With Kase at the end at the crime scene it really looked like maybe he noticed something there that could cast doubt on the video.

I meant to mention this before but this episode and the preview for the next made it more clear about the track and field members... Originally I felt that they were mostly being shady because of the nature of what happened that night with the drugs, this is something we already know about. More so now I feel in general some members definitely know more than they wanted to tell anyone about the drugs and Kousuke. I think Fuji at least (if not also other members) helped Tatsuo with Kousuke's body and to clean up the scene, the police questioned whether one man could do all that alone and when he was recounting it all it did seem like a lot.

I also wanted to say this about the original video, there is no way Rio would have kept it and shown it as a way to get herself off the hook for Kousuke's muder! Like their father Rio would let people believe she did it before admitting Yuu did it. I know logically you think it's fine for people to know it was Yuu because he was a child acting in self defence and probably wouldn't be sent to prison but that's not how it goes in dramas... Rio wanted to protect Yuu from being labelled a murderer so why would she use the video as evidence she didn't do it ever? That's not her.

Oh also Tachibana, I'm very curious! She seems to be more interested in the money side of things and taking the whole company down. As president I feel like Rio should know everything that's going on with the company but I'm not so sure she really has much of a hand in the money making part of things (outside of securing investors to continue making the drugs) so I just don't think she's involved in the paper company things that Tachibana is investigating. The 2006 thing is such a coincidence but I find myself wondering if there's a possibility that it's actually something separate, like maybe something that happened with her family involving the Sanada company that made her have to take that break and that the meaning of it happening in 2006 is just basically to show that it's something Rio wasn't involved with because Rio wasn't a part of the company or family yet.

Hey guys!! It's interesting reading your thoughts and theories about the latest episode, I think we all deserve a collective group hug after going through E05?

Anyways, true, the Track and Field club members definitely are sus. Idk if I have mentioned this before but from my lurking spree on twitter, a lot of local viewers are suspecting Fuji the most. I was still a bit hesitant about taking on this route but looking back at the past episodes, this may have some grounds.... let me enumerate some points:

  1. On E01, Fuji wasn't explicitly shown as one of the Track and Field club members who participated in the cannabis incident. Can't prove yet if he really isn't present or what but at least this is something, since the other key members (Misaki Ayame and Kanai Sonde's characters) were shown.
  2. On E02, when Yuu saw the press at the front of the university and Dai-chan steered him away from the scene, the camera cut to Fuji and showed his few seconds of reaction at this. After watching E05, my hunch - if taking this theory into account - is that he's worried that Yuu might tell Daiki something.
  3. On E05, when the black box opened, we saw what Tatsuo discovered upon going back to the dorms. We can see that there's a car behind him with its headlights turned on, and when the camera cut to his back, you can see a shadow move towards them.... considering point #1, what if this is Fuji?? and then he helped Tatsuo carry Kosuke's body and everything?
  4. On E01 as well, he - along with the other key club members - cast some looks at Kase. He even asked Daiki about his identity. This may just be a casual line that doesn't have anything to do with the theory but what if he's wary of any new people coz he's involved?

So yeah haha just some things to consider hmm.

And same @nhii! I was both disappointed/empathized with Daiki. I understand that he has a role as a detective but as someone rooting for Rio and Yuu's happiness, man did that hurt haha. Still, he made a new promise to Yuu to help him, and knowing his character, he'll do it. Kouhei did so well in showing Dai-chan's conflict, it's clear on his face!

Oh, and he also now knows about what happened to Rio at that time... from the preview, it seems like Rio will share about it with him but mannn, I think Rio will be so messed up in E06 because of what happened to Yuu and Tatsuo's confession (Asamiya family made my heart hurt so much gdi).

Kase won me over in this episode lol he's so supportive of the siblings despite everything. He's every inch the "guard dog of the Sanada family", as the series described him. I think what Rio whispered to him at the start of the episode was about wanting to run away with Yuu, but it might also be about the people following her (since they afterwards showed a cut of the car tailing her). But somehow, Kase's kindness bothers me a bit. However kind he is, I feel like there's something he's hiding.... at first I thought that what he's hiding is his feelings for Rio but now I feel like it might be something deeper.

As for Rio's role as the president, I think Rio's more focused on the drug-developing side, since her bro Masanobu's in charge of the business/healthcare side, if I remember correctly. But yeah, I think she should know about the finances as well.... unless her mother kept it from her. Good point @maclou about Tachibana! She might have bad blood with the Sanada fam before, that could be a possibility!

Ghad there's so much more to watch out for.

Hi guys, im so happy read all your theory

is it maybe that shiori is watanabe akira daughter ? because when i see saiai official website, detail information in past for watanabe akira is he raise his son alone after divorces his wife. after i read your comment before, my friend realized that shiori parent divorced too in september, exactly same time when watanabe kousuke dissapired. 

im sorry with my bad english

One week late but finished watching Episode 5. I am dead inside lol, the last section of the Episode kept me on edge and the acting was amazing, showing the character's inner turmoil. Asamiya family please I want them to be happy and I just love Kase-san, he really is a true watchdog. Iura's delivery of "了解" at the end was really cool.

-----------------------EPISODE 6 SPOILERS STARTING FROM THIS POST-------------------------- 

Love to see that many of our theories here have come true hehe. I got goosebumps all over when that witness said he saw Watanabe still walking around that night all wet. I knew he didn't die that easy but I didn't think he was that alive lol. Kinda surprised that it didn't take them long to prove Yuu's innocence. 

Now that the Tachibana Shiori theory has been confirmed, I wonder what's her relation with Kousuke? Why does she seem so obsessed with bringing down Sanada Wellness? I still don't think that she was Kousuke's family or girlfriend though, it seems kinda off. And I don't think she was the culprit either, but she could be a lead to solve the case.

Also that scene when Rio was standing on the bridge watching over Daiki, it was like E01 all over again, except that this time Daiki didn't run pass her, he ran after her ? Good job, Daichan! 

@sunflowershine are you still working on that Fuji theory? is there anything new on E06? I want to read more ? that guy seemed so carefree in E06, it kinda bothered me. He just casually mentioned Shiori out of nowhere. The way he remembers someone vaguely related to the case that completely went under the police's radar is so sus.

@dj23 Hello, welcome to the thread! Your english is okay, don't worry. I don't think Shiori is Watanabe's daughter though. I think Watanabe divorced his wife long before his son went missing. If their divorce was in Sept 2006 then it wouldn't make sense that he raised his son alone, don't you think?

@Aimer_is_life lol E06 just proved further how loyal the Sanada's watchdog is. He was so reliable that Rio just dropped down sleeping right after he told her to sleep. The way that he's both conscious of Daiki and understanding Daiki's circumstance at the same time is something else. He's just too good at what he does it's unreal haha.

Well my theory about Shiori just having a grudge against the Sanada family and not against Rio in particular was wrong. She definitely has an ax to grind with Rio in particular for some reason! Could it simply be that she's jealous that Rio was able to escape being assaulted and has now moved on to what she sees as a nice and successful life?

For Fujii I don't know. He has been working on the case in Hida since they uncovered Kousuke's body so he's researched everyone involved in the case and where they're living now so that's why he was able to think of Shiori since she was only one of four involved with the case living in Tokyo now.

I was thinking about how great Kase was this whole episode and then at the end the lingering stare got me thinking. Is there something else there?

I almost feel like we're back at 0 now. Someone else murdered Kousuke. Who could it be? Really where do we even start? 

Hello everyone, nice to meet you! ^^
It was so fun to read your theories. So far I've only been a silent reader, but this time I want to comment too.

I feel sorry because it turns out that Shiori is one of the victims of Kosuke's assault. She even changed her surname from Matsumura to Tachibana in order to forget her past (Or maybe because of her parents' divorce). But I still don't understand why she wants to take down Rio / Sanada Wellness so much?

The ending make me very impatient to watch the next eps. I want to know immediately what Shiori wanted to say to Rio..

Maybe the assault incident actually caused Shiori’s parents to divorce or something like that, meanwhile Rio had her protective dad and wealthy mom to back her up, idk maybe she’s envious... Shiori seemed to had consecutive bad experiences, the club’s manager too and Rio, the victims had it hard.. I’m hoping the death of Watanabe’s father is just an accident, I’m not sure abt him but his son is a trash TT

Goto san must have known abt father Watanabe and Yu’s encounter, because I don’t think Yu would have a large amount of money unless someone else provided for him. Yu doesn’t even remember anything before the recorded video, but something important must have happened before it. I hope Rio could cure Yu at the end. So excited for the next episodes !

GUUUUYS I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS HAHA so many that I needed to write them all down on my phone so as not to lose track. Anyways, it's so nice seeing all of your theories and thoughts~! And welcome @Siti Melyana and @dj23! :)

So here goes my thoughts, in numerical form so it won't be too hard to read hehe this will be long:

(TLDR: thoughts on Fuji Theory, Goto-Iguchi-Yamao link, Watanabe Akira, Shiori and Rio, Kase's background, and Rio and Daiki)

  1. Fuji Theory - I'm still suspicious of Fuji @nhii haha, he has always come across as carefree but I agree, it seems too much on E06. Maybe this is just the result of me looking at it through the lens of Fuji-as-a-suspect, but who knows? The way he asked about Rio and Yuu just made me think that he's fishing for information not as a member of the police but as someone involved in the incident. His comments about human nature might be a hint as well, but as of this moment I'm still trying to collect info.
  2. Possible Goto-Iguchi-Yamao link - When Goto "saved" Shiori and told her to go home, we can see a silver car in the background with the silhouette of a person behind the wheel. Looking back on E05 and the previous episodes, we can see an officer, Iguchi, tailing Rio. It turns out that Iguchi is a member of the police division, same as Daiki and Kuwata (you can see him in E04, I think, with the shot of the detectives at the long table). Just a passing thought but what if Goto's working with Yamao and Iguchi to bring down Rio?
  3. Goto knowing about Watanabe Akira - He knows about Watanabe papa chasing after Rio, he's the one who gave the 5Million yen to him through Yuu. This might be him protecting the company in his own way, using the old 5 million yen bills (which I guess is from the paper companies?) to silence Watanabe and keep him from ruining the company's reputation. Now, with him knowing about Shiori's past, it seems that he'd be an even bigger character to keep an eye out for in the coming episodes.
  4. Shiori targeting Rio -You guys are right, she does have a particular grudge on Rio. Like what @maclou and @Kez mentioned, Shiori may have been envious of Rio. Her case is particularly interesting to think about, since both of them are victims. Her grudge really might have stemmed from her envy of Rio escaping assault, or perhaps of herself not attaining the justice she wanted and deserved because Kosuke died suddenly that night. One line that struck me is Shiori saying "I can't forgive stuff done in secret" to Goto, and perhaps this is a hint? This could pertain as well to what happened during Kosuke's case....
  5. Shiori targeting Sanada Wellness - She might be targeting the company to get back at Rio, a revenge of sorts. "Why must I be the only one to suffer?" and all that.
  6. Kase and his motives - I feel like we're getting closer to knowing Kase's background and motivations. At first I was thinking that maybe the thing that Kase's hiding is his "feelings" for Rio but seeing him as the episodes went by (Iura Arata's so amazing to watch!), I feel like there's something more. All of these may be a way of atonement for something he did in the past. His conversation with Yuu about his motivations to become a lawyer somehow makes me apprehensive, there's something behind those words. Something dark, maybe. He's a strong support for the Asamiya siblings and the Sanada family, in general, so I hope he doesn't do a 180 degree turn and turn out bad.
  7. RIO AND DAIKI!!! -That bridge scene!!!! I was losing it at that part lol the parallels with episode 1! I was so happy that this time both of them were able to really hug each other tight, but then again at the cost of saying goodbye. Both Yuriko and Kouhei did so well in that scene - Yuriko's eye acting in the hugging scene in particular, was so good, you can clearly see when she was still resisting and when she gave in to her emotions. Although this was a goodbye, I felt like we'd still see them together in the future haha. Their conversation in the izakaya scene in episode 04 (Rio's "you came!" and Daiki's "I did say I would come, didn't I?" somehow felt like foreshadowing) made me think that something like that will happen in the future------ (cont. in #8)
  8. Episode 1 narration - ----and that something is connected to the end of Daiki's narration in E01. That scene of Rio with the blood on her face made me speculate that this could be somehow connected to Yuu and Daiki. It might be an act of self-defense for herself, or for Yuu, or for Daiki. I feel like the story will come full circle with Rio defending someone else (either of these two, in particular), rather than getting defended like what happened in the past.

Anyways, that was long haha! So yeah, just some of my thoughts post-episode 06. There's still some few points I want to talk about but my mind's all over the place right now haha.

Hey guys! My brain is fried, I can't think properly right now lol but at least our suspects are narrowed down to 5 now - Rio, Kase, Goto, Masanobu, and Azusa.

The end of episode 08 really set Kase up, but I have trust issues with the series lol, it may just be a diversion. But somehow, I want it to be Kase-san, too haha coz he's the most fleshed out character among the four of them (sans Rio).

If not him, then he may at least be a huge clue as to who the culprit really is. If you look at the end of episode 08, when he's with Masanobu and Azusa at the office, you can see that he's not writing with the Wellness Home pen so... that might be a clue. 

What we can somehow be sure of is that Azusa knows a whole lot about what's going on. Kase's in danger of getting thrown under the bus along with Goto, since Azusa seemed intent on doing all she can to protect the company.

If ever it's her or Masanobu who is the culprit of the events, I just hope that they will be fleshed out in the last two episodes. They're missing for around half of the series, so I hope that we will get the background needed to understand these two characters.

Yeah hope so do. If not them, then maybe Fuji or Atsushi, They were pretty sus this episode, more so Fuji at the end with the "Who were you talking with, Senpai" question lol

Yeah, Fuji just suddenly came out of nowhere hahaha. Or maybe Fuji knows something about what happened in the past hmmmm

So is it a possibility that Daiki could be behind Akira's death? At first I thought it seemed like a reach because he had acted like he hadn't seen Yu and Rio in many years but when I thought of it a bit it could be that after Kousuke's body was found he found that Akira was bothering Rio and decided to get rid of him. The only thing though is it caused a lot of problems for Rio and came really close to throwing Yu under the bus which I know he wouldn't want.

It would be a juicy twist tho but I don't really want it.