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 12.1% which was one of the lower ratings and about the same as the previous episode, perhaps because it was Summer(?) and this aired on August 8, 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.
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. In episode fifteen we learned that Jin was born in 1956 so that would make his age 29, he had attended a university in America and graduated in 1982. That meant he was 26 at the time and after returning to Japan Jin began to work for the National Police Agency, the Dark Agency must be an offshoot department. After beginning with the police none of Jin's records or activities are in their database so it's like Jin has been erased from the Earth, discovering that was the very devious older Mizuchi sister Reimi.
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.
The Mizuchi family.... just added these four characters in as they will be so very important for at least the next eight episodes. Least the three sisters will, doubt if we'll see much of the father but just in case we do added his name in here. We first met Ayumi in episode eleven, then Kumi in the thirteenth and the elder Mizichi sister Reimi in episode fifteen.
Yasuko Endo as Ayumi Mizuchi.... Though just seventeen in age when this was filmed in the show she was at least a year older than Saki. Ayumi comes from a very wealthy family and is the president of the Kanto Region Student Council Union among other things. Ayumi used that position to try and take control Saki's high school Takanoha Academy but that failed, she's Saki's most bitter enemy and also her toughest opponent. **** Checked up on the actress and read a very sad story, six months after this show ended Yasuko committed suicide and was just seventeen in age. Besides acting she was also about to begin a singing career at the time of her death which was from jumping out of a seventh story window. That death was very suspicious at the time and so many rumors began to spread about why the tragedy occurred but no one knew the real answer.
Natsumi Asano as Kumi Mizuchi.... I seventeen in age which is the same as Saki and is another sister who needs to be avoided! Though such a low life person Kumi is a very talented pianist and the competition she was in was the focus of episodes thirteen and fourteen. At the end of the 14th show she got into a scrap with Saki, Kumi's right hand and arm was injured so she'll be unable to play the ivories for a while.
Hitomi Takahashi as Reimi Mizuchi.... We finally met the oldest sister in the fifteenth episode, she's just returned to Japan after attending college in America. Reimi is quite an attractive woman but also one you don't want to tangle with as she is so ruthless. And devious as she's vowed to take down Saki for hurting her two younger sisters and to me it's not Ayumi who is Saki's most dangerous opponent but Reimi! She has quite the setup at her father's office which is the top screenshot below, considering this drama took place in 1985 Reimi had some tech gadgets which are common today but were very rare back then.
Shigeru Kamiyama as Gouzo Mizuchi.... Don't think we'll be seeing much of him but his fortune is so key to the sisters enacting their revenge on Saki! Gouzo owns the Mizuchi Corporation and is supposedly the sixth richest man in Japan, his family never loses and often have to resort to such underhanded and violent measures to achieve that!
Previous recaps
Did a minor bit of editing for this post, mainly took out a paragraph of text near the top. This has turned into one terrific series and perhaps that's why I've got my motivation back to do these recaps at a quicker pace. Am starting this post on June 20th(Friday) but won't finish it until tomorrow which is okay by me. For today I viewed two episodes, wrote one complete recap and began on this one so all in all a very productive day which is why I didn't have time to pen a regular post. The second screenshot above is this episode's title, the next three were from the first thirty seconds. Which showed our heroine Deka Saki Asamiya with her friend Ichiko who had died in the last show by a knife thrown by a new transfer student at Takanoha Academy named Takeshi Hayashi. Saki had been framed for the murder but was released by the police for lack of evidence but the ones who want to eliminate Saki vow not to quit! Takeshi had been working undercover for the trio of wealthy Mizuchi sisters led by the oldest Reimi who is above. When Saki trapped Takeshi late in the last episode and was about to pry the truth from him he was shot by a corrupt detective named Sawaki who also works for the above Reimi! That was all explained in the previous recap which I'm sure you've read and that's where we stand coming into this episode. Sawaki has framed Saki for Takeshi's murder and as you can see below she's about to become an inmate at a women's prison/reformatory! **** More seemed to take place in this episode than any other one so will have to cram quite a bit into six paragraphs. So much was happening thought this would end up being a three episode story though everything was resolved in the last five minutes but it may have happened too quickly....
This is a brutal reformatory and what Saki had to endure reminded me so much of the first of four Meiko Kaji 😍 'Female Scorpion' movies, all are a must watch!!!! That guard's name above was never mentioned and he will be in some more screenshots below, will use the name of Yoda for him. He too is under the control of the elder sister Mizuchi sister Reimi, I thought Ayumi was quite devious but I haven't seen many characters as ruthless as Reimi! At this 'prison' Saki was immediately thrown into a special holding cell similar to solitary confinement. She would only be fed once a day and when Saki was given a plate of food the guard Yoda would dump it on the floor, Saki went many days without eating. Plus had been roughed up on occasion by Yoda who demanded to know more about the Dark Agency and where to find her handler/partner Jin, to Saki's credit she didn't crack. Even other inmates were under control of the Mizuchi sisters as one attacked Saki one night in her cell, that was foiled but Saki did notice an imprint on the girl's wrist and later she briefly became Saki's cellmate. The Mizuchi father Gouzo is the sixth richest man in Japan and the trio of sisters learned his cruel ways early on in their lives, they could recruit millions to kill and/or make Saki's life a living hell so how can she battle against that? It won't be easy but she does have a pair of allies in the bottom two screenshots above. The young man is Saki's best friend Sanpei who was meeting up with her Dark Agency handler Jin. Sanpei was furious for Jin not getting Saki out of this prison and who can blame him but it's important for Jin not to expose his identity or the existence of Dark Agency. Sanpei doesn't care about any of that and will attempt to somehow free Saki, Jin will try to quietly help him out and near the end Jin will once again save the day.
Saki saw the mark on Midori's wrist so knew she was the girl who attacked her one night in her cell. Midori did confess to that but only did it for the guard Yoda would have beaten her senseless again plus she had also been duped by Reimi to find out more info about Saki. So Midori was more than incensed at those who had put her in this predicament and wanted her own revenge, she agreed to help Saki out. First task was to deliver a note to Sanpei during a delivery and Midori was able to convince a guard Sanpei and his boss were taking things such as letters illegally in and out of the reformatory. Sure some guards were told to obey any orders from Midori and let her go outside to the delivery van where she secretly and quickly confronted Sanpei. Midori whispered to him that the Mizuchi sisters had followers inside this cruel facility and to get Saki out ASAP!!!! Which of course Sanpei wants to do but how can he battle against a large crew of armed guards, he did relay this bit of info to the Dark Agency agent Jin. Who has discovered that the detective Sawari, who had arrested Saki, was the man who killed Takeshi to prevent him from talking with Saki. Jin also found out Sawari is another under the control of Reimi but when Jin confronted this detective's superior he got the brushoff for this man too was under Reimi's influence! This man did notify her and Reimi's response was that the detective needs to be eliminated before he could talk! After Midori completed the deed for Saki of delivering a message to Sanpei the guard Yoda became aware of what had taken place and daily began to beat on Midori badly. But always in another cell and Saki had to listen to the girl's painful screams but as it turned out this was all an act by Yoda and Midori to get Saki to reveal more about Jin and Dark Agency which came close to working but luckily didn't. Also Midori had been slipping Saki some food as Yoda says below, it was the only food Saki ate the entire time she was a prisoner.
This scene is right above and below, when Saki turned around to see who the killer of Yoda was standing there was Midori! Who told Saki everything had been an act to gain her trust but at times I had thought Midori really did want to help Saki out. In Midori's hand was a large batch of those needles laced with poison, she had at least two dozen and one was bound to hit Saki! Those were some special needles for they were heavier than the ones you have in your household and can be thrown from 25 feet away. But in such a stunning incident tossed to Saki was her trusted Yo-Yo and we hadn't seen her use that since the end of episode fourteen. The identity of that person who threw it to Saki will be revealed in a few seconds but sure you know who the person is. The clock was ticking as there was less than a minute to go in this episode, Saki and Midori did have a duel which I wish was longer but in the end we learned that needles are no match for a super enhanced Yo-Yo as once again justice prevailed and Saki was the victor! But this was by far her most difficult battle and it wasn't even an mission assigned by Dark Agency as Saki was just trying to save her life! With twenty seconds to go we saw Jin at the scene so it was him who threw Saki her Yo-Yo in the nick of time. Jin said all charges against Saki have now been dropped but added in how things may become even more hellish for her in the future and that ended this episode. This was the best story to date and as the series has gone on it's become so much better, after this there's eight more episodes. This series definitely will get a high recommendation from me so do check it out, have got my energy back doing recaps so the next pair of these should be in four days if not sooner. Hope to to have this drama completed by mid-July which should happen, then what would be up next?
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