The movie “The Raven of Ichikei” is at a critical point… The 1 billion yen box-office revenue barrier that will determine the continuation of Fuji Television’s “drama to film” line.

The movie “Ichikei no Karasu,” starring Yutaka Takenouchi, surpassed 400 million yen at the box office in its first week of release. The film is off to a good start, aiming to surpass 1 billion yen at the box office.

The drama is an adaptation of the “Tsuki 9” drama series that aired in the April 2009 season. It is a legal entertainment featuring the “mismatched duo” of Michio Iruma (Takenouchi), an unconventional and eccentric judge, and Chizuru Sakama (Hana Kuroki), an uptight, elite judge.

All episodes averaged 12.6%, marking a high viewer rating. Two years have passed since the drama series, and the film begins with a chance reunion of the two in a tranquil town on the Seto Inland Sea.

Fuji Television has been a master at adapting serial dramas into movies since the “Bayside Shakedown” series, which grossed over 10 billion yen at the box office. However, last year’s “Radiation House the Movie” (box-office revenue in the 900 million yen range) and “The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock the Movie” (box-office revenue in the 500 million yen range) were both unsuccessful. This film has attracted a lot of attention in terms of predicting the future of the “serial drama film adaptation.

High ratings for a drama series do not necessarily mean that the movie will be a hit. On the contrary, there are cases such as the “Confidence Man JP” series where a film adaptation becomes a big hit even though the average rating is in the single digits. In short, the deciding factor is whether or not the work is suitable for film.

From this point of view, is “The Raven of Ichikei” really suitable for a movie? At first, some questioned whether “The Crow of Ichikei” was suitable for film.

The main character is a “criminal judge,” the first such role in the history of commercial TV drama series. In this respect, it is similar to the “Hero” series, which featured an eccentric prosecutor. That said, would the film have gotten off to a good start if Iruma and Sakama had been made as judges?

In this film, Sakama (Kuroki) chose a new stage as a lawyer using the judge’s other work experience system, which allowed him to ‘have new encounters and experiences again, and we were able to focus on that,’ said director Ryo Tanaka, who also handles the “Confidence Man JP” series. producer)

Sakama, who happens to work in the town next to Michio, teams up with human rights lawyer Shingo Tsukimoto (Takumi Saito) to take a scalpel to the allegations that have been raised against a large local company that supports the town. However, it is a “Pandora’s box” that must not be opened. Michio, who has doubts about the collision between an Aegis ship and a cargo ship, pulls out his family’s trump card (ex officio) and takes court-ordered action against the state power.

The long courtroom scene that climaxes the film is particularly impressive. As Sakama gains experience as a lawyer, he learns that “justice is not always one thing. The catharsis of this film may be the trajectory of Sakama’s growth as he faces such conflicts.

But that is not the only highlight of Kuroki’s Sakama. A romantic flag is even raised between Sakama and Tsukimoto, something that has never happened in the drama series.

The two sneak into a large local company late at night because they are suspicious of the company. However, they are discovered, steal a bicycle, and escape. I will never forget the ecstatic expression on Sakama’s face as he clung to Tsukimoto’s back and pulled his cheeks together.

Looking back, Kuroki has played the role of the stiff Sakama many times since the drama series began. In particular, the scene in episode 4, when he bites his lip and sobs from the empty courtroom, can be called a divine scene.

In this film, Kuroki brilliantly played a “sad love” that is not a love between a man and a woman, but a love that is born out of trust and solidarity and of which the actor himself is unaware.

It is difficult to sum up the charm of the actress Kuroki Hana in one word. Yutaka Takenouchi, who is teaming up with Kuroki for this series, said

I think one of her charms is her indescribable imbalance between her gentle side and her punkish side,” said Yutaka Takenouchi, who is teaming up with Kuroki for this series.

This comment is apt. This comment is aptly put. Kuroki’s charms are revealed only because of Yutaka Takenouchi, with whom he has acted in a series of dramas and movies.

Kuroki got her big break in 2001 when Yoji Yamada called her “the actress who looks best in a kappogi” in the movie “Small House. However, her true face is not that of a neat and tidy good old-fashioned Showa-era woman.

Kuroki likes Sex Pistols and loves stylish urban life more than old houses, and she is also a comedy buff who records and watches variety shows such as “Wednesday’s Downtown” and “Ariyoshi’s Wall. As Takenouchi says, this gap is her charm and perhaps her greatest weapon.

Fuji Television’s “drama-to-movie” business has reached a crossroads. This fall, “Not to Mention Mystery”, a drama series broadcast in January last year starring Masaki Suda, will be made into a movie.

For this reason, we expect the movie “Ichikei no Karasu” to gross over 1 billion yen at the box office.