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| Keiko Kitagawa’s New Role in ‘Since I Took You Away’ Is Like a Punch to the Soul — and She Knows It (ktv) |
Cold. Composed. Elegant. That’s how most people have come to know Keiko Kitagawa — the perennial “ice beauty” of the Japanese drama world. But in Since I Took You Away (Anata wo Ubatta Sono Hi kara/あなたを奪ったその日から), she shatters that image completely. What we get instead is raw grief, brutal love, and one of the most powerful performances of her career.
The drama opens with a gut punch: a mother loses her little daughter after a tragic food poisoning incident. In one moment, her world collapses.
The light disappears from her eyes, and in its place comes a terrifying silence — the kind that speaks louder than screams. And just like that, Keiko's character begins to change.
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She doesn’t spiral. She doesn’t explode. She becomes still — dangerously still. The kind of stillness that births revenge.
But Since I Took You Away isn’t your typical vengeance flick. This isn’t about rage-fuelled showdowns or dramatic courtroom monologues. It’s slower, deeper, more human.
The heart of the story starts beating harder when the grieving mother does the unthinkable — she kidnaps the daughter of the man she blames for her child’s death.
She doesn’t want to kill her. She just wants… something. A reckoning. A twisted kind of justice. But somewhere along the line, something shifts. She starts caring for the little girl. Feeding her. Protecting her. Loving her.
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That’s the real gut-twister here: watching a woman caught between grief and motherly instinct, vengeance and love. Keiko doesn’t act this — she lives it. And maybe that’s because she is a mum now.
Since having two kids of her own, she’s opened up about how motherhood has changed her, made her feel things more deeply. On set, she read the entire script from start to finish before even stepping into character. She wasn’t just playing a part — she was stepping into a mirror.
And it shows. Her tears don’t feel staged. Her silences are deafening. One glance from her can make you feel like you’ve just walked through someone else’s trauma.
Visually, the drama leans into its themes. The cinematography is gloomy but intimate, with a haunting score that lingers long after each scene fades. The pacing is slow, almost meditative — but every beat is soaked in meaning. It’s a story that demands patience, but rewards you with emotional weight in spades.
And while the drama breaks your heart, Keiko’s offscreen life kind of helps stitch it back up. Her husband, musician DAIGO, has been her rock throughout filming, even bringing their kids to set.
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One time, their child was reportedly shocked to see Keiko with white hair from another time-hopping role — proving that even in serious acting, real-life mum moments sneak in.
Keiko’s journey from teenage model to dramatic powerhouse has always been impressive, but this might just be the role that defines her. Not because it’s flashy. But because it’s honest.
And that honesty lingers. Since I Took You Away isn’t just a tale of revenge. It’s about what happens when loss strips you bare, when love refuses to die, and when pain finds an unexpected way to bloom into something… maybe not beautiful, but real.
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By the time the final credits roll, you’re left with more questions than answers. Is revenge ever really worth it? Can healing come from doing something unforgivable? And how do you forgive yourself when you start to love again in the ashes?
Keiko Kitagawa doesn’t just act in this drama. She is the drama. She doesn’t just deliver a performance — she delivers a piece of her soul.
And that’s what makes this one unforgettable.