[Review]Naze Shojo wa Yukai Sa Renakereba Naranakatta no Ka? SP

Even though it’s just an SP, I’m thankful that the drama gods decided to give Yamapi a drama this Fall ahead of his movie, “Kinkyori Renai”. However, the prods also decided to make it hard for us by giving it a super long title. XD. Nonetheless, “Naze Shojo wa Yukai Sa Renakereba Naranakatta no Ka?” (Why the girl must be kidnapped?) has lots of reality to it as we joined Narumi-sensei in deciphering the way we think and act.

Here is a synopsis of “Naze Shojo wa Yukai Sa Renakereba Naranakatta no Ka?”

Narumi Saku (Yamashita Tomohisa) is a genius psychologist and an Assistant Professor at his University. His friend, Abiko Miori (Kimura Fumino), a pediatrician, asked him for a favor to see one of her patient’s- Nao (Watanabe Kimori). Nao is a 7 yrs-old girl, who was found locked in Yagami Keisuke‘s (Funakoshi Eiichiro) apartment when his house was being searched following his arrest for arson. Nao refused to talk to anyone and seems to must have lost her memory. Subsequently, Yagami also refused to talk about anything, even about the arson accusations hauled at him. Narumi said that kid are his weakness but when Miori starts blackmailing him on her “mileage”, he gives in and helped not only Miori but also Abiko Kento (Asari Yosuke), Miori’s brother and one of the detectives involved in the case.

Unlike Yagami who is deaf and mute, Nao obviously responds to Narumi but she still refuses to talk. Until Narumi found a way to interact with her, which is by means of drawings he found while investigating Nao’s locked room. Upon visiting Nao’s room, he finds it impossible that she was being held against her will. The room doesn’t have the vibe that someone was being locked-up against her will, the room even looks cozy despite it being in monotone. Furthermore, Nao’s drawings also doesn’t show signs that she was being abused, her drawings depicts life and cute characters and she even started using the colors that Narumi have given her. However, he also noticed that Nao never used the red color, which could mean that the said color must be locked in her memory.

When Kento finds a proof that Yagami isn’t the arsonist, he can’t be freed yet since they are still questioning on why a girl, who doesn’t have any relation to him, was found locked-up in his apartment. This is when Seta Aiko (Hoshino Mari) entered the picture, After seeing the news on Yagami, she said that the girl found in Yagami’s room is her daughter who was kidnapped 2 years ago. She’s adamant to get her daughter back, but when she was brought to see her daughter, Nao becomes hostile and starts throwing things at her mother. Aside from Nao, Yagami also showed an angry reaction when he was informed that Nao’s mother have arrived to get her daughter. Aiko is now married to a different man and is taking care of her husband’s son. Aiko is seen by everyone as a great mother for taking care of someone else’s child who also happens to be sickly.

Narumi decides that it’s still too early for Nao to go back to her mother, though he can’t stop the hospital for releasing Nao since there’s nothing physically wrong at her. Narumi decided to give Nao a farewell gift before she goes to a childcare institution. Once at childcare institution, Aiko arrives and demands to see Nao, the attendants refuse to let Aiko see her daughter, but she perseveres and arrives at Nao’s room. Nao hides herself under a blanket and Aiko pull it out to take a picture of her daughter. Satisfied, she leaves the room without much word. Seeing what her mother did, Nao’s locked memory starts rushing in and she conveys everything to Narumi.

What he learned is astounding as well as heartbreaking and from Nao’s statement, Narumi was able to arrived at his own conclusions on why Nao is locked-up in Yagami’s apartment.

Comments 

[may contain spoilers]

“Naze Shojo wa Yukai Sa Renakereba Naranakatta no Ka?” is a slow moving drama, it felt like it was longer than 1 and half hours. It was also like watching a TV documentary doing a re-enactment of some scenes from how the story was narrated. The plot is so-so, the psychological behaviors they used is fairly simple and something that has been used before, but the way the actors delivered their performance and the ending is the highlight of this story.

Anyway, Yamapi as a psychologist is a big-shot than those assistant professors in other dramas who acted like Uni-professor’s lackeys. In Naze, Narumi commands his own class and even participates in police investigations. Not to mention that Narumi-sensei is so stylish. Probably, the best scene for me is when Narumi and Nao went to the beach together, Nao showed Narumi one of her drawings, which is Narumi and she at rooftop. Narumi really tried to hold back his tears and it was obvious that he wanted her to stay even though he’s also happy to see that she’s adjusting. Besides, I was rooting that he adopts her but I know that would be impossible. Yamapi did well in his genius psychologist role even though there are times that he still has some of his real-life mannerisms.

Hoshino Mari as Aiko is a really scary woman despite the model wife facade. Though, she didn’t fool me, one look at the way she smiles, and I know that she’s a whacko. I mean, she’s so fake that the twist at the end isn’t much of a revelation since I’ve expected it. Just like what Miori told her, “why did you keep on giving birth?”.

Funakoshi as Yagami and Watanabe as Nao are the real winner here. When they met again at the end made me cry and Funakoshi’s acting as a deaf-mute, who can only show his emotions with his face, made me wish that the role went to Yamapi instead. haha. I mean, I want to see Yamapi act with only by using his eyes, nose, lips, and so. Anyway, Nao is such an adorable kid, I also liked the scene when she tried to hide from Yagami that she have sketched those drawings associated with abused children and that she makes sure to smile once Yagami arrives home. Kids are really more perceptive than you think.

All in all, Naze Shoujo, isn’t just about a psychologist trying to break into someone’s mind, it’s also a drama about being human, that you don’t have to be blood related to love and care about someone. After all, those that are related to you are most likely the cause of your own suffering.

Credits 

Raw : jdramacity