SP (Security Police)

You can't say for sure, but maybe in the near future there's going to be brutality and/or nudity that would otherwise be hard for them to air at an earlier time. Does anyone know what airs in the timeslots prior to it? I don't see anything major of it going up against on other stations.

tabana wrote:It's not like it's filled with nudity. :headscratch:

Too bad. :beaten:

tabana wrote:It's possible. It could be the drama is not good enough or not filled with popular actors, to be able to compete during prime time.

It's not like it's filled with nudity. :headscratch:

Eh I'd hardly call Okada Junichi and Tsutsumi Shinichi unpopular actors.

Fuji isn't the only station slugging it out for an audience share with its late night drama slot. There's also TV Asahi and TV Tokyo. It is an attempt to capture audiences as there's a perceived change in people's viewing habits. The later time slot also permits less conventional sorts of dramas and target specific groups of audiences.

I think it's also an attempt to groom young actors (and producers) although SP in this case is an exception. One can't exactly call Okada Junichi and Tsutsumi Shinichi young! But the cast of the two other earlier dramas were up and coming stars like Toda Erika.

haha i like how you're not young anymore if you're 26 (okada junichi)

but i do agree that he isn't young compared to the new batch of actors who are starting from as young as 14. and he's had years of experience as an actor so i guess he'd be considered a veteran?

the thing i'm most excited about is tsutsumi shinichi's character. i hope it's actually a good character worth his talents this time.

Tenshigure wrote:Does anyone know what airs in the timeslots prior to it?

You mean from the previous seasons? The first one was the very popular LIAR GAME, and last season was the majorly successful LIFE.

ladyusagi wrote:haha i like how you're not young anymore if you're 26

That's the typical thinking of pin-headed fangirls and fanboys.

ladyusagi wrote:haha i like how you're not young anymore if you're 26 (okada junichi)

but i do agree that he isn't young compared to the new batch of actors who are starting from as young as 14. and he's had years of experience as an actor so i guess he'd be considered a veteran?

Haha. Yeah so it would seem.

ladyusagi wrote:the thing i'm most excited about is tsutsumi shinichi's character. i hope it's actually a good character worth his talents this time.

Same here. I can't wait for it to start airing. It seems like forever. The press conference should be held soon.

[image]

I think there'll be an episode on security for lawmakers on the campaign trail, judging by this photo and the one on the main website.

The press conference for SP, which airs on 3 November, was held in Tokyo on 29 October. It was attended by Okada Junichi, Tsutsumi Shinichi and Maki Yoko.

Inoue Kaoru, who acquired acute five senses from the trauma he experienced as a child when his parents were killed in an act of terror, teams up with his boss Ogata and his colleague Sasamoto to face terrorists in order to safeguard Japan's security.

"My role is just that of a useless old chap so it would be difficult for me to change into a boss who can get into the action but Okada-kun is, as always, cool no matter what he does," Tsutsumi who co-starred with Okada in the 2005 movie, Fly Daddy Fly, praised. "I said to Kaneshiro-san, 'Let's do a drama that hasn't been done in Japan before. This production is precious to me. If it isn't accepted, I think I'd go on a trip. I'm wagering on this."

Okada who last starred in the drama Tiger & Dragon with Nagase Tomoya two years ago confessed, "Until two years ago I'd pretend and say that audience ratings are none of my business but this time I want audience ratings. It looks bad but I really think so." Okada appealed earnestly.

From Japan Times:

The new action-drama series "SP" (Fuji TV, Saturday, 11:10 p.m.) is about the men and women who, wearing dark suits, sunglasses and permanent scowls, protect Japan's top government officials when they are in public. Though "SP" is thought to stand for "secret police," in the case of rookie agent Inoue (Junichi Okada), it also means "super powers," since he possesses capabilities that his colleagues can't even comprehend.

Spoiler — click to reveal

In this week's episode, Inoue faints during a training exercise and is brought to the hospital, where he is told that he is super-stressed out. Inoue desperately wants to get married and has attended many meetings set up by a matchmaker, but to no avail.

Inoue's superior, Ogata (Shinichi Tsutsumi), gives him an assignment: protect a former prime minister (Shigeru Tsuyuki) while he secretly undergoes medical tests in the hospital.

They coulda called it "SS" for Secret Service, but then people would link the drama to the German SS from WWII... :sweat:

Mezamashii's short coverage of the SP press conference: http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pnc3Lj_l_Q

The entire clip can be viewed at Fuji TV's website.

I wonder what Okada counts as good ratings, but 14.5% for the first episode is a pretty good start.

bmwracer wrote:
That's the typical thinking of pin-headed fangirls and fanboys.

And Oyaji too. At 14 you're worth 3LV bags, at 15 2LV, 16 just one and over that, you're an obasan. :P

bmwracer wrote:They coulda called it "SS" for Secret Service, but then people would link the drama to the German SS from WWII... :sweat:

That's what we need. A school drama with the gestapo. They would make those funky haired kids behave. :hehe:

tabana wrote:That's what we need. A school drama with the gestapo. They would make those funky haired kids behave. :hehe:

LOL... That's what what they need: goose-stepping police. :hehe:

Hmmm...2 episodes have aired and no one would like to comment on the show? I'll withhold my judgement on the drama itself until I've watched a few more episodes, but some initial observations:

This is the 2nd drama this season I've seen a Japanese law enforcement agent used a Walther PPK (Joshi Deka! being the other); I thought the more elite agents use SIG P226 or HK USP as standard firearms?

The SPs in the drama are not only ill equipped (not just firearms); but frighteningly incompetent and lax in their overall protection schemes. I wonder if it really reflects the real SPs in Japan, or that they just can't show how they operate; in which case it sort of defeats the purpose of the drama (it has to be at least somewhat realistic IMO).

concertmaster wrote:This is the 2nd drama this season I've seen a Japanese law enforcement agent used a Walther PPK (Joshi Deka! being the other); I thought the more elite agents use SIG P226 or HK USP as standard firearms?

Are you a relative of krim? :beaten:

bmwracer wrote:
Are you a relative of krim? :beaten:

Haha...

I can somewhat accept a policeman using one, but certainly not the special agents, so did a quick research and sure enough...

concertmaster wrote:I can somewhat accept a policeman using one, but certainly not the special agents, so did a quick research and sure enough...

They do things different in Japan, I suppose.

At least they're not using Saturday Night Specials and throwing shurikens, ne? :hehe:

Haven't started downloading this show yet and I'll bet there's no subs available at the moment either, so I can't comment much on the show. :sweat:

But the 2nd episode's rating went up, 17.6%! That's high!

WD wrote:But the 2nd episode's rating went up, 17.6%! That's high!

Yeah, I know; apparently it'd also received a lot of positive buzz in Japan and at least a few other Asian countries as well.

As I said before, I'm not going to pre-judge this series based on only 2 episodes; but I'm really curious as to whether the people who like this series have also watched at least 1 or more seasons of the US TV series '24'.

concertmaster wrote:As I said before, I'm not going to pre-judge this series based on only 2 episodes; but I'm really curious as to whether the people who like this series have also watched at least 1 or more seasons of the US TV series '24'.

That's not good: I've only seen a couple of episodes of 24... The last being when that nuke was detonated in L.A...

Ehh, the Coliseum needed a remodel anyways.... :beaten: :hehe: