The Journalist (2022) [Drama Review]

The Journalist; or, Checks and Balances
     After seeing how Ms Matsuda strives to give a voice to the voiceless no matter how difficult it may be, I became interested in becoming a journalist.
The Journalist a.k.a. Shinbun Kisha is a 2022 Netflix JDrama directed by Michihito Fujii and based on the director’s previous movie of the same title. The original story was inspired by a nonfiction book by Isoko Mochizuki, which centered on the Moritomo Gakuen scandal. I am always a sucker for political thrillers, so let’s see how this particular drama manages to penetrate through the red tape of corporate greed and media censorship.

Release Info

Directed by: Michihito Fujii Starring: Ryoko Yonekura, Go Ayano, Ryusei Yokohama

Langauge: Japanese Original Title: 新聞記者 No. of eps.: 6

Synopsis
Tokyo, 2019. The government prepares for the upcoming Olympic games. Anna Matsuda (Ryoko Yonekura) is a nonconformist reporter working for the Touto News network. Driven by personal tragedy, she is determined to expose corrupt officials and their shady deals. Matsuda investigates the case concerning a certain Eishin Academy. In the course of her work, the journalist discovers how IRS agents were framed by the government which desperately wants to protect the Prime Minister.

A Few Good Men
When I heard about the drama for the first time on social media, I mistakenly thought that it was going to be released in 2023, so I was pleasantly surprised when the show premiered in January, 2022. I am always up for a drama with the wonderful Ryoko Yonekura in the lead, but this role marks a departure from her iconic performances in Doctor X, Legal V, and The Negotiator.

What I mean is that The Journalist is not an over-the-top entertainment with epic moments and scenes played for laughs. This is a realistic story about a real tragedy. In the present-day political climate, when we see ultra nationalists and oligarchs accumulating power, it is important to stress the independence of free media and the right of ordinary voters to know the truth.

The first episode of the drama is very dire, to be honest. The viewers are presented with a lot of information, names, and characters. It is really hard to get into the thick of the intrigue, but it gets easier in episode 2. Ryoko Yonekura plays a fallen character. Anna Matsuda is by no means heroic or infallible. In fact, I would not even say that she is the main protagonist. The newspaper reporter relentlessly tracks down the people involved in the scandal and the narrative unfolds through their perspectives.

Hidetaka Yoshioka is freaking amazing as Mr Suzuki throughout the first three episodes, then the focus shifts to Shinbou Terajima as Mrs Suzuki, Go Ayano as Shinichi Murakami, and Ryusei Yokohama as Ryo Kinoshita. It is all about the determination of these few good people (their guilt and struggles) that makes this drama an interesting watch.

With regard to the supporting parts, it was great to see such veteran actors as Shiro Sano, Yusuke Santamaria, Tetsushi Tanaka, and Go Riju as the baddies. In my opinion, Yusuke Santamaria stole the show with his villainous performance. Although working mainly as a comedian, he proves once again (after Cold Case drama) how great a dramatic actor he can actually be. In addition, it was great to spot Satoshi Miki’s regulars: Ryo Iwamatsu and Eri Fuse in small roles.

Recommendations
All in all, The Journalist is an enjoyable slow burner. It manages to capture the greatness of several newspaper-oriented thrillers like Zodiac (2007) or Spotlight (2016), but the resolution in the final episode is a bit underwhelming. Personally, I believe that there is no potential to make a second season unless the writing team has some good ideas about developing the real estate/Eishin Academy intrigue further. I recommend The Journalist primarily because of the aforementioned performances and outstanding cinematography. Overall score: 7/10

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