Music nothing special, and not very good re watch value. Once you know the tricks, it won't be as suspenseful anymore, because..... simply because you know the story. The story depends a lot on unpredictability.
So, anyone like suspense, action, mystery, supernatural/scifi, a must watch for you. just be ready for a lot of twists.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama and I have a love hate relationship. I love the drama and the material. I hated waiting for the subtitles. Unfortunately, Keizoku 2: SPEC and its prequel, Keizoku, are not destined to be listed among the most popular of dramas. Why? It's a matter of taste. It isn't just a cop drama or a supernatural drama. It's both. I found the story incredibly interesting and compelling. It was easy for me to believe the various SPEC powers and there were quite a few surprise moments in the story. It is very satisfying when the 'ah ha' moment happens for the viewer. I loved every episode except the last one (not to be a spoiler, just a warning). I don't think that everyone will have the problems with the ending I did, it just wasn't my cup of tea. There is a really good blend of random humor and extreme seriousness that I never thought was too jarring.
As for the cast, just look at the list. The two mains are great and have a good working chemistry. I can't think of one faulty acting part (except when its meant to be intentionally bad). My only complaint is that I think the drama had a couple too many underutilized characters (that appear in most episodes). But the actors are all up to snuff.
Music does its job. The really dramatic theme is dramatic, etc. The only song I really remember is the song that plays when they are thinking or in the office or just bantering. Its the only one that got stuck in my head.
I'll definitely watch this drama again (it was worth it the first time). The only complaint I have is that the surprises won't be quite so surprising, but the acting is top notch (in my opinion). It will definitely hit all of its humor cords at least.
Overall, loved the drama. Its in my top 10.
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Toda Erika as Toma Saya was perfect. It felt like the character was made for her. She usually had cutesy or prim-proper roles but here, it was an overhaul of every drama she did. As for her co-actor Kase Ryo (who speaks perfect English with US accent), I haven’t seen him in a starring role and am not too familiar with the guy but his acting here as Sebumi Takeru was in perfect sync with Erika’s. The chemistry between the actors was so smooth there were no dull moments even in silence. There character had this specific peculiarities and that’s what made them really interesting. Like in Toma’s case, she has an IQ of 201 which doesn’t really define her – because in actuality she is already eccentric in the first place. She has this great feature of annoying people because of her mannerism and certain habits that are out of place to any normal person, but this does not make her insane, it only makes her different. As for Sebumi, he is the usual honor police with great fighting skills and a really uptight personality. This type of character is what would seem normal and boring, but what makes his role peculiar? It’s the way he handles situations and most of all that specific thing he always carries with him; a brown paper bag which consists of his things – gun, wallet, etc. It kind of makes me wonder why that paper bag never rips and spills all his stuff. LOL.
The story line was continuous, it reveals enough on every episode to make you seat at the edge of your chair to continue on watching and ask yourself, “What’s going to happen next?” or just plainly say “WTF?!?”, yes this is how this show was for me. There were wtf moments, but those are the times which made the show much more fun.
Another boost for this drama is the fact that the soundtrack was also nice. It was kind of funky-pop-ish-rock themed sang by the band The Ricecookers. For those who are into the jrock genre, the theme song would not disappoint. As for the whole OST – it was very much appropriate for every scene.
If you are into sci-fi and mind boggling suspense things with a twist of weird wackiness on the side-lines, this may suit you as it did to me.
Rating this 8/10 – because though I really loved the characters and story line, there are still limits on this drama, like the fact that there are times when the characters go overboard. I know that’s part of all the drill to make this drama more interesting but still, there’s that point in which how much of that silliness you can take in.
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The relationship between Toma and Seibumi was very funny.
THE WARNING: It has an "open ending", which I don't like. I will avoid dramas just because of that reason, however I did not know that this one had an open ending. I know some people don't mind, or even like open ends, but for the people like me who don't I would just like to warn anyone coming that it was a very good drama, but it had an open end. I guess for me, this one didn't have a bad open end. I would have preferred a "real" ending, but this one was easy to understand what happened.
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Underrated!
So much potential to be big! It came out more than 10 years ago, but I guess back then, shows like this weren’t really a trend. If they re-released it now, I think a lot of people would find it super interesting. The plot is kinda confusing at first, but since I heard there are a lot of sequels, I’ll be fair with my review.The story is about SPEC holders—people with different powers like predicting the future, possessing others, super hearing, Time control, mind control, and more. It’s a really cool concept, but they didn’t really explain how these people got their abilities in this season yet. Then we have our main characters: Sebumi, a serious and righteous soldier, and Touma, this weird genius who’s obsessed with eating gyoza. They work in a special organization that solves cases involving SPEC holders. Every episode, we get to see different cases and abilities, which keeps things fresh.
What really got me hooked was Touma’s connection to the time-stopper SPEC holder, Ninomae. Turns out, they’re actually siblings who were manipulated into fighting each other by Touma’s creepy stalker ex-boyfriend, who has mind control powers. That cliffhanger, though! It made me wonder if Touma herself is a SPEC holder, since her brother can stop time. It was kinda hinted at in the last episode.
The show isn’t all serious—it has emotional moments, action, and a lot of funny scenes. The side characters add a good amount of comedy, and Touma and Sebumi’s constant bickering is hilarious. They act like they can't stand each other, but they’re actually a great team.
Touma is probably one of the coolest female leads I’ve seen. She’s not the typical badass who fights, but she’s insanely smart, which honestly makes her even better. The actors were really good too, especially the ones playing Touma and Sebumi—their expressions and line delivery were spot on.
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And can I just emphasize how much I liked Touma and Sebumi's duo in this drama. They really complemented each other so well. There was never a boring part when those two are working together
Chief Kotaru is a lovable character as well!
Great acting and performance overall although the plot of the story gets confusing at first. There was just the right mix of wierdness in the story that makes the whole drama unique.
Totally would reccommend this!
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La Spec-tialité du Drama Japonais
Si un drama a marqué la décennie précédente, c'est bien Spec. Sortie à une époque où le Japon exportait encore peu ces Dramas, Big N permet aujourd'hui à toute une génération de découvrir la folie qui frappe souvent les scénaristes japonais, matière de super-héros, ou de Buddy Movie.Et pourtant, à l'écran comme sur le papier, rien ne prédestinait cette série à devenir culte. Deux acteurs à la renommée encore balbutiante en les personnes de Kase Ryo et la jeune Erika Toda avaient encore tout à prouver à l’époque. Des sidekicks bedonnants, voire ridicules, et surtout une ambiance et une mise en scène à la Derrick. Je prends volontiers un exemple occidental m’adressant non pas aux fans de la série ou même de séries policières japonaises du début des années 2000, mais bien aux néophytes, ayant quand même les séries soporifiques de papy et mamie en référence. Démarrant et prenant en bonne partie place dans ce bureau austère de la section Mushou, la mise en scène, les « bon sang, mais c’est bien sûr », les « Hercule Poirot » ou les explications de notre enquêtrice à l’oreille du coupable dans les cinq dernières minutes rappellent tellement tout ce qui s’est fait ces cinquante dernières années, d’Agatha Christie à Detective Conan en passant par Columbo. Si bien qu’on était prêts, pour beaucoup de jeunes de 2010, à passer notre chemin.
Mais il a été évoqué dans cette trop longue introduction qui semble figé le temps, peut-être, les uniques points négatifs. Car tout le reste n’est que bonheur, faisant de cette œuvre une masterpiece du drama japonais, toutes catégorie confondues.
Le thème encore peu exploré à l’époque des pouvoirs surnaturels et de la section d’enquête rappelle évidemment X-Files, mais avec un humour décalé et une écriture loufoque, que permettent toutes les dingueries du thème. Un mélange de buddy movie et de X-Files dans une ambiance à la Derrick, mêlant humour, suspense et émotion avec un minimum de moyens.
Le côté cheap de la série (tout du moins dans les premiers épisodes) est largement compensé par la prestation de nos deux acteurs. Sebumi froid, strict mais tellement touchant au fur et à mesure de sa progression dans ce monde irrationnel. Tout le talent d'une futur star de cinéma qu'est devenu Kase Ryo après cette série était déjà là. Se baladant avec son petit sac en papier, il fait autant de peine qu’il impose le respect, mais toujours avec classe. Il incarne à la perfection le Japon de l’ordre, des traditions et de la hiérarchie. Mais les temps changent, preuve en est le rappel permanent à la construction de la Skytree, symbole de l’ouverture du pays à la modernité et au reste du monde.
Symbole incarné également par la pièce maîtresse de l’œuvre, celle qui porte sur ses épaules toute la perfection de celle-ci, c’est bien sûr Toda Erika. Alors qu’elle servait surtout de faire-valoir à des partenaires masculins comme dans Liar Game encore deux ans plus tôt, elle crève littéralement l’écran dans son rôle de Toma. Cassant par la même tous les codes attribués au genre féminin dans les dramas, y compris d’enquête. Fini l’ingénue sexy en admiration devant l’enquêteur. Fini également l’intellectuelle, rat de bibliothèque… mais sexy. Non, Toma est crasseuse, lourde, vulgaire, autoritaire, maladroite, et passe les dix épisodes avec un bras dans le plâtre, sa valise dans lautre main. Toma n’a rien d’une Cendrillon, les cheveux sont sales, elle sent l’ail et ingurgite des gyoza à longueur de journée, et tout ça la rend pourtant tellement fascinante. Elle incarne la série, mettant à genoux tous ses partenaires, qui semblent alors jouer leur rôle comme des enfants.
Il y a bien d’autres personnages emblématiques, comme le chef trop vieux pour sortir avec la toute jeune Arimura Kasumi (16 ans à l’époque), mais vous vous en doutez, ils sont tous d’un pathétisme absolu, dénonçant il y a 16 ans déjà le patriarcat maladif d’un Japon toujours dans une mouvance paternaliste. Mais tout n’est pas parfait dans la série, comme la tendance de Sebumi, dans les premiers épisodes, à facilement donner un coup à sa partenaire, rappelant qu’en 2010, le machisme, c’était aussi ça.
Erika met clairement un coup de pied dans la formule et est propulsée, grâce à ce rôle entre autres, dans la cour des grandes actrices, mais aussi des influenceuses de l’époque. Et tout ça avec un humour ravageur, des situations plus loufoques les unes que les autres. Les Specs permettent tous les délires, mais même sans cela, avec un duo aussi en iconique, une musique et même une ambiance sonore aussi prenantes, Spec reste LA série de l’ère Heisei, cette période qu’on essaye d’oublier par un grand lavage de cerveau. Mais impossible d'effacer un souvenir si odorant.
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