Perfect Crime

Gave an 8 for a couple of reasons. First I am not too familiar with the Japanese culture, so I am not sure if this is supposed to be a fantasy sexy series or if there is any truth to any of it in the office; the fact that the script has the men seemingly to be so forceful and controlling in their sexual desires is a little fantasy-like I would think not real life. Don't know how far sexual harassment goes in the office there but the script pushed it to the limit in the series. This story had very sexy scenes once the female lead was more or less forced to "chose" the male lead supposedly. I really liked the male lead Dori Sakurada who fit the role perfectly. I liked the episode in the middle where they gave the male lead perspective and gave his thoughts so you could see his side of things. That helped alot to understand where he head was coming from because in the beginning he did seem a little strange. After that episode you could understand why he was being weird. Glad to see what appeared to be happy ending for all that was involved in the series in one way or another.

There's a lot going on here that's hard to overlook. Sakurada's performance often goes overboard, and I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cringe every time he appears on screen. It's just too much. Sure, he's got the looks, but when he starts smiling and delivering these "deep" lines, it's hard to take him seriously. His acting, which seems meant to be brooding or intense, ends up feeling like he's trying way too hard.

As for the female lead, Kaori, the show falls into the trap of making her play the "innocent girl" who lets all the men around her decide her fate. While there are moments where her sexual autonomy comes through, they're few and far between. It's tough to root for a character who constantly finds herself in situations where others are in control of her life.

And then there's the misogyny-it's everywhere. The portrayal of women in this drama feels outdated, especially with Kaori being stuck in a long affair with her married boss. It's painful to watch. The whole secret affair plot leans into the "self-destructive path" trope, and surprise, it gets messy once Haruto (Sakurada) enters the picture. His role in shaking up Kaori's life feels like just another version of the "someone new challenges the status quo" trope.

But seriously, why does Kaori let the men around her dictate everything? She does have moments where her sexuality is explored, but it feels forced, like the show is trying to push this "empowered woman" narrative without truly committing to it. She may have brief moments of sexual independence, but those moments don't make up for the overall lack of agency throughout the show.

Perfect crime was just okay. That said, I have seen better, I have seen worse too.

The story is predictable, but one can watch it nicely enough. Be aware that some scenes are mature though, but not too explicit. The love story was fun, although the leading lady did not match well with that older guy-her boss. She, however, had chemistry with her partner. Plus, there was a happy ending, after a nicely made twist.

The performances were okay as well. Though, some of the characters were simply annoying and felt like they were taking advantage of other characters.

So, five out of ten.