Orangevine
This is a noir detective drama with a bleak atmosphere and a hypnotic pace about a disempowered hero who riots against injustice.
Border consistently ranks at the top of 'the best detective J-dramas' ratings, yet, it is often claimed to be boring and unoriginal. This discrepancy is easily explained.
On the one hand, the Border scriptwriter Kaneshiro Kazuki is known for his solid well though out mystery plots. In the small world of detective J-dramas solid plot is nothing to sneeze at.
The main character is also quite unusual for a procedural; he is young run-of-the-mill policeman who is disillusioned with the mission of the force, the higher ups, and himself. He is decidedly not a hero. His newfound ability finally gives him an edge in the fight against injustice but it also inconveniences him and makes him an outcast. In other words, for those inclined, the many small misfortunes of the main character are a great source of dark amusement especially since Oguri Shun infuses the character with his trademark charm.
The bleak atmosphere and hypnotic pace underline the existential despair of the main character so the viewer never stops wondering where is the limit of the main character's power and what happens when it is reached. After all, we all know that there is only so many ways a detective drama can end.
It is also worth noting that the drama is a serious one despite the 'seeing the dead' aspect. That differentiates it quite a lot from western fluffy shows with gimmics.
On the other hand, bleak atmosphere and hypnotic pace for those who don't enjoy these things easily translates to boring storytelling and navel-gazing. The secondary characters are not that fun and some of them are further bogged down by mediocre performances. There is no romantic tension or engaging banter (aside from scenes with Furuta Arata's character). The main character's rage against injustice is too easily seen as a typical seinen riot against unfair world that doesn't give one what they feel entitled to.
Unlike Unnatural, Dele or Keiji Yugami, Border is not a mystery drama for everyone. But it is quite different from many other J-dramas and it is the closest to the true noir (the unsexy kind) you can find. I'd especially recommend it to the detective lovers who got tired with 'closed room' Agatha Christie shenanigans in J-dramas and who can tolerate the lack of fanservice for the sake of dry plot developments.
Border consistently ranks at the top of 'the best detective J-dramas' ratings, yet, it is often claimed to be boring and unoriginal. This discrepancy is easily explained.
On the one hand, the Border scriptwriter Kaneshiro Kazuki is known for his solid well though out mystery plots. In the small world of detective J-dramas solid plot is nothing to sneeze at.
The main character is also quite unusual for a procedural; he is young run-of-the-mill policeman who is disillusioned with the mission of the force, the higher ups, and himself. He is decidedly not a hero. His newfound ability finally gives him an edge in the fight against injustice but it also inconveniences him and makes him an outcast. In other words, for those inclined, the many small misfortunes of the main character are a great source of dark amusement especially since Oguri Shun infuses the character with his trademark charm.
The bleak atmosphere and hypnotic pace underline the existential despair of the main character so the viewer never stops wondering where is the limit of the main character's power and what happens when it is reached. After all, we all know that there is only so many ways a detective drama can end.
It is also worth noting that the drama is a serious one despite the 'seeing the dead' aspect. That differentiates it quite a lot from western fluffy shows with gimmics.
On the other hand, bleak atmosphere and hypnotic pace for those who don't enjoy these things easily translates to boring storytelling and navel-gazing. The secondary characters are not that fun and some of them are further bogged down by mediocre performances. There is no romantic tension or engaging banter (aside from scenes with Furuta Arata's character). The main character's rage against injustice is too easily seen as a typical seinen riot against unfair world that doesn't give one what they feel entitled to.
Unlike Unnatural, Dele or Keiji Yugami, Border is not a mystery drama for everyone. But it is quite different from many other J-dramas and it is the closest to the true noir (the unsexy kind) you can find. I'd especially recommend it to the detective lovers who got tired with 'closed room' Agatha Christie shenanigans in J-dramas and who can tolerate the lack of fanservice for the sake of dry plot developments.
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