legal high season 2
I think Japanese scriptwriting is finally getting somewhere - I have been really impressed with this season of Legal High.
Spoiler alert!
The key thing legal dramedies have in common are interesting cases bordering on the bizarre which would never get litigated in a court (or litigated in a bizarre way). If you have been used to US legal dramedies (or just dramas) characters are developed around a central and usually complex, layered plot.
Legal High, on the other hand, is great because it doesn't take itself too seriously (something which I find has tended to creep into US shows) while at the same time exploring complex moral issues.
When I first started watching the first season, I didn't really get into it, but I think Season 2 reminded me of all the great points in the series - and I thought it was better than the first season, really. The new character, fresh-faced "Boy Prosecutor" Haruki Hanyu (played by Okada Masaki) is, like, Mayuzumi Machiko (Aragaki Yui), introduced as a foil to the foul-mouthed Komikado (Sakai Masato). But even idealism has its dark sides as one realises as the show progresses - and also, as in real life, the "truth" is not quite as straightforward as one might think (and, as the series would tell you, the truth doesn't really matter). What I especially liked were the very watchable social commentary - on, for example, the justifiability of discrimination based on good looks is (when, after all, isn't love a form of discrimination?) and the proliferation of ubiquitous "heritage sites". It's, imho, one of the high points of Japanese dramas in 2013.
Oh yes - one more thing - Hirosue Ryoko makes a few cameo appearances too - really campy! Recommended!
Spoiler alert!
The key thing legal dramedies have in common are interesting cases bordering on the bizarre which would never get litigated in a court (or litigated in a bizarre way). If you have been used to US legal dramedies (or just dramas) characters are developed around a central and usually complex, layered plot.
Legal High, on the other hand, is great because it doesn't take itself too seriously (something which I find has tended to creep into US shows) while at the same time exploring complex moral issues.
When I first started watching the first season, I didn't really get into it, but I think Season 2 reminded me of all the great points in the series - and I thought it was better than the first season, really. The new character, fresh-faced "Boy Prosecutor" Haruki Hanyu (played by Okada Masaki) is, like, Mayuzumi Machiko (Aragaki Yui), introduced as a foil to the foul-mouthed Komikado (Sakai Masato). But even idealism has its dark sides as one realises as the show progresses - and also, as in real life, the "truth" is not quite as straightforward as one might think (and, as the series would tell you, the truth doesn't really matter). What I especially liked were the very watchable social commentary - on, for example, the justifiability of discrimination based on good looks is (when, after all, isn't love a form of discrimination?) and the proliferation of ubiquitous "heritage sites". It's, imho, one of the high points of Japanese dramas in 2013.
Oh yes - one more thing - Hirosue Ryoko makes a few cameo appearances too - really campy! Recommended!