Episode 1
The opening. Hilarious. I love this episode. It starts out quite seriously of course, I mean with the murder of two people but... then, it spirals off into just ... complete hilarity. What with the whole "Post-It's?!" and then "CONDOMS!!" , I re-watched this episode... about 3 times the week it came out. To novel-fans they might not like it because.. hey, you'd expect a right out "suspense, suspense suspense" like Maou right? But with this first episode it wasn't like that at all and in a way I'm glad. This swindling scene was pretty sweet and creative, if not a bit weird as well.
Episode 2
Start off with the three siblings wanting to scam Takayama and then we head off deeper into "solving the case". The chidlren scenes were so sweet and touching, and.. *sigh*. When lilKoichi was tell lilShizuna that their parents were dead, it was just like.. "aww.. you poor things..." the children, I must add, are pretty good actors ne? In this episode we are also introduced to Togami Yukinari, scenes with him were interesting and pretty funny, even if (IMO) his character a bit annoying. By the end, the "scamming Takayama" scenerio has started, get ready for a lot of laughs.
Episode 3
A start of with the continuation of Takayama. We get to laugh hard at his delusions and what not and it's over (not), then we move back into "solving the case". We learn a bit more about Koichi's parents, their debts and what not and Shizuna gets depressed cause she didn't realize her parents were gamblers and that their family had so many money problems. The children scene in this episode is the best. It's really really wonderful, how they mix in the kids and the adults. You really had to see for yourself to understand, first you have lilKoichi comforting lilShizuna and then it just suddenly changes to Koichi and Shizuna and... oh.. I loved it. By the end of this episode the plan to scam Yukinari has started and we also get a glimpse of Yukinari's dad, Togami Masayuki. If you're observant, you'll realize.. he looks a bit familiar ne?
Episode 4
We start off again with the continuation of trying to scam Yukinari and it's all pretty nice but once you've seen Takayama, nothing adds up to that. Sagi finally says some lines and helps Koichi out with this scam, in which you are hinted that SagixKoichi will come up (even if you have to squint to see it). At this point, the three siblings are pretending that they don't contact each other so Koichi sees Kashiwabara and they have a chat about Shizuna. We continue on a childhood friend of Shizuna wants the three siblings to scam someone she's having an affair with and they agree, so we cut to a very small swindling scene, which isn't all that interesting. Then we reach the end, Shizuna is at Togami-tei trying their Hayashi Rice and what's this? She cries because the taste it so familiar and then *duhduhduh...* - Taisuke recognizes Togami Masayuki as the "killer"! -end
Episode 5
The three siblings discuss about Togami Masayuki and Koichi goes to try out the famous "Hayashi Rice" itself to see if it's the same. Takayama comes back for the final scene (again not) and Shizuna and Yukinari's relationship just keeps moving on forward. Koichi and Taisuke need to find some evidence that Masayuki
is the killer and they discuss that where as Shizuna finds herself pooring out a story about why she cried while eating the hayashi rice. Oh also, Kashiwabara starts getting closer to Taisuke (this is significant to the plot =D) and Yukinari mentions Shizuna's story about the "familiar Hayashi Rice she had as a kid" , look at Masayuki's face, he looks uncomfortable ne?
highly suspicious!! Oh and even more suspense, at the very end, Shizuna's biological dad's wife walks in and tells Koichi that her husband is the killer! WHAT?!
Episode 6
We start of with Shizuna's dad's wife telling Koichi why her husband is the killer but at the same time, Shizuna's dad tells Kashiwabara why he isn't the killer and we realize that Masayuki is definitly suspect #1. Shizuna tries very hard to hint to Yukinari that his dads Hayashi rice isn't his, but the guy totally doesn't get it. Koichi and Taisuke continue struggling to find a way to find hard proof that Masayuki is the killer. Yukinari is told he is not allowed to re-create his dad's Hayashi Rice so he tries to make his own, using Shii as a test subject and waiting for her to cry.. in Koichi's kitchen. (hilarity ensues) and... halfway through this episode, Shizuna learns that she is not actually related to Koichi and Taisuke. It's also here that we realize that both of them probably harbour a bit more than brotherly feelings for Shizuna. Shizuna gets all depressed and finds herself pouring out her story (although a bit changed) to Yukinari. By the end though, Shizuna gets over the whole "shock", we learn a bit more about Koichi's dad and his relationship with Togami Masayuki (ie - why Togami would kill daddy Ariake) and then a plan arrives in Koichi's head as to how to frame Masayuki and show that he is the killer.
Episode 7
The entire episode is basically putting down fake evidence so the cops will be lead to Togami Masayuki and the development of Shizuna and Yukinari's relationship. Koichi tells Shizuna that she's off to Canada, but before she goes she kisses him *gasp* - oh no! She fell in love (although she vehemently denies it). We see a bit more of Sagi in here with her crazy driving skills which = awesome. At the end, the final part fo Koichi's plan to drive Masayuki into jail is told and Koichi wants Shizuna to go to Yukinari's house and plant the Ariake recipe book somewhere. How will Shizuna do this?! (o_o)
Episode 8
The cops close in on Togami Masayuki and start investigating him, entering his house and what-not and Yukinari is all depressed and is gushing to Koichi (which he does a lot, I just don't mention it) and then suddenly - eh? Didn't Koichi say his parents were killed and he lived in Yokosuka? Yukinari makes a connection, but
Nino's Koichi's awesome lying skills cover everything up. We see a small bit of Takayama (yay!) in this episode again *insert laugh here* and then we move on with the plot. What luck! Shizuna is invited to Yukinari's home, she has a great time, plants the book somewhere and leaves feeling awfully depressed, things seem to be going great! And then.. we hit the end of the episode. Shizuna is asked to meet Yukinari... will he propose? Nope, he takes out the Ariake recipe book -
oh shit. (By the way, Taisuke and Koichi followed Shizuna to the meeting cause she wasn't supposed to see him anymore so they're like
oh shit as well).
Episode 9
If you thought that Yukinari taking out the recipe book was bad. It gets worse. Takayama recognizes Shizuna and confusion ensues. Yukinari takes care of it swiftly and quickly and then proceeds to "interogate" Shizuna although it all ends pretty fast as she pours everything out and Yukinari is like "zomgwtf
maji ka?" while Koichi and Taisuke can just wait. Later Koichi angsts at what is going to happen and then he has a meeting with Kashiwabara to ask for help to stop Masayuki and then he meets Yukinari and reveals himself as Ariake Koichi and tells him everything. Yukinari, surprisingly, agrees to work with Koichi to bring his father out (good) and Koichi starts "acting" for the first time *yay* Everything comes down... we've got Masayuki cornered and then... - wait what? Masayuki isn't the killer? LIES!! (watch someones reaction when this is said *winks*)
Episode 10
Final Episode. Dramatic Episode. Touching Episode. Loved it. We finally learn who the real killer is. Kashiwabara. The entire episode is basically just to explain why and what happens later. Kashiwabara killed the Ariake parents for money for his sons surgery. Lots of tears and confessing and in the end, Kashiwabara is allowed to live (torture cause he wanted to kill himself but Koichi wouldn't allow it). After all this, Koichi confesses himself as a swindler and goes to jail for two years while Taisuke had to do some community service or something. Shizuna was let of easy thanks to her brothers and Yukinari (they become engaged =D). Oh, and might I add we get a very, final scene with Takayama in which I laughed incredibaly hard at just because I was glad to see him again, one last time? xD Hilarious, love this guy. The very, very end shows a sweet scene of the re-opening of Ariake with Koichi as the head chef, with Shizuna and Sagi (aww...) working as waitresses.
Music
Beautiful Days - Arashi: If I said I didn't like this song I'd be shot. =P Hey, it's an Arashi song, I'm bound to love it yes? As RnK's theme song, I also love it. It fits the drama very well in my opinion and the video that shows along with the theme song is so sweet. I seriously loved watching the opening. Beautiful Days would go right after Truth for best single this year.
ORION - Nakashima Mika: At first.. I was very apathetic to this song but like any other song in a drama or anime, once you are forced to hear it every episode, you fall in love with it, or at least grow to like it. For me, it was the first case, I seriously love this song now and listen to it all the time. It's such a lovely song *hugs* Nakashima Mika is a very awesome singer and the parts where they inserted this song fit very well. I especially loved that scene in the drama where Sagi herself was singing the song cause it was just sweet.
