Friday, September 5, 2025

YIPS Back on my Viewing Schedule!

Bakarhythm and Shinohara Ryoko in YIPS
After being dropped by its initial subbing team back in 2024, the Bakarhythm/Ryoko Shinohara crime drama YIPS is happily being subbed by a new group and after all this time,  I'm finally going to be able to check it out! And so far, it's been GREAT!
In sports there is an ailment called YIPS, those cases when an athlete suddenly psychologically loses the ability to do some move or action anymore, and this drama tells the story of two people suffering from a similar psychosis. There is Toru Morino (Bakarhythm), a police detective who, after years of being lauded as the genius ace of the department who always cracks his cases, suddenly finding him unable to properly do his job due to the overwhelming expectations laid upon him.

And then there is Miko Kuroba (Ryoko Shinohara), a famous crime novelist who, after years of penning best seller after best seller, is faced with the same crippling burden of over-expectation for her new work, and when she sits at her desk, finds herself unable to come up with a single idea.
By chance the two characters end up at a popular new spa, and while they ming their own business at first, Morino instantly recognizes Kuroba and begins pestering her with questions about her new novel, and why her last few were so mediocre. How Rude!
Through his words, Kuroba realizes this guy has been criticizing her works on social media under an alias, and calls him out! While they immediately begin to bicker and get on each others' nerves, it is cut short when they discover a dead body floating in the spa pool nearby!
As a mystery writer, Kuroba is thrilled to be witness to such a crime, gushing "This is the first time seeing a real life corpse!" to the detective heading the case, the pompadour coiffed Sakai (Ryosuke Mikata). But Morino seems determined to keep out of it, perplexing her, until he reveals his position as a detective and his malady of being psychologically unable to complete his investigations.
It's here that Kuroba comes up with the novel idea for them to pool together their efforts- she'll help him with his shortcomings in the investigation, and she'll use the knowledge she gains from the case to get out of her book writing slump!
With two such opposite characters (Kuroba an outspoken loudmouth and Morino a mumbly recluse), you'd think this partnership can't last, but what do you know, they really compliment each other, and make signifiant headway into the crime- including zeroing in on cutie-pie guest of the week Reina Triendl as their main suspect....

Yes, when these two put their heads together, it seems they can crack any case! And with some success, they may even get over their self-imposed YIPS syndromes and get back to their jobs in earnest!
I was initially drawn to this drama for the Bakarhythm connection, however it's not a Bakarhythm-scripted show this time, and rather one he's simply co-starring in. Nonetheless it's fun and he and Shinohara are GREAT together!!!  This will be a drama well worth the long WAIT!