Ice World (1999)

Ice World is the best of its kind according to me...and i'm not exaggerating.
Thanks for believing.

This is an investigative Drama in which Romance is not a throw in the window.

Unlike your everyday detective story (especially the episodic one), This one has only one case through out
and it doesn't rely on how genius or clever the Protagonist is... or how awesome they solve the case.

Its a kind of drama that needs character investment. Every twist the plot will give you will strike lightning in your emotion. Observe, feel, analyze, it was very enjoyable and involving.

I know many viewers will pass this up because of its oldness and unfamiliar cast and if some random user attempt to watch it will drop it once he/she mis-concept it as a boring drama since the atmosphere isn't the same as the one we everyday saw in this generation. But if You have some dedication to taste a somewhat unfamiliar territory...you will be rewarded BIGtime as this was a genuine drama that are so rare and original.

Story

The first couple of scenes will give you an idea what the show will be going' and the first couple of episodes (which is somewhat slow but just need to build up the complexity of the characters).
It may somewhat buffles you especially for casual viewers..but after that..you will have the sense of it after you see ".....!!" and it will start to hook you..till the end. with Mind blown included. You will appreciate it greatly.

Characters

They are all 3-dimensional, They are all ingredients of the story..if one of them is not there, the story will not be completed. All of them behave different.
Any change in their behavior as the plot progresses affects a lot of consequences.

MUSIC

The OST here are overwhelming
The variety of music pieces have a sense of subtlety which is mesmerizing that doesn't need a lyrics to tell what they mean and let say it has a SOUL.
The sounds often tells many things more than the words not only just there to accompany the scenes.
Some dramas often have "saranghe" songs which is somewhat generic but sounds great ..that uses over and over again which is sometimes cheesy and you will not see it here

Replay

I think this drama is even better when see the second time around.
You know already the twist but you will get a lot of reasoning after repeating.

Good!
-Has a Very Complex Plot
-Moderate pace but detailed
-All Characters you see has a 100% importance to the plot
(3 dimensional characters)
-OST are very varied and haunting
-Very replayable especially for its kind
-Unpredictable
-Realistic (some plot devices can be superficial)

Bad?
-Old Drama
-Not Fast enough for casual
-Actors/Actress may not be familliar to you
-There is only one Song (OP)
-Some will think that a mystery drama has low replay value since you know what will happen the 2nd time around
-No Genius detective that uses more than 10% of their brain (this was proven a myth)
-no wacky moments out of nowhere (like we see in others of the same type)

My Enjoyment statistic
E01 8.5 / E02 8.0 / E03 9.0 / E04 10 / E05 9.5
E06 9.5 / E07 9.5 / E08 10 / E09 10 / E10 9.5 /E11 9.5

note: This is a Dark' Mystery Romance Drama but it is Moving.
There are less violence and not as disturbing as you think.

note2: I just put 9 on Cast and replay just you to notice how astonishing the 'story and the 'music is.
I really want to put 10s on all category in the first place.

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"Insurance was the last love letter."

..is one thing that I've learned and reflect from watching this drama. This is hauntingly beautiful story that brings you to a world of dark mystery of a young woman Egi Touko. There aren't that many mystery or suspense dramas in Japan. Usually, you'll get an episodic drama with a "detective-genius-who-solve-all-case" so when a good one like this, it should deserve a good rating. Well, just because the genre is mystery doesn't mean it's always an episodic. Sometimes, it was to confuse and leaves to audience to think for themselves about the events regarding of what the conclusions will be.

The script was very well-written that gives a chilling feel and yet captivating. The actors did pretty well in portrayal especially Matsushima Nanako. She has this cold and creepy aura in this one that her acting transitions made me "never-to-be-forgotten" of her. Eiki and Touko has a very good chemistry, well.. this is not just an eye candy drama though.


Now, in this drama.. YOU are the Detective! :) I advise you to just go with flow in it or else, you may lose concentration to the story. Do not "overthink". :DD

I recommend you to watch this drama, nothing to lose if you try.. Who knows? You'll never know that you're missing. :)

ENJOY! ^_____^

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This is a timeless thriller with all the ingredients for a great suspense: a beautiful enigmatic female, her 3 murdered fiancés, several jealous vengeful women, 2 handsome investigators, and plenty of possible suspects. The director did a fantastic job creating a mood that layers a cloud of suspicion over just about everyone. The scenes are dark, the phone calls eerie and menacing, and the continuing murders keep you on edge.
Here heartthrob Takenouchi Yutaka is in the prime of his career. Playing the investigating insurance detective, he believes in his love and stakes his life on it. The romance is hot between Takenouchi and Matsushima, especially the apartment scene.
The rating would have been a 10 had the writer not butchered the ending. I won't reveal anything except to say that the last scenes are ridiculous, in my view. The writer painstakingly has the whole scenario recapped by the murderer to tie everything together for the audience.
Regardless, the drama is so engaging that it wouldn't have mattered much who murdered who. The beautiful music, entrancing romance, and unending suspense will not disappoint.

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That was some drama. Exactly the way I love it, every part of it. Acting was brilliant, especially Yutaka- the most perfect guy ever, and Nanako, they were really great. The rest of the cast was also very good, I didn't watched anywhere else the actress who played detective's wife, she was such a pleasant surprise at the end with her acting, really great. I have enjoyed and was so thrilled about that constant suspense, suspicion and questioning about who is the villain? My guess was right, maybe because I have watched to many movies in the world so I'm good at guessing. ;-) I was doubting in two persons the most and I was right but anyway it was so perfectly packed that you would the least doubt in that person. These kind of dramas when you question all the time, when you're always filled with such a suspense what's going to happen next and you can't wait for the next episode, oh I love that feeling. Not to mention that a very big plus is a romance part which is a huge one in this drama but so well packed and put in there. The chemistry between Yutaka and Nanako was amazing in such a dangerous, not safe, passionate way and their conversations so many times filled with so many various emotions, definitely the main reason for this drama to be that great for me. Of course I mustn't forget the part about kissing scene, one of the best ever made, got under my skin in a second and will stay there for a long time for sure. ;-) Music was certainly very good and in the right scenes where it should be, appears and starts to play.
Although it's not a light romance drama, for me this is one of the most beautiful and strongest love stories and romances ever because it seemed so real and natural and the characters literally loved one each other to the point they would give up their lives for that love which is something worth dying and living for. Mystery, murders, suspense, love, romance, all of it put in this great show with a great performances of the actors. Worth watching.

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I really enjoyed this dorama, I am glad I watched it. Finished it in a day without getting bored for even a second. The plot was well-thought. It had some minor flaws where it felt a little forced and I felt like the writer took an easy way out. But all these can be overlooked because the suspense and the mystery was really good.

The actors were up to par, they were good but not exceptional. Same goes with the chemistry between characters. Perhaps the romance was not as believable as I hoped it would be. But I thought Matsushima managed a difficult role fairly well.

The rewatch value is of course a bit low since it's a mystery but there are many scenes that I will definitely go back and watch at least once again.

Overall, I thought it had amazing potential and it really left an impact on me, but at the end I feel like it did not live up to its potential. I was really undecided whether to give it an 8 or a 9, but at the end I chose 8.

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I marathoned this dorama on a rainy weekend and I have to say I really enjoyed it. It had many elements come together in harmony. It is a passionate romantic story (that we don't get anymore in the japanese dorama scene) that you get absorbed into and fascinated by while following a mystery that arouses your curiosity every step of the way.

You watch most of the drama without knowing who's telling the truth and who's truly innocent. Every episode makes other people more suspicious without writing off the first person you were suspecting. Other than Eiki and inspector Ujou, I was suspecting everyone else of being suspicious, even dead characters. In that sense I loved the buildup of the mystery.

The romance department did not disappoint. The more you think that in Eiki's place you'll run away as fast as possible from our main suspect, the more you understand his fascination of her and get taken by it. Their scenes together were electrifying and their clashes and confrontations were exciting. Leads had so much chemistry from their first scenes together you can just feel it right away.

So when I have so much good to say about the drama, why didn't I rate it higher? Well to tell you the truth, up until episode 10, I had decided on a rating no less than 8.5-9 however episode 11 made me think otherwise. I won't spoil anything I'll just say the final reveal was a let down. The ending itself I like, but the revelation left me wanting something more. You can say it felt it took the safe route but as a result I just didn't care.

But all in all, I don't regret marathoning it. I love 90s dorama, they sure had the passion that we seem to lack in today's dramas. Also The buildup of the mystery was nicely done so as a mystery lover, its definitely is an enjoyable watch. Also watching Takenouchi Yutaka and Matsushima Nanako in their younger days is a pleasure itself.

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Mad World

Captivating storytelling and multifaceted characters, making it a standout in the world of Japanese dramas. The drama had a good mystery plot but there were a few things that held it back. The pacing was alright but the lack of a sensible urgency messed up the flow a bit. The drama overdone it with the amount of repetition sprinkled throughout beyond what could been considered functional for a mystery piece, it didn't contribute to the story/characters/themes/atmosphere, just plain repetition, relaying the same information countless times. The cinematography and music further enriched the experience, capturing the drama's haunting and enigmatic mood, however, it could've benefited more from a more unified color palette with its own signature. While it was a great mystery drama but I wish the characters had a better dynamic between them and maybe some deeper involvement of other characters.

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''Ice World'' is a mystery drama done very well which can't be seen often nowadays. It keeps you guessing until the very end and it's very hard to predict who's behind all of this simply because the drama doesn't show you any hints and leaves you in shock.

I love that they at least explained everything, you know. It's true that I spent 10 episodes being suspicious of one person, making all these dumb theories but then in the end, I wasn't very close to the truth. Props to the drama for managing to surprise me.

The pace was overall nice, even though I kind of wish it was a bit more fast-paced towards the end. I just got tired and wanted to know the reason behind all of this because it just took so long for the truth to be revealed.

The romance was amazing though! Even though I thought it would feel strange because the leads fell in love with each other... almost out of nowhere, the chemistry between Yutaka and Nanako was amazing and they saved the situation. Speaking of them, their characters were very intriguing especially Egi Touko, it was extremely hard to read what's on her mind.

The actors did a good job, although I'd say Takenouchi Yutaka stole the show for me. He was just too hot, sorry.

If there's something about Ice World that I consider perfect is the music! 'Diamond Dust' by Kyosuke Himuro became one of my favourite songs ever, I'm just obsessed with it. I'm so glad that I watched the drama because I discovered such a masterpiece!

I won't rewatch it just because I don't really rewatch dramas anyway. But I do recommend it to everyone, especially if you're looking for a drama that keeps you guessing until the end.

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I've enjoyed a few Japanese murder mysteries (Saiai, N no Tame ni, Confessions, Influence), and when I saw the premise for this show I was intrigued and decided to check it out. A woman who has had three fiances, all of whom have died: is it just a series of unfortunate coincidences, or is there a more nefarious plot going on? She was the beneficiary on all their life insurance policies, but each of them canceled their policies before they died so she never got any money. What then might be her motive? Is she the murderer, or are there other people who may have wanted these men dead? Matsushima Nanako does a great job playing an ice-cold woman such that you're not sure whether she's just putting up a strong front or is truly cold-blooded. Takenouchi Yutaka also plays his role well, as an insurance agent whose obsession with justice becomes an obsession with Egi Touko. The cat-and-mouse game between her and the three men interested in solving the case is interesting to watch (for the record, screw Ujou Takeshi as a character, but his actor is good). Touko and Eiki in particular have great chemistry together. The rest of the characters all work well, with other people who may have an interest in messing up Touko's life. I never felt misled by the show, and instead got to just enjoy the gradual unfolding of the plot and mystery. There was also a charm with how old it is; I felt like I was watching this show on VHS, and the graininess contributed to setting the mood and tone. I enjoyed the reveal of the villain at the end as well, there was some great acting in that scene by that particular actor. It was a really, really solid show all the way through. Especially if you liked Saiai and N no Tame ni, you will like this show.

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