What Is the Story About?
Based on a Japanese manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Moyashi Fujisawa, Burn the house down follows Anzu Murata who starts working as a house-keeper to her step-mother under the guise of a different name to take her revenge for ruining her mother’s life and accounting her responsible for a fire she didn’t commit.
Performances?
Burn the House down doesn’t boast of a strong star-cast nor exceptionally outstanding performances. However, the actress who dons the hat of Makiko, the shady influencer mum cum villainess, does a fine job.
Analysis
The Burn the House Down series is an adaptation of the famous Manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Moyashi Fujisawa. The series adaptation is written by Arisa Kaneko, and the episodes were directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa and Koji Shintoku. A revenge drama with flavours, we’ve been so used to, Burn the House Down gets a bit soapy and melodramatic at times, at times too much of it.
Burn the House down starts with a drone shot of a fire. A terrible arson that brought a family to ashes literally. We witness a family being ripped apart and thirteen years later, Anzu Murata is seen going to the same location where there’s a new house now. It also has her former family name, Mitarai. Anzu is there under the guise of her friend’s name : Shizuka Yamauchi as a housekeeper, with only one aim : revenge and justice to her mother who had to take the blame for the fire.
Anzu gets hired as a housekeeper for Makiko Mitarai, the stepmother who hasn’t seen her in years. The woman who was responsible for ruining Anzu and her family. Anzu plans and plots her delicious revenge, and she does so by winning the cunning step-mother and their sons over with her cooking and housekeeping skills. Her only intention is to prove her mother’s innocence, who’s now diagnosed with amnesia.
The plot material of Burn the House down is very typical. There’s nothing new or ground-breaking in the story and it does get too dramatic and soap-opera like at times, but it is engaging and eerie, nevertheless. The inconsistencies and abrupt tonal shifts could’ve been handled way better if the actors were really good at their jobs. This is a type of story-line where one would expect the casting to overshadow every narrative pitfall, but it doesn’t.
In fact, Burn the House Down is one such series that reminds you of how much good acting can elevate generic writing. The background score being at crossroads with the way the scenes are shot doesn’t help either. Nevertheless, Burn the house down could be a one time watch for people who actually enjoy thriller dramas and are into J-dramas. Otherwise, one could skip it.
Music and Other Departments?
One of the most off-putting aspects of Burn the House Down is its background score. It’s straight out unbearable and tonally suspicious. The camera work and production design isn’t great either and the show does come across as a low-budget soap opera at times, even when the core material is strong enough for a revenge drama.
Highlights?
Sinister & eerie writing
twists & turns
Drawbacks?
Too Long episodes
abrupt tonal shifts
Poor Casting
Too dramatic at times
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes. In very few parts.
Will You Recommend It?
Not really. Asian shows like The Glory & Celebrity are way better revenge thrillers.
Burn the House Down Series Review by Binged Bureau
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