This dorama is about Kiriyama Shuichiro, who works at a Statute of Limitation Management Department. He was searching for a hobby and found that he's interested in solving the cases that have passed the statute of limitation. Assisted by Shizuka Mikazuki, a traffic ticket officer that does NOT have a crush on Kiriyama and dreams of marrying him, they solve one mystery at a time. The gang at Kiriyama's department is always there to "support" him, and his colleagues seem too busy to see what Kiriyama is up to, to actually be doing their job, you know, going out there catching criminals before the time limit is up.
This drama is about criminals who got away with it. We meet all kinds of culprit through all kinds of cases. The drama isn't trying to find an excuse for what they have done. The fact most of the cases are crimes where the culprit gained from it, in some ways, is unnerving. However it didn't take out from my enjoyment of watching this show, at least not as much as I thought it would. All characters, including those appearing in one episode only, and those that turn out criminal, have a quirky side to them that makes them entertaining to watch. That doesn't mean I find it in any way forgivable. I really hate the idea of statute of limitation, and 15 years is way too short! Thankfully the law in Japan has changed since 2010. In a way the drama is reflective to how indifferent the police are to their work, even when they are being paid by the government to make sure the city is safe. They have no problem handing the case over to Kiriyama once the time has passed.
Kiriyama never judges anyone for their crime. He's just there to figure out the truth out of curiosity. Catching criminals simply isn't his job. However if he could assist anyone in catching a criminal before it's too late, he'll do his best to help out. The show follows a format, but sometimes the type of mystery gets twisted. The result is never the surprise, the main mystery is the know-how.
The main attraction of this drama, which makes it so much fun to watch, is the characters and comedy, and that is thanks to the acting. All the characters are well in sync, and have chemistry. They each have their distinct way of being hilarious. Seeing them together is like seeing a crazy family having one of their usual evenings, suddenly dancing, then fighting, then laughing but something together while the target of their laugh (usually Mikazuki but sometimes Jumonji ) has no clue what is going on. None of the actors are above making weird and crazy faces, which is what I love about Japanese actors and Japanese comedy in general. The drama didn't stop though Odagiri Joe from looking as handsome as ever! I have always loved him, but this drama made him love even more. I have seen Aso Kumiko before, but she is absolutely adorable here! The whole cast is endearing in general!
So if you love Japanese Comedy, a fan of mystery, or a fan of any of the actors in this drama, it's worth every moment of your time!
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As much as this show sticks to the typical detective/police/crime genre it is also one of the most dramatic, ridiculous, insane, and hilarious shows that I have seen in a long time. This type of witty, quick thinking humor fits within the typical dramatics of being a detective/police officer of this series very well! I've laughed with every episode; and I haven't been able to figure out who the criminal is, let alone what would happen next within the inner workings of the police station!
This show, I believe, is underrated and definitely worth a lot more interest! I'm glad there's a season two and a season three (or is it a remake?) coming soon! I've really enjoyed seeing a funny side to a lot of the actors and actresses in this show whom I have only seen in serious roles; it was very refreshing and, for me, made the show even better!
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Indeed, the premise was exactly like that: outrageously quirky and funny (although, the ethically-conscious me was not fully on board with the "culprits get away with it" concept, I must confess >___<). The premise was mostly well developed and the mystery plots mostly well written (though, as it is often, if not always, the case with such episodic mysteries, some episodes were indeed better than others).
The cast did very well (besides, Odagiri Joe + Aso Kumiko are the perfect combo, seriously!!!) and the music was good too (the background music played during the "solution scenes" was particularly nice!); I have mixed feelings about the directing/editing though, as in a coupla episodes those were so chaotic that I got motion sickness! >___<
All in all, a nice dorama; I'm gonna watch the following seasons too! ^___-
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The story is exactly what is mentioned in the synopsis and each episode we get a new unsolved case, which is then solved by our protagonist Kiriyama and his colleague Mikazuki(who by the way has a crush on him). To be honest, the cases weren't really exceptional or unique. But what made this drama worth watching is it's characters and their natural comedy.
Japanese comedy can either be a bit or miss for me. But here it was a total hit and won my heart. I always love eccentric leads and characters and here I got a whole bunch of them. All their conversation, actions, habits are so absurd and nonsense that you can't help but laugh.
Kiriyama was definitely the star here. His unique hobby, his unconditional attitude towards things, the way he treated Mikazuki, and the best- his 'I won't tell anyone card' make him a really likeable male lead.
Moving to Mikazuki, it often happens that Infront of an eccentric ml, the fl is often toned down a bit. But not here. She is as extra as she can get. From holding Kiriyama's glasses to assisting all his weird investigations and even pining all her hopes on a marriage certificate, she is the charm of the show.
Even the side characters, including all the police officers and the people related to the cold cases, were all really diverse and fun.
For the cases, though I mentioned that they were not really special or exceptional, nonetheless they were really important for the drama. You can usually guess the suspect before the second half. But the issue here was not that who is the suspect, but rather what exactly made the suspect commit the crime and hide it. With each case you can see the difference in the attitudes of the criminals. Some are giult- ridden, some don't care while some have more important things to protect. But in the end it didn't matter because all cases are closed and Kiriyama won't tell anyone XDDD.
I took my time with this show because I wanted to remain around this bunch for a longer time. Believe me when I say that I had never been so happy before if a drama has 2 more seasons.
Overall it was just amazing, creative, hilarious and really fun so just go and watch it.
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