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 16.2%
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.
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.
Yes he was but that wasn't known for a while, shortly after Takayama and Yoshi received a call about a murder, it was of a Ginsei member so of course they zoomed there right away. This man's name was Matsuzaki and was a high tanking executive of the Ginsei clan, he was mainly responsible for obtaining their firearms. Matsuzaki had been strangled and it almost appeared he didn't fight back too hard, the reason was because he couldn't! Back at the Minato station the chief Kondo was quite worried, if a rival gang rubbed out a Ginsei leader will there be an all out war involving Yokohama gangs? Not according to the Ginsei expert Takayama who said things have been peaceful with the gangs and some were even helping their rivals out collecting debts and such! Matsuzaki's apartment had been swept clean, some fingerprints were discovered and they belonged to Satoru Iwaki, the man Takayama had seen earlier. Iwaki had worked at a Pachinko parlor in Kawazaki up until two months ago but had quit and disappeared, he's not associated with any Yakuza group so why did he strangle Matsuzaki to death? Takayama did pay a visit to the Kawazaki station and they knew Iwaki very well but he had only been arrested a few times, he is a bit soft hearted so he was easy enough to keep calm by the police force.
That man in the top screenshot above is the president of the Kasama clan, naturally his name is Kasama! Takayama paid him a 'friendly visit' and wanted to know what was up with his henchman Matsumoto, the man that was seen with the killer Iwaki. Of course Kasama and his group claimed to know zero, they were at truce with the Ginsei clan and didn't want to rock the boat. Takayama knew that was a load of bull but with no proof at the moment left the Kasama office and visited a gangster bar. Where he talked with another Kasama clan member Suda who off the record said Matsumoto was working on some secret project for the leader Kasama and no one knew what it was. Soon enough everyone would know for while Takayama was investigating the Kasama group Iwaki struck again, it had to be him as the MO was the same as the first Ginsei executive who had been strangled.
This man's name was Sano so two of the top three Ginsei leaders had been killed in less than 24 hours. In that middle screenshot above is Matsumoto on the right, he's handing Iwaki a pile of dough for the killing of Sano so Iwaki could be considered a freelance killer. After Takayama left that bar where he learned about Kasama and Matsumoto he noticed that someone was tailing him, that tail worked for all of twenty seconds! For Takayama ducked into an alley and quickly nabbed this sharp dressed man who Takayama knew well and was named Kitamura. He too is an executive of the Ginsei clan and wanted to know what info Takayama had on the killings? That baffled Takayama for wasn't it just Matsuzaki who had been murdered? NO replied Kitamura as his mate Sano had been killed earlier that afternoon which was news to Takayama. Remember these were the days before cellphones so info wasn't available within a matter of seconds. Takayama had no info for Kitamura but later in that day told his partner Oshita that he thinks Kitamura is next in line to be eliminated, he didn't say it out loud but you knew Takayama was thinking 'I have to protect my dreaded enemy?!'
Of course the easiest way to protect Kitamura would be by nabbing Iwaki which was easier said than done as he's abandoned his apartment and who knew where was hanging about. However odds were good Iwaki would be hanging about with the Kasama member Matsumoto, find him and there's a good chance Iwaki is with him. Which did happen as Matsumoto's photo was sent to every officer in Yokohama, by chance he was stopped at a roadblock and in the passenger seat was Iwaki. Of course Matsumoto wasn't going to stop for some simple road block and tore away, in the area happened to be Oshita who was notified and gave chase, though he did catch up with the thugs this was one of his worst experiences ever! In that top screenshot above Oshita was able to take out Matsumoto easily and cuffed him to his car. What didn't go so easily was grappling with Iwaki who though not too agile was as powerful as a tank and was pummeling Oshita like he was a fly! The only thing that saved Oshita from a possible death was the sound of approaching sirens, that was Iwaki's cue to flee which he did but least his associate Matsumoto was under wraps.
But only for a few minutes! For at the scene when a dazed Oshita and Yoshi who had joined him were about to put Matsumoto in a squad car a shot ran out, it was a perfect hit to Matsumoto's head who was killed!!!! Back at the Minato station the chief Kondo was beyond incensed, first Matsumoto gets through the road block, Iwaki pummeled Oshita and got away plus now the only link to Iwaki Matsumoto had been shot dead! So now the attention had to turn back to the Ginsei exec. Kitamura, he's next on the hit list so will be tailed day and night. Above you can see the trio of Takayama, Oshita and Machida talking the case over in their car, they had been outside a beauty salon where Kitamura was. To Takayama if the Kasama clan can eliminate the top Ginsei leaders then Yokohama is all theirs so there's no doubt the president Kasama had ordered the killings. Takayama had also learned that it was just by chance Matsumoto had recruited Iwaki to do the killings, Matsumoto had met him in a bar the previous week where he almost took out a drunken patron and offered this giant a lucrative deal.... to murder some gangsters! So while all of that plus some other incidents are known there's very little solid evidence against Kasama unless Iwaki can be captured and confess to everything.
Joining the stakeout had been Kaoru, she had been feeling very guilty about letting Iwaki leave the Minato station in that first scene. But it really wasn't her fault as who knew Iwaki was truly a killer and she wanted to make amends for that mistake. Kaoru was in that beauty salon pretending to be a customer but keeping close tabs on Kitamura who was there for a while. The trio of investigators were parked out front as it was presumed there was only one entrance to this salon. But there was a back one which Iwaki somehow knew about and slipped in undetected. He entered the salon and immediately went for Kitamura who had three bodyguards but Iwaki took them out as if they were flies. Kaoru jumped into the fracas and pointing her pistol at Iwaki told him to back off. Which he didn't but also having a gun was Kitamura who shot Iwaki in the stomach, the sound of a gunshot brought the investigators tearing into the salon. They told Iwaki to give it up as there was no chance of escape but there was as he jumped from the second story balcony. But wasn't tried to be nabbed, Takayama said in his condition he wasn't nearly as powerful and had a strong inkling on where Iwaki was headed.
Which was correct and that location was the Kasama clan's office, following in a car had been Takayama and Oshita. At the office Kasama figured Iwaki had taken care of Kitamura, at the time I thought if the killings were all done would he have had his henchmen shoot Iwaki to death? However Kitamura hadn't been killed and Iwaki wanted revenge on Kasama for ordering the killings and for also shooting his ally Matsumoto. Overhearing that conversation was the team of Takayama and Oshita who rushed into the office arresting everyone. Iwaki went away silently this time and Kasama was being charged with arranging the killings, also for the murder of Matsumoto as it was him who had fired the deadly shot. Kasama laughed at his arrest, even if he's found guilty he'll be out of jail in a year or less. That was probably true but Takayama asked him how long does Kasama expect to live after the Ginsei clan learns that he ordered their executives to be killed which naturally frightened Kasama to his core! So case closed and back at the Minato station an odd occurrence happened as the chief Kondo above gave his troops many congratulations, that may have never happened before! So ends this recap, the next post has the one for episode 45 and only six more shows to go after that.
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