TV Drama: Odoru Daisousassen

You do remember the forever unforgettable Tokyo Love Story, right? The dorama was played at RCTI more than ten years ago, I think. It was the first Japanese modern dorama played in Indonesia. Kanchi and Rika Akana, those names were probably the first two Japanese names I had managed to memorize properly. Well, in this dorama, Odoru Daisoussen, Oda Yuji (the guy who played Kanchi) was back to be the leading role.

As Aoshima Shunsaku, Oda was an ex-salesman who drastically shifted job into a policeman. He dreamed of becoming a cool crime detective like the ones he saw on TV, solving difficult cases and helping people--described as wanting to see "minna no eigao" (people's smile). But when he was promoted into a detective and put on duty in Wangan Area, Tokyo's Bayside Precinct, the reality was far from what he expected. Resigned from the business world to avoid the pressure of obligations to please clients or top management as a salary man, he was disappointed to find that the internal politics in the police department were not far from those he had to cope in a big company.

The Metro Police Department (MPD)—the headquarters or some sort, limited the authority of the cases at hand. Policemen from district’s office didn’t have the jurisdictions for almost every case; they were also treated as a good for nothing that should always make ways for the MPD officers, even when the crime was committed in the Wangan District! Everybody seemed eager to reach the top career in the police organization; the department’s or individual’s fame and glory were the main objective, the victim were forgotten and treated as objects instead of people.

There was an exception: Superintendent Muroi (Yanagiba Toshiro), the commanding officer of Crime Section in MPD, who later on—even though with undeniable reluctance—always backed up Aoshima’s rather rough approaches.

But of course this is not a romance dorama, so don’t expect Kanchi’s melancholic cute face here. Instead, you will enjoy Oda’s different acting as an idealistic and frank policeman, sometimes even a rather silly one; there were some scenes that featured him trying to play bad cop with the attitude. The cases were quite intriguing; the internal police politics were entertaining; the casts were funny and serious in the right places; the chemistries were well felt; the blending of comedy, drama, action and romance in its story was also enough of a treat; over all: it was good entertainment.

One last, not so important comment: Oda Yuji really has nice hair; it looked so soft and smooth. Few times I imagined touching and stroking it—wondering how it would feel ;-p His green long coat in this drama was also a memento.

A.k.a: Police investigation headquarters / Rhythm and Police Casts: Oda Yuji, Yanagiba Toshiro, Eri Fukatsu, Miki Mizuno, Ikariya Chosuke, Ono Takehiko, Satoi Kenta Genre: Police Drama 11 episodes Fuji TV 1997 Language: Japanese