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 22.9%
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.
Out hunting for leads were the super team of Takayama and Oshita but they really had no place to start but a huge break fell onto their laps. Which was of almost hitting an attractive woman while driving along a Yokohama street, she had jumped in front of their car and lay still as though she was hit! Her name was Keiko Kurita and what had happened is that a pair of thugs were chasing after her. With no other options Keiko threw herself in front of the first car that passed by, it just happened to have Takayama and Oshita in it. Keiko claimed her leg was badly hurt which made Takayama roll his eyes, was she looking for an insurance payoff? NO and these goons saw Keiko jump into the investigator's car and gave chase. Keiko wouldn't utter a word on who they were or even why they were chasing her which ended at a pier. There Oshita did a quick U-turn and with Takayama jumped out their car with pistols ready ready to shoot! However that other car also did a U-turn and zoomed away, also fleeing away was Keiko who wasn't in the car when the men returned. But she wasn't a difficult woman to find as Keiko was using a nearby phone booth, when Takayama questioned Keiko about it she slapped him! In a shock to her and Oshita Takayama returned that slap, before things got out of hand Oshita threw Keiko in their car and tore away without Takayama.
Keiko claimed Takayama had kissed her which was true in a way but she was the one who made the first move. The chief Kondo didn't know what to think, Keiko hadn't committed any crimes so before anything else happened released her. That brought out the fury of Takayama who swore up and down he was innocent of any wrong doing but Kondo's ears were shut. The investigators Yoshi and Machida were working hard on this case and were successful in finding out some key clues. Such as that the robbery netted the trio of culprits 50 million yen and there was an even bigger clue. The 50 million yen was going to the bank from the electronics company Shinko and guess what, Keiko had worked there up until three months ago! Hmmm, so was she in on this heist and Machida was assigned to search her apartment. But the day before Keiko had moved everything out and sold her furniture, was she fleeing Yokohama with her share or all of the 50 million yen? At Keiko's place Machida had found a photo in a trash bag, it was of Keiko and a man who was later identified as Hiroshi Shintani. He was part of the trio that pulled off the heist and also at the apartment Machida had found fresh blood stains, if they were from Shintani was he badly injured?
The Minato station was making solid progress in this cash transport case and hadn't been telling the Higashi precinct about their discoveries. Such as finding one of the cars used in the heist and there was something confusing that had taken place in it. For there were blood stains and a bullet hole, to Yoshi perhaps the trio had a falling out and one of them was shot. If that was the case it had to be Shintani as his fresh blood was possibly found in Keiko's apartment, as a matter of fact she had been nabbed by Takayama again and was back at the Minato station. But just like before Keiko wouldn't utter a word and there was a complete change of what happened prior when Kondo said to release Keiko. This time around he said to keep her at the station for her own safety but Takayama had a plan and said to let Keiko go, they could use her a bait to nab either Shintani or the two other robbers who were searching for her, the question still is why are they hunting for Keiko? And they want this woman badly, the man in white with sunglasses above is one of the robbers whose name was Sasai, his much taller partner in the crime was named Komatsu.
With Komatsu driving Sasai had shot at a motorcyclist on a highway, not to kill but just to injure him which worked out perfectly. Sasai then called the Minato station and talked to the chief Kondo, if Keiko isn't released immediately he'll begin shooting to kill! That's when Takayama got the bright idea of using Keiko as a bait but there was no way Kondo would release her but of course was eventually talked into doing so by Takayama. Seemingly the whole Minato force was tailing Keiko though it appeared she never realized that. However also in pursuit were the pair of Sasai and Komatsu who were hoping she would lead them to Shintani and in a way that did take place. The time was approaching 4:00 pm, Keiko had told Takayama at the station she had an appointment set up for that time. Which was a contact call from Shintani that was placed to a beauty salon, Keiko barely made it there before the receptionist had hung up. He was staying at a hotel for the time being and that was because he was badly hurt, it was true that he had been shot by Sasai shortly after the cash transport heist. However Keiko could have cared less about his condition(!) and only wanted to know where the 50 million yen was stashed, that's why Sasai and Komatsu were in hot pursuit of Keiko.
Don't know how he managed to stash the money before he got shot but the haul from the heist was hidden at Shintani's apartment, that he told Keiko who won't be going to the hotel but instead to grab the dough for herself! But in close pursuit were the two gangsters who finally caught up to Keiko and began to press her for the location of Shintani. Saving the day for a few minutes was Machida who had been riding a bike tailing Keiko. The streets of Yokohama are so jam packed a bike seems to be the best way to tail someone. While Machida was grappling with the thugs Keiko tore away but Sasai and Komatsu soon took care of the investigator and caught up to Keiko once again, This time she did reveal the location of Shintani which was at a hotel in Honmoku, that was the truth. Also catching up to her was Takayama and Oshita, she also told them of the hotel but did leave out the key detail of where the money was stashed and that she was going to grab it for herself! Though Keiko had worked at Shinko Electric until three months ago it was never explained on whether that helped the gang pull off the heist and what her role in the robbery was.
As you can see above Shintani was badly hurt by the gunshot wound, unless he tells Sasai where the loot is his death wish will be fulfilled! But of course arriving on the scene was the pair of Takayama and Oshita, there was no gun battle with the thugs who meekly surrendered. Shintani wouldn't say a word about where the money was stashed and by this time his condition was critical. But in the beginning of this recap Takayama had found a bullet train ticket in Keiko's purse, he recalled that and headed immediately to the station. Where he found Keiko with her new boyfriend Akira, she had never told Shintani that she had dumped him and was just using the thug to get the stolen money. This scene was the first we had heard of Akira and it wasn't a long scene as the pair were arrested on the spot by Takayama and Oshita, for a change it was a bit of a quiet ending with no gun duels. Back at the Minato station the chief Kondo was overjoyed with his troops, they were able to solve the case before the Higashi precinct could and the Minato staff for once could finally snub their noses at their dreaded rival! So ends this recap and while not as much action it was yet another superb show, I kind of prefer these kinds of cases where it's more about investigating than shooting down a bunch of thugs. Have been zipping through this series so hope to have the next pair of recaps in three days.
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