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 14.9% which was a nice increase over the previous two shows and this aired on August 22, 1985.
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
Last October did a post on what I had been watching and had planned on making that a monthly series but that didn't continue and why was that? No answer but think in July will begin it again but this time it won't be a one and done deal. The posts won't feature recaps but a paragraph or two for dramas, what I'm hoping to also do is get more comments and opinions from you viewers. The first set above is the original "Superman" series that aired from 1952 to '58, it's so much different than current shows but my favorite movies are very old ones so have been enjoying that series. To me the biggest surprise of the above five has been "Supergirl" which I bought on a whim five days ago, have viewed the first eleven shows and there's much more action than I expected. Before that Supergirl had made two appearances in "Flash" and I've just about completed the third season, it's been a solid series though the last few episodes have only been so-so. Another whim was "Walker Texas Ranger" and knew nothing about the series going on, I know so little about most TV shows.
That's been an even bigger surprise than "Supergirl" as I zipped through the first twenty episodes, it's such a fun show and talk about action! Last up is the very famous British series "Doctor Who" and watched the entire seasons of the ninth and tenth doctors. Am now on the second of the three eleventh doctor seasons and of the above five this is my top show. Nice to have a bit of a change of pace here now and again, sometime next month will do a post that will continue on with these thoughts and perhaps will talk about more dramas. My criteria for choosing dramas is not to have ever seen any of the episodes and that's easy for me. A second one is not having any huge stars in these dramas, except for Chuck Norris there are no superstars and to me he seems like a down to earth guy who is shockingly now 85 in age!!!! **** EDIT Just recalled for the first time ever saw a Yo-Yo be used as a weapon though of course that person wasn't as skilled as Saki in this series! The twenty second scene was from episode ten of "Supergirl" and that has been a solid series to date..... the star Melissa Benoist gets close to a 10/10 rating from me!
Back in episodes eleven and twelve we met the middle aged(18) Mizuchi sister Ayumi who tried to gain control of Takanoha Academy which is where Saki attends high school. Ayumi's plot was foiled by of course Saki and also in the next story Saki thwarted a plan by the youngest sister Kumi to win a piano competition. In episode fifteen the oldest sister Reimi returned to Japan after attending college in America, after hearing what Saki had done to her two sisters she's now enemy #1 for Reimi! She did try to frame Saki twice for murders in episodes fifteen and sixteen but those jams Saki was also able to thwart to the fury of Reimi who said she badly underestimated Saki. Now on to this story which is another two episode tale and once again the target is gaining control of the Takanoha Academy. This is just the first step for the Mizuchi family as their goals are first to control the Japanese schooling system and then the entire country! **** EDIT: Just recalled that the Mizuchi family in the last story have recently gained control of the elite Eiko Arts Academy which is a musical school. We seldom see the father of the sisters whose name is Gouzo, he's the sixth richest man in Japan and he's allowing his daughters to use his fortune in order to fulfill his and their devious schemes. The elder Mizuchi is no Saint either and taught his daughters well as far as being a Devil goes and now on to the action!
According to Reimi the best way for that is to teach young people the ways they should live or in other words try to Brainwash students to become followers of the Mizuchi family without them knowing. This is being done at a few other high schools, the middle sister Ayumi did try to gain control of Takanoha Academy in episodes eleven and twelve but that plan was foiled by Saki. All of the staff at the school have left save for the PE teacher Numa who also can teach regular classes. This new staff was hand picked by the Mizuchi sisters so of course they're the ones who expelled Saki but am surprised Reimi ordered that as it's wise to keep tabs on your enemy. The teacher Numa is in the second screenshot, he's helping the student Miyako who had been beaten in a fight with some new students, more on both a bit later. The Takanoha Academy isn't close to being vacant because only 32 students are left as the Mizuchi family has recruited many from wealthy families to attend there and to teach those 32 remaining ones a lesson or two! This is where Saki comes in and of course her new mission will be to rid her school of the Mizuchi sisters. In such a shock to her the head of Dark Agency Shirei ordered Saki to the main office to meet with him as this is the most vital case to date, Jin was there also and that meeting is in the bottom four screenshots above. Shirei had explained to Saki what I've already said about the Mizuchi family's plan to take control of Japan and are starting by brainwashing students but shouldn't they be doing that to much younger students? Of course Saki isn't allowed at Takanoha Academy which will make her job more difficult, first task on her list is to make sure none of the 32 remaining students quit the school. They can be used for possible future battles and Shirei did add in the Dark Agency has had the Mizuchi family on their radar for a while. But they did hold back to see what their grand plan was, lately the family's tactics have become so far out of hand so it was time for Dark Agency to make a move.
As you can see in the middle above after the meal was consumed Reimi had a private chat with Miyako and said she had some sound advice for the younger girl. We never did hear any of the conversation but will soon learn most of what Reimi had ordered(tricked!) Miyako into doing. Back at the Takanoha Academy things weren't going well for the 32 remaining students who are being treated like dirt but are sticking it out as Saki's good friend Sanpei has told everyone she will soon come to their rescue! This series took place in 1985 and you can see a screenshot above of what computers were like forty years ago. They weren't as advanced or as small as the ones today but those computers above were very high-tech for back then. Those computers were brand new at the school and were only for the new 'elite and wealthy' students to use, they had so many privileges. That made the 32 students so irate and while they were peeking in at the computer room a pair of guards whisked them away and gave them a minor beating! The pair were brought to their own classroom and all 32 remaining students were crammed into one room, the class is being taught by the only teacher to remain who was Numa. The next day returning to the Takanoha Academy high school was Miyako and she immediately began on Reimi's plan! Which was to create havoc and to get the 32 students expelled, the easiest way for that was to get them to stage a riot. That was instigated by Miyako who told everyone to boycott taking tests and to talk back to the new teachers, those antics should get all expelled! Miyako may be attractive and have some followers but she'll never be a Mensa candidate and had been easily fooled by Reimi into being a traitor to her classmates.
Final segment, what took place in these last seven minutes is right above and the first five screenshots below. I have been in such a nice groove with doing recaps for 25 minute shows, can keep these at three segments of two paragraphs each which is why I haven't gone back to 45-60 minute dramas. As the above screenshots show Miyako was able to get her classmates to back her with Reimi's plan though at the time Miyako didn't know she was being used as a pawn in getting her peers expelled! First she had them boycott taking tests from one of the new 'elite' teachers, later on they barricaded the doors and everything was going according to plan for Reimi but when Saki is involved that smooth sailing won't last for too long! Keeping her updated on the events at Takanoha Academy had been Sanpei who knew something was way off with Miyako's new attitude and why she returned to school, that he reported to Saki. After school that day Saki brought her ex-classmate out for a quick pow-wow and tried to knock some sense into this former beauty pageant winner. Which to an extent did work as Miyako confessed she had met a slightly older woman(23?) who had kind of bribed her to get the students at Takanoha Academy to rebel, Miyako ended up bringing Saki to that woman's apartment. But what a shock awaited Miyako for after entering the pad.... it was empty! That's above and a stunned Miyako couldn't believe what she was looking at but Saki knew all too well that Miyako had been duped badly and had turned on her classmates to unknowingly get them expelled!
To date Saki has never come face to face to Reimi but knows about her all too well. She told Miyako she's the older sister of Ayumi who had her crew beat up Miyako and her cronies in the eleventh episode, for being such a 'leader' Miyako is someone who is easily fooled. While that was going on back at Takanoha Academy most of the remaining 32 regular students were boycotting and had locked themselves in their classroom. When Saki heard the news of this from Sanpei she rushed back to the school with him and Miyako in tow. There the trio met the man in the bottom screenshot above and first one below, his name is Shinuchi and he's Reimi's semi-leader at the school. The long time principal Miyagawa has just been fired leaving the PE teacher Numa as the only remaining staff but as it shows below he too will be fired! When Numa saw the trio of students entering the principal's office he joined them and Numa truly does care about Takanoha Academy. There was only about two minutes to go in the episode at this point and finally Saki had her first ever live encounter with.... Reimi Mizuchi! She's now appointed herself as the director of Takanoha Academy, her first order was to oust Numa and then next on her list will be to expel the 32 remaining students! In the final seconds the newly installed guards were roughing up and ejecting Numa, Sanpei and Miyako from the office but of course had a hard time when it came to Saki. Who took out her powerful Yo-Yo and was able to subdue two guards, would Reimi be the next person to feel the wraith of our heroine Deka?! For now don't have an answer as I haven't viewed episode eighteen yet, that recap is the next post and am looking forward to this story's outcome as this has become one must watch series!
No comments:
Post a Comment