Dorokei (2018)

Dorokei is really something special. The rare sort of drama where almost everything just clicks, and because of that it's difficult to review - where do I even start?

The focus on theft-based crime solving is refreshing, for one. Without being able to rely on the shock value of more violent offenses, it creates for some really unique and memorable scenarios. I can still vividly recall several of the one-off episodic criminals despite it having been months since I last watched.

There's just so much... relatable humanity, in Dorokei. Madarame is one of my favorite drama protagonists of all time - equal parts endearingly stupid, then remarkably sharp when the circumstances call for it; unmotivated when it comes to work, then suddenly passionate when that work involves empathy for someone in front of him. And all of those aspects manage to work together seamlessly. Nakajima Kento did an amazing job portraying him.

As did just about everyone else in their roles. Mr Endo was maybe born to play a sketchy thief with a heart of gold. And often in comedic-leaning detective shows the eclectic side characters will be a bit of a mixed bag, but here I find all of them charming in some way, even Ojiyama, who I definitely wish had been given a less creepy "quirk" but who is also given enough genuinely amusing moments that by the end I couldn't help but like him a bit, too.

The show looks beautiful: so many scenes are lit with these lovely glowing colours, and I feel the absence of aesthetic in other shows a lot harder since this one. Why can't every detective drama look like this, I ask myself. The music is great. The humor is on point. And I imagine not everyone will consider Dorokei a romance, as I do, but it is certainly a show about love and the power that it can have, and I think that's the sort of fiction we all could use a little more of.

If I have any real gripe about Dorokei, it's that I wish it had been an episode or two longer, to give me more time with these characters. Or that a season 2 would hurry up and be announced. (I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.)

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