TV Tokyo will air the drama special "Keigo Higashino's Letter" on August 6th at 8:50 PM in tribute to Keigo Higashino, who passed away on July 23rd. This 2018 special drama is a live-action adaptation of Higashino's timeless masterpiece, which has sold over 2.7 million copies, starring Kazuya Kamenashi.
In this film, Kamenashi plays the protagonist who is burdened with the fate of being the younger brother of a criminal, and the story carefully depicts Naoki's journey of re-examining human bonds amidst discrimination and prejudice, through the letters exchanged between the brothers in the film. In addition to Kamenashi, the cast includes Sato Ryuta, Tsubasa Honda, Alice Hirose, Tomoya Nakamura, and Fumiyo Kohinata.
Naoki Takeshima's (Kamenashi) older brother, Takeshi (Sato), was arrested four years ago for robbery and murder after unintentionally killing someone in a house he broke into, driven by his desire to send Naoki to university. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Since then, he has been sending letters to his younger brother Naoki once a month from prison.
Naoki, who attends a part-time high school while working, reports to his brother in a letter that "everything is going well, so there's no need to worry," but in reality, he is forced to change part-time jobs one after another and move from place to place. In today's social media society, everything that brings happiness to life—further education, romance, finding a job—slips through his fingers because of the label of "the younger brother of a robber and murderer."
Gradually, Naoki begins to ignore Takeshi's letters, and eventually, the brothers face a major decision. Discrimination is inevitable—but what kind of bonds does Naoki, burdened by the fate of being the younger brother of a criminal, find as he interacts with those around him and tries his best to live his life...?
