Air Dates: April 11 to October 31, 1985 Thursdays at 7:30 pm on Fuji-TV
Based upon the manga by Shinji Wada, there were some differences between the manga and this series such as two new characters but for the most part what took place in the manga was followed... Subs by Mashhamid though a few others have also subbed this series
Ratings: Average for all 24 episodes was 13.04%, the high was 17.0% while 9.6% was the lowest and that happened twice. This episode's rating was 12.4% which was the highest rating since the fourth episode and this aired on July 4, 1985.
For my first two 'comeback dramas' after taking a four month break picked a pair of ancient ones, good timing for this series as it aired exactly forty years ago! No solid reasons for picking these but thought the pair, the other was "Shoujou Commando Izumi", would be easier to recap as they're both 25 minute shows and though I do enjoy 45+ minute episodes they can take a while to write up. Sure many of you readers may have a basic knowledge of these DEKA series which were very popular back in the 1980's as there two more seasons after this plus some movies. But there were also many films in this genre that were released from about 1970-74 though they weren't nearly as innocent as this show or movies but do recommend those 1970's films which are among my favorites.
May do a bit of editing to these first few paragraphs though then again may delete them and throw in some other thoughts or info, we'll see how things work out. Did say I was hoping for a pair of easier dramas for my return to recapping but neither one will be as easy as expected. This one especially and have a strong feeling the Bio section will be needing a lot of editing as we go along plus I bet there are going to be many characters who come and go. Will admit I was really confused about many things after viewing the first show which was only so-so until the end and wondered did I make the right decision as this is a long series with 24 episodes. However the second show was so much better and didn't begin writing this up until viewing that one, that does happen often where the first show is working out the kinks. For the previous series did five batches of three recaps as it was a fifteen episode show which worked out well. So was going to continue that with this series and have eight batches of three recaps but now I'm not sure what to do, am leaning on going back to having two at a time and will decide that at the end of the next recap which is the post below this one.
The heroine in this series was Yuki Saito who was eighteen when the show began in April 1985, she turned nineteen while it was airing. Wouldn't call Yuki a superstar but she's an actress most drama fans should know of as she's been so busy over the last forty years appearing in too many dramas, movies and stage plays to count! Yuki is also a singer who has about ten albums and 25 singles along with doing many other theme songs to dramas, she does the ending song to this show. Yuki is now 58 in age and she was an attractive woman back in her twenties and thirties, not saying she looks bad now but as mentioned is getting up there in age. Enough of an intro as there's always another mini section after the main character bios which are below and will be editing them quite often.
Most of the action will be taking place at the Takanoha Academy high school but in episode one the setting was St. Annes school which did slightly confuse me. Episode two is when Saki enrolls at Takanoha Academy and we didn't meet most major characters until then or at least the main students. Most of these photos at the top are of Saki holding a Yo-Yo, it's no ordinary one! When it flips open it shows the Police Crest as Saki is an undercover detective and what power it has. The Yo-Yo can smash through steel and if a person gets hit with it they're down for the count, the steel string is very long and can also double as a pair of handcuffs.
Yuki Saito as Saki Asamiya.... There is so much to say about Saki and not enough space! Saki's mother Natsu is currently on death row for killing her husband Toshiya, that happened when Saki was six in age which was eleven years ago. For the next nine years don't know yet what became of Saki but by the age of twelve she was a delinquent. She did enter high school but was expelled from Takanoha Academy at the age of fifteen and sent to Kanto Kita Juvenile Center but there was something about Saki or perhaps her circumstances which attracted the attention of the two men below this bio, Jin and Shirei. They're the top two executives of the very secret government department Dark Agency, they've recruited Saki to become an undercover detective as being a teen will allow to work much more efficiently at high schools. Of course Saki refused at first but the offer included an apartment, clothes and such plus a huge kicker. Which is that if Saki successfully completed a mission her mother Natsu's death penalty would be voided though would have to finish a prison sentence. To that offer Saki agreed but the Dark Agency did renege on their end of the deal and came up with an excuse for Saki to do another mission which she reluctantly said yes to so think that scenario of Dark Agency using Saki will continue on. Know more changes will be done to Saki's bio but that covers what we learned in the first two episodes. Saki's mother Natsu is in the bottom screenshot, don't think we'll be seeing her too often.
Koji Naka as Kyoichiro Jin.... The top agent for Dark Agency and is Saki's 'handler'. Jin was a cool looking man and was very respected by his superior Shirei. Jin is very skilled at martial arts though we haven't seen him in a physical fight through eight episodes and drives a yellow Porsche 911.
Hiroyuki Nagato as Kurayami Shirei.... Leader of Dark Agency and the person who recruited Saki to be an undercover detective at high schools. To me it appears Shirei is the one toying with Saki and saying he'll void her mother's death sentence to keep her doing missions, think Jin does have a soft spot for Saki and doesn't like seeing her used. Shirei had been a judge at one time and was one of the six on the panel for Natsu's murder trial! Perhaps that's why he chose Saki to be a secret detective as he had been keeping tabs on her for about a decade and felt she was finally ready for action! Don't know if it will continue on for the whole series but when Shirei appears in screen we never see him clearly, he is an older man and maybe keeping his face obscured adds to the mystery.
The remaining characters are all from Takanoha Academy which is a high school, in Tokyo? No characters appeared in the first episode so these bios will definitely need to be edited for future posts, the top characters are the students. Don't think any teachers will be key to the stories but will add one in plus the principal. Saki had attended this school when she was fifteen in age but had been expelled in her first year and sent to a detention center, she's now returned to the fury of many who remember her!
Chiaki Watanabe as Miyako Yumekoji.... She too is a delinquent girl but unlike Saki was never sent away to a detention center and is very intelligent though her ego is a bit too large. When Saki had been expelled Miyako took 'control' of the school or in other words has become the leader of the school's undesirables. Who are females and you never see girls have male underlings in these shows or films, of course those henchmen(women?) are Yes People who bully others. None of that group of Miyako's followers will have large roles but we will be seeing them often enough, the names of the main four girls are Tomiko, Hanako, Masayo and Tamami. That's them in the first screenshot below, Miyako is on the left and in the center of the second screenshot. Miyako is a very attractive teen and for now hates Saki with such a passion so a theme for the first half of the series will be of her trying to take Saki down. Of course Miyako doesn't know Saki is an undercover detective and had felt she returned to Takanoha Academy to take control of the female gangs which was not the case.
Yasuyoshi Masuda as Sanpei Nowaki.... That's an odd name and don't recall ever seeing either of those before. Senpai wasn't at Takanoha Academy when Saki was enrolled there two years ago, when he first saw Saki in present times it was love at first sight for Senpai!!!! Who had no idea of Saki's past but was so enamored with her ultra coolness plus she was attractive. Unsure(doubt) if Saki will ever return Senpai's feelings of love but think he will become a trusted ally. By the third episode Sanpei has become friends with Saki, not best friends yet but he is her only one.
Genji Kawai as Miyagawa.... Principal of Takanoha Academy and he probably won't be an important character but should be in most episodes, he's the older man sitting at the desk.
Hiraizumi Sei as Numa Juzo.... PE teacher at the academy and also the home room teacher of Saki's. Juzo was strongly opposed to Saki being able to reenroll at the school but like all didn't know she was an undercover detective. He also works in the guidance department and can be extremely strict though usually is fair to all except not at first towards Saki.
Previous recaps
Did moan a bit in the above recap how I was already burnt out from writing these up so how will I ever be able to do these posts for Korean dramas as those episodes are usually an hour or longer! These seem like a stroll in the park as these episodes are just 23 1/2 minutes and I did catch a second breath while viewing this tenth episode, though breaks are needed now and again sometimes if one is too long the negatives outweigh the positives. Our heroine Saki Asamiya is enrolled at the Takanoha Academy high school but to date only half of the ten shows have been set there. This one was at Saki's regular school though we didn't see too much of the main cast but the story was solid and will confess one part of it did leave me confused for a while. That top screenshot of the four above shows this episode's title which is "The Attacker is the Target", the word Attacker is a Volleyball term and that sport is the theme to this episode. Saki said she is horrible at the game but she is in terrific shape, as you can see above even she needs to do a workout every morning and there's nothing like a glass of wholesome milk to greet the day!!!! There was a second greeting for Saki who was her Dark Agency handler right above, that's Jin who you can see is telling Saki she has another mission. Thought Jin's role would be a bit larger but he is an important piece of this drama and Saki's life, still waiting for the pair to join forces in combating evil for one of these missions and lets finally get to the main action!
Naoko wants to attend the Tounen Bouseki school after leaving Takanoha Academy, that school has an excellent Volleyball program plus it's academics are top notch. Naoko is a very nice young woman who does realize that a Volleyball player doesn't have a long career so wants to make academics a part of her future which will infuriate a few greedy men. More on the scandal that was sort of stopped before blooming coming up and naturally Saki was in the middle of everything! You can see a few screenshots of Saki above and she was not having a good day to put it mildly. First off she was watching the brutal practice that Naoko has to endure every day, that's when Saki said how terrible she was at Volleyball and she had said that to the PE teacher Nuba who is above. He does love to pick on Saki and doesn't hate her as much since she reenrolled but is quite stern with her. Also stern with Saki is the above female teacher Takada who was chewing out Saki for getting 60% on her latest test. Saki said she had no interest in learning but think she was trying to get under Takada's skin, she told her teacher marriage is what she hopes for in the future! Things come in three and after that Saki met up with her semi rival Miyako in the bottom two screenshots above, Miyako was putting down Saki for not being as tough as she once was but if that gal only knew the truth!!!!
At the time Saki was staking out Kuroda's mansion with Jin in his top-of-the-line yellow Porsche 911 and we haven't seen him use that yet to chase a culprit! What Saki was wondering, me too at this point, is why a man rolling in money such as Kuroda needs to use Naoko to make even more? For a while I was confused about this situation of where and why Naoko may attend school to further her Volleyball career. But as mentioned it is a popular sport in Japan so money can be made off of endorsements, ads, clothing, posters, etc. so if a potential Olympic player such as Naoko attended your school what a boon financially that may be. There was no sense following Naoko as she's innocent though may be used badly, Kuroda will be investigated but first Saki chose to check out the Volleyball coach Ooki more closely. Saki had heard a rumor of a terrible tragedy that happened to Ooki a year ago and above you can see the coach helping a woman walk. It's Ooki's wife Juri and a year ago the pair were involved in a car accident on a rainy night, Ooki made it out unscathed but not his wife and her being in the hospital is very expensive. While Saki was there Ooki received a phone call and he's being pressured to have Naoko enroll in a different school/Volleyball academy. The caller reminded Ooki that he needed two million yen for his wife's next operation, he then dashed off with Saki secretly following. The destination of Ooki's was an office building, there was a meeting taking place with Kuroda leading it. In that briefcase was the whopping total of.... One Hundred Million Yen and that's how much the Royal Bouseki school will pay to have Naoko enroll at their institution! It's a shady place which only cares about money and not academics so if someone such as Naoko were to attend there the cash would be flowing in but there's no way Naoko would ever enroll there unless....
Naoko was at the Takanoha Academy's gym working out, arriving was her coach Ooki along with Kuroda. Naoko has been training with Ooki for so many years and she truly believed her coach was always looking out for her so Naoko was stunned when he said.... she has to attend the Royal Bouseki school! That floored Naoko as all know her dream was to attend the Tounan Bouseki school/Volleyball training center and why would her trusted coach Ooki say such a thing to her? A snickering Kuroda was behind Ooki and you could see how badly it hurt the coach to order Naoko to attend a different school but maybe it won't matter because of Naoko's next bit of action. That's right above and on a gym table Naoko noticed a pair of scissors and raced to grab them. At first thought she would stab her coach or Kuroda but no as Naoko stabbed herself badly in her right shoulder!!!! That shocked me and finally entering the school gym was Saki who rushed to Naoko's assistance and of course the Volleyball star had been thinking that with a bum shoulder no school would accept her! But least the injury wasn't too severe, after Saki gave the coach Ooki a severe tongue lashing he brought her to the hospital and Naoko was fully recovered within two weeks. Kuroda tried to slip away silently but there was no way the extremely irate Saki would let that happen, this older man was no match for the unbeatable Saki as she used her Yo-Yo as handcuffs to tie the creep up. The fourth to seventh screenshots below are of the arrest and when Saki defeats a culprit at the end it usually happens in twenty seconds or less and for once would like to see her battle a tough opponent. But you can see some of what Saki told her nabbed lowlife in those screenshots and how she puts them in their place is always my favorite part of an episode. That ends this post and I may not do this drama enough justice as to date it's been a solid series. Not in any hurry to finish a forty year old drama so the next pair of these will be in four or even possibly seven days.
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