Ritwik Chakraborty

It is rare to see such level of perfection in a show. The Journalist is a show that manages to demonstrate a bold, unwavering conviction to get across a message, meanwhile excelling at pretty much everything: be it cinematography, screenplay, character portrayal, anything really. What does it mean to be a member of society? What role does one play in it? What can we do for the society and how does that connect to being a responsible person ourselves? These are some of the more abstract level questions tackled by the show, in the context of Japan. Ryoko Yonekura might just be at her best here. She has been known for her charismatic individuality and confident demeanor. Here she manages to embody both the role of a confident journalist who will stop at no bars to represent perspective, truth and voices of the masses, but also that of an empathetic person, who is familiar with the pain of losing their loved ones. Exceptional. The same can be said about much of the rest of the cast actually. I am astounded. There are many poignant themes in the show: Jou-ge kankei, or power hierarchy, has been an integral part of Japanese community. At times it helps people understand their position in reality. But more often, especially in corporate life one finds themselves a victim/perpetrator/silent observer of the same. But perhaps the most important theme here is guilt. The guilt coming from forgetting one's principles/ideologies. The guilt coming from being passive to unjust activities. And much more. There is however an issue. The show does not talk about freelance or independent journalism at all. On the other hand, both the perils of digital news as harbringers of misinformation and its efficacy in reaching to a larger audience are demonstrated. Some viewers might end up interpreting this as a glorification of the printed medium. They would be mistaken, in my opinion.

Hands down, this is the best J-drama I've ever seen. Sick and tired of the usual melodrama? Bored of watching yet another predictable coming-of-age story? Nah, you say you've had enough with asadora's already? Then this show might just be the one for you! Kemono ni Narenkatta Watashitachi (We, who failed to become beasts) is a show pitched at adults, exploring the life of adults. While it is essentially a highly nuanced slow-burn romance, the show uses its protagonists to critique the status of marriage and relationships in present-day Japan and society at large. Individuality vs collectivism is a theme in the workplace scenes. More directly the show takes a jab at the power hierarchies at Japanese workplaces. All of this is woven together by stunning performances from Aragaki Yui, Matsuda Ryuhei and Kikuchi Rinko. In fact, everyone did their part really well. A personal favourite is the simple Saburo. There's so much more to talk about this show - the choice of soft piano music and catchy tunes from Aimyon, the carefully chosen camera angles,.. Yet another theme in the show is: adulthood. An adult accepts the fact that one must work in order to sustain their livelihood. One must learn to be responsible for not only one's actions but often those who are closely related. This often requires following the same routine for months or even years. Sounds boring? Of course it does. Well our characters look forward to a glass of hand-picked beer at the end of the day at their local artsy bar and chance encounters that await them there.

As a part of P.A. Works' "Working Series", Sakura Quest is an anime about change and "living in change". Now, I'm presuming here that the reader has read through the plot summary on MAL. So this review is for those who wish to decide if they want to watch this anime or not. Sakura Quest is about culture, adaptation and the individual. It deals with questions that every 17-23 year old has to deal with, such as: "What kind of work do I want to do?","What does my family mean to me?","What does my hometown mean to me?","Do I have a place to really return to?". It is not only the individuals in the anime that need to face these question, along with them, so does their entire community, and Sakura Quest is a very novel and modern take on how to go about dealing with these questions.