Movie Digest
The “parenthood deception” scam, in which individuals claim to be someone’s offspring in order to swindle them of money, is fairly widespread in Edo. While the magistrate is pursuing this swindle aggressively, the alleged mastermind commits suicide. Despite this, it appears that another man is orchestrating the fraud, which continues unaffected by the present investigation.
The Feel-Good Part
The movie beautifully orchestrates how, even though there exists no relationship between the offspring and the parents, they act so in order to swindle money from their parents, and this was all just for money. The whole story seems unique to its time, being set in the early years of Japan, but still retains its unique charm, which is enough to keep the viewer hooked.
The Disappointing Factor
The disappointing factor could probably be the fact that it feels too overwhelming at the same time and the viewer might face difficulty with all that is happening also because they might not have watched the prequel, which was released in 2019, which contributes to its story.
In-Depth Analysis
Scams involving swindlers dressed as youngsters defrauding parents of their money have been common in Edo. Yukawa Korechika (Ichimura Masachika), the magistrate of the Honmachi Magistrate’s Office, where constable Watanabe Shogoro (Higashiyama Noriyuki) works, is noted for numerous memorable decisions. Yukawa’s right-hand man, Tagami Seizo (Sugimoto Tetta), also joins the team. He makes all efforts to stop the con artists. Shogoro’s chances to save Tsuyu (Furukawa Rin), a little girl who has been stealing on the streets. Tsuyu becomes emotionally attached to him, and he brings her home. After learning that Tsuyu was seen as a nuisance after being left in the care of relatives, his wife Fuku (Nakagoshi Noriko) and her aunt Ten (Kimura Midoriko) propose that they adopt her. Meanwhile, with the money he won from gambling, picture framer Ryoji (Matsuoka Masahiro) goes to a teahouse for celebratory beverages. He meets Take (Morikawa Aoi), a kind young man who is working hard at the teahouse to save money. Her aim, she adds, is to run a bar with her daughter, who lives with her now. Tsuyu’s mother is named Take. Ryu (Chinen Yuri), on the other hand, works as a gardener and visits Seizo’s home on occasion. He becomes close with Seizo’s socially reclusive son, Shinnojo (Sugino Yosuke). One day, they went on a walk together to get some fresh air. On the streets, they encounter Mizobata Kuemon (Suruga Taro), a teacher. Shinnojo is fully enthralled by Kuemon’s impassioned speech and moralizing about the way of life for disturbed adolescents, and she decides to enroll in Kuemon’s school. His father, however, is opposed to this. The magistrate’s office escalates its crackdown on gangsters in the fight against fraud and conducts raids on gambling dens under Yukawa’s supervision. Despite the fact that criminals accused of masterminding the schemes were discovered dead, Shogoro is suspicious that they committed suicide. The frauds aren’t going away, even after the crackdown. According to information gathered by Ryoji at a gaming establishment, criminals other than gangsters have recently begun pushing their weight about. They have no sense of honor and are despicable in their readiness to do anything for money. Are they the perpetrators of the fraud? Take, who has finally agreed to live with Tsuyu, is going to fall into the hands of these ruthless criminals.
Star Power
The stars do an amazing job. They make sure to include gestures, tones, and speech from Japan’s early years, giving the viewer the impression that it is set in the same era.
Overall Opinion
Some advice to the viewers is to take up this movie only if they are not ready to invest their time in this movie. This movie does take up the viewer’s attention and therefore cannot be watched anytime leisurely.
