It’s hard to steer free from Johnny’s Entertainment guys if you regularily watch dramas and Orthros no Inu is no exception in this. The main characters are portrayed by Takizawa Hideaki (from Tackey & Tsubasa) and Nishikido Ryo (from NEWS & Kanjani8), with one of the minor characters being played by Yaotome Hikaru (from Hey!Say! JUMP). Mizukawa Asami takes on the lead female role.

Even though I knew all three Johnny’s guys before watching the drama, I was not in particular a big fan of any of them. Also, since I generally prefer romance/comedy drama, the genre was fairly new to me as well. Still, this drama kept me glued to the screen. Let’s have a look at what it is about.

Storyline

Orthros no Inu revolves around two guys who each have a special power. Ryuuzaki Shinji is able to heal any kind of wound or disease by the touch of his hand, Aoi Ryosuke complements this power by being able to kill people through the same action. Strangely, the personality of these guys is opposite to the power that they have, and seems to neutralize it in a way that reminded me of Inu Yasha & Sesshoumaru in the anime Inu Yasha.

Aoi Ryosuke is a high school teacher with a very kind heart. He wouldn’t hurt a fly and has a strong sense of morality. When he sees a female police agent being attacked, he comes to her rescue by using his power to get rid of her attackers. However, his guilt drives him to the police station to confess what he did.

Ryuuzaki Shinji is a dark character with his own motives. When we first meet him at the beginning of the drama, he is locked up for murder. The police agent brings the two of them together, not realizing the possible consequences of her actions.

Verdict

Although I’ve heard people complain about them, I was personally impressed by the acting skills. With my favorite Tackey & Tsubasa song being the happy & jumpy ‘Venus’, for Tackey to play a dark hero was the last thing I had expected. However, he pulls it off unexpectedly well.

Nishikido Ryo, someone I used to dislike because of his straightforwardness and at times rudeness, had this look in his eyes that seemed to shine of goodness and innocence. When I first read the synopsis for the drama, it all sounded a bit over the top for me, but I think the characters became credible and even intriguing. And this is exactly what keeps you glued to the screen: what will happen to these two characters next, and how will they react to new situations?

My only complaint would be that sometimes there are some unexpected and unnecessary plot twists, and no real story except for the interaction between Tackey and Ryo’s characters and how it affects the people around them. Maybe the drama could have been better if there were a clear goal for them to try and reach throughout the drama. But because I ended up wanting to know more about the main characters, this wasn’t such a big problem.

I’d recommend this drama to fans of the genre or the lead actors, and considering I was neither – it probably wouldn’t hurt to give it a try either way. Orthros no Inu might end up surprising you like it did for me!