2 Best Movies to Watch by Taishi Nakagawa

Not fully a mystery and not entirely a thriller, yet on the cusp of both, the initial setup of Burn the House Down promises a definite answer and dismantles it in every episode. Sure that her mother was framed, Anzu infiltrates Makiko's new lavish life to prove that the fire set to her home thirteen years ago was no accident. She knows the culprit but lacks evidence, but when she's reacquainted with Makiko's eldest son, his reclusive demeanour takes a sinister turn. The premise is straightforward, yet it's hard to look away from Anzu skulking around as she finds remnants of her mother's old life and sweet-talking the family that destroyed hers. Trying to piece together that fateful night isn't simple but feels worth the unexpected detours three episodes in. 

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Actor: Asuka Kudo, Kie Kitano, Kyoka Suzuki, Mei Nagano, Michiko Kichise, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Taishi Nakagawa, Tamaki Shiratori, Yuri Tsunematsu

Rating: TV-14

Usually, telepathy is just portrayed as a cool superpower. In Eye Love You, it’s useful for Motomiya to secure her CEO position, but it also means an imbalance in every interaction she has with other people… At least, until she meets Korean student Yoon Tae-oh. This, of course, becomes the basis for their relationship, which, while starting from a pretty novel idea, plays out in the cheesy, romantic ways we’re used to seeing in both Japanese and Korean dramas. With Yoon Tae-oh better characterized, it's lovely to see Chae Jong Hyeop to charm in both languages, but it's disappointing to see how cliché the protagonist is depicted, how her main desire isn't personal but in relation to another man (her father), when the show comes primarily through her perspective. Still, Eye Love You’s unique power leads to the unique idea that differences can mean connection– and having them allows us to truly appreciate each other, as long as we’re open enough to get to know them.

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Chae Jong-hyeop, Fumi Nikaido, Hiroya Shimizu, Mizuki Yamashita, Narumi Yui, Shiraku Tatekawa, Taishi Nakagawa, Tetta Sugimoto

Director: Akiko Katō, Okamoto Shingo, Ryôsuke Fukuda

Rating: TV-14