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More on S - Saigo no Keikan
I seem to be going with kind of a J-drama theme this month...
I just finished watching the series S - Saigo no Keikan that I blogged about earlier, and had some thoughts about it.
As mentioned previously, the team commander, Kashi, is played by Omori Nao, the same actor who plays Washizu in Hagetaka. I'm probably stretching a bit to make the comparison, but I found it interesting that Kashi also is caught up in a debate about moral issues, and was disillusioned by his former superior. It's stated early on in the series that Kashi was once part of the SAT team (the equivalent of SWAT in the US), and his former friend and commander, Nakamaru, felt betrayed when he left SAT. (Incidentally, the actor who plays Nakamaru also played a very stern and strict Kabuki instructor in Pin to Kona, which I also blogged about this month.) Later in the series, it's revealed that their fallout happened because Nakamaru killed (or ordered the fatal shot, I forget which) a young suspect that Kashi thought he could safely bring in alive. However, while Washizu reacted by becoming cynical and ruthless, Kashi held to his ideals and left SAT to form the NPS team that is dedicated to preserving life by bringing in both the hostages and suspects alive. The SAT team aren't cold-blooded killers, but they feel that the lives of the victims take priority over that of the suspects, and given the choice, prefer to kill a suspect rather than risk the safety of a hostage. They also feel no pity for the suspects, and don't believe that they deserve a chance at atonement, as Kashi and the main character Ichigo do.
This drama is far less morally gray than Hagetaka--although at times the NPS team struggles to accomplish their goals and Ichigo finds his ideals painfully tested, the narrative makes it clear that we're supposed to root for the NPS team. But at the same time, SAT aren't played as bad guys, either. They're often antagonistic towards Ichigo and NPS, but ultimately, they're presented as good cops who are dedicated to protecting the public at the risk of their own lives, just as NPS does, even if they disagree about how that should be accomplished.
Ichigo is the main character, and while he's likeable and sympathetic, he's so impossibly naive and idealistic that it strains belief a bit, even for a fictional tv show where I'm not expecting realism. I found myself much more interested in supporting character Kashi, who knows that things aren't always that simple, and whose job is complicated by police politics and a secret conspiracy against NPS, but still sticks to his ideals knowing how difficult it is. Omori brings nice nuances to the character--he's outwardly friendly and easygoing, while at the same time projects a slight air of melancholy and of being weighed down by burdens that his team isn't fully aware of.
Of course, the show isn't all weighty moral issues--there's lots of action and humor and team bonding, plus a touch of romance, and the most adorable police dog I've seen since Bear on Person of Interest! Oh, and the main bad guy--a terrorist named Masaki--is played by one of my favorite actors, Joe Odagiri (the guy in the icon for this post, which is him as Saito in the NHK Shinsengumi drama).
I just finished watching the series S - Saigo no Keikan that I blogged about earlier, and had some thoughts about it.
As mentioned previously, the team commander, Kashi, is played by Omori Nao, the same actor who plays Washizu in Hagetaka. I'm probably stretching a bit to make the comparison, but I found it interesting that Kashi also is caught up in a debate about moral issues, and was disillusioned by his former superior. It's stated early on in the series that Kashi was once part of the SAT team (the equivalent of SWAT in the US), and his former friend and commander, Nakamaru, felt betrayed when he left SAT. (Incidentally, the actor who plays Nakamaru also played a very stern and strict Kabuki instructor in Pin to Kona, which I also blogged about this month.) Later in the series, it's revealed that their fallout happened because Nakamaru killed (or ordered the fatal shot, I forget which) a young suspect that Kashi thought he could safely bring in alive. However, while Washizu reacted by becoming cynical and ruthless, Kashi held to his ideals and left SAT to form the NPS team that is dedicated to preserving life by bringing in both the hostages and suspects alive. The SAT team aren't cold-blooded killers, but they feel that the lives of the victims take priority over that of the suspects, and given the choice, prefer to kill a suspect rather than risk the safety of a hostage. They also feel no pity for the suspects, and don't believe that they deserve a chance at atonement, as Kashi and the main character Ichigo do.
This drama is far less morally gray than Hagetaka--although at times the NPS team struggles to accomplish their goals and Ichigo finds his ideals painfully tested, the narrative makes it clear that we're supposed to root for the NPS team. But at the same time, SAT aren't played as bad guys, either. They're often antagonistic towards Ichigo and NPS, but ultimately, they're presented as good cops who are dedicated to protecting the public at the risk of their own lives, just as NPS does, even if they disagree about how that should be accomplished.
Ichigo is the main character, and while he's likeable and sympathetic, he's so impossibly naive and idealistic that it strains belief a bit, even for a fictional tv show where I'm not expecting realism. I found myself much more interested in supporting character Kashi, who knows that things aren't always that simple, and whose job is complicated by police politics and a secret conspiracy against NPS, but still sticks to his ideals knowing how difficult it is. Omori brings nice nuances to the character--he's outwardly friendly and easygoing, while at the same time projects a slight air of melancholy and of being weighed down by burdens that his team isn't fully aware of.
Of course, the show isn't all weighty moral issues--there's lots of action and humor and team bonding, plus a touch of romance, and the most adorable police dog I've seen since Bear on Person of Interest! Oh, and the main bad guy--a terrorist named Masaki--is played by one of my favorite actors, Joe Odagiri (the guy in the icon for this post, which is him as Saito in the NHK Shinsengumi drama).