It's perfect for a break from emotion-filled dramas, or for a weekly/daily 45 minutes of pure distraction.
As already pointed out by other reviewers, each episode is built upon a fix pattern, with a brief presentation of each locked-room case in which the improbable investigative trio gives us hints to solve the riddle. If you aren't a fan of serial doramas, you may find the repetition boring. Personally, now and then I like the familiarity created by schemes and patterns: it's... reassuring, and relaxing.
The actors do a great job. Sato Koichi's antics are hilarious, Ohno Satoshi's robotic ways surreal but very effective in creating a familiar character and yet leaving that trace of mystery which keeps the interest of the viewer alive. I'm partial to Toda Erika because every time I see her on screen she is different. This time it took me almost half an episode to truly recognize her; I once read that she's one of the few drama actresses, if not the only one, who is ready to act with no make-up at all. Her clothes are so discouraging it's evident she does not want to impress for her looks, but for her acting skills.
The editing of this show is original: it cuts scenes and music abruptly. In the beginning I thought it was a mistake by the segmenters, but I later realized it's a direction choice. While I wouldn't recommend this kind of style for every drama I watch, I think it works well here, where no room is left open for unnecessary detail and economy prevails over flowery narration.
The music is brilliant and works perfectly for the show. It combines some elements of the traditional detective/mystery serie a' la Ellery Queen with the contemporary pace and rhythm.
It can be rewatched, given some time has passed and you've forgotten
the intricacies of how the culprit did what (s)he did. I didn't mind the ending at all, I thought it was very much in line with the rest of the show. Suitable and therefore recommended to any type of viewer of every age.
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The cases were great and so many details were planned to make them solve the locked room mysteries. Often the suspects were obvious, but the way they realized it wasn't.
The music was good, it matched the drama perfectly.
The acting was good, too. There weren't many dramatical or tearful / painful scenes to play, but everyone stayed in character and did a good job.
The story itself was okay. I was more fond of the characters because there wasn't much development in the story, it pretty much stayed the same.
I was completely disappointed by the ending, but it's not going to change my score. I'm hoping for a sequel or special now, though I think it's unlikely.
You should try this drama anyway and give it a chance. ;)
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Okay, this drama was based on the novel series that follows an episodic format with various stories. The shows focuses on the three (3) characters solving each crime. Ohno Satoshi's being a "robotic and eccentric" somehow I get the feeling that he has this mysterious past from the beginning actually. Sato Koichi made me laugh seeing his face when he react. Toda Erika, the lawyer-who-always-tailing-his-boss around plays a heartful and innocent young woman. At first, I nearly can't recognize her, hhhmm.. Hearing her voice here were in a low pitch. Well, still liking her husky voice though. But.. seeing her role as "Saya Toma" in Keizoku 2: SPEC were already haunting in my head and suddenly switching from this one which is a normal made her looks so different. :D
What interest me is that they're not police or detective. They are mainly "Two Lawyers and One Security Otaku" though when you think about it, it's a sensible decision. It has the same directions with Trick classic series though it doesn't interact in other way
because Kagi seems to borrowed some elements from Trick which makes it
an uncomfortably atmosphere and that they presented every clues as provided where to look.
This is not some detective series that treat the viewers like an
"Idiot" and goes beyond reality. There's some drama explaining some
things that are not necessary in detail. Don't get me wrong! I didn't mean to be rude. But that's it.
There are some soundtrack that reminds me of Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Cristie and I can visually "them" when I hear those OST. :))
Anyways, I'm familiar with Locked-Room-Cases and so If you're a fan of mystery dramas, there are far more mediocre or worst than Kagi no Kakatta Heya. The cinematography, OST and those close-ups shots has made it an enjoyable one. I'm not biased though. Haha! :)
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Despite always following a fixed pattern, the episodes were never boring on the contrary this pattern leads one to expect always the same flow of events which makes any change however slight it might be a surprise in itself. That's what makes the whole idea behind the repeating a fixed pattern a Plus.
The Story(8): The drama is an adaptation of a series of mystery novels, but according to what I've read on Wikipedia, there are numerous differences between the drama's screenplay and the novel, like the fact that in the novel Enomoto is a thief who makes use of his vast knowledge of keys and locks to help Aoto who is a lawyer solve murder cases that take place in a seemingly locked room believed to be impossible to break through. The contradiction of being a thief but yet helping solve criminal cases, is explained by Enomoto's argument that although he steals he definitely can not tolerate murder.
Another difference, is the creation of a character that doesn't exist in the series, this character is none other than Serizawa who plays the role of Aoto's boss and the owner of the law firm.
The Drama basically focuses on the crimes and solving the mystery, so the character & their background development is found to be rather slow. this and the fact I found some of the cases and the basis on which they were solved a bit far-fetched are the main reasons why the story didn't get more than an 8.
The Cast/Acting (10): was by far the biggest merit in this drama, the choice of the leads in particular was spectacular and they all played their roles wonderfully(it's said that the producer/scripwriter had Ohno in mind while preparing for the show because he fitted the image he had of Enomoto Kei's character). Ohno's poker face and robotic moves were AWESOME, and the best part of it were the moments when you catch a glimpse of facial muscle movement that shows how excited or moved he was. I also loved the chemistry between the leads (the three of them) and although this drama has no romance, I still enjoyed the "Enomoto X Aoto" couple a lot
The Music (10) I enjoyed the OST in this show a lot, the music was utterly unique, fitted the scenes very well, and I also liked how the BGM was used to give shape to the pattern that I explained earlier, i.e. the same pieces were always played at the same parts of the pattern. I also LOVED Arashi's Face Down and the lyrics which perfectly fitted the show, it might just be coz I'm a big Arashi fan myself ^^
Though I feel I'll mostly be rewatching this show or some parts of it sometime soon, I only gave it a (9) not a (10) for rewatch value because I'm sure I'll still be fast forwarding and looking for my favorite scenes only and not watching the whole thing all over again. But I can never tell, coz I've just finished it and I rarely rewatch a whole drama through right after I finished watching it for the first time though I HAVE done that before :D
This is one drama that I definitely enjoyed.
I won't be spoiling anything, but the finale is BY FAR the BEST episode in the show so please if you haven't given this show a try or have started it and for some reason decided to drop it, at least try watching the last two episodes (since the 10th episode is a to-be-continued)
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Some of the suspects may appear easy to point out from the beginning, but the point of this drama isn't the crime but how the room became a locked room and what it has to do with the case.
It is a very clever drama as it teaches you about locked rooms and teaches you aspects of a case at the same time. It has an episodic nature, but you won't get bored with the routine. In fact, you look forward to watching Enomoto-san work every time.
The drama is very plot-driven. Ohno Satoshi as Enomoto Kei was a delight to watch. The soundtrack is amazing and one of the best I have heard.
This is a must-watch for anyone who wants a good drama to watch.
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From all the detective series that I have seen so far, the unique thing about KagiHeya is that it doesn't aim to make you think about who did the murder. It's actually easy to pinpoint who's the killer because they tell it to you. However, figuring out the trick is the difficult part. So even though you know who did the crime, you'd still be kept at the edge of your seat until the end.
I gave 10 in almost all aspects. It's a subjective matter and to be truly honest, I really loved everything about the drama. While it is a certified cliffhanger (even with the SP!), I love cliffhangers so I'm still giving it a 10 for the story. The 3 main characters have different personalities, but they indeed make a great and interesting team. The actors portrayed them perfectly too. I'm still not over how Ohno portrayed the robotic, weird, and mysterious Enomoto Kei. Lol.
The music was really amazing. The OSTs added so much to the suspense and mood of the story. And Face Down? I've been playing it on loop hahaha :D a great song, really!
Rated it a 9 for the rewatch value, though, because the suspense decreases as you rewatch it. Although I may watch it some other time because I'm slow at understanding the tricks! Lol.
Anyway, if you love mysteries and detective stuff, I highly recommended KagiHeya! :D
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Toda Erika was amazing in this drama, completely different from how she was in the "SPEC" series and movies, and from her role in "Ryusei no Kizuna". I really liked Sato Koichi in this as well, it was my first drama that I've seen him in, but he seemed to portray a lawyer as if he really was one. I also liked that there wasn't a lot of difficult, technical lawyer/police/detective jargon to follow. This is a wonderful show; I lost myself within the story multiple times and was so amazed when the episode ended! Hahahaha!! This is a good show to watch if you like detective stories that are actualy about detective work and not filled with romance, filler episodes, or excessive drama. It doesn't get straight to the point but instead actually searches for answers; I like that it isn't so easy for some of the answers to be found.
Again, you may understand my review more if you watch the series.... But I do recommend that you do!
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Sherlock Holmes on crack.
Ever thought that some of the Holmes’ cases are rather unrealistic and impossible to predict from the perspective of the reader? Well, this is worse. Not gonna lie, for some that might add to the entertainment value, but for me, it just made me completely not interested in the investigation itself.That said , the great chemistry between the main characters was amazing to watch. Serizawa Go was for sure my favorite. I loved how he was trying to act low-key, but in fact was truly interested and engaged in the cases. Him trying to keep the good image also led to many funny moments. Aoto Junko was a good case of a smart and strong female character. She was not perfect, sometimes driven by her emotions too much. Yet, she possessed many good characteristics which made her quite a lovable heroine.
Enomoto Kei was quite a mystery - after seeing the whole show and the special episode, I am still not sure who he truly was. He did have one of the most interesting “conclusions” of all the characters, but I wished his backstory would be more integral and a bigger part of the show.
So, if the cast was so good, why did I not quite like the cases? Putting aside how unrealistic and at times convoluted they were, they also at times sent a questionable message. I especially felt a lot of discomfort after finishing the Go Game episode.
The acting? Great. From the main cast, to all the supporting characters, all did an amazing job. There was no exaggeration of facial expressions and line delivery, and even though most of the characters were quite eccentric, the portrayal done by the cast made them rather realistic and approachable.
Overall, quite an enjoyable ride. Even though, for me, the cases were lacking, the cast was so entertaining, I still had a good time watching.
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Another classical detective drama, where the one who solves the cases has a special talent and they use it to solve cases. The good thing about this drama is the character of Enomoto. It's just fun to look at him. I also think I would have liked more development between him and Junko. There were signs of Enomoto getting more involved with her, but not as fas as the audience would like to see it.
The ending was really nice, and even during the series I wasn't bored, because the cases were never the same. It was about unlocking the rooms in many different ways, so it was enjoyable.
So basically, I would give this drama a good rating if there were more character development, but seeing how it is a classical detective drama, I will gladly give it 3* for keeping me entertained. Watch it especially if you like Ohno as an actor, because if there is an idol who can act, then it's probably him.
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This review may contain spoilers
This whodunit series has interesting cases, most of which are solved within the same episode. It manages to have quite a few surprising endings without trying too hard to have twists or maintain suspense. I like the classic feel to this series. Unlike some other series from the same genre in recent years, it doesn't have a lot of focus on forensics and high-tech equipment but focuses on locked rooms. The detective is also not a detective but a locksmith who is more interested in unlocking rooms. It is charming in how it doesn't take itself too seriously, sometimes making fun of the genre itself.What makes the series stand out is perhaps the overall quality of the production. The stories are good, the main characters are entertaining and likable, and it is well-paced. I actually watched a couple of episodes of the Chinese remake of this series and I dropped it to watch this. The stories may be similar (based on what I have watched), but this is just so much better.
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The music is upbeat and fun to listen to (theme song: Face Down-Arashi)
Overall it's a great drama, althuogh I always find the rewatch value of crime-solving dramas not too good since you remember what happens.
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If you miss all of the old detective classics then give this one a try!
This is a classic Whodunnit crime drama, only that the Who is not the question, only the How.It has all the tropes:
* There is the eccentric genius (Enomoto), who is set apart from the world by mannerisms and interests. His personal life and background is mostly of no importance (and in this case, even a mystery),
* He has sidekicks who are mostly there to give a bit of comedy and occasionally provide some important clue
* It's case driven, not character-driven -- There's little to no character development. In fact, apart from some broad strokes, we don't know much ablout the three main characters.
* The cases are presented in episodic format, one case per episode, and in each episode there's the same clear structure.
* The way each scene is set up -- from the way Enomoto inspects the crime scenes to the spatial arrangement of the characters in key moments -- it all feels very old-school.
* And, last but not least, the background music. These new and fresh melodies are used in a classic way -- we hear the "he's thinking hard", the "the important clue is coming", the "this is the introductory scene", the "here comes the comedy part" in the respective scenes.
I am not able to explain this in detail, but it feels as if the writer and the director used these tropes very deliberately to create something new from the old. I welcomed these tropes as old friends in new clothes, rather than roll my eyes at them.
Seems boring? For case aficionados, it isn't.
The cases are, as usual sometimes a bit far-fetched, but always solidly built. If the viewer is paying attention, they can even spot the main clue or at least guess the outline of the solution. During the introductory scene, Enomoto usually gives a hint what to look out for (I only noticed that after eight episodes or so, which is a shame). Only in a few episodes there's a clue we only get told during the relevation scene.
The fresh air mostly comes from the main premise -- even though everything else is a classic "Whodunnit", it's about the "How" not the "Who". All of the cases are locked-room murders; Enomoto is a lock-smith, who is only interested in how the room can be "unlocked". As a consequence, we usually know who the culprit was very early.
Even though the characters are only painted in broad strokes, they don't come across as one-dimensional -- I felt that I knew them like new-ish colleagues, I know how they are at the work place and what to expect from them, and I know a few titbits about their private life. The script and the actors were very good at hinting at a backstory for the characters, implying that there has gone more than a few thoughts into the world-building here. This is enhanced by the excellent acting -- especially the minuscule shifts in Enomoto's face combined with his almost robotic bady language give him more depth than being just a puzzle-solver.
Overall, this is worth a watch, maybe even a second one after a few months to see if I can catch more hints and clues. I like the way the creators took the classic tropes of the detective genre and used them to their advantage to make something fresh.
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