"Hiru" drama: Season two, episode one recap

 

 Air Dates: April 15th until May 20,2022 on WOWOW, Friday nights at 11:00 pm

Subs were once again done by Irozuku Subs and episodes are 26 minutes in length.

Main Cast: Save for the first character all of the Hirus are different from the first season which also had only six episodes, the two detectives also made a return. Hiru is the name for Leeches in Japanese but it also has a different meaning. It could be for a person who 'leeches' off of others which is the case in this drama. A Hiru may spend the night or day at someone's residence while they're working or at school. A Hiru has no regular place to live so they'll eat, clean and sleep at those residences which are usually apartments and a Hiru could almost be considered a Squatter. Writing this intro up after viewing two shows so will need to edit as we go along as there's a few characters we don't know much about after the two shows. So while the two seasons are very different have the link to the final two episodes of season one which explains more of what a Hiru is and there is one minor(important?) ongoing storyline.

Episode five recap .... Episode six recap

Kentaro Sakaguchi as Kara.... His real name is Makoto Tsukinuma and is the only returning Hiru from the first season. Kara is known as a 'Hiru Hunter' and he may have killed a few of them for a reason we learned in the second episode. He's on the hunt for a mysterious masked person who killed his mentor Mishin some years ago and has been seeking revenge since. Kara has this unique ability to suddenly appear and disappear in what seems a blink of an eye!

Marie Iitoyo as Hako.... Her real name is Sakura Yoko, thought Marie would be in season one which didn't happen but least her role in this show is quite large. The Yo in Yoko can also be pronounced Ha which is where Hako comes from. Hako did go to school with Kara a decade ago, she's a Hiru but not a very adept one who has to keep getting bailed out of tense situations.

Yui Sakuma as Robo.... Not much is known of her yet but she's a very curious woman, she's about 23 in age and so aren't the first two characters. She knows Kara well and it appears Robo works part time as a call girl to find out info about Hirus for him.

Masaki Miura as Nanashi.... Close friend of Kara's and both were under the wing of Mishin until her death. Nanashi is currently very sick and in the hospital but what is his illness?

Harumi Shuhama as Mishin.... As mentioned the 'mentor' of both Kara and Nanashi. We met her in the second episode through some flashbacks and that's the only way we'll see Mishin as she was killed by this mysterious masked man, small role but a very important one.

Jiei Wakabayashi as Chikin.... Also a Hiru who we met in the second episode. He's helped out Hako twice but can't quite figure out if he's a good or bad Hiru.

Itsuji Itao as Yashima.... Haven't seen much of him through two shows, he runs a black market operation which Hirus go to often to sell things or to buy fake ID's.

Manami Konishi as Chika Suzuki.... Female detective who was also in season one and she did help out a pair of Hirus as she does fight for justice though her partner was killed by a Hiru.

Kotaro Tanaka as Junya Sato.... Suzuki's new partner who was also in season one, the main case the pair are working on is finding out the mystery of Kara.

 

 Whew, an episode may last only 26 minutes but what a large cast, there's still a few characters who may have to be added in. Writing this up on May 11th but don't think it'll be published until the 15th along with the two recaps below this. The series ends on May 20th so wanted to wait a bit until doing these so there wouldn't be a long gap between the trio of recaps. Have also viewed the second show though not the third yet but so far this seems much better than season one as the two main characters weren't really all that likable in that first season. Thought Marie would be in that first season but sadly she wasn't but her character of Hako may have more screen time than anyone so that slightly makes up for things. Won't be discussing season one too often as Kara is the only Hiru who was in both seasons, the police are after him but he's really committed no 'crimes'. Also there should be no need to discuss what a Hiru is as the above should explain things well enough.

 That man in the first two screenshots is Kara who is the only main character to also appear in the first season. He's known as the 'Hiru Huter/Killer' as Kara really despises them but at one time he too was a Hiru, we're going to learn so much about his past in the next recap. Kara is one tough man but also a fair person, you couldn't ask for anyone better to be your friend. With him above is a a new character named Robo and actually all will be new save for two detectives. Not sure what's up with Robo by the end of the second show, we saw her as a call girl but is she really? Don't think so and it appears she's keeping tabs on the 'Hiru Community' for Kara, they may not be nice people but those leeches did have some sort of honor code. But not these days according to Robo as Hirus are now stealing and vandalizing apartments which they had never done before, why this sudden change?  We didn't see much of the female detective Suzuki but she's on the case looking for Kara. In that bottom screenshot she's finally discovered his possible true name and did he assume one of a dead person?

 Also above we finally saw Marie in this series and she may have been on screen 80% of the time.... it's why I viewed this show twice!!!! Her character is named Hako and she too is a Hiru, don't know how long she's been one but she's not that good compared to others. Hako entered an apartment to clean herself, her clothes, to have a mini meal and to sleep. To her credit she saw a jar full of coins but didn't take any, the main thing a Hiru has to do is leave everything as it was. During her nap unknown to Hako Kara entered the room and wrote that above message on her arm, how couldn't Hako have felt that? That definitely spooked out Hako who left that apartment immediately where she went to a cafe but is severely short on funds. Will bring up Kara here and he seems to pop out of nowhere on a consistent basis, how would be know Hako was sleeping there? Plus he seems to disappear in a matter of seconds and guess it's better not to question things about dramas.

 Tailing Hako was Kara who took a seat at her table in the cafe. She didn't recognize Kara but he certainly knew who Hako was or as he said Sakura which is her real name, all Hirus change their names. The pair went to middle school together and she was shocked this man knew who she was. Kara admitted his real name was Makoto and that couldn't be true according to Hako as that boy committed suicide seven years ago. Kara didn't go into details but we'll learn more about it in the next recap, that suicide at the age of fifteen was staged and he began to live as a Hiru. Hako was a bit leery about this tale and didn't believe this Kara was her old classmate until near the end of this show. After Kara's departure it was another apartment for Hako, this time she picked the place of her old boyfriend Ryo. The time frame was never mentioned but think shortly after Hako broke up with this man she became a Hiru. On Ryo's birthday a year ago(?) she was hiding in his apartment waiting to surprise him, Hako was the one surprised as Ryo brought a girl he met at the bar home with him!!!!

 Hako quickly hid under his bed and in a slightly hilarious scene Ryo and this woman had sex right above Hako! After they left Hako threw his engagement ring away and the return trip to his apartment was to see if it was still there so she could  hock it. It was but Hako won't be pawning it until the next show, while still in Ryo's apartment another huge surprise for Hako took place. Another Hiru entered the place and she hid below the same bed, this man went without a name so will call him Baka. He didn't stay for long and had the impression Baka felt another Hiru may be hiding there. Of course there was and it was Hako who ended up following Baka for the next few hours.  Eventually it became nighttime and Baka ended up at a school where he was probably going to spend the night.

 Baka is an experienced Hiru and knew he was being trailed, that may have been the big reason he ended up at this empty school. He quickly nabbed Hako, tied her up and she rightly thought this man Baka was going to kill her. Which was his plan and he did admit to Hako that he was a Hiru, also that he would give her a chance to escape. Baka said the game was Tag and if he couldn't tag her in thirty minutes he would let her go but doubt if that would have happened. Hako ran up to the next floor but there was no way she could conceal her location as she was wearing heavy shoes which were easy to hear. Hako hid in a lab and before Baka came upon the scene guess who was there first? If you thought Kara you'd be right and he somehow pops up out of nowhere, he was tailing Haro? Kara gave her a knife for protection and said if she could escape she should leave the life of being a Hiru. So after Kara made his departure arriving on the scene was Baka, he too had a knife and was shocked that now Hako also had one.

 But she was no match for this burly man and it looked like Hako's life would end rather soon. But of course jumping out of the shadows was Kara who swiftly took this man down and could have easily ended his life but didn't. Kara's main mission is to find the identity of this masked Hiru and it's the first we had heard of this person. Baka told Kara he had no clue who this person was and think he was telling the truth so Kara let him go. In the final twenty seconds Baka met up with this man named Yashima to tell him about Kara, we'll learn more about Yashima in the next recap. So Hako is all safe and sound as she left the school with Kara who once again told his old schoolmate to stop being a Hiru as she's not cut out to be one and she can't expect protection all of the time. So this recap ends on that note and the next post has the action for the second episode.