Dr. Asura おわり

Wakana Matsumoto in "Dr. Asura"

 The “Medical Drama with the Genius Surgeon” is surely one of Japan’s most enduring and popular tropes and follow such an unwavering formula that many episodes could be interchanges between shows with nary a hitch!

Despite their similarities, there are some medical dramas which strike me as mundane-and others which dazzle me and keep me on the edge of my seat, and I’ve concluded that it all comes down to the charisma and passion of the actor/actress/team who are are playing the lead role(s). It’s THEY who are responsible for my interest and involvement with the stories, and so it was with Wakana Matsumoto as the titular character and the terrific ensemble cast in the highly entertaining DR. ASURA, which kept the show as a “must see” for me this season!

From its first episode all the way to its very intriguing last, this drama kept me thoroughly entertained, holding my breath through its intense operating sequences and wiping away the tears during some of its more touching and inspiring passages!! 

Wakana Matsumoto has moved WAY up on my list of favorite actresses, and I'll definitely be keeping a lookout for what projects she decides to do next!!

The End Is Nigh~Get Ready!

 In an undisclosed secret base resides a renegade medical team of four people who operate in the shadows outside of the official hospital networks. Though no one knows  who they are, their unconventional means and superb skills make them an entity who can decide if one lives…or dies!

There is Jo “JOKER” Shimoyamada (Tatsuya Fujiwara), the PR man of the group who seeks out potential patients,

Gouhito “SPADE” Shirase (Wataru Hyuga), the “hacker” who gets all the pertinent info they need

, and finally Saki “QUEEN” Yoda (Nao Matsushita) and Eisuke ‘ACE” Hazama (Satoshi Tsubabuki), the surgeons of the team, the latter so nicknamed for his almost genius level skills on the operating table. With their powers they can perform virtual miracles…if they deem you worthy!

For their criteria they choose not only on if you can pay the exorbitant amounts they request, but also if the prospect of death and dying has properly humbled you into truly cherishing the idea of a “Second Chance” at living! The rich, powerful and influential are the ones they have their eyes on because those are the ones most in need of a real life reckoning!

Doctor Michizo Kenmochi (Takeshi Kaga) of Chiyoda Medical University, knows how sombre it is to have to tell a terminal patient that they have exhausted all practical options and that there is little chance of recovery...

Though he has excellent medical team including his daughter Reona (Moe Yuki) and Jion Someya (Hayate Ichinose),(as well as Manami Hashimoto, Masei Nakayama, Rea Nagami, Yuta Tanokura)  there is only so much the current medical field can provide…unless you are ready to step out of the light and into the grey areas, using untried medicines, questionable methods and dangerous surgery procedures, something that Kenmochi refuses to do…

...and it’s here the Black Market Doctors step in.

Once the Covert team has researched their potential client, they appear before him at night, clad in garish theatrical costumes, meant to convey mystery as well as to hide their true identities, and offer the deal of their services. It is through this exchange that the decide if  the patient is deemed worthwhile to save, or, callously, left to suffer their fates!

Of course, this kind of underground medical operations are clearly unkosher and highly illegal, thus they have caught the eye of a crack team of Police Investigators set on identifying them and bringing them to justice!

Led by Ryoichi Sakura (Kenichi Yajima) and including Todo (Takuma Sugawara),Kasu (Ryoya Yoshida), Kikukawa (Yuki Katayama), and Kuzu (Koki Kawamoto), their main purpose is to hunt down the renegade doctors!

Try as they might, however, they cannot cath hold of the elusive team, and once the deal is secretly brokered between the Undercover Team and the patient, the most skillful and almost futuristic operation goes underway, with QUEEN  and ACE performing the most tricky and RISKY of methods...all to save the client and send him onto a full recovery!

Get Ready! set up an interesting dynamic for the show, pitting these three distinct teams, i.e. the Hospital Crew, the Black Market Doctors, and the Police Detective team, all against each other and desperate to win for their own best interests! The Hospital wants the Renegade team shut down and pressures the Cops into doing their job, in the meanwhile the Black Marker Docs are silently doing their thing…A very unpredictable show where I have no IDEA where it’s going!!

Oh, there’s also this side storyline involving Hazama’s “real” job as a patissier of a fancy pastry shop, where every day a spunky schoolgirl comes to try out his baked goods. 

Her name is Mianmo Shimazaki (Ami Touma), and at this point we don’t really know her deal. Is this supposed to be an important part of the story or just a cute interlude? 

Guess we’ll have to wait and see! 

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com