Themis no Kyoshitsu: Legal Seishun Hakusho

Keiko Kitagawa stars in Themis no Kyoshitsu: Legal Seishun Hakusho as Shizuku Hiiragi, a judge who is taken off the bench for reasons unclear, to become a Law Teacher at Seinan University. Seems she has been called back to her old school by a former teacher Morimiya (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) who hopes her earnest and thoughtful outlook can become a benefit for the school, which had become a cold institution focused only on churning out students for the Bar Exam but little for human interaction.

Meeting up with her old Teacher Morimiya

With an optimistic step, Hiiragi gamely takes on the challenge of her new task as teacher, but she is met almost immediately with defiance by her standoffish students who are against her carefree and personable takes on the law lessons, and instead want to be taught ONLY what they need to pass the bar and NOTHING else.

...already that ATTITUDE from the students!

The main students: Terui (Sara Minami), Kiriya (Oshiro Maeda) , Manaka (Fumiya Takahashi)  Mizusawa (Kentaro Maeda) and Amano (Hana Kawamura)...Hiiragi would like them to know that there is much more than what’s on the paper and in the books, but they feel they don’t have time to be dealing with  these "human interest” diversions when there are tests to be passed.

One big reason for the attitude of the students is the teacher Jin Aoi (Yuki Yamada), a cold and robotilike teacher who feels that getting students to pass as the only thing that matters to the students (as well as the university itself), and refuses to clutter his lessons with the parts of the cases that include compassion and understanding, a fact that befuddles Hiiragi to no end (as she sneaks in on one of his lessons)! Aoi is seen as a revolutionary sensei by the students since his methods get results, but at what cost? 

From the beginning Hiiragi and Aoi butt heads, with Shizuku saying that a lawyer who doesn’t have a grasp on human emotions and interactions will not be very good, and Aoi pointing out that if the students can’t pass the tests in the first place, then what good are her lessons?  

Morimiya simply eats up this clashing of morals- it’s JUST the kind of interaction he was hoping for by bringing Hiiragi in, and his ultimate hope is that the two can combine the BEST of each of their principles to become the best Law teachers the school can offer!

But they've GOT to learn to get ALONG first, and it seems like THAT task might be well IMPOSSIBLE! We'll watch as they wear each other down in the coming weeks!

WELL, I think I’ve mentioned before about how much I really dislike school/student dramas, and sure enough, we’ve already got a hot handful of arrogant, and rude kids to make up the class, and I’m sure in the coming episodes we’ll have to deal with each of them and their personal problems. Heck, there’s already the “Student who Has to Work A Night Job” cliche, so you know even more is coming! 

But of course I HAD to check this out if not for ANY other reason than it’s the latest Keiko Kitagawa vehicle, and I must say that in THAT regard, it is very good, full of that dazzling Keitan glory I LOVE so much! I only wish she was more Big-Mouthy and Outspoken than this sweet and easily-pushed-around kind of person. But I guess as time goes on and the students learn to (hopefully) like her we can expect less Pushback from them! 

We’ll see where this one goes….. 

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