dokaben

This is the worst drama I've ever seen. As someone mentioned, the only redeeming quality is the fact that it's 7 episodes long. It's shocking how many big names are in this. The actors do their best but the script is just too poor. I'm still not sure why they felt a need to kill off so many characters. It's the sort of show that's so bad you want to watch something else immediately afterward to clear your head.

This was probably the darkest, most serious of the first 3 Kintaro series so far (I'm about to start SK4). It reminds me of the difference between Mission Impossible 1 and John Woo's MI-2. The lightheartedness of the first series gives way to more evil enemies performing more violent acts and an outspoke commentary on Japanese business corruption.

At times, many of the characters seem to behave in ways that are quite uncharacteristic when compared to SK1 and SK2. (Maeda, Tanaka, and even Kintaro come to mind here.) The ending is a little random and confusing, but overall the series doesn't drag a bit and is quite watchable. Recommended for Kintaro fans, but not for everyone.