Move over, garden-variety anti-heroes, and make way for a villain-hero, darker than the darkest knight: a lawyer with a faulty conscience graces us with his unsolicited presence.

Not only does Mikoshiba have no qualms about taking on guilty-as-hell clients provided they can pay his exorbitant fees, but his own past seems mired in inexpiable sin. Yet the cynical attorney, whose legal acumen, at least, is impeccable, mysteriously seeks to defend a thirtysomething woman with limited means and below-average looks who has murdered her deadbeat husband. A sordid case if there ever was one, it makes veteran prosecutor Misaki wonder what the bastard is really after.

What unfolds is one of the best courtroom dramas ever to come out of Japan.