Signal: Choki Mikaiketsu Jiken Sosahan (2018)

This drama was a crime thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout of the show. And I was so captivated by scenes and events that where showed.

Story:
For me this detective story was surprising and entertaining. It was something completely new and different. The way how past and present evens were connected only by an old walky-talky was brilliant. Story has many questions left to answer and is kept for the audience to decipher on what they want to happen is very intriguing. The ending was unexpected but expected at the same time. I am satisfied with the ending.

Acting/ Cast/Characters:
At first in my eyes Kentaro Sakaguchi was that actor whom I can’t imagine playing dark themed dramas or movies but this drama proved me wrong. The way how he deals and delivers his character emotions and thoughts was amazing.
Also Kichise Michiko, in my eyes, did a very good job showing her characters soft side while still being this strong independent woman who has sealed her heart from the outside world.
The chemistry between characters was good too. I liked how Saegusa Kento and Sakurai Misaki coming into each others lives did show trust build up towards each other and some character development. But I did see some lack in character build up but I couldn’t wrap my finger around it.

Music:
For opening and ending scene is used BTS – Don’t Let Go. Starting this drama, I thought that songs part was chosen weirdly or randomly even. But as I continued the drama, I got used to it and at one point I caught myself thinking that the part of the song might be chosen for a reason.

Notes
I hope we will be able see more of these type of dramas/ movies from Kentaro.

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First of all, I haven't seen the Korean version of this drama, so my review is entirely based on this Japanese version.

If you're into Erased/Boku dake ga Inai Machi (manga, anime, movie or drama), this one is right up your alley. It has the same elements of detective/mystery storyline, a time travel element and the very first case of this drama is similar to the main one in Erased. This story, though, is less focused on one specific character and has various ones whose choices and lives impact the main arc, so it's more fast paced and has more puzzle pieces to gather. I appreciated that a lot.

The cases depicted in the drama are influenced often by real ones, and most of them are very graphic in terms of what they depict, so keep that in mind if you're impressionable. Still, I think they're handled pretty well and showcase the complexity of each one while making them fit on the overall story.

The time travel aspect is done via communication of the two leads, and stories of this kind tend to be tricky because of how they handle paradoxes and whatnot. I think this one uses the trope very well, it connects well throughout and keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next.

As a detective drama, it isn't primarily focused on who is or isn't guilty but on how law and justice don't always go hand in hand. This isn't an ideal portrayal where policemen are always good or where the justice system never fails, it's a story about shades of grey and how what's right isn't always what's fair. Considering the subject matter and the cases portrayed, the focus of the show was impeccable in that sense, and taking into account that there are TONS of detective/police jdramas out there, this perspective is much appreciated.

As it normally happens with jdramas, this version is shorter than its kdrama counterpart. Still, I think the length of this is perfect as it is, it would have dragged too much for my liking in a longer format. There seems to be a Special Episode that apparently is linked to this drama though, I haven't found info on it, so I'm gonna assume it's a side story which doesn't add to the main one in any determining factor, but who knows.

All in all, I highly recommend this drama to those who are fans of the thriller genre, like detective stories that aren't always black and white, enjoy time travel elements and want a story to keep them hooked.

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