Just watched: SPEC Shou

And so the adventures of Toma Saya (Played by Toda Erika) and Sebumi Takeru (Kase Ryo) continue as they hunt down criminals who use paranormal powers for evil. This TV special was transmitted a week or so before the cinema release of the final part of the SPEC story on April 7th.

First thing to mention is that this makes no sense if you haven't seen the TV series. Former characters are brought back with no introduction at all, and from the very beginning the humour is eccentric. I can imagine this being completely baffling to any newcomer. It's almost as if the director and writer went through each scene and asked themselves how they could make it a bit stranger.

As for the story, it's okay as long as you don't think about it too closely. It involves a killer who is targeting people with special powers (or "SPEC holders" as the programme calls them). At least we get some kind of an explanation about the final episode of the TV series, and we learn about Toma's special power.

It was an entertaining ninety minutes, and I'm glad it had a proper story with a beginning, a middle and an end (although I didn't really understand it), and wasn't just a big advert for the forthcoming film.

But I suppose it is just an advert for the film. But at least it's an advert with a beginning, a middle and an end.

Just watched: Paco and the Magical Picture Book

After writing about Memories of Matsuko the other day, I decided to try more of director Nakashima Tetsuya’s films. I’d already heard good things about Kamikaze Girls, so I was tempted to watch that, but then the title of this film caught my eye.

I almost didn’t finish this film. Watching the first twenty-five minutes of this film is like patiently listening to a hyperactive child make up a story as they go along. While it resembled Memories... with it’s lush colours and carefully arranged scenes, there seemed to be little in the way of character or plot.

I persevered and, around half an hour in, some kind of storyline began. Put simply, this film is about an ill old man who resents being in hospital while his company does so well without him. He meets a girl whose memory is damaged such that she thinks it’s always her birthday, and she cannot remember anything that happened before. The two become friends, and the old man starts to reassess what’s important in life.

All of this happens in a vivid technicolour set with constant interruptions from the supporting cast. Eventually this style begins to make some kind of sense, but it’s hard going until then. In the end, it’s rather a touching film and it certainly tries every cinematic trick to try and make you cry.

This film is even more hyper-manic than Memories of Matsuko as it bombards the senses with images, music, and colours. This means the performances are somewhat swamped beneath all the costumes and make-up, but if you can get past the bumpy opening thirty minutes, you’ll find a film as sentimental and sappy as any you could ever hope to find.

Watching again: Camouflage: Aoi Yu x Yottsu no Uso

There comes a point in life when funerals start to outnumber weddings. A recent death in the family is, I think, the point in my life when that begins to become true.

The evening when I heard the news was strange. It was too late in the day to get a train to go to my family and so I was rattling around in my flat, not knowing what to do. I needed some background noise to distract myself, and I returned to the first story (eps 1-3) of Camouflage.

The story is about how a woman deals with the sudden death of her boyfriend. It’s always been a favourite, and this time it seemed especially appropriate and comforting. That evening I watched it all the way through twice.

Episode three especially caught my attention. In this her cat turns into a middle aged man. She is appalled about how un-catlike he is in human form, and somewhat surprised about his simple way of thinking. While cat owners like to think of their pets as enigmatic and wise, this episode portrays them as a bit frumpy and dumb.

It’s touching and funny, especially her appalled reactions to the cat/old man who she used to pet and cuddle. But despite this, they start talking and as they do, he shows how his owner can overcome her grieving.

Strictly speaking, the episode is just a story written by the boyfriend who dies in episode one so it never really happens, but the meaning is clear: it’s okay to go for a day without recalling their memory - that doesn't make you a bad person. It’s a sweet little tale, and is (as I’ve said before) my most-watched piece of drama. It never gets old and, as I move through life, it seems to teach me something new every time.

Keizoku vs Keizoku 2: REMATCH!

* spoilers *

Now that I’ve seen both series through to their conclusion, I thought I’d compare the two again to see how they match up. (For my review of Keizoku 2: SPEC on its own merits, you can read it on Yam Mag.)

The TV series of Keizoku ends on a bleak note, with Shibata apparently lying dead in the arms of fellow detective Mayama. This, by itself, is a sad but somehow satisfying ending to a series that had previously not been afraid to kill regular cast members, and so had a real sense of danger about it.

And to be honest, if it had ended there it would’ve been fine. But it was followed by two somewhat enigmatic specials (one for TV, one for cinema) which didn’t really add to the story. Indeed, after the movie’s lengthy dreamlike sequence at the end, and the line from Mayama to Shibata “You’ve been asleep too long”, I prefer to think that the last two stories never happened at all, and that Shibata is still in a hospital bed in a coma.

The last episode of Keizoku 2 began with a very clever way of catching someone with the power to stop time, but ended with a final showdown that didn't make much sense. By then, however, I was happy to see it through to its conclusion, and the final shot of Toma standing triumphant was enigmatic and yet made a perfect end to the story.

Trying to pick between the two is hard since they don’t have a great deal in common. Keizoku started with normal explanations for the crimes before ending on a supernatural note, while Keizoku 2 took the supernatural to be real from the outset and worked from there. Both Toda Erika and Nakatani Miki are great as the lead roles in the two series. If it were a case of comparing the two TV series, then I think the original Keizoku just wins, but the two specials just confuse things which brings it down a bit. In the end, they're about even.

Having said that, perhaps Keizoku 2 will have its own specials. We shall see.

Currently watching: Keizoku 2: SPEC

You know, if I had to recommend a Japanese drama series for the beginner, this would definitely be one I’d consider. It’s got all the usual clichés, so that once you’ve watched this show, you’ve seen at least four others. And I mean that in a good way.

Distant male lead? Check. Eccentric genius? Check. Teenage villain? Check. Comedy violence? Check. Forgotten department of the police where officers do their duty despite the indifference of their bosses? Check. And the list goes on.

Luckily, Keizoku 2 throws them all together with quite a lot of style and wit. Toda Erika, as the slobbish Toma Saya, steals every scene she’s in, and Sebumi Takeru (played by Kase Ryo) is slowly coming out of his shell such that there’s a chance that the two may grow to like each other.

Now that we’re up to episode five, the story has long since dropped the original Keizoku’s rational explanations for irrational crimes. It seems to start from the idea that the existence of psychic phenomena is genuine, and then work from there. Episode five also ends on a bit of a sad note, and seems to be setting up the story for the rest of the season. I’m enjoying it so far, but I must admit I don’t have much hope for a good ending. Once you have magic powers in a story, almost anything – any twist or coincidence – is possible.

Maybe the list of clichés isn’t finished yet... Previously unknown alliance between opposing characters? Sudden realisation that character X has the same powers they’re trying to defeat? We shall see.

Keizoku vs. Keizoku 2: FIGHT!

Before the recent drama Keizoku 2: SPEC was broadcast, I read a few comments by people who were doubtful that it could possibly do the first series any justice. I decided to investigate and found to my surprise that the first series came out some eleven years ago!

Both series are set in the same police department: a section that handles “unsolvable” cases. These tend to have a vaguely supernatural air to them, while the solution is usually ingenious but non-paranormal. The officers investigating are a socially inadequate genius female detective, and her cynical male colleague. So far, so similar, and the only regular cast member in both series is the head of the department, played by Ryu Raita.











The stylistic differences are quite marked. The original is played a lot straighter. In Keizoku, the female detective (Nakatani Miki) is socially inept, but she tries to do the right thing. In the sequel, the detective (Toda Erika) also has problems dealing with people, but this time cares little for the consequences of her rudeness. The second series has a broader sense of humour, with a fair amount of physical comedy which the first series lacks.

The other main difference is that the sequel keeps dropping hints about geniune psychic abilities, with the opening episode involving two scenes in which a criminal is shot by his own bullets. This is, of course, impossible and it remains to be seen if there’s an explanation by the end.

Episode two of Keizoku 2 had a brief appearance from another member of the original cast, which makes me hope that they’ll bring back Nakatani Miki, at least for one case. I hope so. Having the two detectives working side by side would be like one of those episodes when all the actors who played Doctor Who come back for one adventure.

So far, both are enjoyable but the first series definitely has the better stories and more believable characters. Mind you, I've not finished watching either series and there's still time for Keizoku 2: SPEC to improve.

Re-watching: Camouflage: Aoi Yu x Yottsu no Uso

Since it’s up on Silent Regrets [edit: well, it was while Silent Regrets was there...], why not write about it again?

This show from 2008 is a twelve part series containing four stories based on the theme of Lies. It’s the same concept as Ueno Juri to Itsutsu no Kaban, and perhaps is similar to this year’s Tofu Shimai, starring another upcoming actress, Yoshitaka Yuriko. I don’t know for sure because, despite my efforts, I can’t find it on the web anywhere. Sad face.

The format of each episode is that there's a short drama section which is between some interviews and specially comissioned photos. It’s a bit like watching the DVD extras of something before you’ve watched it.













Story one (episodes one to three) is great. It begins with the death of a boyfriend, and tells three stories based on the events that follow. Episode two, in which Yu’s character keeps herself asleep with pills so she can dream about him, is a favourite of mine and is an episode I keep coming back to. So is episode three, with Nukumizu Youichi as her cat who takes on human form.

While the first two are filmed in a naturalistic style, the third part is performed on a stage and filmed as a theatre piece. It neatly finishes the narrative, with the story explaining, from a cat’s point of view, the basics of being happy. I love these episodes – they’re beautifully shot and acted, and it’s interesting to note in the interview bit afterwards, Aoi Yu says she hasn’t acted in a theatre setting before so she was quite nervous.

 
Story two (eps four to six) has quite a different feel. It concerns itself with unrequited love – the boyfriend being unable to tell Yu how he feels about her. Meanwhile, Yu has a hobby (Is that the right word? How about “fetish” or “compulsion”?) of running as far and as fast as she can for ten minutes while inventing stories about why she’s running. The stories she comes up with are quite funny, and so is the bumbling boyfriend, but after the comedy the story ends on quite a tragic note. Or does it? I’m not sure I understand the ending, so I can’t really say.

Story three (eps seven to nine) is one of those pieces of drama which you don’t really like until you watch it again, and then you remember the good bits about it. The story is about three sisters who share an apartment. Episode seven is shot in the style of a sitcom, episode eight in the style of a daytime soap opera, and episode nine is supposed to be the final episode of a long running series.

It’s difficult to write about this one. The sitcom bit is funny, and the soap opera bit is over-acted (and why do they have such shiny faces in that episode?) which leaves the third part to be the sensible one, and it focuses on a confession about one of the sister’s love life. It doesn’t have much of an identity, and so it’s a bit forgettable. Until you watch it again.

Story four (eps ten to twelve) is almost as good as story one. From the same director as “One Million Yen Girl”, this is a sort of semi-sequel, as we see more of Aoi Yu’s character in the film. The first part is about a college student who is caught out on her constant lying. I really like this, not least because Aoi Yu does a bit of cosplay (as a raccoon).

The second is a real gem, and tells the tale of two of Yu’s co-workers who fall in love and, being poor, both try to sacrifice too much for the other’s happiness. The third is a tale about Aoi Yu splitting up with her unfaithful boyfriend, and not being believed when she tells people she’s not that upset about it. It’s shot in such a style that you can only Yu’s face when she's talking to others - they're shot from behind, or are standing up while she's sitting down, etc. It's quite disconcerting.

This series is certainly among my favourites. So much so that when I went to Japan, picking up a cheap (relatively speaking – it was still about £75!) DVD box set of this was on my list of things to do. By the way, that’s where I got the scans for this review from. This show is inventive and original and it's one that I often come back to, and it never gets old.

Recommended: Camouflage: Aoi Yu x Yottsu no Uso

This post is a lesson in why it's not a good idea to put things off. I meant to write about this sometime ago - indeed, the sole commentator on this blog to date mentioned it, so it's been in my mind for a while. However, I never did, and then I learnt that Viikii (the site currently hosting it) is about to go legit and carry only shows it has a licence for, so I figured any second now it'd disappear from the internet.

However, that was some weeks ago, and it's still up on Viikii (EDIT: no it isn't) so I thought I'd write about it, even though I'm quite sure that any day now it'll be taken down. Especially now I've posted about it.

Camouflage is basically a vehicle for Aoi Yu, in the same way that Ueno Juri to Itsutsu no kaban was for Ueno Juri. A TV station, WOWOW, takes a new acting talent and films a series of short dramas with them in the lead. Camouflage has the recurring theme of lies through its four stories filmed by four directors, and all are of such a high standard that it stands alongside Lost Time Life as one of my favourite pieces of Japanese TV.

Especially fine is episode two (the four stories are split across twelve episodes) which is a fantastic piece of drama. Aoi Yu's late boyfriend comes back to her in dreams, so she starts taking sleeping pills to spend more time with him while they slowly realise that hanging on to the relationship is unhealthy and they have to say goodbye. Obviously shot on a cheap budget, it still looks good and the performances are perfect. By some distance, this episode is my most-watched piece of japanese drama, and episodes one and three (which complete the first story) are also of the highest quality.



The rest of the series never quite reaches the heights of the first story, but they're all excellent and all quite different. Indeed, the directors often change styles from episode to episode - in particular one story begins as a sitcom and is then shot as a soap opera in the next.

Inventive and touching, this series is a must-see for anyone with a heart.