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This show is more intricate and has more depth than the synopsis gives it credit for. I watched this show on a whim, however, I was definitely not let down by that decision. Each crime was a learning experience from many different angles.The crime/mystery, in general, within each episode was pretty standard to some detective/police/mystery genre shows and movies I've seen before, however, the complete story of this series was something unique and filled with raw, real emotions and genuine talents.
Each episode seemed to fall away from the show's main storyline altogether, to focus on the crime that had happened, however, if you pay attention in each episode then you can definitely see the results of a great cast as they continue to build and create the story.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if Takei Emi was the right fit for an "unemotional, eccentric" weatherperson that just so happened to be a help to the police. Though the more I watched, the more I was completely wrong. I suppose that was because I'm used to seeing her as an upbeat, happy person that I may have been biased, and I'm glad I continued watching; she fulfilled her role spectacularly! I have to say that I am biased toward a few more actors as well: Okura Tadayoshi, Nomaguchi Tohru, Sasaki Kuranosuke, and Maruyama Tomomi. For some reason, they all just seem to fit within the roles they are casted as perfectly; as if that was their real profession.
It was nice to see how detailed the work of a television show, staff, newscaster, host, and weather person was; I've never seen that much attention to detail in a show or movie before. And as someone who likes the detective/mystery/police genres, it is nice to see differences every now and then, instead of something that is overused. I.E.: genius scientist helps the police, genius police, etc... if that makes any sense!
This review probably added more questions than anything, and I hope to clear that up if I edit this one someday; I can only apologize and say this review isn't too coherent because I've been sick for a week. I really do hope more people get the chance to watch this amazing show! The story and cast make this show superb, and very worth it to watch!
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To be honest, there were a couple of times where I thought of not watching anymore but to be honest as I "powered through" and continued watching this show became something amazing in its own right! The acting was on point with each episode; you could visibly see the cast of actors grow throughout each episode as coworkers, friends, and humans.
As people who worked in the world of the dead with police and media and the grieving families, their lives were turned upside down in the most tragic or simplest of ways and this show conveyed that to the viewers as genuinely, uniquely, and expertly as possible. You can tell the amount of hard work, respect, research, and education that went into the creation of this series, whether you watch the original Korean version or not.
There were points within this show that were some of the creepiest I've ever seen, and I don't watch horror or thriller movies/shows. The acting and storytelling within this entire show is something so superbly amazing that it should not be missed!
I'll say this once more: if you go in expect something different to be the exact same as its original, then there's no way you will be satisfied.
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This drama was not at all what I expected it to be. The synopsis itself is the truth but it also does a wonderful job at masking the true nature of the show unless you watch it!This story is unlike anything I've seen before; though it does have some of the typical detective/police genre. However, that only goes as far as a couple of episodes, and yet, does not cover the entire 10 episodes. I have to say that this is one of the best dramas I've seen in a long time!
The show itself is a mystery. The real relationships of each character between themselves, their families, community, friends, coworkers, etc. are all mysterious to the viewer; however, if you watch carefully, you can notice the tiniest of details to see how each relationship not only forms but continues to grow, some even by miracles almost depending on who the person is. It is also true that the relationships are pretty clouded/hidden, you can't really tell who is related to who or even why they're related.
It all seems to occur within specific areas that hold importance, either to the show in its entirety or just to that character or point-in-time; such as the detective's office, a certain crime scene, Sensei's office, or the medical examiner's office. However, that does not mean the show is easily predictable, either for the crime, criminal, or reasoning(s).
Each actor, not to mention the screenwriter(s), have done their best to continuously keep the viewer "in the dark" so to speak. Not one episode has been predictable! I have guessed at a few episodes and completely missed, so I gave up on guessing who was the criminal. I have to say that the cast was spectacularly selected, either the main cast or the guest cast. Their skills, talent, personality, not to mention respect for the other actors/actresses and their job is tangible during each episode.
The ending of this series is something I could absolutely not have predicted! Whenever I assumed things lined up, they all disappeared within (almost) the next minute! I can honestly say that this was the most interesting mystery, police, detective drama I have ever seen. It almost deserves being called "perfect", though there are a few moments where I would disagree with that too. However, I'm going to end my extremely long review here and, hopefully, you will watch this spectacular show for yourselves!
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To face such dangerous scenes with superb medical care and understanding is what makes this show! I have not seen a show like this wonderful series before. The story is very well written and created by an amazing cast of actors and actresses; it's been nice to see a few (comedy actors) come out of their shells to create this fantastic story!The story itself is one of genuine, heartfelt honesty to the dangers and bittersweet realities of the world, medical, hospital, general society, and even natural disasters. Tissues are a necessity when you watch this show, but there is also a lot of happiness and silly moments.
The first two I kept thinking that Okura Tadayoshi may not be the right main actor for this show, but as I continued watching I was repeatedly proven wrong! Okura Tadayoshi is one of the most superb actors in any medical series I have ever seen! I would like to see him in more medical series or movies to be honest!
I don't want to say this show is a hidden gem, but it's true that I haven't seen or heard a lot of talk for this show; however, I sincerely hope that changes quickly because it is an amazingly perfect show!
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This show is so much more intense and thrilling than any review, synopsis, or comment that I have read. I wanted to watch because of Hidetoshi Nishijima and a few others in the cast, but I also wanted to see why people continued to say it wasn't such a good show... To be honest, from my point of view, I think they're wrong. Though they are entitled to their own opinions and I hope I don't offend or make anyone mad!This show is completely something else! I've never seen or read anything like it. The story is very unique and honestly open to the reality of the dark world of medicine, "mad scientists", and is full of the reality of heartbreak and mental issues. I've never seen any show, from Japan or elsewhere, so open and genuinely real with mental illness of any kind. That is without it being full of drugs, sex, explosions, and whatnot... I know I'm repeating myself but this show is one of the most real, genuine, and honest shows that deal with the reality of medicine and mental illnesses.
I really hope that more people give this show a chance! It is a hidden gem that is so fantastic to watch with the hopes of understanding mental and physical illnesses and the world of hidden medicines. I did not expect the ending at all!!
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If you like dark, suspense, thriller mystery dramas then this show is definitely for you! Not to mention, learning about shogi is a great bonus!The show pulls you into a dark, swift-moving suspenseful drama full of history, haunting emotions, mysteries, and the dirty underside of life. If you blink you may miss something important, but the catch-up between each episode is pretty clear and concise, too. The characters succeed in making each episode full of information, yet end at the perfect cliffhangers; almost as if they themselves are glued to the edge of their seats, excited to learn more about the story themselves. And sometimes it seems just like watching a docu-drama.
Each member of the cast has brought so much pride and respect for this show that it's almost tangible to the viewer. The detective/police work is not as prevalent to the show as the shogi games themselves, however, it carries the show quite well at an even 50/50 for each episode. So there isn't really anything missing or different that would make this less of a detective/crime drama.
Yudai Chiba is marvelous in his role; its almost scary how many sides this man has. Each moment was skillfully crafted for each moment in history and for the building of the game(s). The feelings of each character are intense and very raw, completely honest with their characters and themselves. Reality itself bleeds away from each actor, and yourself, as you continue to watch.
This show is very thought-provoking from beginning to end. If the drama is this fantastic, then I can only imagine how wonderful the book must be!
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I'll start off this review by saying you have to watch the first season to fully understand and enjoy the second season. Which is completely common sense, I know, but this is a fair warning! Each moment of this show is genuine, dramatic, intense, real, heartfelt, and raw. This show is definitely not for the faint of heart.The entirety of this show from season one to season two is almost perfection. From the writers to the directors to each individual staff member, and of course, to all involved cast members. Not one minute of the story is wasted; each moment of the story is planned and each detail is carefully laid out to tell a very surreal story!
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To be honest, this show is definitely not what I thought it would be! Do not let past reviews or comments bias you (ironic I know I'm sorry) however, I do believe that this show is such a hidden, underrated gem!The assembled cast is superb, and it seems like this show was created especially for all of them to show off their skills and genuine, unique traits and talents for this series. I don't know why it was separated into two seasons, maybe to make a clean separation between one character and another, however, considering the way each episode was shot I do not believe that this scenario was necessary. Each story is shot almost as if with magic, each episode continues to build and build until the ultimate climax of the finale. Not one moment of this show is wasted time, information, or effort. The last episode definitely caught me off guard, I was not expecting such a dramatic or drastic turn!
This show is, as I said before, definitely like magic; be careful it does not fool you with its smoke and mirrors! While the left hand is distracting, the right hand is moving, too! The inner workings of society (as a whole and as a certain organization) were so real and accurately told that it was almost scary.
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I began watching this drama because of Oguri Shun, however, once I began watching everything seemed to melt together and as I realized who was cast I became even more intrigued to continue watching. After falling in love with episode 1, I binge-watched the entire show! This script is well written, the episodes are all well shot, each story is never disappointing. I cannot remember a time when I fell in love with a series so quickly and completely.As I continued to watch, it's like who the actors are (personally) faded away and I was watching an exceptional group of experts in their field of fighting, protecting, hacking, building, creating, defending, revealing, and much more. I wish there were more episodes that continued to show off these talented group of unique, real, fascinating human beings. Each one had a special skill that seemed to melt in with the group of five so perfectly to create a magnificent team.
The premise of the show is something used a lot, however, it is also something completely different than anything I have seen before! Each episode was shot so clearly, that it seemed like everything was filmed in real-time. I cannot believe how real and relatable this show felt; it left behind all trace of being a show and completely felt like reality.
Some scenes may (or may not) have started off as a tactic for this show to gain popularity, but it seems to have been perfectly executed. The few who you thought would be weaklings actually ended up the complete opposite; no talent, effort, skill, or time was wasted in the making of this show. You can see just how hard each actor and actress portrayed themselves and worked themselves for the success of this show.
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The cast was picked perfectly! Each person filled a gap in the show that they built together to make into the mystifying, ridiculous, confusing, suspenseful, and genius show it became.
If you're a fan of odd yet hilarious humor, perfectionist actors and actresses, strange and confusing stories that are almost paranormal... Then this show is the right fit. Also, if you're a fan of Yamazaki Kento and Odagiri Joe then (in my opinion) this is one of their best shows!
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To be honest, I wanted to watch this show/series because Odagiri Joe is in it and I had just finished watching "River’s Edge Okawabata Tanteisha" so I wanted to see more of him, and (again - honestly) I was in no way enticed by its popularity from Netflix, but I am so amazed by this magical show that really seems to have a life of its own; and season 2 of "Shinya Shokudo" is magic as well!I'm amazed by each character's story, the different personalities of everyone in this series are so honest, genuine, unique, and very relatable. Not to mention, each character carries over well, if not tens of times better, from the first season as well! The cast is soothing to watch; though nothing was too dramatic or scary, I was mesmerized by this show's amazing cast of talented individuals! Each moment was filled with suspense at "what would happen next" within the separate stories, and towards the end you gradually became to understand just how everything connects.
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This show has a spirit all of its own! It is calm and lively, sweet and sad, mysterious and full of knowledge, completely unfathomable and very relatable on many levels. The show itself is a teacher of life's many ups and downs, good times and bad. With a few recipes of delicious, heartfelt, homemade cooking thrown in, too, of course!
I felt like I was watching some back alley restaurant in Japan via a live camera. The reality in this series is way too honest with a genuine soul.
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This is one of the most unorthodox, unique, interesting, and enthralling shows I have ever watched. Japanese drama or otherwise!The main characters in this show were one in a million, absolutely perfect for this show's story, and the clients were also well chosen; everyone working on this show made it something of its own, they made the show as if it had a life of its own. I don't know how to explain it very well, but once you watch this show you'll see it is not something typical of the detective, mystery, suspense, crime, investigation genre(s).
I like how each character has their own backstory, client or Ookawabata employee, and each had their own story to follow; this show became somewhat of a novelty in a way. Being that it doesn't divulge too much of the backstory of any character, yet focuses on what needs to be done for each client, this show differs greatly from the detective/investigation/crime dramas I've seen so far. I was mesmerized by each story that played out as if by magic, I was hooked from episode one and binge-watched the entire show.
The show itself does seem a bit underrated, and I don't even remember when I put this on my "plan to watch" list, but I am so glad I did! Odagiri Joe is wonderful, and his character in this show only seems to be him showing off his talent, hard work, and respect for his profession. At least to me. The team that makes up the office of Ookawabata Tantei are truly amazing to watch at work, their involvement in each story differs from one story to the next depending on the client or circumstances, but not in the way a typical detective drama would handle it.
This show in and of itself, all over, inside and out, is a detective/mystery/investigation/crime/thriller drama, that is 100% accurate truth! However, this show has a life of its own and is definitely not one to be missed!
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This show was full of nonsense, absurdity, and romantic antics; however, it was also full of detective reasonings, mystery, and suspense! For a comedic detective show, this series really had most, if not all, of the genre's, covered.There wasn't one episode where I could figure out early on who the culprit "maybe" was behind all of the thrilling stories in this show. I never would have thought Chiba Yudai and Hongo Kanata made such an amazing pair of co-stars, but they were both fantastic in this show, you could definitely see their friendship as well as their amazing talent within each episode. Though everyone cast in this show was very talented as well, I have to say that I personally think Chiba Yudai and Hongo Kanata were a stand out above the rest. There were a few familiar faces in this drama, as well as some actors/actresses I've never seen before, but their talents and hard work were all shown off very well in this series.
I never could have imagined a plot like this show has. As intricate as it was nonsensical, this show was created and carried out with detailed perfection and skilled people who take pride in their work. The two episode split was really interesting, they definitely took in to account the "detective show cliffhangers".
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I watched this show mostly because the synopsis sounded interesting, and it is a very interesting show, however, it took me a few episodes to get me hooked. But that has nothing to do with the show, it's all my personal taste(s).The cast was really well picked for this show, especially episode 5 because I'm a fan of Narimiya Hiroki. To be honest, I think they made a lot of things over exaggerated at some points or rushed at other points, and I really don't understand why one person had to be the "stupid commoner" scapegoat for the first few episodes, though I do realize that all of it was what made this show so interesting! Each story had an extremely difficult plot that was full of suspense and was thrilling to watch! Each character's personal story and growth was really amazing to see; it was like they became a different person altogether as the show continued through the episodes.
Though I was confused sometimes, it didn't last long and everything made sense toward the end of each episode and even more so toward the end of the show itself. I have to say this story is very unique to anything I have ever seen before, and as I continued watching I definitely grew more fond of the show as well!
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