Karei naru spy 華麗なるスパイ [series]

If Dorothy was a doll she’d be called shortcake. And I’d still want the strawberry first.

What exactly do I mean by that..?

I watched this drama early last year so I can’t remember all the ins and outs, but the overriding memory I have is Fukada Kyoko as Dorothy. Now, in a drama with Nagase Tomoyagi you would think I would be hung up on him I guess, but my god Fukada Kyoko is so cute I can’t even explain.

I can’t seem to get enough of her at the moment as she keeps cropping up in things I’m watching so it brought me back to this comedy drama, also starring a whole bunch of other familiar faces.

Cast:

Kyosuke - Nagase Tomoya (unubore deka, my boss my hero, mukodono, IWGP)

Dorothy - Fukada Kyoko (dolls, friends, kamikaze girls, strawberry on the shortcake)

Elise - Tomochika (ghost friends, Loss time life)

Kiriyama - Terajima Susumu (trouble man, code blue, ryusei no kizuna, fuurin kazan, unfair, pacchigi, casshern, himitsu no hanazono)  

Hirahara - Anne (samurai high school, youkai ningen bem, JOKER yurusarezaru sosakan, bandage)

Mr Takumi - Emoto Akira (Ryusei no kizuna, starfish hotel)

There are also guest appearances by Inoue Mao (hana yori dango), and Masuda Takahisa (gachibaka), if that list wasn’t already good enough.

ureshii squee for Massu's worried face again (^_^)

So we have Kyosuke who is a swindler jailed for being all swindly and bad,

then Kiriyama’s department of 60’s throw back spies in glorious Technicolor running around trying to protect the president from evil bad taste Hitler Halloween costume bad guy complete with mini-me and stoopid moustache,

the President signs Kyosuke out of prison so he can join the Scooby gang and team up with strawberry shortcake Dorothy doll face.

The secret headquarters and spy offices are accessible through a filing cabinet elevator,

and the weapons are seemingly useless and definitely not free even for company employees.

Making any sense at all?

no. thought not. don't worry Tomoyagi, you don't have to watch it.

It is fun and stupid, we get to see both Fukada and Nagase dress up like many different characters and nothing really ever makes too much sense.

Comparing this to Nagase’s other comedy dramas, you don’t get quite as emotionally attached to the characters as in my boss my hero, and it isn’t as absolutely relentlessly stupid as unubore deka, so it sits sort of in between the two. The setting is more far fetched than either if you take into account the science fiction element of the technology and war game baddie etc,

but there is still the token cosy café that would make even a vampire want to eat gyoza (koishite akuma reference), a nosy reporter, a few unrequited love issues, and of course, a bridge at night to stare out into the darkness to have some existential crisis at the most inappropriate time – as is the want of Japanese TV.

It is never a chore to watch Nagase and I hope he continues to make comedies. I did like this series, although I still find it weird to see him without Tegoshi pulling on his coat tails wherever he goes - even Massu got a look in this time – albeit for one episode. Ikuta Toma got to chase him around like a puppy when he played Nagase’s character in the TV show in Unubore deka which is confusing to explain at best. But I wonder when they will get Tomoyagi and Tegoshilocks together for another show; they could have a gay-off with Kamenashi and Kitamura from Bem. Oh god what a show that would be. Anne could be the referee.

She seems happy with the idea.

Jeez I’m going down a dark path here; I’m turning this car around before we end up in a dilapidated old manor in need of banister loving. Weirdest thing I ever read. Count yourselves lucky you have no idea what I’m talking about.

Moving on, *sigh* I can’t. That’s it. I’ve lost what is going on now. This will have to do for the review. Fan fic broke my poor mind and I fear I will never get it back…

promo poster:

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