jack stopped believing. The next book can't come soon enough for me!

Please note, I did receive a free advance copy of Critical Pursuit from Tyndale House Publishers in return for an honest and open review, which I have given. I also hope that the occasional misspellings of words/names and the repeating of the same conversation between Brinna and Tony in my Kindle edition is fixed before actual publication.



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