Giver Taker jdorama review

More than a year after the incredible Samayou Yaiba, WOWOW has done another parent of a murdered child. This time it is Nakatani Miki playing Kurasawa Itsuki, a former teacher turned detective after her child was murdered by her student Kishi Ruoto. One day she hears that Ruoto will be discharge from juvi and a note is left on her front door saying I will once again take what is important to you.

Giver Taker is a cat and mouse thriller with another Johnny Kikuchi Fuma playing the monster Kishi Ruoto. The last Johnny to play a monster really well was Kazama Shunsuke. I always forget he is a Johnny because he can actually act!  Anyways Ruoto makes everyone think that he is reformed and that Itsuki is making baseless accusations towards him. Ruoto starts working in a bakery and Itsuki knows he is up to no good but is unable to prove it.

I actually watched the first 3 episodes some months ago with Jp subs from drama-otaku and just finished the last 2 episodes today. What I remember most about the first 3 episodes was that the police were not too smart and too easily manipulated. I guess that's the whole point of the show. The smiling Johnny taunting Nakatani Miki as the audience wonders what his plan actually is.

The writing for Giver Taker is just off. It has all the elements of a thriller with Ruoto is a great villain on paper with his past, his manipulation of his co-worker in the bakery and fooling the police but the tension is not there in the story. Whether the Johnny's bad acting or the half baked script I cannot say. Kikuchi Fuma lacks that evil that Kazama Shunsuke had and he is more like an annoying brat you want to slap around. I finished the 5 episodes but I keep thinking why is this show not up the usual WOWOW standards and lack of budget for Giver Taker is pretty evident.

Looks like someone has subbed episode 1 in English but even for a Nakatani Miki fan it was a forgettable show and it feels like it was made for Johnny fans. Its not completely bad, just not up to the usual WOWOW standards and devoid of tension. Go watch Samayou Yaiba if you haven't. Meh.