Not Watching

I’ve read in a couple of other blogs how this season of Japanese drama is pretty sparse in terms of quality, and it’s hard to disagree. So here’s a quick round up of those shows that I gave a chance, but decided weren’t really worth my time.


Lady - Saigo no Hanzai Profile

Given the low ratings this series has been getting, I don’t want to kick it while it’s down. But I can’t find that much good to say about it, either. This show is based around a profiling section of a police force who are so good they’re able to guess the colour of the tie a criminal is wearing based on the type of terrorist plot he’s prepared.

Kitagawa Keiko is the lead role in this show, playing an ace profiler who was trained in America. When she explains her clever theories, she frowns in an expression of deep thought and concentration. Unfortunately, it just looks as if she’s having difficulty remembering her lines.


Misaki Number One!!

A Roppongi nightclub hostess become a high school teacher. She’s given the worst class in the school: a bunch of hopeless cases and drop-outs. I’m sure that during this series she’ll convince them all of the benefits of education with her sassy wisdom, while at the same time trying to keep her past a secret. At least, that’s what happened in episode one, and I don’t expect the following parts will deviate much from that formula.

It was all pretty flat. Nobody was terribly convincing in their role, and the storyline was too contrived. I say “meh”.

By the way, both Lady and Misaki Number One introduce their female lead characters with a close up of lady’s foot stepping onto a posh carpet in high-heeled shoes, with an echoing “pock” to signify that this woman means business.


Deka Wanko

Ignoring the unfortunate title, this show actually has a lot in its favour. Female detective has super sensitive sense of smell and somewhat odd taste in clothes. I liked the way they introduced all the different characters, with the detective simply talking straight to the camera when they join the story. It was certainly a lot more fun than just having captions.

Tabe Mikako is full of energy in the lead role, and the story was fairly interesting. This is good, but for some reason this hasn’t grabbed me. I’ll probably watch the whole series eventually, but for now I’ve got other things I want to see.