RoOT (2024)

vibes r immaculate

this drama seems to be a spin-off of the manga/anime Odd Taxi. I have never watched the anime nor read the manga, but was drawn to watching the drama because of the casts. Overall, I think this was a very lovely watch. Everything from the story, to the music, cinematography, characters, comedy, and dialogue was a treat.

The drama follows Rena and Sato, two young detectives who seem like an unlikely pair. Rena is calculative and intelligent, while Sato is clumsy and peak loserism lol. Since the drama seems to be adopted from the origins of Odd Taxi, I consider the taxi driver, Odakawa, also a main character. He was constantly involved in their investigation, and was quite an interesting character to learn about. I hope if we do get a s2, his mundane and thought-provoking character can be explored more. Eiji was another character I loved, he was very pathetic loserism in the first half, but became a hero by the second, I loved that for him. Odakawa and Eiji make the funniest pair, especially in the last episode I laughed so hard at their encounter.

There is only one big case followed through in this drama, the case of the missing idol. It was extremely well-written, and I enjoyed all the twists and turns we got to experience. While in the middle, the case's plot seemed a little dragged out, by the last few episodes everything was answered very well and tied up nicely.

The cinematography of RoOT is something that really stood out to me. It was shot so beautifully, I loved the different parallels, use of flashbacks, close-ups, transitions, and color. The music was also so good, I enjoyed hearing new music every episode and discovering some new lo-fi beats. The vibes of this drama felt like if you literally teleported yourself into the cover-art of a japanese lo-fi city album.

As for romance between the two main characters, there is very minimal. Rena and Sato have good chemistry and teamwork, but do not give hints of romance until maybe the last 2-3 episodes. By then, Sato seems to have developed interest in her, but Rena's feelings on this matter are unknown. I hope we can get a chance to explore this more though a second season, because they make a great pair and are extremely comfortable with each other. They were constantly protecting each other through the drama, which I loved to see.

Overall, I think RoOT is a nice short watch with very enjoyable vibes. Even if you have no knowledge of Odd Taxi, you will adore it!!

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