Still watching: Sennyu Tantei Tokage

This police drama tries very hard. It throws together all the right ingredients for a tense cop show, but it lacks a certain something. Perhaps it’s biggest failing is that the murders committed seem to be for very petty motives. This series has seen people killed by jealous fashion models and parents determined to get their kids into a good school. It never quite makes sense.

So much so, that when they do talk about the criminal mastermind who they suspect is behind this, he (or she) never seems terribly frightening. I hope this will improve as the series reaches a climax, but really, it should already be ramping up the tension. I thought the episode with a telephone scam set-up was a step in the right direction, but since then, there’s been little to worry about.

We shall see what happens during the finale, but I suspect it’ll back away from any real sense of danger. It’s the sort of show where everyone looks as if they’re doing something dangerous and the (very impressive) soundtrack adds to the atmosphere. For most of the time the charade works, but then the writing falls flat or the budget couldn’t stretch to one more special effect, and we’re reminded of how flimsy the storyline really is.