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Hiroshi66 Profile
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


<EPISODE 7>

Definitely the best episode of the season, and my opinion is that it might be one of the most memorable episodes of all Partners history. We didn't have a murder or criminal case, but that all in all made the case more interesting and different from the usual plot lines we are exposed to in this drama.

I had a feeling from the beginning that Ai was pretending to be Sachiko - but for the wrong reasons! I thought that the mother and Ai had killed their sister and were covering the murder up. I never expected Sachiko's death to be a tragic accident from 20+ years ago, and that Ai pretending to be Sachiko was not a cover-up, but rather her struggle with multiple personality disorder.

What shocked me even more was how Ai had three personalities - she was also Jun, a little boy who was her little brother's only playmate. It dawned on me that even though the little brother had many classmates at school who would invite him over to play games, he would always turn them down. After all, he was waiting his playmate Jun to come around. The little boy had no idea or no control over Jun coming to play - after all, it all depended on Ai's personality of the day, and who she was portraying. It's sad and tragic that the little boy has to be exposed to all this. You can tell he really loves his sister dearly. Despite knowing that something is wrong, he never questions nor judges his sister for her behavior. The true innocence of a child.

Ai not getting help - Mental illness is still viewed as a stigma in many parts of Japan, and awareness of various psychological disorders are still not widely known amongst the general population. On top of that, I think Ai getting treatment will force Ai (and her mother) to face many difficult memories which they have hidden deep inside their subconscious psyche. Having "Sachiko" around has allowed Ai and her mother to escape the guilt associated with Sachiko's tragic death. Removing her name from the family registrar is only one step in the process. I suspect Ai and her mother will have to go through years of therapy to not only cure Ai's multiple personality disorder, but also dealing with the tragic death of Sachiko.

It's ironic that the statute of limitations will allow for the mother and Ai to get off scot-free. If not, they would both have to serve time for covering up Sachiko's death and disposing of the body (I wonder what they did with the body - bury it somewhere?). It's good that the family can stay together and nobody will have to face jail time, although I wonder if Ai could have gotten out of it due to her condition.

Great case, and one I would like to re-watch to see hints of instances of Ai's condition from the get-go. I knew something was wrong from the beginning, but like I said, I thought it was a recent murder and a more malicious cover-up.

This episode is also notable for the fact that Kaburagi officially becomes Ukyo's partner by making his own name tag to hang in the Special Missions office. Kaburagi is starting to get used to the flow of things - he is getting along (slowly but surely) with Mr. Contact Lenses and Forensics Guy, and is also getting used to Ukyo's style more and more.

I had almost forgotten Ms. Hana no Sato had faced time in jail for attempted murder. I completely forgot about her case... it was from the early seasons with Kame and I haven't seen those episodes in years! Can't believe it has been almost a decade since Partners started airing...

Episode 8 airs next week!
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brad6 Profile
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Re: Re Sachiko disposal


  Hiroshi I seem to remember that Sachlko was wrapped in a blanket by the Mother and buried in a nearby forest. I may be wrong. Such a sad tale, and like you, I really thought that there was a murder being hidden.
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thoughts


They mentioned that they buried Sachiko in the bamboo forest 10 min away from home. A part of me wanted to see them head over there and confirm the remains, but I suppose it's best to let sleeping children lie.

I didn't think much of this episode at first, but things came together and I enjoyed it by the time it was over. I almost thought Jun was an alternate personality of the mother rather than the daughter; that would have been a twist to have both the mother and the daughter with multiple personalities.

Also, ROFL Sugishita playing MARIO KART on the Wii!!! LOL. Hilarious product placement. I will not soon forget that.
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


Thank you for clearing that up, Peg and Suicunesol. I guess I had missed that part about Sachiko being buried in a forest before the family picked up and moved away to Tokyo.

Yes, I also thought that Jun was a multiple personality of the mother! When both the brother and Ai said that their mother doesn't allow them to talk about Jun to others, I thought it was an attempt to cover up that she was suffering from multiple personality disorder, as well. That would have made things all the more ironic, wouldn't it!?

Ukyo was hilarious in this episode! The video game scene, along with the disgusted expression on his face when Ai was flirting with him and making a pass at him was funny to watch. emoticon
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


<EPISODE 8>

I thought this episode was a bit weaker than the last few, but I kept watching to see who the culprit turned out to be at the end. I was surprised that the assistant from the publishing company was not only the culprit of the latest murder, but also the one who had bumped into Ms. Manga three years before. An even bigger surprise was the fact that Ms. Manga was able to walk - she had been faking not being able to walk the whole time.

The actress who played Ms. Manga did a superb job. They have been finding better and better actors to portray these "characters of the day", haven't they? I especially found it interesting to see her scream at Ukyo to get out. Many people seem intimidated or scared of Ukyo, but Ms. Manga could hardly hide her contempt for him. If looks could kill!

Still, Ms. Manga is quite savvy. She knew that the murder was not a premonition, but she used that to her own advantage to advertise the last chapter of her manga. What an opportunist. In a way, it made me want to blame her for the crime, as well - even though the murder victim was not a good person either and planned to 'fire' Ms. Manga and find another manga artist. Still, Ms. Manga knew exactly what she was doing and was extremely calculating.

Coming away from this, the only person who I liked was the sister. What a sacrificing, selfless person. She kept her sister's secrets and was very loyal - even taking the blame for a murder she didn't commit simply to save her sister's career and reputation. I hope she will find some independence going forward and live her own life, instead of being at the beck and call of Ms. Manga.

As for the assistant, he will have to serve lots of time for the murder he committed, as well as for bumping into Ms. Manga and abandoning the scene three years before.

Did you notice how Ukyo broke the fourth wall at the end, commenting that it was the first time Mr. Forensics invited him to dinner? I hope Mr. Forensics and Kaburagi patch things up soon. Mr. Forensics' contempt towards Kaburagi was entertaining at first, but now it just seems out of place and annoying. Hopefully it won't last too much longer.

Not too much else to comment about this episode. It was kind of average, except for the acting. Episode 9 airs next week!
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


Boogle? I had to laugh when they were searching for something on "Boogle".
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


引用 (quote):

nchristi wrote:

Boogle? I had to laugh when they were searching for something on "Boogle".



LOL! Yes, and they have referred to "Bookface" before, too. Very clever. emoticon

<EPISODE 9>

I liked this episode at first, but the ending was kind of disappointing. I didn't understand at first why the wife was held hostage, but from what I figured out after watching the someone complicated/convoluted explanation, it was because his company was failing and this was the only way for him to get some kind of financial return? Then again, how would that help his company in the first place?

There might be a few writers who contribute to the Partners stories, but there is one particular writer (or style of writing) where they try to insert lots of 'clues' into the plot - some are related to the conclusion and others are truly irrelevant. They then solve the case very quickly at the end so that we either get confused or left in the dark about the truth behind the events and what exactly took place. Maybe it is only me, but this particular case was just a little more difficult for me to follow than, say, the multiple personalities case from 2 weeks ago.

One part that did have me on the edge of my seat was the 'fake' kidnapping of the daughter. They made it look like she was going to be kidnapped, but it turns out that it was only the mother who had gone to pick up her daughter.

What charges, if any, will the grandfather face? He used to be a police elite, so I am guessing he is going to get off with a warning or have the case thrown out.

Kaburagi is a riot. I really like him! Watching Kaburagi has made me realize how one-dimensional Kaito was. I liked him, but he was just so agreeable and sort of went along with everything Ukyo said - there was no 'talking back' and definitely no comic relief. I know they wanted him to start off as the rebel and loose cannon, but by the end of his first season, his character sort of went stale. Kaburagi has made me laugh so much in just nine episodes. His expressive facial expressions, wacky actions, and other quirks (such as how he was so nervous during the shootout at the beginning, or how Ukyo caught him flirting with the front desk employee at the grandfather's company) makes his character so much more entertaining to watch than Kaito.

I also got a kick out of Ukyo giving Kaburagi a dirty look when he was interviewing Ukyo about his marriage. LOL! Who knows what was going through Ukyo's mind at that moment!

Also, very smart of Ukyo calling his divorce from Mrs. Ex-Ukyo a "reset." I wonder how she is doing? I miss her, as well as Kame!

Episode 10 airs next week. I wonder if it will be the big multi-part New Years' episode they always air mid-season?
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


Wow! I couldn't believe UTB showed Episode 10 as a two-hour special! Fantastic. Actually, it didn't seem to end until about 11:20p, or so. I kept waiting for it to end on a cliffhanger, but then we saw the whole case resolved by the end.

So, if anybody wants to see the entire episode, let's hope they will be showing the entire 2-hr. episode in the encore slots today (Friday).
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


引用 (quote):

nchristi wrote:

Wow! I couldn't believe UTB showed Episode 10 as a two-hour special! Fantastic. Actually, it didn't seem to end until about 11:20p, or so. I kept waiting for it to end on a cliffhanger, but then we saw the whole case resolved by the end.

So, if anybody wants to see the entire episode, let's hope they will be showing the entire 2-hr. episode in the encore slots today (Friday).



I was pleasantly surprised too! Caught the 1st encore at 1AM today.



---
Currently a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center's Transfusion Medicine (Blood Bank) department
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒 14 (Partners 14)


What great news! I'm so glad we get to see the whole case in one sitting instead of having it aired over the course of three weeks.

I haven't watched the episode yet and will catch one of the encore airings today.

Speaking of the encores, I just checked UTB's online schedule and all the encore airings today will indeed be showing the episode in its entirety (2 hours and 20-25 minutes). Yay!
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