REEL JAPAN

Score 7/10

Novelist Minato Kanae has trailblazed a reputation for disturbing horror and crime fiction, not afraid to disgust her readers or rob from them a happy ending. Called the “Queen of Iyamisu” for the grisly details, many of her works have seen film and television adaptations. TESTIMONY OF N had the potential to be the best of them all. Less a crime mystery, more a bildungsroman, the long prelude showing Nozomi’s young on the island enters Dickensian territory with its unforgettable depiction of a dysfunctional family descending into abject poverty. 

An exceptional performance by lead actress Eikura Nana as Nozomi saves this ten episode crime series from a demise at the hands of clunky and repetitive exposition. It suffers from structural deficiencies derived from divided character focus compounded by time jumps which inelegantly and unnecessarily interrupt the narrative flow. Most episodes feature a stunning and surprisingly colourful pallet of cinematography. However, gimmick editing including the ever-present stylized eye blinks synced to shutter clicks and perky pop song play-outs damage the integrity of the series. 

The story covers about 15 years of Nozomi’s life. Kubota Masataka (TAIRA NO KIYOMORI, DEATH NOTE) plays her childhood companion, Naruse. The series works best when their strong chemistry is on display. However, her life in Tokyo takes her away from Naruse. 

Miura Tomokazu plays an island policeman and Hara Hideko his wife. These characters were added to the story by screenwriters. Perhaps they felt they needed someone to gather all the threads or amplify the detection of the central mysteries, but the story would have been better served in a simpler and streamlined miniseries of five or six episodes. Miura makes a specialty of playing cops who keep in touch with young victims for years. He played much the same in THE TIES OF SHOOTING STARS. He is perfectly cast but the director is uncertain how to use him with the leads. He ends up being one part mentor, one part Inspector Javert. 

Koide Keisuke contributes a memorable performance as Nozomi’s roommate Nishizaki. His life is so dramatic and haunted, it is as if he entered the story as a refugee from another Minato novel. Together they inhabit and protect an antiquated dormitory called Nobara and run by a charming old man, Nohara-san (Orimoto Junkichi). You can see the pattern. So many N names. The original title means “FOR N,” not TESTIMONY OF N, which makes more sense. 

Yamamoto Mirai is excellent as Nozomi’s troubled mother. If you make it to the end, you may enjoy through tears the resolution of their tense mother-daughter relationship. It is one of the most interesting such relationship in Minato’s oeuvre. Eikura Nana (SHIP OF THESEUS) perfectly embodies Nozomi at all stages of her life. 

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