An unsatisfying end to two-parter, Soloman's Perjury reads as a stereotypical K-drama [Review]

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By Melanie Leung
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By Melanie Leung |
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The stage has been set, and the Joto No. 3 Junior High School students are ready to begin their trial to clear up the death of classmate Takuya. There will be no sentencing, the judge vows - they just want the truth.

Meaning there are no stakes.

Meaning Solomon's Perjury Part II is like a bad drama series - you have to get to the end just so you know how it ends.

Part II has no new characters, and there isn't much development in those we already know. School bully Shunji Oide stays a bully, prosecutor Fyoko Fujino is still quietly dogged, and there's predictably more to Kazuhiki Kambara, Takuya's primary school pal, than meets the eye. Romance between Kazuhiki and Fyoko would have spiced things up a bit.

You'd also think, given how long the film is, that the teachers (who were violently against the students organising the trial in the first film) would play a bigger role. But no, there are just a couple of shots of them in the audience, barely reacting when it's revealed how bad bullying is at the school.

If you haven't yet fallen into the trap of watching Part I, I'd recommend staying that way.

 

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