The tension in Unmei no Hito never lets up. First two episodes are about uncovering the government conspiracy. The third episode is about the fallout from Yuminari Ryota getting so pissed off with the government that the decided to trust the opposition leader with the evidence. There is nowhere to run once the actual leaked document is revealed.
The fourth episode is about two things. Firstly that the power of media is not so affective against a government that has control over the police and prosecutors. The newspapers may shout the truth but the government can decide when and where the war for public opinion is to be fought.
Secondly Ryota has broken Miki's trust. He failed to protect her and she is going to be used against him. How much should he fight? The court case and public interest is no longer about the cover up. The government's constant denial and now focusing on more sensational revelations means that Okinawa is last year's news.
Unmei no Hito also looks at Japanese women in the 1970s though the eyes of Miki (Maki Yoko) and Yuriko (Matsu Takako). Miki has to work because her husband is unable and he constantly resents her because she is now the breadwinner. Miki is free to work yet her husband always reminds her that her position is because of him and he constantly monitors her coming and going because he is insecure.
Yuriko is the perfect housewife who lives for the husband. The yamato nadeshiko.The ideal woman of the 70s. Of course, Ryota is too obsessed with being a journalist that he takes her for granted. It will be interesting to see how she responds to the revelation at the end of episode 4.
1 comment:
What I find interesting about the protagonist of Unmei no Hito, is that he seems but is not mister perfect. He is handsome, intelligent, succesful, a fighter, an idealist but he's too focussed and cannot compromise. That is his great weakness. He also cannot accept help from anyone. His wife wants to help him and follows him blindly, but he never involves her in what's really going on with him. Her allegiance to him feels empty that way. I think that's what she realizes at the end of ep 4. It's Miki Akiko that shares a common interest/ fate with him. She's way more important to him. I'm curious to see what will happen to them, now that she broke down under the pressure and finally (somewhat) betrayed him. She was right though, he didn't keep his promise to protect her...
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