Doing some quick fire posts trying to cover some backlog since I've watched so many dramas and yet not sharing it here. As I've said in previous posts, there's quite a few good dramas this spring season and of course there's some really disappointing ones (read: Tsuki no Kohibito and NO, I don't feel like reviewing it because I think it's a waste of time). Japan scriptwriters seems to be still in the mood for detective stories, hence besides Zettai Reido which I reviewed it earlier, Shinzanmono is another that is available for this spring season.
Abe Hiroshi stars as Detective Kaga, who is new to the Nihonbashi police precinct as he has just transferred over to. Newcomers to a particular location are called "Shinzanmono", hence the title of the show. The first case Kaga is handling is the murder of a woman named Mitsui Mineko, who like him, is also a shinzanmono. Detective Kaga will need to use his keen sense of deductive reasoning to find out the real killer in a town where everyone seems to be keeping secrets that they do not want others to find out. Kuroki Meisa and Mizobata Junpei are the other notable names in this drama.
Usually, dramas or movies with Abe Hiroshi will not disappoint. However, I do feel that Shinzanmono, although is nice to watch, is somewhat lacking in the story telling department. As usual, Abe Hiroshi gives a solid performance with his confident acting and the rest of the cast gives a good performance. However, the story is a bit slow moving in the beginning even though as one progresses with each episode, it should lead the detective closer to the real killer. The story only gathered pace at the later half of the series, which a tad disappointing as the potential for the drama is there.
Nonetheless, it is still an enjoyable drama to watch and the Japanese clearly love their detective stories, giving it a 14.9% rating. However, fans of Kuroki Meisa may complain as she clearly does not feature as much as the leading female character in the show, who is already murdered. Thus, if you want to see more of Kuroki Meisa, I's suggest you watch "Dance, Dance Subaru" instead.
