When I first started watching SPEC, I was expecting it to be like the original series, a low-key take on weird and unusual cases, and SPEC starts off in pretty much the same way, but within five minutes, the show exploded and took a complete left turn, turning into a show more like a Superhero Comic with its super-powered individuals (SPECS), shady government agents and Colorful Villains…truly an original drama in the influx of generic crime dramas lately!
When we are first introduced to Erika Toda’s Toma character, she’s so eccentric and goofy, one thinks the broken arm must be nothing more than proof of her clumsiness, but when a villian mysteriously tells her , “What happened to your left arm…I know the truth”, you realize there is more to the story than just a prop. So as each episode goes by, you become more and more obsessed with THAT backstory.
At the end of the first episode, we are introduced to a slight, quiet boy (Kamiki Ryunosuke) with an evil streak in him and the apparent ability to stop time and deflect bullets, among other things. Who is this boy and why does he appear in front of the other SPECS at the moment of their demise? No one knows, but another twist is introduced when Toma ‘s viewing to security camera for the latest episode’s killer, and the boy appears for a split second and Toma curses under her breath: “Ninomae!!!!” Holy Crap, she KNOWS him? What’s THEIR connection?
Finally, Toma is regularly visited by a young man (played by Yu Shirota) while she’s dining on her daily meal of garlic gyoza, and by his familiarity and words, is obviously her boyfriend, or at least ex-boyfriend. His actions indicate he is hurt by her cold shoulder attitude towards him, and one wonders what story lies there.
Well, Episode 5 came along, and DAMN, I got the answers to all three of those questions and MORE! Told via flashbacks, you get a HUGE slice of What the story is all about, and even better, it even made the as-yet-unrevealed parts of the backstory seem even MORE intriguing! CRAP, this drama ROCKS!
