When talking about mystery type jdoramas, the cream of the crop is probably One Million Stars, Sleeping Forest and Midnight Rain. One Million Stars gets the nod from me because of Sanma's old detective character. Usually for mystery shows, the script is about throwing red herrings and trying to have an exciting revelation per episode while the audience on their toes. Once you get to the end, there's not much point rewatching cause you already know the truth.
Gonzo is different. Its more than just a mystery cop dorama. It is a character driven dorama about a cop with mental scars so deep that he can never go back. It is about a career cop who can never run from his mentor's shadows. Its about an old cop on his last legs and a young one seeking redemption. Gonzo is unique in that it feels like the characters are telling the story yet it exists within the framework of a very well written mystery dorama. In many mystery shows, what characters say and do are in the service of deepening the mystery. In order words, characters are merely plot devices.
But not in Gonzo. I care for the characters and when they formed Team Gonzo, I wanted to see them in action and solve a crime before going back to the main one. The idea of a rogue investigation team is so appealing. Plus the fact that you got to know the character very well. Very rarely do I not want a dorama to end and very rarely do characters become so alive and real that the plot doesn't matter to me. Probably the only other show to achieve that this year is Muri na renai.
It is shocking how the average rating for Gonzo is only 10.7. When KDO had an average rating of 17, I was impressed. A real good show without a Johnny getting decent ratings? Maybe Japanese viewers weren't as shallow as I thought. Its like a friend of mine who judges movies not based on content but rather how the actors appealed to her. KDO's ratings brought hope. Alas, Gonzo's poor ratings is a complete travesty of natural justice! How can the steaming pile of excrement known as Code Blue rate higher? Not to mention poor excuse for jdoramas such as Taiyo to Umi, Shibatora and Yasuko to Kenji? Have the Japanese lost their freaking minds?
One of the most well written and acted jdoramas ever with a rating of 10.7? Do writing and acting mean nothing in the face of shoddy Johnny 'acting'? This to me sends a bad sign to the network stations. Save money on scripts and real actors and just get pretty faces to get better ratings. Gonzo's poor ratings should be a national outrage. They should be pimping the dvds and doing reruns. More people need to see this show! We need a goddamn sequel. Gonzo v Sakuma round 2 with interference from a new guy from main office. Rouge team Gonzo solving crimes and shaming official investigators! They just need to keep the scriptwriter and all will be well.
Lets not forget the story of Gonzo. Its so fucking beautiful not because all storylines linkstogether in the end but how the thematic stories come together. It is a given that there would be a monologue(s) at the end with flashbacks of all the episodes. Its like the unwritten rule of jdoramas. I just like how the writer kept the monologue short but linked it back to all the previous episodes. Its like all the episodes served as clues to the mystery and at the same time helps answer the burning question of the series, "kono sekai ni, ai wa aru no?" Its hard to imagine how the writer decided to write a cop show with all elements of the story based on the question.
The reveal of the villain is simple but it works because it makes sense. That's probably the best compliment I can give the writing. The twist doesn't need to be unforseen or to come from left field. The clues have to come together and fit. Like how the big clue of the guy with the limp shaking while holding the shotgun was so easily dismissed cause of Gonzo's metal instability. Or Gonzo rationalising his playing of russian roulette. Even the villain's inevitable tragic past didn't feel lame because it gave birth to the konno sekai question. I love how they didn't milk his betrayal by the one woman who shouldn't have betrayed him. The polish and effort of the little details that went into the script elevates it above so many pedestrian jdoramas. Truly the best jdorama of the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment