Review:Kurosagi

KUROSAGI

THE PLOT

Kurosaki (Yamashita Tomohisa or Yamapi) is a young man with a quest for vengeance. As a young boy, his family was ruined by a Shirosagi (or professional swindler) and so he grows up a Kurosagi (literally, Black Swindler) to revenge-swindle said swindlers and to pay the Shirosagi of the world back with their own coin. Horikita Maki, who plays the righteous and idealistic student of law Yoshikawa Tsurara, comes into his life and part of the series revolve around the inevitable clash of their diametrically opposed personalities.

It is a premise destined for some kind of mind-blowing success.

Think about it – there is (or could have been, she said rather ominously) the exhilirating battle of wits as Black Swindler pits elaborate ploys against Professional Swindler’s own conniving; the fireworks of two clashing personalities battling one another in an intense, emotional dynamic; the exquisite tension within those characters that builds as they discover their own inner demons through their mutual interaction…she, her growing cynicism about the Justice System; he, a quiet optimism about a life free from some preoccupation with vengeance. It’s all there (or should have been) and it all makes (or would have made) for terrific television.

Something obviously got lost in the execution – tedious episode after tedious episode, Kurosaki pursues the daftest of personalities with the most simplistic of ploys…Not that we can even blame him for it – after all, how complex need one’s counter-manouvres be when outwitting swindlers with all the intellect of a basket of bananas? So, fine, we’ll take the overly simplistic con schemes; ignore the frightening ease with which he goes up conjuring fake personas and write off all the complete carelessness of “seasoned Shirosagi” as well…I don’t know, the Terrible Effects of Human Greed.

…Well, no. Actually, I won’t. I don’t know who the producers/writers think they’re kidding but they’re not fooling me.

But okay, I shall be fair, there was one aspect of the drama that was somewhat realised – and that is, the edgy counterplay of Kurosaki and Yoshikawa Tsurara. The tension between the two are just YUMMS! And is, really, the only thing keeping from ditching the show entirely.

THE ACTION

I suppose, when you have a drama starring an idol from Johnny’s, you are going to get the gratuitous (as in “completely unnecessary“) bits of action written into the show. The opening sequence which ends with a pointless show of Yamapi skin (he lies in a grassfield in what looks like…a red bathing suit???), for example:

(I always think he looks better in action then in still-life pictures, hmm. And from the angle, he looks like he’s wearing a red Wonderbra. How unfortunate! But I am digressing. *ahem*)

Oh well, I did say gratuitous (as in “received with thanks” also) and really, who is complaining. I like, particularly, when he assumes various klutzy personas (although the Shirosagi clearly wouldn’t know better if he went as himself or as the Same Klutzy Persona) because he’s CHO KAWAII in those scenes. Some people critique his acting skills (or, they say, his lack thereof) – at least for this drama, however, I thought he was a very convincing mix of outward cool/nonchalance and inner sorrow/torment. (And convincingly HOT!)

(Siiiighhh….!)

ANYWAY (on a somewhat less biased note), I particularly thought the balance of boyishness silliness and brooding seriousness was commendable – reminds the audience continually what he is (tormented and ridden with hatred) and what he should be/could be (an average 21 year old in happy pursuit of dreams and ambitions and…basically, the stuff of his counterpart Yoshikawa.) It could be just Yamapi being Yamapi – in which case, good job to the Casting People! Either way, I ain’t gonna bitch ’bout him being inadequate.

Horikita Maki plays a poorly written character as best as she can – Horikita Maki is a convincing Yoshikawa Tsurara; Yoshikawa Tsurara behaves like she belongs in Barney World, governed by a whole different set of social rules than the one of earth. I buy her incessant nagging about the Virtues of Justice and about how we must Uphold the Law!!! And all that (after all, I am studying to become a Lawyer – guardian of the Legal Universe! Or whatever else she might dub it. So I am obvs not that jaded yet and I believe people might preach about what they believe.) What I don’t buy is her getting down on her knees crying and begging Katsuragi Toshio (Yamazaki Tsutomu) to get Kurosaki to quit bending the law to his own purposes (however noble they might be). ‘Specially when she has so little reciprocal “affection” from Kurosaki to go on – it makes her character (which I am supposing, is meant to be strong and virtuous) clingy/possessive-to-the-point-of-creepy.

The rest of the series is populated by characters with the most annoying of idiosyncracies – Katsuragi Toshio spits like a…mad phlegm-producing machine; Kashima Masaru (Aikawa Sho) has this insanely annoying fake-laugh he does all the time and Mishima Yukari’s (Ichikawa Yui) a stupid, evil, bimbo. ANNOYINGGG.

Picked up on how similar the Kurosagi soundtrack is to the Hana Yori Dango one then found out they were both composed by Yamashita Kousuke. Turns out I have great acumen, eh! HAHA. Anyway, he’s good – but I keep thinking Blue Mind will start playing in the background. Again, I wouldn’t have minded if it did.

CONCLUSION

…Did not dig this series, yo.

Kurosagi is listed officially (well, on DramaWiki, anyway) as a “Crime Investigation”/ “Romance” drama but fails to live up to either. “Crime Investigation” wise, the drama consists of a series of feeble ploys to thwart doofus criminals. “Romance” wise, the drama is – without giving too much away – plain unsatisfying. Structurally, the drama covers several overarching themes and plotlines beyond the worthless episodic con jobs Kurosagi faces/commits. You will therefore, find the drama “improves” (in the sense that it actually engages your attention) as it goes along. Said overaching themes and plotlines (including the Romance bit of the show) are, admittedly, very intriguing indeed – the much hyped romance bit between Yamashita Tomohisa and Horikita Maki, in particular. These might be somewhat redeeming – but I say “redeem” only because it clearly does not actually “disguise” the formulaic and simplistic swindle-the-swindler ploys that is Sheer Boredom Epitomised. Watch it if you’re a huge fan of the Yamapi-Maki pairing (as I am), but don’t expect to be…entertained by the other 90% of the series.

Quality: 4/10

Loveability: 4/10