Cold Case: Shinjitsu no Tobira (2016)

I absolutely enjoyed this series. Though my reasoning may be a bit different than most. I was a huge fan of the original series and to see such a decent recreation was a treat.

I knew most of the original story lines that the episodes were adapted from and the changes they made gave me a very unique experience to be able to actually see the similarities and differences between cultures and time periods. I'm not kidding the original versions were stories set from the 60's to 80's. With this remake most were set in the early 90's, which was pointed out many times that the 90's were twenty years ago. I think I actually cringed and sympathized with my parents now knowing how they felt while watching the original series hahaha! Especially when they used music from that time and you knew you heard it on the radio.

I thought this group of actors portrayed each character wonderfully. In fact there were actual moments, looks and quips that were executed so well that I could even visualize the original actor in that moment.

I think anyone who was a fan of the original will definitely appreciate this remake.

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Every country dramas are similar in one way or another. However, this Japanese drama is a re-make of a Hollywood popular drama "Cold Case", that is incredibly unique. They have inserted and blend in a more interesting plot with exciting cases of detective investigation. This drama is strongly recommended. This Japanese is also sponsored by Warner Bros. Yo Yoshida, the experienced actress, plays the main role in this drama. A mature actress that plays the same in Hollywood version in Cold Case as well.

Set in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, "Cold Case" follows Yuri Ishikawa (Yo Yoshida) and her team as they try to crack unresolved cold cases.

Drama: Cold Case
Romaji: Korudo Kesu: Shinjitsu no Tobira
Japanese: ?????????????
Director: Takafumi Hatano
Writer: Takahisa Zeze, Yasuhiro Yoshida

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This was a really, really well done remake of the American TV Show  (which I used to watch). All episodes were engaging, there wasn't any  dragging, and they were all well narrated. The dark tone fit the show  perfectly. Awesome cinematography. It's been a while since I wanted to  watch a WOWOW dorama; from what I've read, they are mostly well received,  with talented characters and a big budget.

The characters were  excellent played. I liked all 5 main characters, and I found the serial  killer so creepy I think I will ever see him (the actor, who also is in  variety shows) as a creepy guy. There wasn't any overacting at all, even  the children did good. The songs were mostly great, some were  American/English, some were Japanese. All cases were interesting, some  were sad, and some were hard to watch (the poor students, for example).  And I absolutely loved that this was set in Yokohama, one of the most  beautiful cities I have ever seen and visited.

I think this is  one of those dorama that anyone would like: young people, older  people... I am glad they are having a second season.

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This show was amazing! So much better than the American version. Seriously, this show needs more episodes; it was one great story after another, one great case after another, and each one got creepier and creepier towards the end! Everything and every character worked well together, some parts were slow or some looked rushed through but you get the gist if you watch the show in order; I had to rewind some bits of (if I remember right) at least 3 episodes to figure out some things, but mostly the episodes were easy to understand! A few cases had me thrown for a loop; it was like some craze was happening in Japan during the shows filming so they just tossed it into the show too, sort of like they were throwing in the newest fad or whatever caught the attention of the newspapers, and that wasn't too bad since it just happened in 2 to 3 episodes but it was kind of annoying and I found myself thinking "wow I hope they don't deal with every case like this".... which of course, they did not! My only issue was I knew and have seen episodes of the American version before, and a few episodes were so similar it was almost like a copy of them, but that doesn't mean the episode or the series was bad; on the contrary, I prefer the Japanese version much more!

Though I do recommend watching this with all the lights on.

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A drama in typical J-fashion that was written and directed in a focused manner, yet never fail to deliver a connection with the task force (main cast) and even the guest stars (each crime in a new episode).

The positives:
Plot
Each episode but one delivers a new cold case that needs solving. Unwavering each episode starts moments before a crime took place. The writing dives straight into the task force gathering clues, gathering info, meeting potential suspects. Unlike C or even K dramas that take time (or too much time) developing individual characters of main cast, this drama lets you observe their characters as they so the job. And through each case, we saw how it may connect to the main cast member. How it effected them and drop hints of the ghosts in their closet. Simple interactions as they meet at work or after work allows you to peek into their lives. Its something to pick up on your own, yet its purposeful and never as afterthought.

Character
Captain Ishikawa is like that woman you admire. Who is proficient, efficient and sometimes blunt. Who seems to be steadfast yet rigid in her stance. Who looks calm on the surface but like a deep pool of water, you are attracted to find more about her and indeed theres much in her past that made her the way she is now.

Takagi, the new guy who quickly found his groove with the rest of the team. He seem to see thing on the surface but you come to find out his many strengths, not just as a member of the taskforce but as a person. I find his nature sometimes sweet, sometkmes gullible. But he forms a fascinating contrast to Ishikawa

Motoki, the vice and moat senior from appearance to demeanor was always in control, dependable and conducts his team in a soft leader manner. We also saw a bit of how his work ate away on his personal life and family.

Tachikawa and Kaneko rounds up the team and both are very likable. Tachikawa exudes a sometime male egoism and biasness but hes a good cop that gains your favor as the drama progresses. I look forward to knowing more of them as character and their own background story in Season2.

Acting
The actors playing the main casts were all spot on and effective in their roles. Yoshida You is new to me and she amazes me with her own screen charisma. Shes the type of actress that draws you in from both performance and appearance. Not just attractive appeal but her portrayal of Ishikawa was multi facet, sometimes strong and tough, sometimes calm and sharp, sometimes bias and emotional and when she cracked, vulnerable and even broken. Exceptional is the only word i can sum up for both the actress and her character.

Music
Opening theme and songs used were very nice. A lot of nostalgic english songs used too.

Crime and story range
Almost every theme, with different victims in different background, decade, was explored. Suspects, motives and culprits were variable too. Cases involving kids were particularly emotional for me. Most of the cases gets you emotiobally invested and a few makes you put not just your detectice hat on but criminalpsychology too.

The negatives
I wish the season is longer. 10 episodes wasnt enough for me. The other was tje development in Cap Ishikawa's sister while i dont hate it, i didnt particularly like it either.

Verdict
If you enjoy the genre of crime, investigation,detective and mystery, this drama tick all the boxes. Theres not much frills and diversion, a major plus in my book. Im amazed that even though each episode isnt long and total episode count isnt alot, it manages to develop the main cast with the limited screentime on their personal lives. Season 2 will be out in less than a week at the time of writing this review. My suggestion is binge watch this drama's season 1, you wont be disappointed.

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Absolutely loved it!

To preface, I'm a fan of the original Cold Case. I watched it when it was airing with my mom. So I have lots of special memories of it. When I learned there was a Japanese version, I was curious but also hesitant to start it. I was so scared I was going to hate it. Thankfully, I was completely wrong!

The drama completely captures the vibe of the original from the music to the casting. Yoh Yoshida is particularly great as Yuri Ishikawa (Lilly Rush in the original). I liked that this first season we see glimpses of the personal lives of the main team. Hopefully, they will reveal more in the upcoming seasons. Much like in the original, I liked the dynamic between the main team. One thing I disliked was Yuri's sister, who I also didn't like in the original. I would've been fine if they cut her out.

There's a slight drawback that all of the episodes are based on episodes from seasons 1 to 2 of the original. I would've liked a few new cases. But I still felt engaged during nearly every episode. I will say that I didn't enjoy episodes 4 and the finale that much. This was one of my least favorite storylines from the original. My favorite part of Cold Case is the set-up and pay-off. These two episodes are the only ones where you don't get the usual pay-off.

If you're curious about which episodes correspond with which from the original, I'm including it here. I'll also my thoughts on the Japanese episodes:
Episode 1 = Season 2, Episode 11 - a great episode for the J-drama to start with. Heartbreaking and "Don't Look Back in Anger" has been stuck in my head for several days.
Episode 2 = Season 1, Episode 8 - another gutwrenching episode. I liked that they showed some social issues (such as Japanese Brazilians living in Japan) that you won't see in other dramas.
Episode 3 = Season 2, Episode 10 - we're at a 3 for 3 for great episodes in a row! Keep your tissues handy.
Episode 4 = Season 2, Episode 9 - one of my least favorites tbh, but still a good one. This is one of Cold Case's more memorable original episodes so they sort of had to cover it.
Episode 5 = Season 1, Episode 22 - I cried like a little baby so a good episode. However, it was a little too word-for-word of the original.
Episode 6 = Season 1, Episode 13 - the one instance I think they improved on the original. It covers another social issue (Koreans in Japan) and just feels more impactful than the original. This was the episode I remembered that Japan had a statue of limitations on murder! It was only changed recently and still only cases from after 1994 can be charged.
Episode 7 = Season 2, Episode 6 - like ep 5, this one is very close to the original. That didn't stop me from crying though T_T
Episode 8 = Season 1, Episode 18 - this one was definitely less impactful than the original. I can't really pinpoint what I didn't liked about it.
Episode 9 = Season 1, Episode 14 - another classic, heartbreaking episode. This one was based on the famous "Boy in the Box" case. He was finally identified last year!
Episode 10 = Season 2, Episode 23 - a follow-up to episode 4 that I knew was coming. The ending scene was great, but still one of my least favorites.

Anyway, that's the end of my ramblings! I'm looking forward to watching the next season.

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Really Good JDrama Procedural

I really enjoyed this remake of an American series that I really enjoyed.

The cast here is great led by Yoshida Yoh. Great, strong, FL sans the last episode but I guess they needed to do that so she could face off with the serial killer who was played very brilliantly by Yusuke Santamaria. I don't know his other work, but I look forward to seeing more.

My main gripe with the show, however, is the song choices in every episode were questionable to say the least. Not even sure why they couldn't have chosen Japanese artist and/or songs. Probably something to do with the contract with Warner Brothers. Anyway, the songs choices at the end, at least in the American version, were typically used to evoke feelings of closure and satisfaction that the case was solved and usually tried to have some connection with the victim. In this series many of the songs seemed in opportune or outright inappropriate for some of the scenes.

I look forward to watching season 2 and 3. I hope they are just as good.

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A very good crime j-drama.

The series is interesting, moving, intriguingly depicts criminal cases clearly reflecting the atmosphere and problems of Japan. Sometimes the criminal can be "sniffed out" immediately, sometimes he is discovered late, which adds detective charm to the drama. A big plus are the interesting characters and their personal life threads very delicately portrayed against the background of the criminal cases. Good camera work. Atmospheric music. Great selection of songs. One minus - a green filter that distorts the world and is annoying. All the rest of the production makes up for this shortcoming. A very good crime j-drama.

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