Hunter [ ep10 Final]

This was one of the first dramas I watched this season. And now after 10 episodes, it has come to an end. Was rather taken aback that it's only 10 and not 11 episodes, but oh well, it was a fun watch. The episode continued from the previous when Akane was framed. It then turned out that the police was protecting the real criminal and though going against them seemed fruitless, Gondo pretended to be on the police's side to dig more information. 

I didn't expect someone to die in the final episode, and to have Sensei pass away after being shot by the corrupted policeman, was a loss to be remembered. Though he didn't exactly play a huge role but he had been a prominent character and regular customer of the shop. His death probably was to show that this is really life threatening situation and not always bright and beautiful for the ladies.

Gondo ended up saving Akane and hiding her while the ladies began to step up their defense. Having lost Sensei to the case, I could only hope they went all out against the police. They found out the real criminal when Rei recalled his face while on the plane in her previous trip, and getting enough information they needed, they asked help from the local reporters. 

I thought the whole Kasumi-bicycle issue was funny! To think she was dragged into it just because she was cycling on the pathways, not designated for cycling and then having her video put on the net was hilarious. Other than Rei, she really was the one of a kind in this show. But when they found that the news station was an ally of the police, the Youtube-ish incident gave them an idea.

They began creating their own webpage since a lot of people were interested in the incident. Then, they put up a video of Akane defending herself. YES, take advantage of the NET WORLD because it really can move the world.

Kasumi getting raged on the reporters for the defamation of her character LOL

The case finally ended when their videos grabbed huge attention and beyond the police's control. When the police couldn't protect the real criminal anymore, they finally gave up and arrested him. Akane's reputation was cleared. The ladies returned to their everyday life, while Rei went back to the city, thinking she could finally calm down from all the chaos. 

That was, until the gang showed up with all the food she hated and KAMPAI!

Overall thought:

This show was one of those I watched without really expecting much. However, here I am, still posting about the final episode. It is a light-hearted drama, a bit of detective work with humorous situations to keep me entertained. I like it because these ladies are all amateurs, of course, there'd be scenes where you think that wouldn't have happened in real life cases, but let's not get too serious about it, shall we? I don't mind if there's a 2nd season of this, because there's a high chance of me watching it.

Overall rating: 8.0/10

I can't help but think this is some kind of deliberate display of bright colours.

Hunter [ ep 9]

Christmas anyone?

The episode focused on rescuing Akane from being framed by the police. She was put on the Wanted List and you could probably just imagine the look on Rei's face when she saw her own sister was one of the Wanted suspects. Akane was suspected of murder and her daughter asked the Bounty Hunters to help search for her.

I'd say the Santa Claus disguise was pretty generic but nonetheless, brilliant? They made use of the festive season and help from the regular customers, as they venture at the streets, passing out flyers while Rei disappeared into one of the alleys, sneaked into the school compound to find Akane. 

Am I the only one liking the conversation between Akane and her daughter the moment she returned? Despite her age, Haru seemed mature and from the way Akane talked to her, you'd instantly know that Akane had never seen her as merely a kid. I really like the adult-like relationship they both had.

So with Akane finally found, the ladies had probably their toughest and most dangerous job ever since their Bounty Hunter side job began. The real criminal remained in the dark and after an attempt to warn them by kidnapping Haru, things began to escalate.

Thoughts:

So Akane appeared for the last two episodes. At least her character wasn't underused by the writers. Also, she wasn't as irresponsible as they made her out to be throughout the show, especially when Rei claimed that she was always cleaning up after her. Apparently, Akane loved her more than anybody else, after all, because the killer was after Rei (who was known to recognize faces), Akane deliberately borrowed a huge sum of $ from the loanshark to trigger an alarm. Rei will have no choice but to come to her place. And so, everything was pretty much explained. Everything happened for a reason.

So, let's see how they solve this case in the final. 

Rating:  8.5/10

Hunter [ep 6]

Note: Had fever last weekend and still down with flu. That's why it has delayed my posts these few days. But I'll try to catch up! xDD

The writers decide to give a chance for Jun-chan to shine in this episode and indeed she did! The episode begins with the girls tracking down a wanted criminal for murder and the moment Rei asks him to follow them to the police, I was thinking "yeah right...do you expect him to just waltz with you to the station?" lolz...

But the girls aren't totally dumb in that aspect. They come prepared and are not to be underestimated. Albeit the little net thingy doesn't quite work out the way they wanted. Totally hilarious.

Yup! Count on the bunny phone to solve the case, Jun! 

Jun gets all softy after hearing the criminal pleading them to find his alibi and insists that he did not murder his girlfriend. I don't know what strikes Jun to suddenly melt with the words of a criminal but something inside her must have somehow clicked.

The episode is quite entertaining. The visit to the mysterious bar named Chaconne with a most probably gay waiter, oh the waiter IS the HIGHLIGHT. He totally cracks me up nonstop especially the moment his face gets all bright and cheery and hands flailing everywhere ...epic! And the shorts!

The case? A bit predictable, okay totally predictable...but what I like is they give it all for Jun to take the trophy for this time around. In the beginning, I thought that Jun is one of those 'dumb blonde' characters, but she so proves it wrong here. Her courage and bravery to face the real baddie alone is to be given credits for, though not recommended in real life. Unless you want to die earlier, no you don't just lure the baddie out and think he'll follow you like a trained puppy to the station. But the girl's got guts.

And of course, the bunny phone shall be remembered for a long time from now on. She's got brains too!

Another enjoyable episode. The thing about Hunter is, it's a show I don't take too seriously and the kind that I watch for fun and it definitely delivers in that sense. Hasn't actually turned me off yet because the characters are fun!

Rating: 8.5/10


The girls getting excited for the next preview...well I know I am! So see you soon!

Hunter [ep 3]

Suspecting your own husband as a criminal is not fun. For a change of pace, this week, the girls are continuing their Bounty Hunter activity but with a catch. The criminal they’re after somehow relates to Kazumi’s husband, in all the wrong ways. Seriously, how can everything be so messed up?

Just a little synopsis of the details that add up to the suspicion: Apparently, the crime took place 10 years ago, on Kazumi’s birthday and somehow she becomes unnecessarily worried just because her husband didn’t show up for the birthday dinner. To make things worse, they find an old picture of both the victim and him together at a party. Not only that, her son scribbled his father’s image on the ‘wanted’ criminal’s poster. That is really the beginning of her suspicion lol. My initial impression is the son must just be missing the father too much! (Kazumi has this marital fight with him and so she stays over at Akane’s restaurant).

Seeing how life-altering this case can be for Kazumi if the husband is found to be guilty of murder, Rei decides to investigate this further, without telling the other two. Then they take us on the road of ultimate suspicion when Rei and Kazumi tests the husband out by luring him to meet up at scenes related to the crime. I’m ashamed to say that I was nearly fooled by the scheme Rei and the kids carried out. But the thing that made me realize it was all a trap was when Rei suddenly gets the call from Gondo and hurriedly disappears. When you have a suspect right under your nose, you don’t just leave the scene. Though that gave it away for me, it was still fun to watch Kazumi actually believing and devastated at the same time thinking that her husband is really the criminal after all.

They finally arrive at the restaurant he proposed to Kazumi 10 years ago and all three, Rei and the two kids appear. Turns out that all the places they visited that day are places filled with memories for both of them, just that Kazumi was too focused on the crime to think otherwise. They reconciled in the end, as expected.

I mentioned how it’s a bit unrealistic if they go on solving each and every case successfully so it’s good to change the direction a bit this time. They didn’t get to solve the case, instead, Kazumi’s household trouble. So they didn’t earn anything in this episode, but happiness is definitely much more precious than paper money for Kazumi. Another scene I like is when Rei teased Gondo when he tells her he’s married but single now. Rei thinks he’s divorced and laughed at him until Gondo’s turns all gloomy and uttered “she’s dead.” I totally laugh out loud at Rei and the other guy who holds the shaking thingy reactions when they shut their mouth upon hearing that. Though after that, Gondo tells that he’s just joking, I really doubt that. Gondo definitely has a dark past he still can’t get over with. With him, it’s hard to know what is real and what’s not. There’s no real case this week, but Kazumi’s dilemma is kinda funny.

Akane should appear more in this show. I know they’re trying to build up something huge for her character towards the end of the show, but really, appearing for just 5 seconds in every other episode makes her character totally unmemorable.

Rating: 8/10

I nearly forgot that Akane exists in this drama

Last but not least...

better not piss Rei off

Hunter [ep 2]

This week, we find out that Rei hates eggs which is also why she doesn’t bother to learn cooking them, let alone preparing a sunny side-up lol. Well thanks to the housewife Katsumi, she gets to learn few dishes and ultimately the way to fry an egg, without screwing up. Still no news about Akane, Rei is stuck with Haru and after getting some hints from Katsumi about her not understanding being a mother, Rei decides to prove that she can take care of Haru - first, she has to perfect her cooking skillz! 

We also know from this episode that Katsumi would do anything for money xDD It’s amusing how she squeezed quite a lot from Rei just for the cooking lessons and every other chance she can earn from. She's a fun character and the actress herself seems to be having a blast playing the role.

After having a lucky turnout in their last capture, they decide to hunt for another criminal which offers money. This time, the criminal comes from the town itself and has been gone without any sight for 4 long years. Rei then divides the jobs and I’m glad they still maintain a bit of reality for Jun. Jun’s the only one having a full time work as a flight attendant and it’d be weird if she always has the time to hang around with them and investigate. However, once she’s free, she’s on the detective mode, like the rest of the group.

Jun playing detective...with her bunny phone

I’m still trying to digest the whole idea of them being Bounty Hunters. It’s obviously PURE LUCK that they manage to hunt down those criminals one by one so far, without much difficulty. They make it look like the 1 million yen is easy money! Which is far from the truth. I mean, the police takes forever to catch the criminals and they successfully do it in what, like few days or a week? Bit too far-fetched. It’d be nice if they get more and more difficult cases in the future though. This week’s case is kinda weak, though a bit heart-warming towards the end.  

Another 1 million yen! Yatta!

Gondo again, limited scenes but his reputation sure is getting better and better now that the girls are around town to help him find criminals. 

Rating: 7/10

Hunter [ep 1]

Ryoko Yonekura stars in this detective/comedy drama together with a bunch of other misfits. Rei Isaka (Ryoko) is an ex-flight attendant who loses her job after 13 years being one, all because she has to pay her younger sister’s debt. In the beginning of the episode, she is shown in her workplace, airport when she stumbles into a robber. She then tackles him with her luggage, robber trips and owner comes running claiming the duffle bag. However, as the police tries to stop him for police report, it turns out that the said owner is a long wanted villain – Rei and her best friend aka. Colleague, Jun Motomura are then gifted with a total of 1 million yen as a reward from the police.

When Rei’s sister, Akane goes missing without any notice, Rei visits her eating shop and finds out that her disappearance is really suspicious. She files a report and meets Gondo, an officer in charge of the Community Department who doesn’t take her laments seriously as there are according to him, approximately 80 000 missing people every single year. Without much success at the police station, Jun then suggests that she moves to Akane’s place since she can’t afford the apartment anymore upon paying off the debt and quitting her job for the supplementary money. This will allow her to have more time searching for Akane and looking after her daughter, Haru. At the shop, they also make friends with a part-timer who sends bento – Kazumi whose first appearance with her dysfunctional bicycle is totally one of my favourite scenes in the first episode. And then, the mysterious customer of Akane’s – Machiko Suzuki who’s running away from her DV husband are added to the group consisting of – Rei, Jun and Kazumi to search for this wanted guy, last seen together with Akane before she disappears.

They agree to work together to look for him, a wanted murderer, and try to get the reward. Well, Rei is really in to search for her sister, while the rest are after the money, especially Kazumi while Machiko just wants to be part of the gang. But when they finally find him, he tells them that he has nothing to do with Akane’s disappearance and he’s actually waiting for her to return. Seems that Akane has been advising him to turn himself to the police. Rei is totally disappointed with the fact that after all the chasing and risk of losing her life, turns out that Akane’s disappearance is still a mystery. However, the rest are definitely happy since they get the reward money and despite Rei’s reluctance, they want to continue as Bounty Hunters – search wanted suspects by the police who are under the Reward System for the money of course. Lol…

Thoughts:

I’m not familiar with Ryoko’s previous works, I may have seen her in dramas before, maybe not, so I can’t really compare her past shows with this. Nevertheless, she does fit the leading role as someone who’s thrown into these circumstances whereby she has no choice but to clean up her sister’s mess. But to tell the truth, from the poster of the drama, I actually thought she’s playing somebody really tough, like a real bounty hunter, or a hired badass assassin. On the contrary, the show turns out to be a light comedy with a bit of drama/mystery. I wasn’t expecting that really. Coz Rei is not this badass girl who hunts down criminals, instead she’s an ex-flight attendant and she is definitely timid lol..she’s still human, basically. Still, I find myself rather amused by the overall characters. Actually I really enjoy Kazumi a lot! I last saw her in Zettai Reido 2 as a cold villain, and here she’s totally hilarious, a true example of your next-door housewife. And her brake-less bicycle…epic! It’s great to her in a more comic character and I definitely hope to see her more in this show. And Shosuke Tanihara as Gondo! So good to see him in dramas again, but too bad, he’s got so little screentime and overshadowed by the other female characters. Well, let’s face it, he’s just a minor character so that’s to be expected. Oh and is it just me or it’s really weird that Jun has the TIME to actually join in their investigation. I mean, doesn’t she have to WORK? I know she cancelled her flight that day still…it got me thinking. Finally, Akane played by Sayaka Yamaguchi (Zettai Reido 2), so LITTLE SCREENTIME! So, overall, the first episode is really just for introduction, not much action, but comedy is pretty good. We’ll see how Akane’s arc progresses as they venture into different cases in each episode.

Rating: 7.5/10