I enjoyed it for the fact that the two lead males on screen chemistry with each other as father and son was comfortable and effortless. They just seem to ALWAYS be in sync with each other regardless if it was for comedic timing or emotional timing. Takeru Sato and Atsuro Watabe were great. Their acting never seemed over the top and you felt like this was just normal everyday interaction between them in every episode.
The supporting cast's acting was well done but at some times it was a bit over the top but with the atmosphere of the drama. I didn't mind because it added to the fun and craziness of the episodes. Not too many dramas can be emotional and silly at the same time so I commend the cast for an enjoyable show.
The episodes are a give and take when it comes to story lines. Some episodes that featured the story line for certain supporting characters were well written and the others were worth a side glance of " Really???" but again , I have to say the acting of all those involved made you forgive those episodes and look past the faults.
The main theme song is very catchy. Now that can be a good or bad thing. I do believe if this drama was any longer, it would become like that song from Boys Over Flowers, Almost Paradise. ANNOYING. That's how catchy it is..lol You will like it until you hate it. So far I still like it:)
It's a good possibility that I will rewatch this at some time considering that I rarely rewatch shows. Also I am under the impression that this drama may have a part 2 because at the end of the finale episode in small red writing, it said "to be continued".. Hmmmmm I hope it does.
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The casting is so good I loved each and everyone of them
They have done a great job in this drama
this is my first Japanese serial and I loved it
It's full of Fun not even a single part is boring though less romance you won't really need anything
The hidden love between the father and the son is very realistic and sweet
the only disappointing thing for me is the Drama got over so soon I couldn't get enough of it
Overall its GREAT !!
JUST WATCH IT !! ITS TOTAL FUN, U WILL LOVE IT ;)
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Comedy on point, messages and plot - not so much.
The comedy in this show is so good that even someone who is not that into the genre will appreciate it (I’m talking about myself here). The jokes always made sense in the presented situations, were driven from the characters’ personality and the cast never failed to deliver them in the most amusing way.These are the highlights of the show - comedy, performance and the chemistry between Satoh Takeru and Watabe Atsuro as the bickering son and father. Honestly speaking, the show did not need more to be amazing. That’s why the “evil threat that lurks in the shadows waiting for the last fight off” Kaizuka Takehisa truly lowered the quality of the show.
This guy had nothing to offer as a character - the motivation was weakly explained, how resourceful he was made no sense, his plans were ridiculous and the big finale with him in the ast episodes was not set up in a proper way, feeling painfully disconnected from the rest of the show.
The main villain was not the only aspect that felt disconnected, so were the episodes. At times they started in weird places and I had to check if I skipped an episode or something. The show honestly did not flow too well.
There was also the issue of questionable messages in some episodes. I am sorry, but we should truly move on from using "I can only offer you money" as an excuse for bad parenting and dads who are never home.
Do I care though? Not really. I went in for the comedy and that aspect was truly aced. I could not ask for more. Shimao Akimura was such an eccentric character, whatever he did seemed like a comedy goal.
Overall, great comedy with (at best) mediocre cases and an awful villain.
Ps. That intro song is amazing.
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The main premise was our father-&-son duo who haven't been in contact for a while. The son does have some parents issue but doesn't let it control his life and, when he gets the chance, expresses himself clearly. His personality is extremely cute. You just believe in his shyness & awkwardness. The dad might appear as a bully, but you can see his affection for his son. You can feel some hidden pain that he avoids with his silliness. He's a weird mixture of pettiness and cool, making his character most fun.
The other characters aren't too important but add a nice touch to the mixture. Some of the episodes concerning their characters were well made. The girl in the group was alright. She didn't bother me throughout (except her acting stupidly in that 1 episode). The crush the dorama was hinting on the part of Sahara-kun was cute too. It just welcome spice to the mixture. The villain of the story is 1 dimensional and just here to make the main characters' life harder. He's still creepy enough to keep you on your toes.
I liked the music and the action scenes here as well, though not a fan of our leads' signature move, they make it work ;)
Overall entertaining, easy to watch on stressful days, fun to watch on depressing days.
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Sometimes, esp. in the beginning I contemplated about the rating while I watched this show, because I kept remembering all the things that annoy me in crime k-dramas. But the more I watched the more I forgot about those, and therefore enjoyed this a lot more. There's just no way you can compare this one to a k-drama.
The story is perfectly mixing comedy, crime, mystery, friendship and a bit of romance as well (without focusing on it too much). And I even got all my favorite tropes~.
I usually tend to roll my eyes on dramas that try too hard to be serious and cut to the next comedy scene without a warning. Bitter Blood though managed to smoothly walk that bridge without looking too idiotic. Of course, the cases are somewhat exaggerated and nonsensical, even more so the way the team is handling them. But that's not because of the situations itself - those were actually quite interesting - but more because of the characters. They are however the reason why it makes the whole thing great again.
With their unwavering friendship and unusual teamwork they achieved the most important thing in a drama: Getting the viewer attached. Every single member of the squad team felt unique and showed enough substance to make me care for them.
Most of all Sahara Natsuki and Shimao Akimura. Natsuki with his somewhat clumsy, yet determined way was the perfect fit for the eccentric and fashionable Akimura, and together they formed a great team that supported each other. They were completely different in manners and yet totally alike. No surprise at all since they are connected through a bitter past and share the same blood. I loved their interactions. It showed affection and respect for each other whether they admitted to it or not. Their constant bickering just made it clearer every time.
The finale was something I haven't seen for a long time. There are some basic things you can probably vaguely guess but the actual event(s) totally surprised me, some of it because of little details I didn't see coming, other things because of how they proceed towards a certain... moment where all the threads come together.
The main villain was nuts, insane as you would expect. A stereotypical psycho. I found it funny that they used the opera "Erlkönig" as his distinguishing feature. But if you know what it's about, it actually fits his objective which he was so ambitiously working towards. If I had to complain about one thing it would be the his back story. You get some hints but you never get the actual story.
I might have started this because of Sato Takeru but I stayed because of so many more reasons - most of all because I could loosen up and wholeheartedly enjoy this little gem.
So whether you're already into J-dramas or not. This is a definite recommendation to all of you ;)
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Even though the plot is very predictable and sometimes not so logical, the drama is overall very enjoyable and honestly, there wasn't a boring or filler scene. The pace is very good, I love how they focused not only on the two main leads, but on the supporting characters, too, they definitely deserved more attention since they were amazing! Each episode has a different case -- of course the cases weren't very thriller-ish, they were with quite obvious outcome but that's the point of the show. It focuses more on the father-son relationship, the interactions between the team and the comedy aspect. And a very slight romance which was barely there.
Of course the best thing about this show are Sahara and Shimao (Junior & Gentle)! I LOVED every single scene with them and I want a second season because I couldn't get enough of their moments! Gentle has to be one of the most unique characters I've ever seen! I absolutely loved his slightly eccentric personality and his behaviour towards his adorable son. As I said I'm glad that they focused on the supporting characters too, but I kind of wish that we had more scenes between Gentle and Junior. I want to see a bigger development of their relationship, even though I was pretty satisfied with the ending.
There are two things that I didn't like that much - the villian and Hitomi. The main villian was way too weak for me to believe that he is a threat to the main leads. I mean, the drama is not supposed to have a very scary and cruel villian, but villians like the one in the show better be non-existing. Hitomi was kinda... useless? She was not a bad character, but the drama could have been the same without her. Well, the writer really wanted to show some romance I guess, but it was not needed. Also I think some things weren't explained well but well, anyways.
Sato Takeru's and Watabe Atsuro's performances were absolutely mind-blowing! They were very natural and they had a very nice chemistry. I'd watch them together again in anything. The rest of the cast also did a good job.
Overall, ''Bitter Blood'' is an excellent action-comedy drama which I highly recommend to everyone. I feel like a second season is not possible, but still, I'm not ready to say goodbye to this amazing show yet and I want more of it!
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On another note, the girl looks so much like lee min jung (cunning single lady) i could swear they are related.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Good(+) Has a nice humorous approach to detective work (though can sometimes get a bit too much)
(+) The interactions between the main duo and the other supporting cast members can be quite entertaining
(+) Opening is cool
The Bad
(-) Relationship between main duo is left mostly superficial and unexplored.
(-) Supporting cast has can be entertaining, but aren't fleshed out as characters and are mostly background noise.
(-) Main love interest of the hero has a shoehorned romance with him that isn't developed much.
(-) Police work, investigation and other profession related details are overlooked often.
(-) Main villain is unimpressive and cliche. Because listening to classical music is what all the cool bad guys do nowadays.
Final Verdict
The drama is entertaining if you want to watch something without thinking much. If you expect cool villains, meaningful romance or accurate police work, this isn't for you.
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The comedic action between the two was meticulously crafted like Simao-san's outfit and hair. It's not just about the hilarious interaction between the father and the son but also the journey of Sahara Natsuki to become a great detective with the help of his father and comrade.
Every supporting actors play a good job since every member of the Kagiyama's group has different personality.. I cannot pick who's my favorite because they were superb minus the over shouting of Togashi san. I feel bad about his colleague.. :)
The soundtrack is a perfect 10 for me. Actually I will use it as a ringtone.. :)
Overall it was interesting drama that you can try especially to those who started to watch Japanese drama. Definitely recommended...
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I feel as though the cast for the main villain could have been better. However, everyone else, especially Sato Takeru and Watabe Atsuro's acting and chemistry together was fantastic and make the show worth re-watching.
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The plot is quite simple, a young rookie detective on his first day in the force finds out that his assigned partner is no one else that his father; who abandoned him many years ago (and apparently they haven't speak with each other in a long time).
As a detective/investigation drama it fails horrendously. The cases make almost no sense at all, and when they do, they're very predictable. But the great thing about this dorama is that it doesn't take itself seriously; and as a comedy is a great success.
Every case depicted is an excuse to see the fantastic interactions between father and son.
Obviously none of them wants to admit that they really care for each other and having such different personalities there's a lot of humor involved.
And speaking of humor, the rest of the detective division, "the team", although full of clichés, are hilarious. You have the chief, the girl, the nerd, the ladies man, and so on.
The two protagonists make a fantastic job in their roles, and the rest of the cast is pretty good as well. Some people may find the "japanese acting" a bit over the top, but you'll get used to it in no time.
In short, it's a great comedy with bits of thriller, (almost none) romance and (quite a few) sweet family/friendship moments that it's really worth your time.
Also, the music is pretty tv standard but the main theme is terribly catchy! (I can't stop singing it my head :P)
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