ザラ Notes: SPEC 翔 SPEC Shō

05 April 2012

SPEC 翔 SPEC Shō

Title: SPEC 翔 SPEC Shō
English Title: SPEC Fying
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2012
Episode: 01
Cast:

戸田恵梨香 Toda Erika
加瀬亮 Kase Ryo
竜雷太 Raita Ryu
谷村美月 Tanimura Mitsuki
北村一輝 Kitamura Kazuki
神木隆之介 Kamiki Ryunosuke
福田沙紀 Fukada Saki
椎名桔平 Shīna Kippei
徳井優 Tokui Yu
松澤一之 Matsuzawa Kazuyuki
岡田浩暉 Okada Koki
載寧龍二 Sainei Ryuji
有村架純 Arimura Kasumi

SYNOPSIS
Sebumi Takeru takes a break from work because of his eye problems. Tōma Saya escorts Takeru on his first day back at work and they are both surprised with the new changes in their division.

In Mishō, a special division solving difficult cases in the police department, section chief Nonomura Kotaro is demoted to chief clerk. Ichiyanagi Kenzo is appointed as new section chief and Yoshikawa Yu joins the team.

A mysterious case is given to their division and Takeru suspects that Ninomae Juichi is the potential suspect. Saya is adamant that Juichi, who is actually her long-lost brother Tōma Yōta, is not the culprit.

Bothered that Saya is letting personal matters affect her work and is keeping a lot of secrets from him, Takeru investigates on his own...

REVIEW
SPEC Shō is a really great drama to watch because the characters are quirky and interesting, the cases are strange and complicated, and the outcome not always black and white.

I especially like the SPEC series of production because it explored the mysteries of the human brain and human abilities. It is said that the average person only uses around 10% of their brain so what is the 90% for? Perhaps people who can manage to make use of the other 90% (or part of it, thereof) of their brain have special abilities and extraordinary characteristics.

Because of the special abilities of criminals or other people involved in the case, it is difficult to try to figure out what the special ability was and who has it, who was the real criminal, and how the crime was committed exactly. So when it's time for Tōma Saya to explain what really happened, everyone's all ears.

SPEC Shō shows how biases may affect one's actions and judgments in so many ways. For instance, everyone suspects that Tōma Saya is not seeing Ninomae Juichi as a potential suspect in the case because he is actually her long-lost brother Tōma Yōta. But I also think that everyone, particularly Sebumi Takeru, is focusing closely on Juichi and is actually conducting their investigations to prove he is the suspect instead of doing a proper investigation, and coming up with several potential suspects, and follow wherever the evidences lead them.

Tōma Saya: You don't see anything, you can't see! Are those eyes not healed yet?!
Sebumi Takeru: Now I know for sure you don't trust me.
Tōma Saya: That should be my line.

I'm equally impressed and appalled that the actual suspect in the case is a teenager in high school, primarily because she was able to lead experienced police detectives on a wild goose chase. It's quite impressive that she was able to execute her plans almost without a hitch, and it is dreadful that Saya didn't figure out she was the culprit until it was almost too late.