Shiroi Kyoto eps 11-22

Truly an epic dorama. I can only hope that Fumo Chitai at least achieves the same standard. I would say Shiroi Kyoto is a must watch dorama. However, it is not in the classic dorama category because of one very huge flaw.

Are you a hatarakiman?

The flaw is basically lawsuit which drives the second half of the series. You've got a lawyer, Sekiguchi who is very experienced in medical malpractice suits but there is no discussion of strategy or legal arguments. No freaking legal maneuvering of any sort or intelligent cross-examinations. Its as if the writer decided to strip the court case of any semblance of legality to better fit it in the story.

Reason to go to work everyday...

It makes the lawyer, Sekiguchi look like a simpleton. Not to mention the fact that he never explains his plans to his clients/audience. How can he criticize Zaizen for failure to explain options to his patients when Sekiguchi himself does not do so? Can't believe Kamikawa Takaya won an award for his portrayal of Sekiguchi. Nothing wrong with his acting but his character is so poorly written its not funny.

The overacting housewives are almost as bad as the legal stuff....

Is the standard of legal doramas in Japan as bad as police shows? Come to think about it, I haven't seen any legal jdoramas. Majo Saiban doesn't really count since its more of a jury tampering show and Aishiteru is more about juvenile crime. Is it really impossible for Japan to do a dorama about the uncovering of evidence and applying legal principles to argue facts? Bottomline is, the court case serves to stretch the story and allow characters to make certain points but procedurally, it could have been much better. The fucking ratio dicidendi was about public policy. Nowhere during the case did Sekiguchi argue about the case setting a precedent which would benefit the public.

Except for Mizuno Maki of course...

Sekiguchi could have grilled Yanagihara more about the white out notes. Who cares if the opposing counsel pointed out that using whiteouts was normal. Sekiguchi could have pointed out the huge amount of whiteouts used in the reports and tried to make Yanagihara crack. Sekiguchi should have been disbarred for being an idiot.

Why do idealists have to be oblivious to beautiful women?

Then we have the appeal. Sekiguchi appeals claiming new evidence when he has none. His definition of new evidence is trying to get his own expert witness to testify that Zaizen was wrong. Stacking the odds against Sekiguchi creates instant empathy but watching him flying blind completely erodes most emotional attachment I have for the parties. Of course in the end a witness shows up and evidence is uncovered. The big twist in the end is that Sekiguchi argues that Zaizen was negligent in not informing Sasaki of his other treatment options.

brother and sister in 20th Century Boys...

Hhhmm, the original lawsuit was about Zaizen been negligent by purposely ignoring the possibility of cancer in the lungs and the appeal is about doctor's failure to give full information. I know next to nothing about Japanese civil law but the fact that one can sue another party under the general heading of negligence and argue every single possible negligent act under the sun is very scary.

Yamato Nadeshiko..

Don't be alarmed by the amount of negative comments I have written about Shiroi Kyoto. Its much easier to point out the bad than the good unless its transcendent show like KDO. The lawsuit aside, Shiroi Kyoto has pretty much been a fun show to watch. My favourite bit is the friendship between Zaizen and Satomi. They have the opposite of each other yet they have the utmost respect for each other. It reminds me of what Griffith said in the Berserk manga; a friend is not someone who follows me but someone who can stand against me.

I remember when I first saw Kuroki Hitomi in Majou no Jouken and wondered why they cast a 30 year old as the mom only to find out her real age..

I always hate idealistic characters but goddamit Satomi showed that he had balls by being willing to sacrifice everything for his ideals. I was shouting at Satomi for barely showing any hesitation or being troubled by his decision. When is the cost of doing the right thing too high that it is not worth it? I wish Satomi would have wrestled more with his decision. Gotta respect Satomi for having the courage of his convictions.



Sadly, nothing happened with the Satomi-Saeko side story. Its just something to give Michiyo more screentime (can't complain about that) but I would have loved to see it go slightly further. Satomi of course has to make the right decision but why couldn't the writer let him to tempted? No righteous man cannot at least think twice about cheating on his wife for Yada Akiko.


As I said in the beginning, Shiroi Kyoto is a must watch dorama. Its on par with Karei Naru Ichizoku; flawed brilliance that deserves your time. At least the flaw with this one isn't a Johnny who can't act.