Sousa Kaigi wa Living de! (2018)

A little bit of everything

This show really has it all! Romance, fantasy, drama, mystery, suspense, hilarity, ingenuity, and even a few moments where I've had to hold my breath or grab a tissue. I did not expect a lot from this story, but each and every episode with its wonderful cast really did their best to deliver a one-of-a kind, unique, talent filled, enjoyable show!


It was interesting to see that there was a sort of "behind the scenes" look at a police officer's lifestyle besides the nitty-gritty dirty details of their work. Also, I really enjoyed watching the different types of families, with or without kids, throughout the show. For some reason, this show felt familiar to a family/slice-of-life anime style, but also with little bits of "Bewitched" and the typical family life thrown in. Each episode was filled with suspense, thrills, mystery, comedy, and sometimes even a little life lesson. I liked that the family unit for the Morikawa's was completely upended, definitely not the "typical" or "normal" family style.


Watching this story was intense! So much happening all at once, but never once did I lose my train of thought or get confused. It was really fun to watch the kids seem to have their own lives, but also come together as part of the community and support their friends and families. So many times you see kids be bratty or self centered, but it was really fun to watch each member of the little town where the Morikawa's lived come together on different, yet similar, common ground(s) at times. As an aspiring writer myself (as if my ridiculously long reviews didn't hint at that already lmao) it was also nice to watch Morikawa Akira struggle and yet still continue his writings; often in shows we only see failure and quitting or succeeding and winning or succeeding and then failing after a while... viewers don't often get to see the journey that Akira goes on throughout the episodes, so it was really fun to watch!


From cooking and stain removal to fighting bad guys and bullet proof vests to odd souvenirs and new friends to stubborn visitors and funny relatives, this story really does seem to have something for everyone! Though, if you're looking for epic gun battles and "fire fights", this may not be too interesting. The story of the Morikawa family, their neighborhood of family and friends, and how they persevere throughout difficulties and hard work together, or separately, is really wonderful!


I think this show is sort of underrated, being as I don't really see a lot of people talking about it, but if people decide to give this fantastic show a chance, I really think and believe that the viewer will enjoy themselves! I laughed, I cried, I was anxious, and even got a few new outlooks on life while enjoying myself! The narrator has a calming voice, yet he was also really funny, too! I am so interested in season two of this family and neighborhood's story!

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Qui a laissé traîner ses chaussettes ?

La famille, y a que ça de vrai et les Japonais ont un sens aigu et une représentation très codifiée de la vie familiale. Dans "Sousa Kaigi wa Living de!" on retrouve Mizuki Alisa en mère de famille beaucoup plus sympathique que celle incarnée dans "Watachitachi ha douka shite iru" mais qui n'a pas moins de mordant, puisque elle fait partie des forces d'intervention spéciales de la police. On est pourtant bien devant une comédie d'enquête pépère dont les Japonais raffolent (et moi aussi). Une grande partie de chaque épisode se déroule dans le salon de la famille, d'où le titre, Et celle-ci cherche à résoudre des délits aussi passionnants que la disparition de Manekinekos sur le pas d'une porte.

Composé donc de la maman flic, du papa écrivain (de romans policiers, tu m'étonnes) et d'un écolier un peu trop sérieux pour son âge, le trio ressemble un peu trop à une photo publicitaire pour quartier résidentiel. Mais voulant s'éloigner des clichés patriarcaux de trop de dramas (moins en moins quand même), c’est-à-dire, le père absorbé par le travail, toujours absent de la maison et la mère au foyer, les scénariste et la mise en scène nous fait tomber dans l'excès inverse en présentant une maman jouant ce type de papa et vis versa. Les ressorts comiques reposent surtout sur la dissimulation des métiers de chacun et sont finalement un peu légers. Les seconds rôles prennent heureusement le relai.

Malgré ses défauts, on prend plaisir à découvrir le quotidien d'un banal quartier résidentiel japonais, leurs us et coutumes (les codes, toujours), mais si vous n'accrochez pas au premier épisode, passez votre chemin. Toute la série est ainsi. Moi j'attends la saison 2, car j'aime toujours me plonger dans le quotidien (pas) prise de tête des Japonais.

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