"Sukeban Deka" season one drama, recap nine of 24 episodes

 

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 10.9% which was a drop of 2.2% from the previous episode, this aired on June 27, 1985 and there was no show on the 20th.

 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

 There will be some new storylines and characters added into the series as we go along so off course will add in any major characters and keep editing to the existing characters also. Have said om other dramas how in a way it could be easier to wait until the entire series has been finished or pick a certain show to wait until, say the midway point. Then you could go into one post and click on the links for each episode as doing it that way makes it so much easier to read plus this is the only was you can read them in order quickly as searching could take a while.

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

Episode five .... Episode six ... Episode seven .... Episode eight

 You do see those characters at the end of most of these kinds of dramas, ones where the story is ongoing. Those Hiragana characters spell out Tsudzuku which means To be continued, of course it means the story and that car is Jin's yellow Porsche 911. For each recap will have a video for this series and hopefully there can be a new one for each post and there aren't as many as I thought. So it is getting tougher so may have to leave a video up for two recaps or perhaps have some of Yuki's J-Pop songs. Today's video is the same as the previous recap but it's worth having again as it features short scenes from the show but what attracted me to this video was the song. It is such a upbeat rockin' tune which I had never heard, it's sung by Yuki Igarashi who isn't the sister of Izumi!!!! Below the video will be a screenshot of what the episode's title was, those you saw in the previous drama I reviewed and was having titles much more common in the 80's?

   

 

 

 Am beginning this recap on April 30th though positive it won't be completed for another day or two, then have to view and do the post for the tenth episode. Did just take six days off from watching any dramas and still am not sure whether I will recap all 24 episodes. The previous drama I recapped was very similar to this show so it feels as though I've written up 25 posts with the same story which is close to being the truth. This has been a decent drama up until now and actually has been better than the previous one to an extent. Once I finish up episode twelve will make my decision then but 95% of the time when I get that far in a series I end up completing it so perhaps another mini break will clean out my head...

 The way this episode began thought the setting would finally be back at the Takanoha Academy where our heroine Saki Asamiya has reenrolled at after a two year absence. Not a positive vacation as Saki had been quite the delinquent and at the age of fifteen had been sent to live at a juvenile detention center but the secret government group Dark Agency had realized Saki's potential to be an undercover detective(Deka) and she's now an ace for them! That boy above is named Senpai Nowi and he's been ga-ga over Saki since day one of her returning to Takanoha Academy, the pair aren't a couple but he seriously would love to have Saki as his girlfriend and have a feeling his dream will never be fulfilled. While the pair were shopping at a clothing store Saki noticed the girl below shoplift a few items and stash them in her bag. That was a very short scene which lasted only ten seconds as Saki took back those items but very soon we will meet that girl again who is Saki's age and now let's get to the recap. That brief opening was the only time we saw Sanpei or anyone else from Saki's high school. As a screenshot shows above the title for this ninth episode is "Cut the roots of Bullying".

 If you've been reading the previous recaps you know most of Saki's background, if you haven't been then it's worth checking out the links to those other recaps which is slightly above and that bio section also helps you follow the story very well. After that brief incident at the store Saki rode her mini motorcycle to a women's prison located just outside of Tokyo, I think she looks so darn hot in that red riding suit! Natsu is the mother's name and is serving a life sentence for killing her husband Toshiya, we still haven't learned why Natsu murdered the man who of course was Saki's father. In a shocker the mother refused to see Saki on that visiting day and that had never happened before, why now? That's what Saki desperately wanted to know and even her Dark Agency handler Jin who is above didn't have an answer to that. For a while Jin and his superior Shirei were using the possible execution of Natsu to blackmail Saki into doing missions for them. But that hasn't been the case for at least three episodes now and think Saki is realizing how important her undercover role is as she's been able to help out so many others around her age which happened again in this episode's mission. In the third to last screenshot above you can see a small cassette player spewing out some words, those are from the Dark Agency leader Shirei who is in each episode but have only been hearing his voice by a cassette, phone or VHS tape. Jin is the one who delivers Saki the tapes and we didn't see much of him in this show, just occurred to me now that it would be kind of cool seeing them fighting side by side.

 Tokyo Metro Izumigaoka high school will the location of Saki's next mission, her being a teen means she can easily blend in with her peers to discover clues about a case and she has become so invaluable. The mission is to find out a few things, one being who killed the above man Jiroshi Aoyama who was a teacher at Tokyo Metro Izumigaoka. That's him above and he was a very decent man who had been trying to help those who were starting to choose the wrong path in life, in this instance it was to reform a large group of shoplifters operating at the school. But the Dark Agency felt that the gang is being led by an outside person who is also responsible for the hit and run on Aoyama, first order is for Saki to enroll at Tokyo Metro Izumigaoka which took place the next day. The Dark Agency is so skilled at setting up identities for Saki who always uses her real name. That first day at the school for Saki is right below, to her amazement she ended up being assigned a seat next to the girl who she had caught shoplifting just two days ago. Her name is Yuko Aoyama and if that last name seems familiar it is as Yuko is the daughter of the teacher who had just been killed, at this time Saki wasn't aware of that key fact. Yuka didn't utter a word to Saki but you could see how uncomfortable she was, after a few seconds Yuka started behaving in such an odd way which shook up Saki to no end!

 Yuka had hopped into her desk and began to squawk like a Chicken, that naturally drew a barrel of laughter from all of the students. But that laughter didn't include Saki who grabbed Yuka and told her to stop, she then noticed a note in the girl's hand. Written on it was a message to imitate a Chicken or else, that threat was from someone in the classroom. When Saki showed the threat to her new teacher he just laughed it off as a practical joke and he seemed to be under the control of this still unknown shoplifting gang. Who never had an official name and at Tokyo Metro Izumigaoka the group seemed to be led by the girl in the bottom screenshot, also a few above that. Her name is Mion, in the bottom screenshot she's with a young man named Yamaguchi and he's the main leader of this shoplifting group. We only saw him for about twenty seconds prior to the final climatic scene, Yamaguchi appears to be in his young twenties so no longer attends school and the students he's recruited are very loyal to him. Seems that shoplifting can be very lucrative as Yamaguchi gets his cut, Mion and her cohorts get a piece of the pie too and so doesn't the person who did the shoplifting though they take the biggest risk. This group can also be very intimidating and were really just a bunch of cowardly bullies, lately they had been coming down so hard on Yuka for not becoming part of their gang.

 I think the only time Yuka did shoplift was when she was nabbed by Saki in that opening scene, once again Yuka was being threatened by Mion and her wanna-be gangsters. That's right above and the encounter was broken up by Saki and now she too was faced with an ultimatum, shoplift for us or face the consequences!!!! We all knew what Saki's decision would be and by the next day when she had grabbed nothing for Mion the girl's cohorts did rough Saki up a bit and that's when Yamaguchi had arrived on the scene. Saki didn't fight back as not to reveal her cover, off hidden in the wings viewing this was Jin who hated to see Saki get beaten/bullied but was very pleased she could control herself. Never mind shoplifting but the group also wanted Saki to pay them 50,000 yen for transferring to Tokyo Metro Izumigaoka, at this point I couldn't wait for her to take down this group of lowlifes!!!! By now Saki had learned the teacher killed in a hit and run accident was Yuka's father, the mother runs a small Ramen shop and Saki visited there. Also in the eatery was Mion and a few of her cronies, when they tried to leave without paying Saki gave them some lip which is right below and that did please Yuka's mother to no end. In a surprise Mion did back down and pay for the Ramen but what took place shortly after stunned Saki to the Nth degree.

 Final segment, what took place is right above and the first seven screenshots below as a lot did happen in the final few scenes. The seventh screenshot below is how the show ended, in the beginning when Saki's mother refused to see her daughter Jin had somehow gotten a bouquet of roses the mother Natsu had grown in prison. Saki was looking at one of them after her final battle and sure there was some significance to the rose but not sure what.  Nothing was heard about the mother in the next episode. What startled Saki so much at Yuka's mother's Ramen shop was that she witnessed the girl secretly taking money from the register, the second screenshot above. Saki tailed this young girl and before Yuka could do anything with the money she was apprehended by Saki and given a lesson on how to stand up for yourself! That hard earned money Yuka had stolen was going to Mion and her group of undesirables, there was no way Saki could let that happen. The bullying towards Yuka was only getting worse, instead of shoplifting the new demand was for money and a lot of it. So Saki was able to take the cash away as to return it to Yuka's mother but a bit later on Yuka was confronted by Mion and her cronies, seeing as how Yuka didn't have the 'protection money' she began to get clobbered. But secretly trailing Yuka was her mother who did shield her daughter but these lowlifes have no morals and bet they would have done some nasty things to the mother. By now the group's leader Yamaguchi had arrived on the scene which was near a small river and shortly after so didn't one other person.

 Who was of course Saki, her attitude about people and life has really changed since she became an undercover detective for Dark Agency. You could almost call Saki a Sukeban Vigilante as she has grown to despise all those who hurt and take advantage of others by their bullying, threats and stealing. Which is one reason why Jin these days never has to use the possible execution of her mother Natsu to get Saki to accept a mission. This was such a gratifying final scene, it is true Saki's powerful Yo-Yo is unbeatable but her fighting skills are also top notch and she took care of most of these teen bullies, many fled once they saw Saki in action! Her final target was the leader Yamaguchi and in that top screenshot just below you can see Saki's Yo-Yo about to nail Yamaguchi in the head, it was a direct hit(!) and any bully remaining scurried away in fear. Yamaguchi did confess to running over Yuka's father Aoyama in that hit and run incident and he was no match for Saki who also got a few solid punches thrown in. My favorite part of the episodes is at the end when Saki gives the beaten culprit(s) a lecture between good and evil, this seventeen year old knows more than adults 2-3 times her age! So it was a happy ending as the bullying and shoplifting ceased, what we haven't seen yet is a return from any of the girls that Saki has saved. When I began this recap thought it was just a so-so episode but sometimes my opinion does change and it did for this show which was one of the better ones to date. So thanks for reading and as mentioned a few times this series can be grabbed at a few sites, the next post has the recap for the tenth episode.