Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Robin Hood Theatrics In A Lupin The III Vein with “Kaito Yamaneko”

Kazuya Kamenashi is Kaito Yamaneko
 Just watched the first episode of the most compelling and thrilling Crime/Espionage Drama with “Kaito Yamaneko", starring Kazuya Kamenashi as the titular Neko-Mask wearing thief who makes it his mission to steal from the crookedly rich and politically corrupted. 
Cracking the Code to Untold Riches...
You Can't Catch Me!
  MAN! From the very beginning I was completely enthralled by the exploits of Yamaneko and his band of Criminal Cohorts; like Lupin The III before him, this show is full of colorful and captivating characters led by a man whose demeanor, antics and dialog all strike one as someone gone completely off the deep end! 
Yamaneko’s group of like-minded individuals consists of: 
Hiroki Narimiya as Hideo Katsumura
Suspicious First Meeting
Hiroki Narimiya as Hideo Katsumura, a news Journalist who first gets the attention of Yamaneko because of his sympathetic serial write-ups on their doings, and by and by slowly sees the mission that they adhere to- his journalistic sense has him accompanying  Yamaneko on his missions until he has become one of them!
Nene Otsuka as Rikako Hosho
Sexy Nene Otsuka makes her mark here as sultry Rikako Hosho, the woman who uses her feminine wiles to get the inside scoop on the team’s intended victims, as a big fan of hers, I have to sayhow GREAT it is to see her again, aside from an appearance in HERO2, I haven’t seen her in a drama proper since 2008’s “Around 40”!
Suzu Hirose as Mao Takasugi
 Probably the most interesting character is Mao Takasugi, a tormented teen-genius hacker who, at first a proverbial “Arch Enemy” of Yamaneko’s who becomes an ally of sorts when Yamaneko uses his maniacal ways to convince her to fight alongside each other rather than against each other. Mao is played by a new actress I’m seeing for the first time in Suzu Hirose, (oops, Dramawiki informs me that she the actress playing the “younger” version of Ryoko Kuninaka’s Takako character in Gekiryuu ~ Watashi wo Oboete Imasuka?) she’s just great, she and Kamenashi play off each other perfectly!
Nanao as Sakura Kirishima
And WHOA! If THAT wasn’t enough, we’ve even got luscious, luscious NANAO as a pretty young Police Detective Sakura Kirishima who’s made it a point to try and capture the elusive Yamaneko, little does she know that her childhood sempai Katsumura is actually AIDING the felons! 
Poor girl really has her work cut out for her…besides not knowing of Katsumura’s misdeeds, she also sadly is working under a sleazy superior anmed Sekimoto (Sasaki Kuranosuke, playing another icky role) who in fact is working behind the scenes with the same corrupt politicians Yamaneko and his crew are exposing!
Oh Man, this is such a great  and FUN show!!! Can’ wait to get back to even MORE!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com