"Abunai Deka" drama: Episode 36 of 51(!!!!) recap(season five, episode one)

 

 Air Dates: October 5, 1986 until September 27,1987 on NTV, Sunday nights at 9:00 pm

Director: Toru Murakawa, this episode's rating was 21.3%

Subs were once again done by GEO9875, this was one huge project to do so will give a huge thumbs up for doing the subs and hope the recaps gives the series it's proper justice. 

Main Cast:  The first two get the most screen time by far but the other four main characters are also very key to this drama. The setting is the Minato Police Station in the Naka ward of Yokohama and the station is part of the Kanagawa prefectural police. If you enjoy J-Pop songs then this show has some superb tunes, most know I'm a fan but do prefer the music from the 80's. Plus there's no beating the hairdos of women from that era! This series also goes by the name of....

 Hiroshi Tachi as Toshiki Takayama.... You'll see him referred to as Taka often in the screenshots. He's about a 35 year old man who is an investigator of serious crimes and the gangsters go out of their way to avoid him! Takayama has a bit of a 'cool persona' about him and is an ace with guns, he's the partner of Oshita but seems they didn't start working closely together until the first episode. While both are aces with guns their methods also get them in hot water with their superiors but the pair usually come out on top at the end as far as solving cases go.

Kyohei Shibata as Yuji Oshita.... About the same age as Takayama but looks younger. During the first episode Oshita blurted out he's got a bit of a shady past and it surprised many he became a sergeant. He knows how to pick a lock and some other methods criminals use, sure we'll find out more as time goes on. Like his new partner Takayama he is quite adept using all guns, unlike his partner Oshita isn't much of a 'people person' as Takayama is the one who often interviews witnesses, criminals or others. 

Atsuko Asana as Kaoru Mayama.... Member of the Juvenile Division which shares the same office as the Investigative Unit which Takayama and Oshita are a part of. Karou has gone out to crime scenes with the detectives but they never let her get in on the real action. However she is a tough woman who used to be a regular officer and knows how to use a gun well. Beginning with the fourth season she became goofier than ever which has been annoying.

Toru Nakamura as Toru Machida.... Not a rookie but hasn't been an inspector for all that long. Machida is the best fighter in the unit and also the women swoon over him but he does have a girlfriend which he said in the first show.... that may have been a lie.

Shizuo Chujo as Takuzo Kondo.... Chief of the Investigation Unit, smart man but seems to be more concerned on what he'll be having for lunch! But at one time Kondo was feared by the Yokohama gangsters and has been on the force for thirty years. Five years ago before coming chief Kondo had killed a Yakuza thug which is one reason he's so feared.

  In the third season the roles of Yoshi and Tanaka have become much larger, will add them in for season four. In the two screenshots below Yoshi is on the left, Tanaka is right next to him.

 

 This episode's two main guest stars

Kenji Fukuda as Nitta.... Patrolman who is the below man's partner. Nitta is an Ace shooter and his dream was to become an investigator as he really admired Takayama. However Nitta may have been a too gung-ho and corrupt in his quest to be promoted, he was shot to death at the end. In an interesting side note Fukuda retired from acting and for over 25 years has been a politician.

Yutaka Fukaya as Kujo.... Nitta's partner, in the screenshot below Nitta is on the left, Kujo is in the middle. With them is the elite investigator Takayama who was admiring their sharp shooting. Like his partner Nitta Kujo may have been a bit corrupt but did have a change of heart about that, too late as near the end had been secretly shot by Nitta!!!!

Previous recaps: There's 51 episodes but they were divided into six seasons, there was no break between them. Season one was episode one to nine, second season was ten through eighteen and this third ran from the nineteenth until the 26th episode. Season four has been completed which is episodes 27 through 35. So now were down to the last two seasons which each have eight episodes.

Episode one .... Episode two    Episode three .... Episode four .... Episode five

Episode six .... Episode seven .... Episode eight .... Episode nine .... Episode ten

Episode eleven .... Episode twelve .... Episode thirteen .... Episode fourteen

Episode fifteen .... Episode sixteen .... Episode seventeen .... Episode eighteen

Episode nineteen .... Episode twenty .... Episode twenty-one .... Episode twenty-two

Episode 23 .... Episode 24 .... Episode 25 .... Episode 26 .... Episode 27 .... Episode 28

Episode 29 .... Episode 30 .... Episode 31 .... Episode 32 .... Episode 33 .... Episode 34

Episode 35

 Am waiting on two recent dramas for their subbing to be finished, the series that ended it's run in December probably won't be completely subbed until March. That month is when the other drama I think will be recapped will finish it's run and the subs for that drama have been done rather quickly. So thought until those are done what should the next show be? That was a bit of a no-brainer as I knew this was just waiting to be finished and it was a goal of mine to view and recap all 51 episodes. So in order not to get tired of it have had three viewing 'sessions', the first was for episodes 1-18, the second was for the next seventeen episodes. Which leaves sixteen and I've been on a nice roll the past few months as far as recapping goes so this (hopefully)should be done sometime next month.

 That last series I just finished needed so much editing to the above section after each episode, that was one huge character.info section. Never have to do any editing to the above for this drama, did take out one character but that's been it and nothing changes which isn't a bad thing. It's not required to read the previous recaps as there really isn't any major ongoing storyline but it may help you get to know the characters a bit better, there's the two major ones Takayama and Oshita along with five others who usually get a decent amount of screen time. Will follow the pattern of having two recaps which means the other is after this one, every episode has a stand alone case and for 36 shows the plots to them have always remained fresh and interesting. The rating for this episode was 21.3% which was the highest to date but it does get topped five more times as this was one very popular drama.

 That florist in the top screenshot was a cutie, checked her out but seems this was her only acting role. Takayama had been buying a dozen roses from her and never did learn who they were going to be for as the alarm from the bank across the street began to blare. Out came running that man in the second screenshot, when Takayama announced he was the police the culprit took a woman as a hostage. Takayama was told to drop his revolver to the ground which he did, that made the robber pull the gun away from the woman's head. Right at that instant Takayama pulled another revolver from his back holster as he always has two guns and coolly shot this criminal in the shoulder, all in an afternoon's work for him! There seemed to be much more shooting in this episode and that was far from being the final time as the next five screenshots were from another holdup. This time a bank truck carrying 350 million yen was stopped on it's way to a company, the cash was from the person who was going to buy it. In the truck were four people, two bank guards, one bank official and the person whose money it was. There was a pair of robbers, the man in the hat was named Ryuzo Hino while his partner was Kazumasa Sakaguchi. Hino was by far the more aggressive of the two as he blew out the bank truck's windshield which killed a guard and ordered everyone out when trouble arrived for the thugs.

 Which was a patrol car and have noticed almost all patrolmen in police series aren't that adept when a crime is taking place, seems the detectives or investigators do the shooting and making arrests. But not this pair who showed up, their names were Nitta who Takayama was talking with above and Kujo, you'll be seeing their names often. Especially Nitta's who was an Ace marksman and so cool under pressure, though the criminals had three hostages he was able to shoot Sakaguchi in the chest which killed him. He then winged Hino in the left shoulder but it wasn't a major injury as he was able to hobble away. Just after that the cavalry arrived led by Takayama and his partner Oshita, you never see investigators wear the outfits he does and that's him in the flashy yellow suit jacket above. Takayama had a talk with Nitta and he was nighty impressed with this patrolman's shooting skills but did ask wasn't there any other way to end the standoff without shooting? Takayama isn't one to talk as he leads the Minato PD every year in the amount of bullets used!!!! So while Takayama was impressed there was something about Nitta which made him feel a bit uncomfortable, one reason is that Nitta is a bit too gung-ho and wants to see the criminal scum wiped off the face of the planet!

 On the right in the bottom screenshot is Nitta's younger sister Kaori who had been a nurse but was fired for drinking on the job! She's also engaged to be married but she played no major role in this story. In the top screenshot Takayama, who I've mentioned so often already, testified at a meeting about the actions of Nitta and Kujo at the bank truck heist. Both were cleared and the patrolmen's main dream is to become investigators, can they help out Takayama and Oshita on the case looking for Hino? Who was also wanted for a jewelry store heist from six months ago, the pair know the area much much better than the Minato investigators so why not? After discovering some clues about Hino's escape the Minato chief Kondo did promote the pair for this case as it shows above, they may be sharp shooters but an investigator is much more than that which Takayama mused to his peers. While that case was going on there was another minor one which will end the show. Oshita had a source who told him guns were being smuggled in the Yokohama harbor, his chief Kondo gave the approval to check it out.

 Which was a false lead as the only thing Takayama and Oshita found on this 'smuggling boat' was a cooler full of beer! Oshita had been duped but as mentioned this smuggling case will be important right at the end of the episode. On the hunt for the robber Hino Nitta and Kujo did find an ex-cellmate of his who tried to flee but once again Nitta proved his skills with a revolver and shot the man down but he'll live, Nitta is just a bit too free and careless with that gun. Later that night Kujo was off duty and walking home from the grocery store, you can see what took place n the third to last screenshot. He had been shot in the shoulder while climbing some stairs but luckily it wasn't a fatal shot and he landed up in the hospital. The bullet was checked out and as Takayama was telling Nitta it was a perfect match with the one used to kill the guard at the failed bank truck heist. That meant Hino was the shooter(no!) and to Takayama it means he wants revenge, Nitta just may be next on his 'hit list'!

 Right around now is when there was a major twist in the story, the two 'hero' patrolmen Nitta and Kujo weren't all they appeared to be!!!! What they were will be explained shortly and when Hino had fled the heist scene had dropped his coat, the Minato station found a bottle cap from a barin a pocket and that's where Oshita continued the investigation. The woman bartender Michio was anything but cooperative but did say Hino would come and grab two canisters when he visited. In that first screenshot above is what Oshita found in one of them, it was jam packed with Heroin! That bartender did help out a bit as she told Oshita Hino often secretly saw a man there, by the description it was the patrolman Kujo! Oshita brought his findings to Takayama, if Hino is an addict he must be going crazy without a fix.... that is if he's still alive! A little more investigating about Hino's escape route revealed some very sordid facts and was the Minato precinct looking at a major scandal? The investigators deduced that which they told their chief Kondo about, it appears Nitta and Kujo had been in on the bank truck heist, they had been secretly meeting with Hino and the now dead Sakaguchi. What the pair had done was to set up this heist with the robbers, if it was successful they would split the 350 million yen.

 But Kujo and especially Nitta were so avid to become investigators they were going to pull a fast one on Hino and his partner. Instead of letting the robbers get away they would shoot both men dead and that was the original plan from the beginning, dead men cant talk! If that were to take place then Nitta and Kujo would be Heroes and get their promotions to become investigators! But the plan went awry, Sakaguchi was killed but Hino was able to flee with just a wound to his shoulder. When the chief Kondo heard this wild tale he knew odds were high it was true, he ordered the patrolmen to be nabbed before this major scandal leaked to the press! Later on that day the drowned body of Hino was found at a pier in the Honmuku section of Yokohama, most of the action took place in that part of town. At the scene Takayama slyly told Nitta he knew that he was the man who killed Hino, he heard the previous night he had rented a car and why would that be... of course to transport a body! Worse than Hino's death was another which was of Kujo being shot again and this time it was fatal. He had called up Takayama ready to reveal the entire story, just before Takayama arrived he heard a gunshot and soon saw the dead Kujo lying on the ground.

 Nitta was also responsible for his partner's death, there was no way he could allow Kujo to reveal their unscrupulous deeds and wreck Nitta's chance of becoming an investigator! What could Takayama do at this point, all of his evidence was right on the money but so little of it was concrete plus all of the witnesses had been killed by Nitta! During that talk with Nitta a call came in from Oshita to Takayama, he had been working on that gun smuggling case and had found out there was a deal with a hundred gun about to happen at the Akebono Pier. Nitta pleaded with Takayama to bring him along as he would be outnumbered, to that plea Takayama reluctantly agreed. And at the pier the pair were outnumbered and Nitta did prove his skills with a gun as he took out at least one thug. However one did have a machine gun and it's hard to come out on top in a battle with one of them. While Takayama was on the pier taking care of business the goon with the machine gun snuck up behind Nitta in the warehouse where the deal would have been held. 

 When Nitta turned around he was blasted with the gun, Takayama rushed back but to no avail as Nitta died in his arms. Takayama had taken care of most of the thugs, by this time Oshita and others had arrived in the scene to finish up the arrests and such. So a successful ending as far as preventing a hundred guns getting into the hands of Yokohama gangsters but not a happy ending for the Minato police department. But at least the media and higherups never learned of the scandal, after his death Nitta had posthumously been promoted to the rank of an Investigator. That's how the show ended and this may have been the most serious of all cases up until now, there's usually some humor in these shows but not too much in this one which was fine as the more serious episodes have been better. Few more screenshots below of what took place, the next post has the recap for episode 37.