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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒11 (Partners 11)
<EPISODE 17>
Excellent episode. The case was interesting, as was the introduction to Iwatsuki to the cast. Plus, there was lots of Itami, which is always great!
Ostadan, thanks for that information about Iwatsuki and the Partners movie. I had a feeling that there was some kind of plot hole involving Iwatsuki (since his relationship with Itami was deeper than what we had heard. I'm presuming that during that movie, Iwatsuki visited Ms. BL's restaurant, because when he came there during this episode, Ms. BL said that she had met him once before. Ukyo and Kaito were both surprised when they heard that, so I'm guessing that this happened during the movie. Maybe Itami brought Iwatsuki to Ms. BL's place during the movie.
Iwatsuki was played by the same actor who portrayed the lead character, Mr. Lighting, in the last Sunday drama, The Reason I Can't Find Love. I couldn't recognize him at first with the glasses, but by the middle of the episode, I figured it out!
Iwatsuki is an interesting character. I suspect he'll become a Jinkawa-like character, who shows up once or twice each season. He was a bit cold at first, but I guess it goes along with his persona as a detective in the cybercrime division. When he made a few digs to Ukyo in the beginning about going after the model's shoes, I was so happy to see Itami put Iwatsuki in his place about how Ukyo is many things, but he never goes after something that is "meaningless" (like the shoes). Itami has proven time and time again that while he may give Ukyo a hard time here and there, when push comes to shove and Ukyo gets attacked from external forces, Itami will stick by Ukyo's side as a partner and friend. That's one of the reasons I love Itami!
The case itself was interesting. I was extremely surprised when the murderer turned out to be none other than the British model! LOL. Yes, he committed murder, but it's not like he went to the rooftop trying to murder the guy. I think he just wanted the man to stop using his picture and identity on Facegood. The guy was the one who pulled out the knife, and when a struggle ensued, he accidentally struck the guy with his own knife. I don't think he intended to kill the guy or anything. Still, he's guilty of some crime.
Speaking of which, I wonder how the guy is going to be charged… and where? Will he extradited to Britain where he will await trial? Or, since the crime took place in Japan, will he have to serve out his sentence in Japan—whatever that sentence may be? In the early Meiji Period (1868-1912), under the extraterritorial laws, foreigners in Japan were allowed to face trial for crimes committed in Japan based on the laws of their own, native countries. If the crimes were committed against a Japanese person, they would often be overlooked.
However, after Japan participated in World War I on the side of the Allied Powers, they gained the 'respect' of the Western powers and so these extraterritorial laws were removed. Now, foreigners who committed crimes in Japan would be tried in Japan, by a Japanese judge, by Japanese laws. So, I'm guessing our British model from this episode will face the same fate.
I got a kick out of Ukyo's English at the end of the episode! I don't think Mizutani Yutaka speaks English, either. However, it's fun to think that he is fluent in English—especially since we can presume that Ukyo is quite proficient in the language, having lived in London for all those years. Sometimes, it's hard not to think of Mizutani Yutaka as being just like Ukyo. After seeing him on the show for all these seasons, I can't really separate Mizutani from his "Ukyo" persona—all quirks included!
Though Kaito may not understand Ukyo 100% yet, I think he's really come to accept (and respect) him for who he is. In the beginning, Kaito was a little weirded out with Ukyo. Now, they are really starting to grow close. I noticed it during that scene where Kaito and Iwatsuki were talking at the very end. When Iwatsuki was surprised that Ukyo had figured the whole thing out from the shoes, Kaito seemed to take pride in showing Iwatsuki what a "genius" his senior partner was. I'm glad to see Kaito and Ukyo growing closer and closer. I'm sure this will develop more in future seasons.
My favorite part of the episode was "Facegood" instead of "Facebook." LOL! I got a kick out of that. Except, I don't think the real Facebook has the option to hide some friends from your friends list!
Episode 18 airs next week. Can't believe we are almost done with this season!
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12/14/2013, 9:03 pm
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dunedan
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Looks like Ukyo finally got to see a ghost without realizing it in tonight's episode.
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12/19/2013, 11:08 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒11 (Partners 11)
<EPISODE 18>
Wow… just when I thought this season couldn't get any better, this episode just left me speechless. I think it moved me more than any other Partners episode we've seen before. I'm really at a loss for words…
Until the last 30 seconds of the episode, I thought poor Hayato was done for. Actually, there were several times throughout the entire episode where I was surprised at the outcome of events. For instance, I didn't think the elderly woman was still alive after the guy strangled her. I thought he had kidnapped Hayato and went to the mountains to bury her body… but it turned out she was still alive in the car. I was surprised (and greatly relieved) when we saw her crawl out of the car.
Also, what a huge relief when we saw Hayato finally come back to consciousness at the very end. Sometimes miracles do happen. Ukyo and Kaito could have easily stopped when they realized Hayato wasn't coming back to life. But they kept on trying, and sure enough, Hayato "came back." I guess that goes to show us that we should never, ever give up. Even when the going gets tough and it seems like everything is lost, there is always that 1% chance that things will turn around for the better. We saw that with Hayato!
That scene made me appreciate Mizutani Yutaka's performance as Ukyo all over again. That scene reminded me of the moment from Season 1 or 2, when Ukyo saw Kameyama's body in the snow and rushed over to him… the only thing on his mind in that moment was making sure his buddy was OK. Ukyo's face was full of determination and emotion at that moment. We saw the same thing here, when Ukyo was doing CPR on Hayato. Fabulous performance by Mizutani Yutaka. I don't think we've ever seen Ukyo so moved before… he was 100% focused on bringing Hayato back to life. It was somewhat moving to see Ukyo so emotional. For someone who is usually so stoic and devoid of emotion, we see that Ukyo, too, is capable of being scared and sad—regular human emotions. Flawless performance.
The part that left my jaw hanging at the end was when we discovered the mysterious little girl from the beginning of the episode was actually the ghost of Hayato's older sister, who had died of the same hereditary illness that might have also taken Hayato's life. She did save her younger brother's life… if she hadn't taken Ukyo and Kaito to the elderly woman's house, nobody would have discovered Hayato's whereabouts… he would have been dead by the time anybody found him.
How ironic that Hayato knew of his illness all along. He finally passed the test and lived to his twelfth birthday. But if his fate had been a little different, he would have lost his life in another way on the day of his birthday. I guess his older sister was watching after him, all along.
The episode had an interesting progression. I like these episodes where the time frame is very different—we see how things end up with the case, followed by a set of flashbacks to different parts of the day, when the case was still developing. It keeps things very complex—allowing the audience to stay engaged for the entire hour. I know I was on the edge of my seat!
It was funny how poor Kaito had to taste that hand cream so many times throughout the episode. LOL! I thought it was some kind of yogurt or science experiment, but little did we know it was actually hand cream. Poor Kaito! LOL!
Kaito's father - It had been a while since we had seen him last. How interesting that he was trying to get Ukyo to invite him out for his birthday. I think Kaito and his father are going to be competing for Ukyo's time, attention, and friendship. Now that will be an interesting storyline!
This eleventh season of Partners is just superb. This episode really did it for me. It was a very unique, surprising, and enthralling case that kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole hour. I was really surprised when it was over!
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Just a reminder that there will be no new episode of Partners 11 next Thursday. (LA Ramen Wars will air instead—a topic is available in General Discussion.) Instead, the final episode of Partners 11 (#19) will air in 2 Thursdays—on January 2nd, 2014. The final episode will air in one piece—from 9:00p to 11:30p. I'm glad we'll be seeing the season finale in one piece for once!
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12/19/2013, 11:31 pm
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Ostadan
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This has been one of my favourite seasons (I didn't get on board until around season 3 or 4). The way that the show is able to refresh itself with new partners reminds me a bit of Doctor Who, in which cast changes are part of the show's tradition. Even after eleven seasons, it seems to me that it still has a lot of energy left. I guess the Japanese feel the same.
[market a boxed set or sets of episodes, with English subtitles, and they've got instant sales here. Copies for friends who haven't discovered it yet]
A wonderfully dramatic episode, with very little of the usual comic relief (the hand cream was about it). Bring on the finale! (and then we have to wait months for Season 12 to finish and get packaged and subtitled; how do the Japanese stand the wait for new seasons?!)
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12/20/2013, 10:12 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒11 (Partners 11)
Tell me about it, Ostadan. Season 12 just finished airing in Japan, so it'll be at least a few months before we see it here on UTB. I'm trying not to think about it, otherwise I'll start having Partners withdrawals. Come to think of it, this show has been on the air constantly from 2009. After the finale airs next week, it'll be the first time in 4 years that we won't be seeing new episodes of Partners. Ugh, I don't want to think about it! 
This is still doing very well in Japan, even after so many seasons. I think it's the combination of great writing, new characters every so often, and also constantly keeping the existing characters relevant, interesting, and dynamic.
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12/20/2013, 10:21 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒11 (Partners 11)
Just a quick reminder that the final episode will be aired in one piece as part of UTB's New Years' programming. It'll air on Thursday, January 2nd, from 9:00p - 11:30p. They will also be repeating the finale twice on Friday, January 3rd—once at 12:00p and also at 6:30p. That way, if anybody misses the original showing, there will be two chances to catch it again on Friday.
Looking forward to it!
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12/28/2013, 11:54 am
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nchristi
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒11 (Partners 11)
I don't know about the rest of you, but for me The Big Season Finale did not quite seem worth sitting through for 2-1/2 hours.
High Points
The unseen/unknown inner political intrigue revolving around Kaito's father and what he was up to.
Alone at a high end bar, Papa Kai asks Ukyo what was it that Ukyo saw in Kaito, his worthless son, that he wanted him as his partner in Special Missions. We had two versions of the Snake and Sake tale, a simplistic version, then Ukyo's more profound, meaningful version. The dad thought he was clever but Ukyo (with contempt) explained the much deeper meaning—which Papa Kai couldn't truly comprehend or appreciate because he is not a "genuine" person like his son, Kaito. "Smart" is one thing but being "genuine" is quite another. The dad laughs it off—it's meaningless to him.
Ukyo really told the dad his opinion very bluntly. That was probably the biggest insult that I've ever seen come out of Ukyo.
At the end, Ukyo and Kaito have a very close moment, with Kaito finally buying in completely with respecting Ukyo's work in Special Missions. He finally wants to be a member of Special Missions, asking Ukyo how the name "Special Missions" came about? Ukyo tells him he might tell him tonight at Hana no Sato—then again, he might not!
Could Ukyo have been smiling any wider while they toasted each other with the cup of tea and bottle of soda/soft drink?
Not so high points
Personally, I found the clerk in love with the spy to be a very tedious story. Probably because I found her to be a woman that really turned me off, refusing to think and caring only about her immediate emotional feelings towards the guy. In the end, when the spy broke her heart with his farewell letter, Ukyo saw through it, that he really loved her but wanted to end her attachment to him. Unfortunately, once again we see the woman being not only the biggest patsy but wasn't she also the only one who gets punished? Everyone else seemed to get off scot free. The spy was repatriated to his home country, everything was kept secret because of Papa Kai's deal with the CIA. It could all be blamed on the murdered police official and the woman.
Last edited by nchristi, 1/3/2014, 3:24 pm
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1/3/2014, 3:23 pm
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creidesca
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Wasn't it briefly suggested that it was Ukyo who hinted to Kaito's Dad about what Glasses Guy was going to do? It seems the culprit that Ukyo was really after was the girl and not the spy, since she was the one who murdered a person. The girl's boss had already taken his own life.
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Currently a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center's Transfusion Medicine (Blood Bank) department
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1/3/2014, 6:02 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒11 (Partners 11)
<FINAL EPISODE> (#19)
I felt the same way, Nchristi. There were parts of the season finale I liked, but it wasn't the best we've seen. It was almost as if we had seen a similar kind of story before (with the clerk being tricked by a criminal who was just using her). I think "tedious" was the perfect way to describe it. I did enjoy the format, though. Though 2-1/2 hours was a bit long, I was able to keep up with the story much better. Plus, I'm sort of glad we got this case 'over with' instead of seeing it get dragged out over three weeks. I think I would have disliked it a lot more if we spent three whole weeks on it… now, we just got it over with in one sitting!
The ending with Ukyo and Kaito made me feel really good! For once, it feels like Kaito is putting his personal feelings towards his father aside—he is taking his place alongside Ukyo as an integral member of Special Missions. I think Kaito realized that he wasn't really living 'in the moment' as a police officer because of his prior insecurities and issues with his father. These feelings he had were always in the back of his mind. It was as if he couldn't focus or be a good police officer (at least in his mind) because he had these unresolved issues. Now, though, Kaito is putting them aside for good. I hope we see another, lighter side of Kaito next season—where he has his guard down a bit more. If he does so, I suspect his relationship with Ukyo will continue to improve.
As for Kaito's dad, what a piece of work he is. So basically, he let the Toa diplomat/spy get away so that Toa could repatriate the CIA spy to the United States. By doing this, he got in good with the CIA. In order to cover this up, the poor company president who killed himself will be the sacrificial lamb. Plus, the truth behind the murder of the police officer will never be revealed. Trouble, lies, and deception at home in order to forge an alliance with the CIA.
Kaito-Dad makes Onoda look like a kid in the park! LOL. He's not scared of anybody—whether it be Mr. Pill Eater or the Bureau Chief. That being said, like Onoda, Kaito-Dad is amazed by Ukyo and seems frustrated that no matter what he does, he'll never get Ukyo in his corner. Perhaps Ukyo is like the Snake and Sake tale. To the powerful, rich, and corrupt (like the priest in the tale), he is like the snake. To the genuine (Kame, Kanbe, Itami, Kaito, Mr. Forensics, etc.) he's like delicious sake. The deciding factor is whether Ukyo is dealing with someone who is genuine. Kaito-Dad can never be genuine… and so Ukyo is not reachable.
I'm interested to see where Ukyo's relationship with Kaito-Dad will go next season. I was thinking Ukyo was going to fall in-between Kaito and his father, but maybe that won't be the case. Though Kaito-Dad and Ukyo met for drinks quite often, Ukyo never was disloyal to Kaito and always kept Kaito-Dad at a safe distance—sort of like how he treated Onoda. Plus, now that Kaito has promised to put his feelings towards his father aside, perhaps there won't even be a reason for Ukyo to get involved. Not sure about Kaito-Dad, however. Something tells me that he won't leave Ukyo (or his son) alone in his constant quest for power… or sake!
Kaito's GF, Etsuko - I hope we see her involved in more of the cases. She reminds me a lot of Miwako, Kame's wife. She's quite savvy when it comes to investigations! Plus, she and Kaito both seem more comfortable around Ukyo now, so maybe we'll see more of her next season.
The case itself was so-so. I really got annoyed with the clerk, Izumi. She really didn't get anything… even at the end when she was reading the spy's letter. I was irritated at how she kept trying to mislead the investigation. Even after the explosion (which could have killed her) she still refused to believe Ukyo and Kaito and help them with the investigation.
I'm going to miss Partners. Season 1 aired in 2009 and it is now 2014. I cannot wait for Season 12. This Kaito-KaitoDad-Ukyo dynamic is certainly very interesting. Plus, I think Kaito-Dad will be back with a vengeance next season!
I heard from UTB that if all goes well, Season 12 will air sometime in the Spring of 2015. Until then, we will have to make do with the CSI show on Thursday nights. Season 11 will be airing on Tuesday nights (the encore) so if any of us have Partners withdrawals, at least we can tune in then!
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1/3/2014, 10:58 pm
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diane18
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Yes hiroshi66, I watched Aibo(partners)since day 1. I will miss there adventures of investigating.
I will also miss those kooky characters like Yonesawa, seizawa, and Itami(silly face man).
What happen to Etsuko????
As for the CSI drama, I've seen this before (seasons 1 and 2). I think this is season 3,because I did not see Shiro Sana on season 1 and 2.
I've seen in many movies and dramas, he has the most recognizable face.
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1/4/2014, 5:33 pm
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