First Peek at WOWOW’s Shokuzai

My most anticipated winter drama, Shokuzai (Atonement), finally premieres this Sunday. I’m eagerly looking forward to the venom and darkness that WOWOW promises to be portrayed by a cast of very talented lead actresses and supporting actors. According to the Japanese dictionary, ‘shokuzai’ means to present money and valuables, keep on doing good deeds to pay for a crime or sin committed and escape punishment.

The murder of Adachi Emily, a pretty fourth grade elementary school girl, in a rural town triggers a series of tragedies 15 years later as her grief-stricken mother, Asako, lashes out at the people around her with violent emotion. Asako keeps searching for her daughter’s murderer and has a showdown with the four girls – Kikuchi Sae, Shinohara Maki, Takano Akiko and Ogawa Yuka – who had been Emily’s good friends and played together with her right before she was abducted and killed, believing them responsible for letting the murderer get away because they were the eyewitnesses, yet could not remember his face.

On the other hand, Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuka grew up with the heavy cross of atonement and fear of Emily’s mother. At that time, Asako had ordered them to find the murderer or she would make them atone in ways acceptable to her. Those words had a profound impact on their lives after that. They lead normal lives, but there is a darkness in each of their hearts, their feelings warped. What should their atonement be? This curse gives rise to a new incident as Asako shows up in front of each of them 15 years later … …

The four young ladies will take their turns as protagonists in the first four episodes of the five part drama. Episode 1 ‘Furansu Ningyou’ (The French Doll) tells the story of Kikuchi Sae, played by Aoi Yu. Sae has not matured freely as a person and thinks she lacks femininity. Something about what happened 15 years ago has also made her extremely wary of men.

Then, she meets Moriyama Mirai’s character, Otsuki Takahiro, A very eligible bachelor … …