#hoping to get around to watching more of his filmography but i just haven't had the time

[t-u-i-t-c]

Hayate Ichinose │ FAST │ 6.13.24

[guiltymepleasures]

[Drama Review] UNNATURAL

8/10

My friend recommended this series to me. She told me what it was about and I immediately got curious.

The series is about a team of forensic pathologists working at the Unnatural Death Investigation (UDI) Laboratory, aiding in the investigations under government jurisdiction. So, basically, every episode revolves around solving murders. Murders are always a plus to me.

Almost everyone in this was a new face to me, except Masataka Kubota who plays Kube Rokuro, a medical student working part-time at the UDI Lab. I've heard about him but I haven't actually watched any of his work. His acting was okay. Not Fukushi Sota levels, thank goodness. His adorable awkwardness especially toward Mikoto was fun to watch.

The main lead is a young female forensic pathologist, Minami Mikoto, played by Ishihara Satomi. I really liked her portrayal, especially during her backstory episode and any instance relating to her childhood. Her acting came off as natural and I enjoyed watching the whole series mostly because of her.

Alongside her is a senior male forensic pathologist, Nakado Kei, played by Arata Iura. I didn't like him at first, not sure whether it was the actor or the character. But as he was given more screentime and his character was fleshed out (another backstory, yey!), I came to like his character. The actor wasn't bad. He nailed the rude, obnoxious, antisocial, vengeful person he was supposed to be.

But my favorire character was definitely Shoji Yuko, played by Ichikawa Mikako. She was a constant source of lightheartedness especially when things were turning dark and dreary. I also love how she just played Kube in the palm of her hands all the time. The actress was also pretty. I feel like I may have seen her before but I haven't checked her filmography yet. It took me almost til the end to realize she was not a pathologist but a clinical lab technician (or as we call it, a medical technician).

Overall, I liked this drama. It had interesting storylines (I definitely had a lot of teary eyed moments) and a lot of the "issues" are what we encounter in real life - bullying, misogynistic society, prejudice against pathologists, etc. Everything in the lab was so efficient and expensive-looking and I was so envious of what scientists in first-world countries have at their disposal. All the actors also seemed to have good chemistry around each other. I came in not expecting a love story and there wasn't. There were hints of it, of course, but never at the forefront. (Shipping-wise, though, I am leaning more toward Nakado. I think he'd be a good match to Mikoto once he allows himself to move on. Kube was really cute but I think he still has to face his own future.)

BUT they just go around searching premises, collecting samples and going to places on their own. I can never buy that. I don't think that's how things work in real life. But then, this was a drama series so I'm ready to get past it. They also showed the consequences of some of these actions so I guess that made up for it.

Although the ending didn't really hint at it, I am hoping there will be a second season.