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nchristi
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
Onodo is as shady and subtly suspicious as ever. His explanation to Ukyo for lying about knowing Ms. Hemlock didn't make much sense to me (he didn't want them investigating an innocent person). When he asked her out to dinner in his car, I was a little taken aback at first, but then thought maybe he was just trying to find out some info himself. But then when he mentioned how he's asked her before and she always turns him down—holy cow!
Ms. Hemlock is pretty whacko, it seems, but I've had my suspicions about whether or not she's the murderer. I've wondered a few things about her family. Is her father murdering men who are coming on to his daughter? Is the daughter taking revenge for her father's career, which might have been blocked by some of the men in the club? Was the dad a member of the club? Or was he kept out? Is Dad himself dead? What about Mom? Did father or daughter poison her? Did Mom know something that had to be silenced? And what about the prosecutor on death row? He certainly has rather intimate knowledge of Ms. Hemlock's personality. What is their connection?
My fav funny scene was towards the beginning when the coroner comes out into the hallway after the autopsy to tell Ukyo the results. The murder investigation team has arrived and are insulting Ukyo and Kameyama. They push Ukyo and Kameyama aside (physically), and rudely snatch the bag of tested vitamins right out of Ukyo's hands. The way Kameyama turns away and silently curses them while making one of his insulting faces is so funny.
No wonder Ukyo likes him so much. Kameyama is like a naughty little boy with a sense of intuition that mystifies Ukyo. The Inspector has an overdose of analytic ability and a complete lack of that intangible type brain power that Kameyama is made up of. Plus, Kameyama is kind of like a faithful dog. Despite his faces and protestation, Kameyama will always be there loyally protecting and supporting Ukyo.
Well, much to my surprise (I don't know why I should be surprised?!), this week's episode has taken a major twist at the end, leaving us puzzled once more. Such an entertaining and well-done series. I keep saying that, but each week I am newly reminded what a gem Partners is amid countless other series.
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7/24/2009, 12:59 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
class blockquote nchristi wrote:
Ms. Hemlock is pretty whacko, it seems, but I've had my suspicions about whether or not she's the murderer. I've wondered a few things about her family. Is her father murdering men who are coming on to his daughter? Is the daughter taking revenge for her father's career, which might have been blocked by some of the men in the club? Was the dad a member of the club? Or was he kept out? Is Dad himself dead? What about Mom? Did father or daughter poison her? Did Mom know something that had to be silenced? And what about the prosecutor on death row? He certainly has rather intimate knowledge of Ms. Hemlock's personality. What is their connection?Yeah, there's a whole bunch of these types of unanswered questions about why Ms. Hemlock (great nickname!  ) murdered these three men. If she's even the murderer, that is. I think the three men being members of the club may have had something to do with why she murdered them. Perhaps her father used to be a member of the club and was expelled? Or maybe the three men had done something to her father (perhaps even killed him) and this is Ms. Hemlock's way of taking revenge? I think the best thing to do is to verify if Ms. Hemlock's father is really a botanist traveling to different countries. I have a nagging feeling that he may really be dead.
Looking into how the prosecutor knows Ms. Hemlock would be interesting, too. Now that the lawyer has gained access to meeting with the prosecutor regularly in jail, she should ask him more about his relationship with Ms. Hemlock. I'm still wondering why she was present at the prosecutor's trial and how he knows so much about her. There may be a connection there we don't know about yet.
Yeah, I love those scenes where Kameyama and Ukyo run into those murder investigation cops that always pick a fight with them. Ukyo is usually very cool, calm, and collected, giving one-word responses and having that subtle smirk on his face. Kameyama, meanwhile, always does these hilarious facial expressions as he curses the rival cops under his breath. What a great team!
This is definitely a great drama. The more episodes I watch, the more I enjoy it! No wonder this drama has seen so many subsequent seasons aired in Japan. The combination of Ukyo and Kameyama is great, along with the cases they solve. There's a new mystery behind every corner!
Episode 2 airs next Thursday.
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7/24/2009, 3:33 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
Episode 2
This was certainly a bizarre episode, wasn't it? I had a feeling that Ms. Hemlock's father wasn't alive, but I had no idea that Ms. Hemlock had an 'Electra complex' towards her father. No wonder Ms. Hemlock didn't have any pictures of her late mother around the house and never visited her grave. But it was interesting how Ukyo and Kameyama solved the case by 'changing their strategy' -- knowing how much Ms. Hemlock adored her father, they approached her and claimed that they found a new suspect: her father! Then, they went into her home and made it look like the father had reappeared -- placing his briefcase on the coffee table, dressing up in his clothes and walking around the garden, etc. This freaked Ms. Hemlock out, who went straight to her 'basement', where she was hiding her late father's body. What an interesting case! Ukyo and Sugi****a sure used some 'reverse psychology' to solve it. And a little bit of trespassing too, LOL!
So we find out why Ms. Hemlock murdered her father. After he started avoiding her because of her 'advances', she began to feel extremely hurt and finally murdered him with hemlock poison. She then told the police that he had 'disappeared' after returning from Brazil and to drop the investigation because it is an 'internal problem'. I'm presuming she then locked his body up in the basement, where it eventually deteriorated. Or... was he mummified? That was weird, seeing his corpse tied on the chair with an empty wine bottle and glass next to him. In turn, she killed the other men because they 'weren't like Papa'. She was looking for a father figure, but when the men didn't cut it, she poisoned them!
After finding out all this, I'm surprised that Ms. Hemlock didn't murder her mother, too! The police mentioned that the mother passed away, but after we found out about Ms. Hemlock's 'Electra complex, I'm surprised that she wasn't also the one responsible for her mother's death as well. But now Ms. Hemlock has been arrested, and this case has been solved too.
I had to crack up when Ukyo bought Ms. Hemlock marigolds, which apparently means 'crush evil' in the language of flowers. Ukyo feigned innocence and said he had no idea about the meaning. I have a feeling he did on purpose, LOL! The scene after Ms. Hemlock woke up from her dream at night was funny, too! She was going out on the balcony for some fresh air. It was the middle of the night, but when she opens the drapes, she sees Ukyo and Kameyama standing on her balcony, smiling and knocking on the glass window and asking to come in! LOL!
As a result, the mysterious Onoda gives Ukyo and Kameyama back their 'Special Missions' department and position. Now, they're free to solve anything they'd like, just like before. But what happened to the jailed prosecutor? He escaped jail again, apparently jumping off a cliff into an ocean after leaving a suicide note. But, Ukyo looks like he doesn't buy the suicide story. He mentions, 'The body hasn't been found yet.' I wonder if this will be our next case?
Excellent drama! I'm looking forward to Episode 3 next week.
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7/31/2009, 6:28 am
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nchristi
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
Wow. I certainly never lost interest in this story, even though it spanned three weeks (for us). The actress playing Ms. Hemlock was quite excellent, I thought. Very convincing. I loved how Ukyo kept subtly nudging her off-balance, picking away at her through his carefully chosen little psychological rattlers. He's like a skilled boxer—discover the opponent's weakness then keep chipping away at it. No big knockout punch needed, just keep jabbing until the opponent is worn out, confused, and can no longer keep up his defenses adequately—then deliver the crushing (and unexpected) blow.
The things that jumped out and bit me were a few odds and ends. For example, the music at the beginning of the Boards of Review to discipline our boys was "Pomp and Circumstance." To Americans, this is known as the "Graduation March," but it isn't used the same way in other countries, I presume.
When they were walking down the corridor after their official suspension, I thought I heard Ukyo refer to his partner as "Kameyama-kun." Is that how he always addresses him? Is that appropriate, given Kameyama's age? Or would Ukyo use that because Kameyama is so child-like?
J-Ripper (death row prosecutor) - I'm sure he's still alive! My guess is he was familiar with those cliffs and there must be a deep-water area that leads to an underground cave. The cave probably has an above-the-water-line chamber and then a tunnel that leads to an exit far removed from the spot he originally jumped from.
But what's going on with J-Ripper? He is fascinated by the lady attorney. I wonder if his psychotic mind forces him to kill the objects of his 'love.' All his victims were women, it seemed. It won't surprise me if one of our upcoming episodes will be a strange stalker (guess who?) after our lady lawyer.
Onoda - That guy is trippy. Enigmatic. Good cop? Bad cop? Or just a selfish one who sees Ukyo as the sharpest tool in the box? His relationship with Ms. Hemlock was puzzling. Was he collecting bits and pieces of info and passing them on to Ukyo? Didn't seem like it. Maybe just a strange combination of wanting to get close to fooling around with a young woman, yet carefully keeping himself one step ahead of her and out of her clutches. Though, of course, she was not interested in him the way she was in her other older lovers. She was only using Onoda to get Ukyo permanently off her case—a motive clearly understand by Onoda before their dinner.
So now we're back to the horrible 'ostricism' - Special Missions. How clever of Onoda. Maybe his greatest talent is strategically bringing about everything he wants while totally camoflaging his true motives to all those around him (Super Cuttlefish). This way he can move about rather freely, since nearly everyone he deals with thinks he is on their side! LOL!
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7/31/2009, 1:14 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
class blockquote nchristi wrote:
When they were walking down the corridor after their official suspension, I thought I heard Ukyo refer to his partner as "Kameyama-kun." Is that how he always addresses him? Is that appropriate, given Kameyama's age? Or would Ukyo use that because Kameyama is so child-like?Yeah, I think I've heard Ukyo always refer to Kameyama as "Kameyama-kun". It would normally be inappropriate to call Kameyama that because of his age, but since Ukyo's older than him and has presumably been on the police force longer than Kameyama, he's able to refer to his junior partner as "Kameyama-kun". I think Ukyo's the only character on the show who does so -- if I remember correctly, all the other characters on the show always refer to Kameyama as "Kameyama-san" except Ukyo.
But I also found it odd that 'Pomp and Circumstance' was playing during that scene! When I heard that music come up, I was expecting Ukyo and Kameyama to walk in the room wearing a cap & gown and holding a diploma, LOL! But it's interesting that this musical piece is played on different occasions in other countries.
It would be interesting to see what J-Ripper plans to do next. When our lady lawyer called Kameyama to tell him that J-Ripper escaped, she seemed very concerned and remembered J-Ripper's words to her about 'not wanting to die' now that he had met her. She better be extra careful! I, too, get the feeling that we haven't seen the last of J-Ripper! Judging from that last scene, Ukyo seems pretty unsure about the whole thing, too.
Onoda's a cuttlefish all right, LOL! We can never figure out what exactly he's thinking or who's side he's on. I was surprised Ms. Hemlock took him up on his dinner offer. I had to crack up when Kameyama saw Ms. Hemlock's father's picture and commented that if Ms. H is trying to date men who look similar to her father, then Onoda definitely stands no chance, LOL! So much for Onoda and Ms. H's dinner date.
This was a great debut episode. Partners 2 has gotten off to a great start! I also very much enjoyed Ms. Hemlock's acting. She did a great job portraying Ms. Hemlock during that scene where Ukyo and Kameyama discovered her father's corpse. Ms. Hemlock was in shock at how the partners skilfully cornered her using reverse psychology. All in all, a great start for what will hopefully be a great second season of Partners!
By the way, an aside, but I love the background music that plays in every episode during the scenes where Ukyo and Kameyama are 'exposing' the culprit. In yesterday's episode, it played during the scene where Ukyo was telling Ms. Hemlock that he is certain her father was the murderer. It always plays towards the end of the episode, whenever Ukyo has figured out the case and is explaining his 'findings' to the culprit.
Last edited by Hiroshi66, 7/31/2009, 7:53 pm
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7/31/2009, 7:48 pm
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neko7149
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
I’ll take mystery anytime, but suspense oooh~no—thank—you!
Last night’s show….I missed the last 20 minutes…it was too suspenseful.
Had my hands covering most of my TV screen and just listening to the sound.
So~today at 5pm the reruns…
did see it—all! Yes, the mummified father, too.
Is she nuts!? Hitomi Kogure!… “because they won’t my father, just fakes”…are you nuts!
I thought Hitomi did the killing, but when Ukyo and Kame-chan said the culprit is the father….. “ah~yes, that makes sense…Hitomi doesn’t have motive and the father does”
I too, was tricked. 
I think….Ukyo calls Kameyama with “kun” is that since they both are “Aibou” to each other , that he wants to be more friendly like. And in a way it’s being politeness that Ukyo shows toward Kameyama by calling him with “kun”....
and for Kameyama, he respects Ukyo, since he is or used to be an elite police detective.
Speaking of J-Ripper—Katsuhisa Namase, he sure was creepy. I remembered him in more of comical rolls such as Trick and Gokusen. I didn’t know he could play J-Ripper type.
I agree, I don’t think he’s dead—yet. 
On the lighter note….I love seeing Kakuta Kacho…..
“hima ka?” [What’s happening?]…. is his trademark greetings. 
Season II is starting off really good, can’t wait for next week….
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7/31/2009, 8:43 pm
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Hiroshi66
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
Yeah, Ukyo and Kameyama knew that Ms. Hemlock would continue denying everything if they did nothing and continued to accuse/investigate her. So, they switched their tactics -- blaming her late father for the murders, knowing that Ms. Hemlock would not be able to take Ukyo's comments about "finding her father" and that he was "certain" this theory was correct. And, just as Ukyo thought, Ms Hemlock led them straight to the father's body. I think the part where Ms. Hemlock slipped was when she screamed at Ukyo, "My father isn't able to kill anyone!" or something to that effect. He can't kill anyone because he's dead! That was the beginning of the end for Ms. Hemlock.
That's true, the actor who played J-Ripper also played one of the detectives (Detective Yabe) in the Trick drama. But, his role there was mostly for comic relief. Not like here!
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8/1/2009, 6:47 am
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kingo gondo
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Re: J-Drama: 相棒２ (Partners 2)
<<<By the way, an aside, but I love the background music that plays in every episode during the scenes where Ukyo and Kameyama are 'exposing' the culprit. In yesterday's episode, it played during the scene where Ukyo was telling Ms. Hemlock that he is certain her father was the murderer. It always plays towards the end of the episode, whenever Ukyo has figured out the case and is explaining his 'findings' to the culprit. >>>
I believe that is an excerpt from "Adagio in G Minor" by Albinoni.
There is a performance of it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtQ0Ow72Gk
Last edited by kingo gondo, 8/3/2009, 12:28 pm
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8/2/2009, 10:34 pm
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