Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku Review
Ahhhhh, its been a while since I sat down and actually finished a drama (Sekamuzu, Suikyuu Yankees and Nobuta wo Produce are still unfinished for me). I've watched a few films and single episode drama series here and there, but nothing I've felt compelled to sit down and review. So what made Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku so special that I had write down my feelings? Let's begin, shall we?
Synopsis: Okitegami Kyoko is a private detective known as the "Forgetful Private Detective." When she wakes up in the morning, her memory is reset. Due to this, she rigidly adheres to a maintence secret. No matter what case she has, she has to solve the case in a day. She writes important notes that she must never forget. Even though Kakushidate Yakusuke has a crush on Kyoko, he's always mistaken as the culprit of a case by her. No matter how close Yakusuke gets to Kyoko, she forgets him by the next day.
Not going to lie, I didn't exactly pick this drama up due to the synopsis. I'm a Johnny's girl at heart, and one of my favorites was cast in a minor role for the drama so why not? Overall, the synopsis was interestng. The concept of memory being reset isn't used very often, and, in combination with a detective series, it's a fresh idea. With those two features in mind, I dove into the series.
Important Characters:
Okitegami Kyoko - the sharp tongued forgetful detective
Kakushidate Yakusuke - "misfortune is my middle name"
Kizunai Horo - the owner of Sandglass Apartments, cafe, shop and more!
Narikawa Nuru - a man after my own heart helps with investigations
Makuma Makuru - one of the few Sandglass employees, amazing self defense
Breaking it Down: I love detective series. I really do. I love them because the mysteries keep me guessing who was behind the crime until the very last moment, but most detective series have a problem. They have an easy to follow formula where for thirty or so odd minutes the main characters investigate a crime, run into some trouble but then main character number one deduces everything by minute forty so everyone can talk about how amazing the case was in time for the credits to role by the forty-five minute mark.
Okitegami Kyoko has a formula, but, much like with DoS Deka, it was more flexible. It took me until episode six before I realized Kyoko had a catch phrase she would say before solving the case. Not ever case was solved at the same time because we, as the viewer, were given time to learn about the main characters and see their interactions in between moments of the case. I never felt like it was a chore to watch each and every episode, and the plots felt very natural.
I can also appreciate how, unlike other detective series I've seen, there were multiple times characters were brought back for several cases that weren't police officers. I can appreciate the refreshing approach taken to thise series, allowing us to not see these one off situations but how Kyoko has affected the lives of several individuals who rely on her when they need help. We can see her talent as a detective with each of these cases.
The series also manages to hold a lot of heart and, despite the death and destruction some of the criminal cause, it has a lot of heart. Particularly the seventh episode of the series revolving around Sunaga, a mystery author Kyoko is a fan of. Somehow, an episode dealing mostly with Kyoko trying to stay up to read 99 novels resonated so much due to the reasoning at the very end. Since this series is fairly recent, having just finished airing December 2015, I won't go into details, but it's my favorite in the show.
If anyone hasn't read my past reviews, I am a stickler for character development. The characters, especially the main characters, shouldn't be the same as when I first start a series. For Kyoko and Yakusuke, I can see a clear difference from how they first were from how they turned out in the end.
For Yakusuke, he is plagued with misfortune. From the moment we meet him, he believes his life has been destined for him to never go well. Anything that could go bad, goes bad for him, but he still believes there is good out there...just not for him. As the series goes on, we hear less about his misery and misfortune as he studies to be a Watson for Kyoko but begins to see the good in himself. He stops losing jobs with quite as much frequency and, whether the authors intended this or not, he has a stable place in a real estate company as the series ends. He stops looking for the bad and begins to see the good.
As for our heroine, when we meet Kyoko she's blunt and optimistic about the world. After all, she's happy with money and a little mystery in her life after all. Kyoko only trusts in herself and her intuition, but, as the series goes on, we slowly see her start to open a little and begins to trust Yakusuke and his honesty. Even if her mind forgets, her body remembers to trust this man she forgets every single day.
By the end of the series, we have the beautiful friendship of a detective and an increasingly lucky man....ah, but who knows. Maybe one day it'll blossom into the romance that Yakusuke dreams of.
Score: 4.5/5
Final Thoughts: It's hard to find detective series that have a lot of heart, but Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku manages to combine beautiful characters with a masterfully crafted story line. Each epsiode will keep you hooked until the very end and craving the next episode until it finally ends.