#keiji zero

Tokiya, do something with your desk..

◆ Hajimete Koi o Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi

The Jdrama season has kicked off for the first quarter of the year, with the usual excess of crime-busters. Where the usual episode tends to be 45 minutes (without ads), the first episode tends to be extended, and can be anywhere up to 60-90 minutes long. I remember not that long ago the first episodes tended to be the real tone-setter for the series, and often the most interesting case for a crime-solver, as the longer time allowed them time to build up the characters and get into a meatier case that didn't have to be tied up quickly in 45 minutes. Unfortunately, quite a few series this season are so blatant in filling the time with unfunny jokes and empty scenes that it took the good will out of watching them. Trace (12.3%) - Nishikido Ryo, Araki Yuko, Koyuki etc Maison de Police - Takahata Mitsuki, Nishijima Hidetoshi etc Keiji Zero (Detective Zero) (14.7%) - Sawamura Kazuki, Takimoto Miori etc Nusumareta Kao (Stolen Face) - Tamaki Hiroshi, Uchida Rio, Machida Keita I'm going to talk about all the police crime solvers in one go, because they're all blending into one. Japanese dramas typically depended on the charisma of their main characters to make their very formulaic crime solvers interesting. Unfortunately none of this season's dramas really leap out. Trace focuses on the evidence collection and interpretation side of crime-solving, led by a main character whose family appears to have been killed when he was young. Based on his attitude, he's very sensitive to people jumping to conclusions based on limited evidence, and then trying to find evidence to fit the theory, rather than collect all evidence and work out the truth. The premise has similarities to Unnatural, without its sensitivities or character conflicts, although the central driving theme, if carried out well, can turn out interesting. While Nishikido and Araki are both acceptable, neither of them are quite at Ishihara Satomi and Iura Arata's level of charisma and acting. There's also sudden patches of intrusive background music and unexpected slow-motion which throws the story off-rhythm and make what should be a serious scene come off as crass. The premise of Maison de Police is interesting - newbie policewoman is helped out by a bunch of retired policemen living in a sharehouse. The old guys are cranky, cynical and untrustworthy, but they clearly know their old jobs well and they are useful when they want to be. If only it didn't suffer from extended episode syndrome, where there were long scenes of cringeworthy unfunny banter. There's a Chinese internet slang called "no zuo no die" - literally "if you don't do, you won't die", meaning "if you don't do something retarded that can get you killed, you won't die". This basically embodies what happens to our lovely newbie policewoman in the first episode and there is nothing more aggravating than watching a main character do something stupid just to move the plot along. That said, Nishijima Hidetoshi is still one of the most gorgeous gentlemen of his age and I can watch him as a policeman any day, even if retired. Keiji Zero is about a middle-aged policeman who loses 20 years of memories after a brush with death. He is forced to start afresh as an investigator, approaching crimes without the cynicism built up by years of experience, and with an enthusiasm and resourcefulness he forgot about. Again, an interesting premise, and the first episode at least tried to make use of the extended time, except it probably bit off more than it could chew. There were so many names and families involved that I got very lost at one point as to who got killed by whom. I like Sawamura but I prefer him acting his age, rather than like a green clumsy 30 year old, but commendations to him trying. Stolen Face is a WOWOW drama, which is kinda like Netflix in the sense that they have a bit more freedom in going into weird and wonderful territory that other TV networks might be too conservative to. Based off a book, it's about a small investigative group whose role is to memorise large quantities of wanted criminals and try to catch them in the crowd. One of the former members allegedly died in a fire 4 years ago, but during a recent arrest, one of the criminals told them that he's still alive. The main character's girlfriend had disappeared one day, and the mafia criminal they captured died in their custody while they are transporting him. Unlike most Japanese dramas, the story is continuous, so the first episode is mostly set-up. It's shot with a cold palette and a hand-held grittiness, interspersed with over-exposed dream-like sequences. Too early to say whether it's worth a watch, but the plot is definitely more involved than the other contenders, but nothing has actually happened yet...

i hope nobody thought i was joking