One weak genre in jdoramas is the action/cop shows. This stems from too much anime/manga influence. Odoru Daisousasen was too light and the less said about Rondo the better. Toubousha might be good but only 2 eps are subbed. Is SP the action dorama I've been waiting for?
First thing SP has going for it is casting. Okada Junichi + Tsutsumi Shinichi = must watch. Okada plays Inoue Kaoru who's heightened senses allows him to detect danger. While having a bit of sci-fi element is OK, the show stretches it too far by giving him the ability to foresee the future. Like in ep 6 where he can somehow see how the whole assassination was going to happen. There is a huge gap in logic between heightened senses and ability to bend time.
Second good point about the show is the fighting. I'm glad they didn't use sentai fight choreographers. They actually use a lot of wrestling/jujitsu stuff to disable their opponents which is so freaking refreshing to see. Maybe they got an shoot fighter to choreograph. Case in point the fight scene in the elevator in ep 6. Complicated fight scene where one could actually follow the action. Only complaint would be that they pull the punches/elbows too much.
Biggest negative for the show would be the pacing. 3 episodes for every case is too much, particularly because a lot of the scenes are unnecessarily long and redundant. Maybe its just budget constraints. The second negative would be the whole SP should be human shields and not detectives background story. I know jdorama cop shows must have some element of corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy but its just too freaking lame. They should have more powers to act and clearance than the average cop. After all, they're protecting VIPs and there is never time to second guess decisions in the field. It makes their superiors worse than corrupt. It makes them super inept and stupid.
Still I'm impressed by this show. Nowhere as good as Western cop shows but a huge improvement over typical Japanese ones.
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