Crosstail: Tantei Kyoushitsu

Story of a kind-hearted y0ung man named Tasuku Tobita (Ouji Suzuka) who has a tendency to worry too much about the well-being of others, even at the risk of his own peace of mind. He is still living with his Mother (Kaori Yamaguchi) and Father (Itao Itsuji) while he looks for a job, but things will be getting harder for him!

Tasuku's Father goes missing one day, leaving only a huge debt for he and his Mother to take care of. They move into a cheaper dwelling for the time being, but know Father must be found soon!

 Tasuku turns to a detective agency run by svelte Riko Shinkai (Dan Rei)  to find his missing father when the police offer no help. Unfortunately, the fee for hiring the agency is too high for the still-looking-for-a-job college graduate, and so he ultimately declines their services- but when he finds they have classes to become detectives themselves, and at a fraction of the cost, he immediately enrolls.

When he gets to the classroom where the detective lessons are to be taught, he meets a whole host of eccentric characters like the sincere Tomoka (Mayu Hotta, my primary reason for watching this one!)...

...the sly Atsuya (Takuya Kusukawa),

the bumbling senior Marukawa (Masayuki Ito)...

 and the outspoken Junko (Mariko Shinoda), all of whom have their own reasons for wanting to become detectives like him.

The class is taught by the strict and demanding Nanbu (Nobuhiko Takada) who insists on nothing more than military like attentiveness!

The newbies are soon put "out in the field", where they are tasked with learning to "shadow" a suspect. They are green but with cooperation between each other, manage to keep up somehow.

But it's here that Tasuku's natural compassion for others gets in the way. While following a suspect, he makes the choice to help an elderly woman instead, a big no-no for the course!!!

The two are severely reprimanded the next day for taking their eyes off the suspect, but Tasuku cannot help but be true to his feelings.

 Tasuku finds himself at odds with the teachings when they cut out the element of human kindness and caring in favor of results. Can Tasuku bend his beliefs and get in line to become a full-fledged detective?  Perhaps with the help of his fellow students, he can make it!

An OK show though I can’t tell if they’re going for seriousness or zaniness. Some parts seem lighthearted and wacky, while at the same time seem to be going for heartfelt reactions…. We'll see where this one goes… 

Who's That Girl: Mariko Shinoda

About halfway through the Atsushi Ito/Yua shikawa comedy Nou Ni Sumaho Ga Umareta and so far it’s been an adequate show-rather than the original drama I was hoping for, it kind of turned into a rather pedestrian show. With a guy who has a smartphone in the brain, I was hoping to see him use his powers in imaginative and innovative ways, but for the most part all he does is use it to read others’ texts. ZZZZZZZ. boring.... One thing that I HAVE been noticing as I watch this show,  is how CUTE I think the girl playing Satsuki Kuriyama, one of Orimo’s co-workers, is!

She's not anyone important, and truth be told, she spends most of the show as simply part of the "background" group of office ladies, along with actresses Sakiko Bokumoto (as Sadako Usuda) and Masumi Nomura (as Kaoru Uchida), who are there mostly to interact and provide comic relief for the ever suffering Orimo. 

But every time this girl is on screen, I just have to do some screencapping, I think she is so lovely to look at! And I don’t know why…maybe this girl is “just my type”?

Anyway, after a few episodes in, I was so attracted to her that I HAD to look her up and see just who this actress was…her name, it turns out, was Mariko Shinoda, and wouldn't ya know it...she's an ex-AKB48 alumnus! WHAAAAT! With Yuko Oshima as a recent fave, I'm amazed at how many new actresses I love turn out to be from that famed group!

Dunno just what it is about her that I find so charming, but she does look adorable sitting there, and is frequently shown eating food, snacks or drinking something (and you longtime readers KNOW how much I LOVE screencapping pretty girls eating and drinking!)

Don’t know if Nou ni Sumaho is going to get any better, but even if it doesn’t its a decent drama that in enjoy watching, and with both Yua Shinkawa AND Mariko Shinoda lighting up the screen, I'll be sure to watch to the end!
PS: Seems like every character on this show is going to have his or her own "showcase" episode, where Orimo uses his powers to solve their problems, and with Kuriyama's problem of having an office affair with her superior building up, I'm sure Mariko's chapter is coming up soon!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com