Sigh.In the end, Joker runs into the same problems that all other jdorama cop shows inflict on themselves: no attention to detail. The fresh concept and willingness to go into grey area morality kept me watching to the bitter end but how could the scriptwriter or producers not even see the plot holes the size of the moon? Basically for every dorama/movie there is some unexplained occurrence which must be taken as fact for the show to move on. If a story has to spend more time explaining things to the finest detail then there is no story to tell.
An example would be in X-men, mutants are people with the mutant gene which allows them to shoot lasers out of their eyes or command the weather. We do not question this because it is the necessary premise for the story to exist. In Joker, the leap of faith is that Date is able to pull off all the mysterious disappearances without leaving any clues, having any witnesses or everyone suspecting him since he was involved in all the cases. Everything else, however is subject to scrutiny.
Like how three women, one a cop, one an ex-cop and one a pregnant woman can be so stupid as to meet the bad guy at an abandoned warehouse on three separate occasions during the series. Which part of 'I have killed people and I want you to meet me at an old warehouse' does not scream 'I am going to kill you because no one can hear you scream in abandoned warehouses'? Is there something about warehouse rendezvous that excite Japanese women and make them take leave of their senses? Note to self, something to try when next in Japan.
This is one unnecessary that should have been edited out.
Let's not forget the I just got stabbed and didn't bother calling the ambulance and when my friend came, I neglected to tell him who stabbed me scene. Makes me want to bash the writer over the head repeated for subjecting me to something as stupid as that scene. I have a feeling the reporter was supposed to be dead and she lobbied for a dying scene regardless of it making her character look like an idiot.
I think I need to stop watching Japanese cop doramas and rely on word of mouth before watching them. Joker has so much potential. It asks a lot of interesting question yet never explores it well and the SP hints at the future direction of the series. Questions such as are the sacrifice of innocent lives worth it for the continued existence of Joker? What gives Date the moral superiority over other vigilantes? Just because he doesn't kill doesn't mean that he did not actively participate in locking up innocent people away for life. Alas all the potential is zapped by pitfalls of logic. I would suggest you don't waste your time and watch Gaiji Ketsatsu, Rinjo or Gonzo.
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