The Ending of Keizoku: Beautiful Dreamer (2000) [My Interpretation]

[Spoilers ahead! Do not read if you have not seen the movie!] Well, I’m finally done with the first (original) season of Keizoku series and here are my thoughts on the last 30 minutes of the theatrical feature that was supposed to wrap up loose ends from the previous 12 episodes and provide a closure to the overarching story of Section 2’s fight against their arch-nemesis Asakura.

 

1) The Island

In my opinion, the island setting provides an opportunity for two interpretations of the unfolding events. The first one is grounded in reality as the magnetic field caused by the volcanic eruption is making everyone see crazy visions. So basically, if it really is the influence of the magnetic field, then nothing physically happens to Mayama and Shibata as they board the boat and escape. In my second interpretation, I reject the magnetic field factor and assume that Shibata’s tale about the island being a gateway to the underworld is actually true. Therefore, Mayama and Shibata unknowingly enter the spiritual realm in order to face Asakura.

 

2) The (Un)dead Spirits

Extremely weird stuff starts to happen when Miku Kirishima departs with the ghosts of her parents and her sister, Nanami. It is at that moment when Shibata sees her father and Mayama encounters Lt. Tsubosaka. We already know that the father and Tsubosaka are dead, as well as Maiko and Mayama’s sister who appear later, but they actually serve as baits to lure the protagonists into Asakura’s trap.

 

So, what actually is Asakura’s trap. He firstly reveals himself in his original form (as known from the show) to Shibata and says: “Come over to my world. Why do you hate me so much? Why?! It is because I’ve killed? (Shibata slightly nods) It is my mission to make life immortal through death.” Thus, Asakura finally reveals his modus operandi: he was not afraid of dying in the show, because he actually transcended death and became a devil-like entity. He now desires a total victory over Shibata and Mayama by enslaving their souls for eternity and, in order to achieve this, he tempts them, just like Satan tempted Jesus on a desert: “And eternal life knows no hatred. Love is all around here! Here even I am being loved. Could you manage to respect me?”

 

3) Showdown with Madarame

The character of Madarame is basically an example of what happens to you if Asakura takes over your soul. We see Madarame die at the beginning of the film, but he magically shows up on a boat when Aya is about to set off to the island. Later, he actually kills her, “pulls her over to this world by force”, as he states, but her spirit refuses to become devoured by Asakura’s wickedness. She exclaims that the only way to immortality is living in the heart of a loved one. That’s why possessed Madarame kills Aya by shooting her “again”. Then, Mayama intervenes and, through inciting his anger, Madarame drags him into the underworld where he reveals himself to be Asakura: “That’s the good thing about being immortal. I’ll be able to live on in each of you. I can crawl into any body which can help me on. And to this art I owe my immortality”. However, Asakura cannot forcefully possess somebody. He has to make them give in their lives.

 

4) Tsubosaka’s Intervention

All of a sudden, Tsubosaka’s spirit steps into action and actually confirms that it is Asakura in Madarame’s body. However, he says the following: “Hatred doesn’t necessarily be something evil. If we would feel neither love nor hate, what would we be but lifeless puppets!”, then he salutes Mayama and orders to shoot. Soon after, Saori sacrifices herself by pulling the trigger. In my view, both Tsubosaka and Saori protected Mayama from Asakura’s influence by reinforcing in him his emotions, friendship with the lieutenant and love of his sister, respectively [things which make him human]. That’s why Mayama is able to defeat Madarame’s possessed spirit.

 

 

5) The Last Temptation

At the same time, Asakura tries to do the similar thing on Shibata, but it is her father who stands up for her. He points a revolver at Asakura and he, in a rather pitiful and desperate attempt asks: “Why do human beings feel hatred? Why is that so? Why can’t we all be friends? Why not?!” Shibata’s father replies: “I can do without friends like you” and, at the same time, Asakura and possessed Madarame are shot together. Shibata and Mayama have resisted Asakura’s mind game and escaped his grasp. Their souls have become purified, instead of poisoned, by making peace with the relatives they loved so much.

 

 

6) A Message

After the showdown, Shibata does not want to leave her father to leave, but he forbids her to accompany him. Maiko reiterates what Aya mentioned earlier: “You have to remember us, so that we can live on. That’s how it works” The father further adds that Shibata should think of the future and that soon somebody will appear [Mayama, of course!] with whom she will have a family. Therefore, the two spirits tell Shibata that death, even in the moment of greatest despair, is never an answer.

 

7) It’s Not Over Yet!

As Mayama sends Shibata off in a boat, Asakura emerges from the fiery rocks in his “physical manifestation”, a teenage-like demon, as black as pitch, with a multi-layered voice and a bomb across his shoulders. Angered at losing his own the game, he desires to physically annihilate Mayama. Yet, there’s a whole new factor to their fight. Mayama is no longer afraid of Asakura, which clearly makes Asakura crazy. Satan, who craved on fear, has lost his source of power.

 

The two charge at each other in a final showdown, only to collide exactly at the moment when volcano erupts. As a result of the island's destruction, the gateway to the underworld is closed and Shibata wakes up in reality, alone on a boat.

8) Mayama-san!!!

Shibata realises that Mayama could not have survived as she is drifting all alone. In the heat of the moment, she wants to commit a suicide, but, having remembered her father's message, she puts down the gun: “Mayama-san... I will live on and keep you in my soul... and thereby make you immortal”. When Shibata learns this value of life, Mayama surfaces all of a sudden, as if thanks to sheer serendipity.

 

Shibata hangs on to Mayama, not wanting to let go. The two will survive and live on together as the sound of a ferry is heard in the distance. Asakura has been defeated once and for all....

 

This was my take on the ending of a very interesting, dark and twisted, detective series. I’m sorry that it’s quite long, but I have to let it off my mind and give it some order, because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I think the reason why some many people found this movie disappointing is because it did not provide clear answers, but went into a full Twin Peaks mode. I personally didn’t mind it. Maybe you’ll find my explanation useful. If you have your own interpretations of the ending, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to discuss the film with you.

Keizoku: Beautiful Dreamer (2000) [Film Review]

Keizoku: Beautiful Dreamer; or, Deliver Us From Evil

     I will live on... and keep you in my soul... and thereby make you immortal.

After watching and reviewing the Keizoku drama series, I knew that I couldn’t miss the opportunity of seeing the theatrical movie, which serves as the conclusion of original series’ plotline. Many people regard it as a disappointing babble that does not provide any answers, but I count myself to the minority who liked the film. This is my review of Keizoku: Beautiful Dreamer.

Release Info

Directed by: Yukihiko Tsutsumi Starring: Miki Nakatani, Atsuro Watanabe, Nanako Okochi, Koyuki Kato

Language: Japanese Original Title: ケイゾク Runtime: 119 min

 

Synopsis

Shibata (Miki Nakatani) is promoted to the Section Chief post while Nonomura (Raita Ryu) is busy finalising his divorce. In the midst of it all, a girl called Isoyama (Nanako Okochi) arrives and claims that her mother is a survivor of Jinryumaru No. 7 luxury liner that sunk 15 years earlier. Allegedly, a daughter of the only people who did not survive the accident, Kirishima Nanami (Koyuki Kato), is inviting all of the survivors to join her on the Yakujin Island, which is known as the Japanese Bermuda Triangle. Kirishima supposedly intends to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their rescue. Worried about her safety, Isoyama asks for somebody to accompany her to the island. Shibata immediately volunteers and drags reluctant Mayama (Atsuro Watabe) with her. Fellow detectives don’t know that they are going to attend a supernatural blood fest.

 

Panties vs. Aspirins

Keizoku: Beautiful Dreamer continues the late 90s trend of issuing successful drama series out on the big screen, just like it was done with GTO: The Movie (1999) and Odoru Daisousasen: The Movie (1998). However, instead of appealing to new audiences and trying to branch out the franchise, Beautiful Dreamer rejects its theatrical momentum and from the very start makes it perfectly clear that it’s going to serve as a conclusion to the main characters’ story arc. A conclusion that is quite unevenly executed.

 

My main issue with this movie are the extreme shifts in tone throughout the first 20 minutes. The film opens with a death scene, then we get a foreshadowing vision, comedy, a little bit of exposition, comedy, and plot development. Inserts of wacky, out-of-the-blue moments worked perfectly in the Keizoku drama series, but here, they appear too quickly and seem forced. The best example is Nonomura’s subplot about marrying Miyabi-chan. Short mentions about that relationship in the drama were brilliant, but here these scenes are prolonged and overstretched. Instead of laughing, I was longing for the story to move on.

Indeed, the story moves on as Shibata and Mayama board the ship to the hellish island. The movie receives Agatha Christie’s flavour as people begin to die one after another. Even the humour picks up, especially thanks to Mayama’s uncontrolled badassery (locker room interrogation scene!). Resolution of the whodunit/howdunit mystery is satisfying, though it makes me suspect that the screenplay was initially conceived for a feature-length SP episode only to be adjusted to a theatrical movie later on.

Unavoidably, here comes the topic of the ending. Many commentators on the web disliked the movie for not providing straight answers about things which were set up back in the drama. Others, who were not that disappointed, sought explanations in the film’s psychological atmosphere. As for myself, I have to admit that I really liked the ending. I understand why it is being disliked, but it somehow managed to touch me inside. I liked its vagueness and supernatural approach. To me, Shibata and Mayama came such a long way together that clear explanations did not matter anymore at that concluding point of their story. If you want to read more on this, you can head over to my interpretation of Beautiful Dreamer’s ending.

Miki Nakatani undoubtedly gives her best performance in this movie. Right now, I really prefer the character of Shibata over Erika Toda’s Toma from Keizoku 2 SPEC. In addition, Atsuro Watabe is equally awesome as the formidable detective with a personal tragedy. Also, Nanako Okochi and Koyuki Kato deserve a mention for their masterfully played supporting roles. Music score by Akira Mitake is great to listen to, as most of the cues return from the drama and the main theme gets remixed.

 

Recommendations

If you haven’t seen the drama, you may feel left a bit in the dark. Yet, the Beautiful Dreamer is still enjoyable for its detective story component as well as the crazy dynamic between Shibata and Mayama. I liked it from beginning to the end, and the only regret I felt during the end credits was the realisation that Section 2’s adventures will never be directly continued. Nevertheless, I’ll live on... and keep Keizoku in my soul... thereby making it immortal.

Overall score: 8/10

Keizoku [Unsolved Cases] (1999) [Drama Review]

Keizoku; or, Tales from the Dark Side

     If my father were alive, he’d say: Till your heart stops beating, dash for the truth. That’s what it means to be a detective. Those were his last words.

I found myself in a dire need to watch some mystery/detective series. I don’t know why, but perhaps, with the advent of fall, I felt in the mood for a serious and dark drama with a case-of-a-week structure. To my surprise, the glorious internet hinted at… Keizoku 2 SPEC! “But what is it?” I asked myself. I watched the first episode and, though I liked it, I quickly realised that there is some sort of a continuity about which I was uniformed. As a result, after doing some further research, I discovered that SPEC is actually a second entry in the series, which started back in 1999. Well, for the continuities sake, I put SPEC on hold in order to check out the original Keizoku series, and, oh boy, I don’t regret my decision. Here’s my review of Keizoku: Unsolved Cases (1999).

Release Info

Developed by: Yukihiko Tsutsumi Starrring: Miki Nakatani, Atsuro Watabe, Sarina Suzuki, Raita Ryu

Language: Japanese Original Title: ケイゾク No. of eps.: 12

 

Synopsis

Shibata Jun (Miki Nakatani) is a Tokyo University graduate sent down to Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for internship. She is assigned to much-despised Section 2, which does not handle big cases, but instead focuses on solving “pending” ones, having accumulated stacks of unsolved mysteries over decades. Shibata, due to her unusually perceptive mind and outstanding deduction skills, begins solving cases one by one. Eventually, co-officers start helping her out. Nevertheless, one of them, Mayama (Atsuro Watabe) suffers from a dark and painful past. A hidden enemy, lurking in the shadows, is about to destroy Mayama. Shibata has to discover the villain’s true identity before it’s too late.

 

Keizoku is a very well thought-out crime thriller that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. In spite of being gruesome and creepy, there are still some comedic elements in it. Initially, the show starts out very much in the style of a Monk (2002) format: there is a certain super difficult case, Section 2 does some wacky shenanigans along the way, and the culprit turns out to be the least suspected person in the room. However, with episode 8, the whole show takes a U-turn and enters the surreal realm, in which we are not sure what is true and what isn’t. Things go super-ultra dark as the characters are running amok through the curtains of psychotic visions while the body count keeps rising and rising...

 

Now a few words about the characters:

Sergeant Shibata Jun (Miki Nakatani): Main protagonist of the show. Her mind goes into a full Rain Man mode whenever she sees a case file. Her late father was a prominent and well-respected detective in the police force. Famous attributes: a neck scarf, longish coat, and greasy hair.

Detective Mayama Toru (Atsuro Watanabe): Disillusioned and complacent officer with a lot of experience. He was a prominent investigator back in the past, but a personal tragedy broke his psyche. Frequently goes out of control as he gets easily provoked by suspects. A badass with a gun. Does not believe in the institution of law.

Aya Kido (Sarina Suzuki): An officer demoted and transferred from Section 1. Used to be a top undercover agent, but now she is forced to carry case-files down to Section 2’s basement. Very often has to step into action in order to save entrapped Shibata.

Section Chief Nonomura (Raita Ryu): Head of Section 2. Treats Shibata very kindly, because he and her father used to be colleagues in the past. Now, he is nothing of a detective and spends time counting days to his retirement. He also plans on divorcing her wife, so he could marry a mysterious 17-year-old Miyabi.

Kondo Akio (Yuu Tokui) and Taniguchi Tsuyoshi (Hidekazu Nagae): The first one is a police officer who behaves more like a salaryman. He sits most of the time in front of a computer and a software tells him to call it a day at 5:15. Avid dancer. Taniguchi, on the other hand, is a muscle man who is required in heated situations.

 

With regard to the show itself, below are short descriptions and my thoughts on individual episodes (I tired to keep them spoiler free):

Ep. 1: Phone Call from the Dead Man- The show starts right off the bat with its mystery component as a guy receives a phone call from a friend who’s supposed to be dead. Shibata volunteers to investigate the case and plot twists start to happen. Very engaging first story.

 

Ep. 2: Punishment Table of Ice- A security guard walks into a storage and discovers a body, stabbed with a knife, lying on the altar. Awesome suspense story, which delivers laughs as well as a convincing “whodunit” explanation at the very end.

 

Ep. 3: The Wiretapped Murder- My least favourite episode of the whole show. Wife of a murdered boutique owner discovers that his former employee/lover participated in the murder. As a result, Section 2 wiretaps the lover’s apartment only to discover that she was murdered. The development of the mystery is interesting but the resolution is over-dramatised and full of plot holes. How the culprit actually managed to carry in and install a fake wall in a block of flats without raising the attention of its residents?

 

Ep. 4: The Room of Certain Death- This mystery is a huge improvement over the previous one. Shibata and Mayama are sent to investigate the allegedly “cursed” room in a traditional inn. Legend has it that people who intend to sleep there do not make it through the night and are found dead the next morning. Extremely hilarious episode with an Agatha Christie-feel to it.

 

Ep. 5: The Man Who Saw the Future- Section 2 makes a blunder when failing to find a missing person. Desperate wife of a man in question turns to television for help. In consequence, an ESP expert uses his powers to locate the husband. He travels with the camera crew to an office building where they find the murdered victim. Shibata arrives shortly after only to claim that ESP expert commited the murder. Yet, how was that possible if he was constantly being recorded by a camera? Interesting inverted detective story.

 

Ep. 6: The Wickedest Bombing-Demon- Things are about to get stirred as Mayama’s former superior, Lt. Tsubosaka, asks Section 2 for help on a case he has been working on for the last 15 years. Only Shibata signs up for it and starts the investigation. Unfortunately, this episode repeats the mistakes of the third one due to overcomplicated exposition and adding too much drama.

 

Ep. 7: Death Curse of the Oil Painting- By far, my top favourite episode. There is a cursed, hellish-like, painting and people die after witnessing that playing children actually moved on the canvas! In addition, there’s a great villain with an awesome killing motif! Mayuko Takata really had the potential to become a serious actress, but instead, she received the label of Iron Chef personality. 

 

Ep. 8: Farewell, Lovely Cutthroat- Shibata is invited by her friend Meiko to a party. Next morning, Shibata wakes up in a hotel next to a dead guy. Now, she has to act like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive (1993) in order to prove her innocence. At the very end, it turns out that there’s a hidden mastermind behind all this...

 

Ep. 9: Future Revenge of the Past- An episode which marks the character’s descend into the spiral of madness. Mayama’s back-story is finally revealed, people being to drop dead, and the premise of a showdown with the arch-nemesis is set up. This story is equally thrilling as well as heartbreakingly depressing. I had to give myself a two-day break after this episode.

 

Ep. 10: Your Own Two Eyes- Mayama leaves a blood trail which alarms the MPD officials. Shibata and Section 2 members set out on a search for Mayama, convinced of his innocence. In the meantime, it turns out that the arch-nemesis may not be the real arch-nemesis. Lots of twisted and bloody moments, definitely not for the fainthearted.

 

Ep. 11- The Kiss of Death’s Flavour- Emotionally-charged series’ finale as Shibata reunites with Mayama and the two stand to a battle they are sure to lose. I want to keep this review spoiler free, so I’ll limit myself to say that the episode has an action showdown, ends with a cliff-hanger, and then adds a plot twist on top of that. Great and unpredictable story.

 

Ep. 12- The Cursed Tree That Fulfils a Contract of Death (SP)- A 97-minute-long special episode which takes place a couple of months after the events from the previous one. Shibata has been promoted to a chief of a district station, but she chases after a case of a cursed tree. According to rumours, people die after their names are carved in the wood. In the meantime, Tohyama, a Kyoto University graduate, does his internship at Section 2. He proves to be the total opposite of Shibata, which provides lots of laughs. The overarching story is continued.

 

To sum up, if you like a dark police drama with intriguing mysteries and surreal intermissions, then Keizoku is a must-watch for you. In addition, the music score is brilliant (plus Nakatani's intro song "Chronic Love"). The only thing I disagree with, as far as the show’s criticism is concerned, is the claim that it’s too dated ‘cause it’s from the 90s. Sure, the show may not be perfect, but its time frames are not the issue. It may have a one cliff-hanger too far (a lead-in to a theatrical film) and the 4:3 aspect ratio can be bothersome, but only because the show’s camera work was too ambitious for that TV format. In my opinion, the 90s feel only reinforces the atmosphere of the grim world in which Keizoku is set. Being overshadowed by its successor, Keizoku 2 SPEC, this drama is not getting the attention it deserves. Personally, I’d love to see a modern follow-up to Shibata and Mayama’s story.

 

Overall score: 9/10