I have read many reviews as I watched through the series. The beginning was bombastic, albeit starting to hurl me into an abyss of countless questions. I am trying to be as abstract as possible to avoid spoilers. The story seemed to develop brutally quickly, as if to rush for time, like a heavily edited movie. Besides establishing the two main guys as cops, the sudden appearance of Yuriko Yoshitaka , which almost immediately skipped to the part where she lived at Shun's place, and the entourage of Spec Ops department who seemed to consist of members who idly took desk jobs and gave support from the comfort of their office. The chief, a dignified actor, was somewhat titular, apart from the occasional 'fatherly' moments with Shun. The conversation lines are also very fast, which is good in a way, as it creates a sense of urgency. However, coupled with the many ???s already in my head, this simply rubs salt to the wound.
And Yuriko? I absolutely love her as an actress! Her radiant smile never fails to add some sunshine and cuteness to any drama. But her character here, who supposedly need protection, was living with horrendously lax security, and despite her precarious situation, not much was done to protect her, nor help recover her memory. Having watched many other dramas, an effective format would be for the cops to tackle a new case every episode, while gradually edging the protagonist towards the main plot which usually involves a dark sinister past.
Despite being set on this note, the cases from each episode is mediocre at best, with plots that are almost immediately predictable. That is a big negative for a tantei-genre drama. Oh and on top of that, we have Shun's 'mystery' past, and we have Yuriko's too!
On a more positive note, every episode, the initially irritating mother would call Shun at the most inopportune time. However, Over time, I started to appreciate that nonsensical humor within his family (I mean it in a good way) which proved to be an invaluable comic element in the show.
Sorry if I sounded like ranting, but I can't help feeling bad that a wonderful cast of Yuriko Yoshitaka and Shun Oguri is involved in a mediocre drama like this. Readers may not agree with me, but this is my honest, objective review of this drama.
And Yuriko? I absolutely love her as an actress! Her radiant smile never fails to add some sunshine and cuteness to any drama. But her character here, who supposedly need protection, was living with horrendously lax security, and despite her precarious situation, not much was done to protect her, nor help recover her memory. Having watched many other dramas, an effective format would be for the cops to tackle a new case every episode, while gradually edging the protagonist towards the main plot which usually involves a dark sinister past.
Despite being set on this note, the cases from each episode is mediocre at best, with plots that are almost immediately predictable. That is a big negative for a tantei-genre drama. Oh and on top of that, we have Shun's 'mystery' past, and we have Yuriko's too!
On a more positive note, every episode, the initially irritating mother would call Shun at the most inopportune time. However, Over time, I started to appreciate that nonsensical humor within his family (I mean it in a good way) which proved to be an invaluable comic element in the show.
Sorry if I sounded like ranting, but I can't help feeling bad that a wonderful cast of Yuriko Yoshitaka and Shun Oguri is involved in a mediocre drama like this. Readers may not agree with me, but this is my honest, objective review of this drama.
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