Bengoshi no Kuzu, Episode 1

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Unknown (perhaps Sano Shiro) ♂
Rape-Huggee: (Yasu Megumi) ♀

The Context

Although I take the business of rape-hugs very seriously, it does mean that I have to pore over hours and hours of terrible doramas. Often I call the acto of watching a dorama 'rape-hug mining'. I especially dislike rigidly episodic doramas such as medical, detective or legal doramas with one case per episode. Because each series is only about 10 episodes long, they hardly have any depth and they seem like crappy knock-offs of American shows which aren't eve that good to start with. Bengoshi no Kuzu is about a lawyer whose name is Kuzu (meaning "trash"). Oh the hilarity. So imagine my delight when this dorama presented itself with a rape-hug in the first 10 seconds of the first episode! That's got to be a record. It's like when footballer Vinnie Jones got a red-carded right after the opening whistle - that's true commitment to being an asshole. Although there probably are some more rape-hugs to be mined in the later episodes, there was no real reason to watch any further. Basically, the rape-hug occurs in the opening scene which turns out to be a sexual harrassment case that will be solved over the next 45 minutes.

In the interest of journalistic integrity, I continued watching, and it turns out that the incident above was in fact not sexual harassment, but part of a consentual relationship between the OL (office lady) and her boss. She was suing for a pay-out. This, however, is not consistent with the scene shown above. Unless they are into kinky role-playing, it seems odd that she would squirm and shout "stop". So, the only explanation for what we see is that this is the explanation she gave, although there is no indication that that was the case. Hence, this is not a very high-quality dorama.

So in summary, although we see a very disturbing case of sexual harrassment via rape-hug, she was asking for it? Again, not a very good dorama.

The Result

We learn that she is actually a greedy conniving whore, and Mr. Kuzu solves the case with his unorthodox but effective lawyering ways.

The Depiction

The drama opens with a first-person view of the offender as he appoaches her in the deserted open-plan office. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first instance I am aware of where there is a "rape-hug-cam". Then she drops the papers she is holding. This filming technique is usually applied in detective-style dramas in order to mask the offender until the big reveal at the end, but the next scene just shows the guy ravaging the girl, hugging her from behind with his hands groping at her hand which she is holding in front of her breasts, because they wouldn't actually show the guy squeezing her like he was testing fruit at the grocer.


Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆☆



Although we later learn that this is not a case of sexual harrassment, the treatment of the issue is way off-point. It basically tells us that what we saw was not a rape-hug, even though it clearly was - and a violent one at that. The awkwardometer can be seen as how unaware the people involved in the making of the dorama  are in realising the gravity of the issue. How do you explain this to the children? Think of the children! It's like rape-hugs are either a girl is asking for it, and/or she wants money. Japan may be able to produce top-class sex-bots, but they are still 50 years behind the modern world in terms of gender equality. 

Video

Here is the entire 20-second start to Bengoshi no Kuzu. I don't think this is what they mean with by "start with a bang".

 

Dream Again, Episode 6

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Sorimachi Takashi ♂
Rape-Huggee: Kato Ai ♀

The Context

This is a very convoluted script, and by 'convoluted' I am combining the words "Confusing", "Vomit" and "diluted". A famous baseball player starts sucking and retires, and the drama starts just when he rediscovers his fire for baseball and decides to mount a comeback. This upsets his girlfriend and somehow leads him to throwing his engagement ring into a river. Then he literally gets struck by lightning and dies, only there was some kind of clerical error so he comes back to earth inside another man's body. I don't know how Sorimachi - who is the god of Japanese doramas - got sucked into this piece of crap conference-meeting power-script. In one short span of the dorama his daughter who has a non-specified terminal illness collapses, recovers, runs away, there is a shitty little scene of trying to find her, and then she tries to commit suicide by walking into the ocean while he holds her back and slaps the sense back into her. I'm not trying to give a recap of this dorama, but if they manage to put all those clichés into one small section of the plot, you can bet your life they'll find space to include a rape-hug somewhere. 

The Depiction

Usually I place the video clip at the end, but in this case I think it is worthwhile to take a look now, just to see how many clichés are forced into this one scene like a fat man's haggis. So, she doesn't know that this man is actually her reincarnated ex-fiancé, but they find themselves talking while overlooking the view from a bridge at night. Then, the ominous soft piano music starts to play as the camera slowly zooms in on his face to show that he is completely tuning out whatever she is saying. Then he makes a lunge to grab her wrist, and in slow motion pulls her towards him.

Then, once the action is complete, the theme song by Kobukuro kicks in. This artist is used for many themesongs in doramas and although I don't have any evidence, I would think that his voice is the voice of rape-hugs. I'm saying if rape-hugs had it's own nation, Kobukuro would be singing the anthem before every sports event that Rapehuggistan is in.

 

The Result

This rape-hug is used as the cliff-hanger between episodes 6 and 7, and the seventh episode ends with her brekaing free of the rape-hug and briskly walking away. So, the result was not looking good - and he knows it. In fact, one of the next scenes is of Soramachi talking to his guardian angel. Did I mention that he has a guardian angel and that this script is a total piece of shit? 

Watch the following clip (with fansubs) where Sorimachi asks his guardian angel (he is the one who is glowing blue. Duh.) as to whether he should apologize. The angel replies:

"As an adult you might need to say a word of apology. You suddenly hugged her after all."

There you have it: an angel - a divine messenger of god (or whoever it is that gives a shit about the Japanese) - is on the fence about the legitmacy of rape-hugs. 

Meanwhile, the poor victim in this matter is showing signs of severe trauma. While sitting at her desk her phone starts ringing. When she sees that it's him she has a flashback of the rape-hug - which she admittedly did almost accept - but her fiancé had only recently been struck dead by lightning. Give her some time to mourn, dammit! Then she does a double face-palm. Where's her guardian angel when she needs one?

Remember, rape-hugs are not a victimless crime.

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆☆



I'm giving this a full five-star rating.I don't care that he is actually her spouse-to-be, and that she almost accepted the advances. It's at night on a secluded footbridge, and he literally grabs her wrist. Seriously, when do you ever grab someone's wrist? The answer is when you are trying to lead someone somewhere against their own will - like a naughty child to the corner of the room. That is not a good way to woo. And throw in the fact that she is mentally fragile after her fiancé suddenly dieing only a few months earlier, and the trauma she showed afterwards.  

The follow-up converstation with the guardian angel is almost on the right track about showing remorce, but eventually belittles the gravity of the act. That conversation was backed by a peppy comedic tune, whereas the facepalm scene was something out of a pyschological thriller. 













What are we doing here people?