Shokuzai (Atonement)

5 episode mini drama based on the book written by Minato Kanae.
Kurosawa Kiyoshi, director of Tokyo Sonata, became the screenwriter for the series and filmed it as well.
It is a mind-twisting psychological thriller just like Koukuhaku and Kurosawa Kiyoshi definitely utilises his expertise in the horror genre.
The cast is also very impressive, which includes my favourite Kase Ryo and many others who also have their share of critically-acclaimed films and series.
Kurosawa Kiyoshi, whom I realised likes to work with the same few artists over and over again, also features practically the entire Tokyo Sonata cast in this series.

But enough for tonight, one episode of Shokuzai has already left a great impact on me.
Shall continue with it another day, preferably in the day time instead (:

On another note, I was googling Minato Kanae and came across an article titled: 'New Writers Explore the Dark Side of Japanese Literature' which really caught my interest. It talks about a rising dark side in Japanese Literature with Minato Kanae's Koukuhaku (Confessions) winning the annual Hon'ya Taisho award and about the groups of female writers that are leading this change.

'...Could it be that the young women in Japan, whether they are writing melodramatic quasi-memoirs on cell phones or producing provocative literary works on paper, are the ones most sensitive to the dark undercurrent that permeates Japanese society, ravaged by a long economic slump? Does it explain why so many of them remain single and have stopped giving birth but write scary stories instead? Girls are losing hope for the future. Maybe we can reinstate it by listening to their voices.'