ReviewNetflix drama Straight to Hell review: Erika Toda dazzles as Japan’s famous fortune-teller

4.5/5 stars Lead cast: Erika Toda, Sairi Ito, Toko Miura Anchored by a sensational central performance from Erika Toda, Netflix’s new drama series Straight to Hell spans 60 years of recent Japanese history as it charts the controversial life of celebrity fortune-teller Kazuko Hosoki. The 37-year-old actress, best known internationally for her breakout role in the Death Note films, portrays this mercurial figure between the ages of 17 and 66, as she claws her way out of abject poverty in the aftermath of World War II to become the head of a self-made media empire. Not only does the role demand a continually evolving physical transformation from Toda, but also a deeply nuanced performance that constantly challenges the audience’s sympathies, as she proves every bit as formidable and resilient as those determined to inflict suffering upon her. The show opens in 2005, with the caption, “This story is based on true events and is a work of fiction”. By this time, Kazuko is Japan’s most popular fortune-teller whose books on Six-Star Divination have sold millions of copies, and her television show is a ratings juggernaut. Nevertheless, she is dogged by rumours that she is a fraud with long-standing connections to the yakuza. In an effort to improve her public image, Kazuko agrees to be interviewed for a book about her life, allowing her to tell her own story. Struggling young author Minori Uozumi (Sairi Ito) is put forward by her editor and receives an initially frosty reception from Kazuko. Over the course of several conversations, however, the former “Queen of Ginza” opens up to her novice biographer to recount the many hardships and failed relationships she has endured. “Hunger” is what got her started, she reveals. “Not knowing when your next meal will be is terrifying beyond imagination,” she says. Together with her mother and younger siblings, Kazuko barely survived the first years after the war, subsisting on what scraps they could steal from the market. In one heartbreaking moment, she even eats an earthworm for sustenance. When she reaches age 17, Kazuko drops out of school, lies about her age and gets a job at a hostess club. Beautiful and willing to please, she quickly becomes a hit with the regulars, but is eventually undone by her naivety when she falls foul of her smooth-talking boss, Ochiai (Eita Okuno). After this calamitous initial experience, Kazuko decides to go it alone and convinces a family friend to invest in a nightclub that she plans to run herself. With younger brother Hisao (Gaku Hosokawa) in tow, Kazuko opens “Kazusa” in the centre of Ginza in central Tokyo, which becomes a roaring success. There she meets Mita (Kentaro Tamura), the heir to a huge family business, who soon proposes marriage. Once again, however, Kazuko’s personal conquests prove less successful than her professional ones. This sets the tone for much of the series, as Kazuko navigates a succession of suitors, rivals and business associates, while becoming increasingly embroiled with the criminal underworld that looks to control all aspects of the city’s nightlife. With every new challenge and failed relationship, Kazuko becomes more streetwise, duplicitous and attuned to the pitfalls of fate, all of which help hone her skills for when she eventually turns her hand to fortune-telling. Visually, Straight to Hell is a feast for the eyes, especially when it comes to Kazuko’s stylish wardrobe that embodies the opulence of the times. Similarly, full credit must go to the make-up team, as Toda appears to age in real time, with a poised elegance and grace that seems impossible to contrive. Every moment of the show, even when not on screen, belongs to Toda, but the ensemble cast does boast a host of eye-catching supporting players, including Toko Miura (Drive My Car) as legendary singer Chiyoko Shimakura, whom Kazuko takes under her wing, and Toma Ikuta as a yakuza boss who steals her heart. Across its nine episodes, the story jumps back and forth between Kazuko’s odyssey and Minori’s search for the truth behind her subject’s increasingly embellished myth-making. The result is a fastidiously detailed portrait of Japan’s economic evolution, embodied by the tribulations of one deeply flawed yet determined woman. Kazuko will always be a questionable figure, but the talent of Toda is beyond reproach. Her work here stands as one of the most memorable and affecting performances in recent memory, and it is the actress’ strength that makes Straight to Hell such compelling viewing. Straight to Hell will start streaming on Netflix on April 27.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Erika Toda delivers a memorable turn as Kazuko Hosoki in this series tracing the controversial Japanese soothsayer’s life over 60 years

Erika Toda delivers a memorable turn as Kazuko Hosoki in this series tracing the controversial Japanese soothsayer’s life over 60 years